Wednesday Links: Fear of Demon Flats Reaches New Levels

Art with use value. Our favorite image from the fairs via Jerry Saltz.

• Pete Wells, fearful of Texans, but a lover of their fine foods, lavishes glowing words upon the new Tex-Mex restaurant Javelina. “At most restaurants, you are served what you ask for so routinely that your eyes glaze over with boredom. Javelina does not fall into the trap of dull predictability. One night after I left, I realized the guacamole I’d ordered had never arrived; it’s not every restaurant that gives you something to think about on your way home.” [The New York Times]
• Trend-spotting: superhero movies exploring 9/11 mythology. [Vox]
• New Yorkers will get the opportunity to vote down “ugly” public art thanks to a bill proposed by Jimmy Van Bramer and passed by city council. The bill came in response to outcry over a pink reclining figure by Ohad Meromi proposed for LIC; people were concerned about its color and its 500k+ price tag. And let’s be honest—that thing needs to be voted down. I want to go to the hearing. [DNAInfo]
• Los Angeles County officials have raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour! The raise won’t go into effect until 2020. [Los Angeles Times]
• Mouthfeel, a food magazine that mixes food reviews and sexy men. [Mouthfeel]
• Four percent of Americans are unsure if they own art. This survey, run by YouGov on the subject of the importance of art in daily life also asked how much time participants put into their looks. Ten percent of male respondents answered “none at all.” [Hyperallergic]
• Wow. Cara Ober is great. Read this opinion piece about why she opposes Baltimore’s plan to tear down one of Baltimore’s remaining Brutalist structures, McKeldin Fountain in the Inner Harbor. The whole plan is to replace it with a green lawn, extra traffic lanes, and a generic water wall. I have to confess, I can’t stand Brutalist architecture, but it seems no one consulted Baltimore residents when the decision was made to gut the place in 2002. A little more transparency is clearly needed. [Bmore Art]
• Women wearing flats are being denied entrance at Cannes. What? [Jezebel]

Tagged as: Cannes, Cara Ober, jerry saltz, Jimmy Van Bremer, McKeldin Fountain