CONTEMPORARY EXPLORER

                                                                                “ODE to Basquiat” by David Young Opinions bad and good surround the work of Basquiat. Was he a genius with a brush or just a lucky young man made famous by wild times of Andy Warhol.  A critic once said that in the darkest corners of the art world where paintings are left to die and be forgotten, “that Basquiat’s work will only occupy one second of even that space.”  He was not a fan. Nor are a lot of other people, put off by the garish colors, inhuman shapes and the un defined nature of his whole work. Still there are many things you can learn from Basquiat. The huge number of painting he did in his short life, how he was not afraid to paint big, show what he had, along the way gaining huge following ...

 

  Providence Square is one of those places almost forgotten. Houses stripped away to foundations, buildings half finished, dreams and stories left behind. 150 acres so close to the city, can't be left for long. Now new life stirs with plans for new stores and low income housing. Maybe they might find a way to make this work, tilling the acres to bring back the color of wealth there...

   It’s one of the first signs of a malls decline. Flaws and marks begin to appear on the floors. Management dutifully notes and flags them both for safety and the hope that they will be fixed. Tho money never comes though and they remain just more evidence that a malls days are numbered. The glitter of the place only a memory.

  There are buildings that create aw, cause you to pause, standing as a monument to the architect. Few parking garages engender the same. A developer once cautioned, “Never pay an architect until he finishes the garage.” They are the last thing the architect wants to do, no more than a necessity. If not done well, construction can leave rough edges and marks that remain scars for years. Over time though they take on their own artful way. Such a place is South Park Mall’s parking garage. A giant sprawling place left largely empty the majority of the year, except holidays. Even on quiet days finding your way into and out of the place is a puzzle.  In the sixties, cities seemed to fall in love with giant urban garages. Places they envisioned would make parking your car easy and keep downtown shopping attractive. Often though, they became dark holes in the urban fabric, especially as shopping trends changed. It’s easy to spin a crime story or worse in a dark parking garage. You pa...

  Trade Street cuts across Tryon at Charlottes center. A trading post originally marked the spot. People would travel from both sides of Tryon to do business there. Trade Street's past is Long gone, but change still defines it. The ever change of culture, building and business. Here you can find everything from the Mighty Midget grocery to the building once housing the Mint. One thing you always find on Trade Street is color and surprises around every turn. It still has many stories to tell....