Apocalypto Now

I've never been a big Mel Gibson fan, and with his recent highly publicized personal behavior such a turn off, I might never have rented Apocalypto, a 2006 action adventure movie by Touchstone Pictures, had I known he directed it. Lucky for me, ignorance is bliss, because not only was this movie a stunning visual feast, but so mentally captivating, I felt like I was immersed physically into the violent action of this mysterious culture during the entire duration of the movie.

The Mayan civilization is known for its spectacular art, monumental architecture and sophisticated understanding of both mathematics and astronomy. It is also the only culture of the pre-Columbian Americas to have a written language. At around 800 A.D. this powerful culture and society began to decline due to rising conflicts, dense population and ecological factors such as drought.

The movie takes place in the twilight of this culture's demise, one that has lasted nearly a 1,000 years. During those few hours of the movie's length you are taken by the hand through the lush jungle experience with all senses fully engaged as you cheer the determined Jaguar Paw on through his violent capture and escape from blood thirsty adversaries as if his successful escape determines your own survival against the cruel predators he encounters in this raw jungle environment.

It is the incredible realism of the sounds of the jungle foliage being ripped through by powerful bodies running on bare feet in the many chases scenes, the realistic and brutal spilling of blood as heads roll in human sacrifice down the stepped facade of Mayan Temples, and the extreme and exotic visual scenes of the urban festivities that will keep you mesmerized during the entire length of the film.

While some cultural experts lambaste Gibson for inaccuracies and the intensely brutal depiction of the Mayan people, others, including many Mayan groups have pronounced the production to be consistent with the cultural knowledge of this ancient people. It is common belief that the Maya were wiped out by the Spanish Conquistadors, when in fact there are approximately 6 million Mayan living in and near to Central America.

The fact that the movie's cast is made up almost entirely of "naturals" not professional actors, lends another element of realism to the action that wouldn't be possible if say Academy Award winner Mel Gibson himself were a star in the movie. Hurray for Hollywood on this one. This movie is an artistic triumph and I urge you to rent it.--Ruth Mitchell

Apocalypto(c) 2008 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Jasper Cropsey - "The Backwoods of America"

Some critics might say Jasper Cropsey's "The Backwoods of America," part of the Crystal Bridges growing American Art Collection is a symbolic icon for billionaire Alice Walton's passion for the arts.

Designed by world renowned architect Moshe Safdie, and funded by billionaire Alice Walton, the $50 million (that's just the cost of the facility and doesn't include the artworks) Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is scheduled to open in 2009, in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was two years ago this month that the daughter of Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart, made the controversial announcement.

The museum will house a permanent collection of signature works from American artists along with galleries dedicated to regional art and artists including Native American art, but oddly enough, this monumental task is not making everyone happy.

The depth of the museum is indicated in a purchase from Christies America's auction house in New York City in 2004 of Charles Wilson Peale's portrait of George Washington for $6.1 million. This is causing some critics to puff up, believing that the art works are being snatched from their own backyard. No need to worry, collaborating with other institutions will be an important focus of Crystal Bridges, even before the museum opens, and they can also rest easy to know Bentonville does have an airport.

A number of the works from the Crystal Bridges permanent collection are already on loan at various museums throughout the United States including: The Hudson River School masterwork "Kindred Spirits" which was loaned to The National Gallery in Washington, D.C. for public viewing from 2005 - 2007. It is currently on loan to the Brooklyn Museum's exhibition by the same name featuring the works of Asher B. Durand. The same exhibition will also travel to Washington D.C. and San Diego. Thomas Eakins' Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand is currently on loan to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Jasper Cropsey’s majestic depiction of early American frontier life, "The Backwoods of America," is now featured in the American galleries of The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City, and the most extensive surviving group of Colonial American portraiture, the Levy-Franks family paintings, is currently on loan at The Jewish Museum in New York City. Also, the distinctive painting George Washington (The Constable-Hamilton Portrait) by the American painter Gilbert Stuart is currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

While the puffers puff, others admire Walton's passion and dedication to the arts, and recognize the fact Crystal Bridges will be the premier American Art Collection, once it is in place. The collection is headed up by Bob Workman, formerly associated with the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

When completed, the museum complex will encompass approximately 100,000 square feet of gallery, library, meeting, and office space, a 250-seat indoor auditorium, areas for outdoor concerts and public events, gallery rooms suitable for large receptions, as well as sculpture gardens and walking trails. Walton is building this "American Dream" on 100 pristine, wooded acres her family owns in Bentonville.

To find out more about this amazing museum visit the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art website. --Ruth Mitchell

Frank Lloyd Wright in Alabama?

Did you know that the renowned Frank Lloyd Wright designed a house in Alabama? I would never have guessed, but he did. Recently I was at the NATJA (North American Travel Journalists Association) Annual Convention in Little Rock, Arkansas, and while there picked up a few brochures and CDs of course. It turns out that Wright designed a house for newlyweds Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum of Florence, Alabama, in 1939. The house is the only structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the state of Alabama, and the only such house in the southeast that is open to the public.

This unique house constructed of cypress, glass and brick, it turns out was built in what Wright refer to his Usonian Style, named for the United States of America. Apparently this was Wright's version of designing for the masses, and with Wright’s plans, a young family could build their own home, fulfilling the American dream of home ownership.

Sitting on a two-acre lot, very near downtown Florence, Alabama and facing the Tennessee River its not clear just how middle-class this family was but the Usonian style house originally contained 1,540 square feet, but when the Rosenbaum household grew to include four sons, the family called upon Wright to design an addition. In 1948, 1,084 square feet was added, containing a larger kitchen, a guest bedroom, storage space and a dormitory for the boys. This seamless addition verifies Wright’s concept of a Usonian house that could grow with the family as it grew. The Rosenbaums were the sole owners and occupants of the house until 1999, when it was purchased by the City of Florence. The house is the only structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the state of Alabama, and the only such house in the southeast that is open to the public. To find out more about this unique piece of Americana visit here.