Interesting idea SwaggerShop_com. Would it work?

Dear suzanne,
In a word, yes. I think people respond to the celebrity of the musician whose portrait appears on the Jazz Fest poster. And I think people love the poster for its souvenir-quality. So I don't think sales would be badly hurt if Jazz Fest chose a Skylar Fein, Jenny LeBlanc, Marcus Brown, or any of the other artists I mentioned. In fact, I think a fresh idea or two might even call added attention to the poster. Question: Why does the Jazz Fest produce a piece of graphic art that looks like an Impressionist painting, instead of producing a piece of graphic art that looks like a piece of graphic art? I'd love to see a Jazz Fest poster with some old school hands-on poster design punch. What if someone like LaBlanc or the Art Cops (Matt Vis and Tony Campbell) actually made the print, not just the design? Imagine if every poster was an original. Why not?

We have an army of amazing contemporary artists in New Orleans, producing smart, sophisticated up-to-the-minute designs. I so wish that the Jazz Fest would take advantage of the home town cool. Imagine the posters we’d be seeing if Gina Phillips, Skylar Fein, Jenny LeBlanc, Jonathan Traviesa, the Art Cops or any of the other current Crescent City conceptual/graphic masters were turned loose on the project.

The Jazz Fest got it right when they hired Douglas Bourgeois in 2008 – though they should have stuck with his original grittier design of Irma Thomas surrounded by post-K ruin.. I also thought last years’ pairing of Tony Bennett and Louis Prima was a once in a lifetime concept – very logical and complete.

Years ago I read great non-fiction book titled "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling." The author shared a brief historical account of Michelangelo's "David" being transported from his studio to its site. If memory serves, some people threw vegetables. I'm certain that when the Sistine chapel was restored to its original vivid colors, some people complained that it was too bright. Point is, where criticism is concerned, Ms. Faust is in pretty good company.

Dear Metrytango, Thanks for watching and commenting. Can’t argue. We are not pro broadcasters; we sound like … whatever we sound like. Aside from the unpolished speaking style how did you like the Brett Anderson telephone hook-up? Want more? Should we do a regular Charlie’s Angels style phone-in?

Note:
According to a Sept. 11 2010 Times-Picayune story by Frank Donze and Bruce Eggler, "Under state law, Thomas would have to wait 15 years before he could seek public office again."

iop,
According to a Sept. 11 2010 Times-Picayune story by Frank Donze and Bruce Eggler, "Under state law, Thomas would have to wait 15 years before he could seek public office again."

Thanks Vatican,
Anyone else who wants to recommend something; please do.
Also, no promises, but there will probably be theater comments in next week's Times-Picks. Doug

Vatican,
The great thing about nola.com is that the conversation can continue. What, in your opinion, were the best theater shows of 2010? I cover aspects of the theater community from time to time -- the LePetit situation, for instance, -- but I'm not a theater critic. How did Mr. Fox stack up theatrically?

Yes, I loved Fringe Fest. It's hard to separate the art disciplines of course, but my top ten was dedicated to visual art events. Of course, Mr. Fox, The Krewe of Dead Pelicans and the Martin/Tracy living mural might be called theater.

Equus197,
Thanks for reading and writing. Yes, I also thought the Haitian art show was touching and timely. I wrote about one of the flag-makers in the wake of the earthquake, but I have not heard about his life since.

And yes, the November studio/gallery openings down in the Bywater/Marigny were great; I took a bunch of friends out that night and everyone loved it. The tableau vivants were a hoot -- I'd like to see that continue.

The blue dog always has it's fans and detractors, but I think Rodrigue's 3-D interpretation of his painting on Vets is a triumph. And yes, body painting has been around for a very long time, but I think Tracy and Martin's large-scale living abstraction was unique. I know both of their styles pretty well -- this was a perfect blending, on the grand scale.

Wow, really? So they moved the City Park grandstand to the current Mid-City site of the racetrack after 1910? I was a long time Mid-City resident. When the grandstand burned, I rode my bike over to see the fire -- a tragic memory. Thanks for reading and writing.

Sorry readers, I made a mistake. John Moisant was not the first to fly across the English Channel as stated in an earlier version of the story. As a few alert aviation enthusiasts pointed out, he was the first to fly across with a passenger.

My mistake: I said LePetit's building dated from 1922. Actually it was rebuilt by architect R. Koch in 1963.

Dear Chatty, thanks so much. One of my favorite things, is how Kenny Harrison's intro graphic is a perfect match with the make-it-up-as-we-go video.

Avi, the Nov. 15 press release from NoLA Rising states that a NoLA Rising board member "came up with the idea of painting a larger version of Mr. McClendon's mural on the wall, and making it the centerpiece of the entire continuous mural. NoLa Rising approached Mack with the idea, and gained his support."

Cliche or not, I agree that Saturday in the St. Claude Arts District was an ensemble success. But Jeffrey, you have to let an art critic have some fun singling out some favorites, right? No injustice intended.

Theoretically I suppose I would be against a central parking lot, but on Saturday when I attended the Garden Show, guess where I gladly parked. The new lot, by the way, is not yet asphalt.

I get your point; if your focus is golf, the old park may not be better than ever. But in general the improvements are amazing, right?

Dear Nawlinsdude,
The disk golf course is brand new; they don't even have the T signs up. That's probably why they're not promoting it yet. Check it out before the crowd.