We believe that the two fields highlighted in this section, art and architecture, belong together. Both spring from the most human of impulses: creativity. Both visually engage the viewer and evoke emotion. And both speak to the moment in which we live.
Architect Frank Gehry and the other talents you’ll encounter within these pages are among the most groundbreaking visionaries in California and the West. Consider Gehry’s landmark Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Its sweeping sculptural forms represent a synthesis of engineering, math, materials science, and culture. Is it a building? Yes. Is it also an awe-inspiring work of art? Most definitely.
Architects are obligated to respond to the times. Developer Joseph Eichler oversaw the construction of thousands of mid-century gems across California to provide much-needed residences for working-class families during the postwar boom. In Altadena, climate change, cultural identity, and economics are factors that Scott Uriu and other architects must weigh as they endeavor to rebuild their own homes after the Eaton Fire devastated their neighborhood.
Artists reflect—and define—their eras as well. Rose B. Simpson’s lowriders and ceramics are boldly contemporary even as they mix generations of Indigenous aesthetic tradition. Almost a hundred years ago, a friendship between Ansel Adams and Chiura Obata was born of a shared love of Yosemite and a desire to document the experiences of Japanese Americans at World War II concentration camps like Manzanar and Topaz—Adams through the then–relatively new art form of photography and Obata through centuries-old Japanese painting and block-printing practices.
Interspersed among these stories, five artists invite us into their studios and demonstrate how they, too, are drawing on the past and present to produce meaningful works in differing mediums. Additionally, we’ll take you on a tour of an unlikely art mecca: Las Vegas hotels.
Whether it’s Simpson’s black-on-black Tewa motifs or Gehry’s soaring metallic forms, the best art and architecture breathes life into the built environment—and into our psyches.•
Send an email to letters@altaonline.com and let us know if you agree.
Alta Q&A: “I’m Interested in Delivering”
Frank Gehry is renowned for a design language that is instantly recognizable yet deeply thoughtful and rooted in both art and architecture. The Californian reflects on defying convention and why he’s still working at 96. By Will Hearst
5 Leading Architects on Gehry’s Influence
By Ed Leibowitz
In the Studio: Vincent Fecteau
A San Francisco sculptor on intuition, fashion, and the power of taking a break. By Brent Hatcher • Photos by Penni Gladstone
The Cult of Eichler
The houses of this mid-century modern developer are hotter than ever. But renovating one can require joining an online support group. By Jack Boulware • Photos by Christie Hemm Klok
In the Studio: Josh Tafoya
A textile artist in Ranchos de Taos combines his background in fashion with traditional weaving. By Steven Vargas • Photos by Minesh Bacrania
“We Get to Start from Scratch”
Three prominent architects lost their Altadena homes in the Eaton Fire. Now, with little guidance from the county, they’re rebuilding. By Christopher Hawthorne • Photos by Philip Cheung
In the Studio: Reynaldo Rivera
A Los Angeles photographer converted his home bathroom into a darkroom. By Anna Merlan • Photos by Christina Gandolfo
Alta Picks: Art Happens in Vegas
From contemporary installations to museum-worthy collections, Las Vegas hotels are turning their lobbies and grounds into unexpected art destinations. By India Brown
At the Wheel and Over the Hood
Rose B. Simpson’s mixed-media sculptures offer an exuberant blending of ancestral and contemporary culture. By Jessica Zack • Photos by Kate Russell
In the Studio: Andie Dinkin
The fine artist paints colorful canvases with intricate scenes in her Los Angeles home studio. By Emily Wilson • Photos by Christina Gandolfo
A Friendship Forged Between Mountains
Chiura Obata and Ansel Adams met as artists drawn to the same peaks—but their views of the West soon diverged. By Carolina A. Miranda
In the Studio: Yuri Kinoshita
The light sculptor uses paper and kimonos to build intricate lamps in her Seattle studio. By Paula Mejía • Photos by John Lok
