tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567984.post8959018721918693715..comments2023-10-25T04:48:01.513-04:00Comments on Ric & Debbie's Place: Surprise VisitorAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16137643724425073311noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567984.post-15439993816952041932007-03-08T11:26:00.000-05:002007-03-08T11:26:00.000-05:00I should add that Lily, like yourself, admitted th...I should add that Lily, like yourself, admitted that Soleri's sketches were 100% better than anything she could do. I've never seen any attempts at my wife's drawing, which she assures me is a good thing!Conrad H. Rothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01916542057749474124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567984.post-56901234117177558682007-03-07T20:01:00.000-05:002007-03-07T20:01:00.000-05:00Conrad:I'd love the chance to talk "off the record...Conrad:<BR/><BR/>I'd love the chance to talk "off the record" with Arcosanti visitors. Being a tour guide has it frustrations; primarily always steering away from problem areas. I've never lied in response to a direct question, and I'm sure I've wandered into forbidden territory from time to time. But as a tour guide, I am an employee of the foundation given the task of presenting Arcosanti and Paolo in a positive light. Obviously, one of the residents' favorite hobbies is griping about this place, but it would be nice to bounce things off an outsider that has been here a couple times and is at least passingly familiar with Paolo and Arcosanti.<BR/><BR/>Lily:<BR/><BR/>Your comment is in line with the opinion of most of the residents, including, for the most part, mine. The only difference on my part would be that, as someone who has never had an art class, I tend to judge how good something is by the "could I do any better" criteria. If you consider Paolo's sketches to be mediocre, anything I would attempt would likely fall into the "so hideous is ought to be burned before any more poor slobs are subjected to it" catagory. So on that criteria, I consider his stuff pretty good. But I'm really not the one to ask.<BR/><BR/>But we do get people who are truely horrified in the "Oh my God, naked sketches right out here in the open instead of locked away in the adults-only section and oh my God look how many of them; they just go on and on for pages and pages and would look at this one and this one and this one!!" sense. And surprisingly, it usually isn't our older guests. So when Conrad said you were horrified, I never gave it a second thought. Taken in the correct context (as in the reader knowing you and that you are an art historian and as such unlikely to be horrified by respresentations of nude women), I can see how it would be funny.Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16137643724425073311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567984.post-63090729763382940862007-03-05T21:45:00.000-05:002007-03-05T21:45:00.000-05:00Dear Ric,I would like to mention the sketching peo...Dear Ric,<BR/><BR/>I would like to mention the sketching people in the nude. My husband, Mr. Roth, writes in a light-hearted, humourous vein. I was not "horrified" by the sketches. I happen to be an art historian, so I'm pretty familiar with the female nude. <BR/><BR/>I was more AMUSED than anything. The pamphlet stated that women "between the ages of 21-40" could request a sitting with Paolo Soleri to be drawn in the nude. The things that amused me, in no particular order:<BR/>1. a man in his 80s, NOT an artist, gets young women to pose nude for him just 'cause he's "Paolo Soleri".<BR/>2. his sketchings are utterly mediocre, the only distinguishing characteristic is the frequently bizarre and unnatural poses he has them in...standing up, knees bent outward to expose one's genitals is not really a very natural pose.<BR/>3. the sitters don't pay him, but they get ONE copy of the sketch "free" and he sells the rest...<BR/>3. Frankly, my first thought was amusement and respect for an old geezer who had such a great scam going. Actually, Conrad reproved me repeatedly for using the word "scam". As he fairly pointed out, these women knew what they were getting and were, apparently, pleased with it. Hence, no scamming involved.<BR/><BR/>I'm sorry that my amusement ruffled so many feathers...c'mon...it is a little funny, no? <BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, I admire the goals of Arcosanti...I can well believe that the execution is very difficult. Also, please don't take offense at Mr. Roth's remarks on Paolo-worship...actually, we've toured Taliesin West and your guides are FAR less worshipful than the guides are there of the late, great, Mr. Wright. It was meant to entertain, not offend. <BR/><BR/>All the best,<BR/>Lily RothMrs. Lily-Plum Rothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05113658106052915152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567984.post-72901410482831088762007-03-02T23:40:00.000-05:002007-03-02T23:40:00.000-05:00Thanks for this, Ric. I'm very grateful for your c...Thanks for this, Ric. I'm very grateful for your comments and corrections. The situation you describe here--of the disjunction between Soleri 'up there' and you guys 'down here'--is if anything more interesting than the one I imagined. I wish I'd known about this a week ago, and managed to speak to the residents in person. That, no doubt, would have made a much more worthwhile piece. Still, I'm content to leave it in the air as a tantalising suggestion.<BR/><BR/>I hope that, despite a false start, this little exchange has effected some fruitful erosion of the wall that stands between Arcosanti's residents and its visitors.Conrad H. Rothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01916542057749474124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567984.post-89599686121200045402007-03-02T23:00:00.000-05:002007-03-02T23:00:00.000-05:00I was too quick and probably harsher than I intend...I was too quick and probably harsher than I intended to be. I <I>was</I> annoyed and that is not a state to be in while blogging, which I should know. I have also found out that you didn't just get some misleading information from your tour guide, but intentional misinformation, which you can hardly be blamed for. The TV theft is part of that: it was not stolen, it was moved from the music center to make room for a yoga group using it as a meditation space. While it was already relocated, there was some discussion of making the move permanent, but no theft and no irritation. And while we do sell garlic and other agriculture items in the gallery, it isn't a significant portion of our income, nor are we Arizona's second largest producer of organic garlic (or if we are, it is only because we are one of only two producers of organic garlic in Arizona).<BR/><BR/>I guess what set me off was your reference to Apollo. We are constantly accused of "worshipping Paolo" as some sort of secular god. For me personally, and for most of the residents I have gotten to know in my time here, it is the exact opposite. We are all too aware of Paolo's shortcomings and his knack for pissing off people the project could really use. It's one of the reasons that many of us don't attend School of Thought; it's just too painful watching him repeatedly alienate guests and residents who have quite legitimate questions about the project.<BR/><BR/>And it <I>is</I> bizarre, and radical, and highly experimental. It is also frustrating, appealing, irritating, wonderful, and pointless, depending on the day and even the hour that you happen to ask.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, thanks for the comment and clarification.Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16137643724425073311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567984.post-77845105371398683112007-03-02T03:21:00.000-05:002007-03-02T03:21:00.000-05:00Ric, your criticisms are fair, mostly. I confess t...Ric, your criticisms are fair, mostly. I confess that I have not been to Cosanti, for instance. I am well aware of the various etymologies given by Paolo for his creations, and I own more than one of his books. But nevertheless, if an Italian calls something 'Arcosanti', either he intends the overtone of 'sacred ark' or he is an idiot. Paolo is not an idiot, but he is evidently quite grandiose in the way he thinks--which, incidentally, is not something I scoff at.<BR/><BR/>If my wife was wrong about the payment situation for Arcosanti, then I apologise; that is the impression she got from whatever info was there.<BR/><BR/>I was told the TV was stolen, they hadn't had it back for several days, and were quite irritated about it. As for 'Apollo', <EM>that was a conceit</EM>--for heaven's sake don't take it so literally.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I'm sorry if my account annoyed you. I tried to convey my mixture of baffled amusement and wonder at such a bizarre and radical undertaking, and if the piece came across as too dismissive then my ambition exceeded my reach. I find Arcosanti consistently remarkable and can readily understand the appeal of it. Soleri does come across as somewhat unhinged--especially in his most recent writings--but in truth I admire the communal aesthetic.Conrad H. Rothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01916542057749474124noreply@blogger.com