Category: On This Day

Charley Harper’s Fresh Modernist Take on America’s Wildlife

Today is the birthday of American Modernist artist Charley Harper, born August 4, 1922 on a farm in Frenchton, West Virginia. He is best known for his unique self-described “minimal realism” artistic interpretation of American wildlife. After growing up on the farm, he went to the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where he met his wife, Edie Mckee, …

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Kate Bush – “Suspended in Gaffa”

“Suspended in Gaffa” is from the 1982 Kate Bush album The Dreaming.

“Palm Valley” by Albert Namatjira

Painter Albert Namatjira was born on this day July 28, 1902 in South Australia.

Aleksandr Petrov, Master of Painted Glass Animation

Today is the birthday of Aleksandr Petrov, the Russian animator born July 17, 1957, in the village of Prechistoye. He is known for his unique technique of creating animations from pastel oil paintings on glass, using his fingertips to paint for added texture. Petrov’s first animation was made in 1988, Marathon, and was a tribute …

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Happy Birthday Disneyland! Here’s a Look at Some of the Events of Opening Day

Disneyland opened its gates on July 17, 1955, on a plot of land in Anaheim, California that previously consisted of orange groves. It cost $17 million to open the park, and its opening day was referred to as “Black Sunday” by Disney employees for years afterward because it had a bumpy start. Several rides were …

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Remembering “Mayor of Macdougal Street” Dave Van Ronk

Folk singer & songwriter Dave Van Ronk was born on June 30, 1936, in Brooklyn, NY.  As a young boy enamored with the local jazz and folk music of his day, he learned to play the guitar, and when he was a little older, he played banjo in a group.  He also played piano, possibly inspired …

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Joseph Eichler Brought Sunny, Stylish Housing to the Public

Joseph Eichler was born on this day, June 25, 1900, in New York City.  He lived in a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Hillsborough, California for a while, and was so inspired by Wright’s new naturalist designs, that he founded a company that eventually created modern, innovative housing for the Greater San Francisco Bay and Greater Los Angeles areas, …

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Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – “Enola Gay”

Happy birthday to OMD frontman Andy McCluskey, born on this day June 24, 1959 in Heswall, England.

“Jersey Silk Mills” by Oscar Bluemner

Jersey Silk Mills was painted by Oscar Bluemner, born Frederick Julius Oskar Bluemner on June 21, 1867, in the small town of Prenzlau, located in the Brandenburg region of central Prussia.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Organic Architecture: Homes in Harmony with Nature

Speaking of great architects with June 8 birthdays, in addition to Bruce Goff, Frank Lloyd Wright also has a birthday today. Wright is one of America’s most influential architects, defining the Organic Architecture movement which incorporated natural designs into homes. He was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, on June 8, 1867. Wright’s best known work …

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