The work of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson has left me speechless, not once, but twice. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to catch her Brooklyn Museum exhibit "Symphonic Poem" not once, but two exciting, glorious times. I was as speechless during the second visit as I had been on the first, if not more so. Even the throngs of raucous (and unusually large) sixth-graders flooding the gallery, could not quell my emotions.

A lifetime of commitment to preserving the traditions of her community is prevalent in her collection - a massive amalgamation of quilts and fiber-arts, cross-hatch drawings, colorful mixed-medium collages, wood-block prints, music, books, sculpture, and miscellaneous reincarnated finds. Over 20,000 pieces in total, she has created. It is evident that this woman, (b. 1940), has been in a feverish mode of production since the beginning of her time; her creative genius electrified by the receipt of the MacArthur grant in 2004. It is her mission to see that history is not left untold. The collection is staggering, spell-binding, a contribution to the human and African-American experience...a legacy, in and of itself.

Until her Brooklyn Museum exhibit, no one in my broad artists' circle had ever heard of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. I wondered how someone could mother such a profound and prolific body of work and remain unknown to the world for a half century. I reasoned that she was driven by her pure commitment to paraphrase the past, unmoved by the promise of fortune or fame, and that, more than likely, she was a hidden treasure, coveted only in her Columbus, Ohio community. Her modest abode appeared in a Brooklyn Museum video where Brenda Lynn choked back tears as she spoke of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade I wondered how it was that this abundance of art was conceived within its humble and shingled walls; each piece, seemingly, embodying a lifetime of its own. Where had a woman, who had traveled the world and reinterpreted it in over 20,000 impassioned pieces of work, been hiding? How could we all have missed her for so long?

My opinion is uneducated, and still I have a great deal to see and learn, but I conclude that Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson is one of the most important artists of our times. Her art is self-less, purposeful, painstaking, and both inspired and inspiring. Through historical data, she speaks to the entire African-American experience. She made me yearn for all the things I did not know, perhaps would never know, about my own ancestry. Yet, I was consoled, deeply connected, and celebrated even, by the imagery she created. I stepped into Pointdexter Village when I gazed at one of her child-like paintings; I gleaned the living roots of a tree from which she created a chair (left); I made the acquaintance of The Sock Man and The Chicken Wing Lady when I savored them in her book, A Street Called Home. Realizing how elusive, convoluted, and forgotten true African-American history has been, and how important this history is in evaluating and understanding our-selves and our present positions, her visual display stands out as, perhaps, the most thoughtful and critical work of our time. In the present and future history books, it is my hope that Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson goes down right next to Romare Bearden. As great of a talent as he remains, Mr. Bearden may even be required to take a seat one or two steps behind. (Yes, I said THAT! :-)

BIG MONEY

According to artist Ted Stanke, BIG MONEY= "Thousands of people working together to create their own dissatisfaction." His point is profoundly illustrated in The U.S. Dollar, a new political, direction in the approach and content of this sculptor's work. The following piece (I won't tell you what it is just yet) is a literal depiction of just that; Thousands of people working together to create their own dissatisfaction. Check the detail; you'll want to see exactly what BIG MONEY is made of:

Overall Size: 5'x2'x10"

Basically, it's a giant dollar bill made entirely from army toys: helicopters, machine guns, soldiers and tanks. All the materials came from 99 cent stores all around Brooklyn, and were all made in China - yet another example of the condition of the American dollar. See detail below.

I know this image is bigger than the actual art work, but I thought it was important for you to see the contents: "Our" troops. Our sons and daughters. Our money. We won't even mention the blood...and the lies....

for more information visit www.tedstanke.com

Zaha Hadid hasn't actually taken the world of architectural design by storm. It's been a long climb up to the top in the international big boy's club. A lot of small accomplishments and accolades along the way are finally realizing her inventions, and earning this Iraqi born visionary a place in history.

photo: steve double

The Vitra Fire Station in Germany: This small structure, which has been characterized as "frozen motion," reflects Hadid's frequent use of unusual shapes to integrate a building with its environment.

Hadid's career took an upward soar upon completion of The Fire Station: She has continued to win commissions, exhibit, and rapidly increase the number of projects under construction. Among these is her first American project, the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio. Zaha Hadid was the first female architect to win the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, and she recently exhibited her models, concepts, artwork, architectural and furniture designs at Max Protecht Gallery and The Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Visit zaha-hadid.com to find out more.

Known for challenging popular convention, Hadid stands out as the only female independent practitioner among today's most elite architects. Born in Baghdad in 1950, she established her own practice in London in 1979. Although, she partnered with many influential firms and received numerous awards throughout her career, Hadid did not physically-realize her first building until 1993 - the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany (shown above right).