Esoteric Survey

La Gardo Tackett for Freeman Lederman How to Wrap 2 Flaming Swords

Architects Donald Wexler, Richard Harrison and William Cody teamed up to design Palm Springs Spa Hotel in 1958. Photo: Julius Shulman,  Getty Research Institute Today it is being demolished. Source: KESQ Apparently, the John Mason sculptures are being removed prior to the bulldozing.   Source:  Bon Vivant The walkway is also being saved. I was updated by Donald Wexler's son, Gary.  He watched the entire colonnade get demolished, despite the  tribe spokesman saying the last segment of the canopy would be saved. All of the buildings will be demolished.  This includes the William Cody designed hotel and the Donald Wexler/ Richard Harrison bath house. It's a very sad day indeed. Source:  Bon Vivant More about the spa hotel, here .

  Shepard's at the  Clairemont Square and Quad Clairemont Square and Quad was the major shopping center in the San Diego community of Clairemont. It's actually still around and is a typical big-box corporate mess ( Clairemont Town Square ). The center opened in 1954 and had 44 stores, including a Walker Scott department store (1967/1973). Clairemont was the first large post-war suburb in San Diego. The two developers, Lou Burgener and Carlos Tavares called the development Clairemont after Tavares' wife, Claire. It was coined "A Village Within a City", but it was really just the start of large-scale suburban sprawl in San Diego.  The Journal of San Diego History :   Its design represented a new concept in community living because the developers were unwilling to impose the traditional grid system of uniform blocks and streets, but, rather, hired engineers to create a plan of gently winding streets and scenic view lots to take advantage of the deep...

Design Line lamps (Bill Curry), Earthgender (Robert Maxwell and David Cressey), and some foreign stuff. Wayne Chapman and David Stewart

A feature length documentary film project chronicling the lives and work of  Toza and Ruth Radakovich is in the works.  The film , Forging Love and Wearing Sculpture  -  "A Cold War love story thriller and a view into the the American mid-century arts and crafts revolution."  has just launched a fundraising campaign to support a cross country filming expedition.  Jean Radakovich (right), daughter of Toza and Ruth, seen here with  Verma Nequatewa , the niece of famed Hopi jeweler Charles Loloma is the force behind this project.  Traveling with her is, Klaus Flouride, bassist of the 1980s punk band, The Dead Kennedys. Also, Joan Zeno, a ceramic artist and photographer and girlfriend of Toza's after Ruth died. And, Edmundo Marroquin, a Spanish metal smith who worked on many of Toza's sculptures from 1961 until he retired in the 1980s. In 2011, Boomerang for Modern hosted a showing of artwork by Ruth and Toza. The event als...

La Gardo Tackett for Freeman Lederman

John Risley leaf table Sculpture (1983) by Russell Forester More on Russell can be found here .