people

While President Obama was busy rocking it with his new Google Glasses on, we assume one of the things he got up to while looking so nerd-cool was selecting the members of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the list of whomhas just been released. And what an odd list it is. The ones the celebrity watching outlets will pick up on are Yo-Yo Ma, Vogue's Anna Wintour, Edward Norton, and Sarah Jessica Parker (no doubt for her efforts pitting artists against one another). For those whose interests lie elsewhere, you'll be pleased to hear that starchitect Thom Mayne also made it in, as did designer/architect Christine Forester. It's a strange group of people, for sure, and if you're a little unclear as to how they'll all be working together (we'd like to see a Norton vs. Wintour argument the most), here's a brief synopsis of the committee:

Our committee focuses on arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy, economic revitalization through the arts and humanities and special events dedicated to recognizing excellence in these areas. Since our members include government agencies and private individuals, we provide a dynamic link between the public and private sectors. All of our efforts are collaborative, and we work primarily with the White House and our cultural partners, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Update: The LA Times' Christopher Knight has a few more things to say about the group's makeup, like why aren't there any visual artists included?

Thanks to a tip from Art Info, we can now start living vicariously through Nancy Spector. The Guggenheim Museum's Chief Curator for the past two decades, Spector has crafted loads of exhibitions (of course), worked with nearly every big name in the industry, from Matthew Barney to photographer (and U2 favorite) Hiroshi Sugimoto, and worked in organizing things like the Venice and Berlin Biennials, as well as art programing for the Olympics. And now she's on Twitter, allowing us into her world, albeit it briefly, with messages like "On my way to Frieze. Looking forward to Pop Life at the Tate to see Spiritual America's absence" and "Balka turns Tate's Turbine Hall into a dark abyss. Children laughing and playing anyway." She doesn't have many followers yet, so here's your chance to lock on, to later be able to brag that you were there first. And while you're there, you know that we're on Twitter too, right?

Over the years of working here at UnBeige HQ, we've come to realize that, if there was to be a ranking of the most controversial architecture critics, the NY Times' Nicolai Ouroussoff would likely top that list. He regularly writes exactly what he feels, without censoring himself or blunting his negative critiques, and as such, has caught the ire of many an architecture buff. But did you know that Ouroussoff also spends his time spreading "liberal paranoid social policy"? We had no idea either until we read this post on the blog Times Watch (dedicated itself to "documenting and exposing the liberal political agenda of the New York Times") which focused on the critic's recent dabbling into this bit of left-heavy fear mongering. So there you have it, dear readers. And now you'll be better prepared to read for the next time Ouroussoff praises a billionaire's project he/she has hired a starchitect to build for them, because it's likely chock full of liberal paranoia.

Designing Davids dominate this year's Fast Company Masters of Design, an annual salute to design visionaries. The magazine's October issue spotlights a mix of legends and legends in the making: David Butler, vice president of global design for Coca-Cola; architect David Adjaye; creator of immersive enironments David Rockwell (who we learn is the son of a vaudeville dancer); Pentagram information architect Lisa Strausfeld; and Alberto Alessi, who helms the eponymous factory of shiny design covetables and has recently taken up winemaking [cut to shot of him patiently pressing grapes individually using a Philippe Starck-designed Juicy Salif].

The profile of Butler offers details on Coke's new Pininfarina-styled Freestyle fountain. Developed in a top-secret project (codename: Jet) led by Butler, it dispenses "more than 100 different Coca-Cola variants, including exotic hybrids such as Minute Maid Raspberry Lemonade, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke With Lime, Orange Coke, and Fanta Peach." Fanta Peach!? Be still our hearts. "It's an audacious move for Coke, representing the largest investment in equipment innovation in the company's history—hundreds of millions of dollars—and a big bet by CEO Muhtar Kent," writes Linda Tischler. "Kent, a Formula One fan, not only approved the project but also urged the team to make the machine look 'like a Ferrari.'"

Twenty-six miles. Twenty-six letters. Coincidence? Type Directors Club president Charlie Nix thinks not, and so when he decided to run this year's New York City Marathon (his fifth) to raise money for design scholarships, it was just a matter of going from A to Z. Nix, a partner in the publishing firm Scott & Nix who has taught design and typography for over 15 years, is seeking marathon sponsorships by the letter. Donors at various levels can "buy" uppercase and/or lowercase letters of their choice.

Writer, curator, and graphic designer Ellen Lupton is on board, throwing her support behind Nix and the uppercase and lowercase "E," Pentagram's Luke Hayman called dibs on the interrobang, and typographer Gary Munch has invested in both cases of the letters "G" and "M." Munch and James Montalbano of Terminal Design are among Nix's "Hot Metal"-level supporters; having pledged $104 or more, they get special recognition with the coveted Ampersand Award. Meanwhile, we're about to donate on behalf of UnBeige, as the letter "U" is proving unpopular. So far, Nix has raised a total of $2,335.97, all of which will go toward TDC scholarships. You have until race day (November 1) to be the generous type. Click here to donate.

A few weeks back, we told you about artist and Bird's Nest stadium co-designer Ai Weiwei, who had recently undergone very serious surgery for a cerebral hemorrhage, likely caused the beating he'd received by Chinese officials over his involvement with an investigation into why China's 2008 earthquake had been so devastating. Art Info now reports, by way of the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, that Weiwei has canceled his appearance at the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair, which is set to have China as its guest of honor for the four day event. Although Weiwei says that he's decided to cancel so that he can fully recover from his operation, he also stated that he has "no real desire for empty and pointless political debate," leading many to believe that pressure had been put on him by his government not to attend.

Despite the recent news that his firm has suffered big financial trouble, this past year has also been fairly good to starchitect David Adjaye, particularly in the Washington DC area. First he received the commission to build two new libraries there, followed shortly thereafter by the news that he, in a collaborative capacity, had also landed the big gig to design the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History. Now, as Adjaye begins the process of working in DC, the Washington Post's Philip Kennicott has put together this great, lengthy profile on the starchitect. It's about him as a person, with info about his background and all that standard fare, but there's also some good stuff about what it's like to be involved with one sizable commission (the libraries) and one that's to be his largest job ever (the museum), all at the same time. It's a great read to see what's coming from Adjaye and all framed under the question "Is he ready for all of this?"

At the start of the year, we shared with you the sad news that one of the lead designers behind the United Nations logo, Oliver Lincoln Lundquist, had passed away. Now at the end of the year, we return to the logo and to more sad news, that Donald McLaughlin Jr., the other designer who worked on creating this iconic piece of branding, has also passed away. McLaughlin was actually the original creator of the first pass at the logo, which was later picked up and worked on within Lundquist's team, of which he was a part. Here's how it all happened more than 50 years ago:

The team was assigned to create displays, certificates, maps, and guides for the delegates as well as what became its most enduring contribution: an official form of identification for the delegates. This became the prototype for the U.N. logo.

Mr. Lundquist, who died in January, said that the team had a contest to develop an appropriate design and that Mr. McLaughlin, graphics director for the conference, came up with the best one.

Oscar Niemeyer, perhaps the oldest living starchitect at 101 years old, has been laid up in the hospital these past couple of days. He had surgery last week to treat a gall bladder stone and fortunately, everything seemed to have gone well and he was recuperating nicely according to reports. Unfortunately, while he was under observation, some additional tests revealed that Niemeyer had a tumor in his colon, forcing them to set up another date for him with a scalpel. Thus far, after his second surgery, he seems to be doing well. And if there's one thing we can say about Niemeyer, he's a fighter, so we're crossing our fingers that he'll be fine. Hey, Brasilia, maybe if you canceled your skyline changing plans, it would make the poor guy get to feeling better a little quicker, huh?

From here on out, whenever we refer to Stirling Prize-winning starchitect Will Alsop, we will quite often be including his new nickname, "The Sneak." Observe: Back in early August, Will "The Sneak" Alsop said that he was hanging up his architecture career in order to concentrate on his painting. Shortly thereafter, he also announced that, so he wouldn't get bored will all that painting he had planned, he was going to take an occasional teaching job with Ryerson University in Toronto. But when one has the nickname "The Sneak" (even if it's a nickname created in the future) it's often wise not to believe all you hear. Case in point, Alsop has now come out to admit that he wasn't being entirely truthful. He fed everyone that painting stuff while the details were being worked out on his taking a new job -- a new job in architecture. And a new job at RMJM no less, the same massive international firm that just got the okay to build Europe's tallest tower. So how does "The Sneak" defend all this deceit?

Alsop said that he would paint while working at his studio at RMJM and that the abstract designs he created would be incorporated into designs for buildings. "I'm trying to do a beautiful painting, but I'm trying to think what we can do with a project. You can take a photograph of the painting and turn it into a building. There are no rules. It might be a complete failure, but then you can do another one, and you've still got a lovely painting."

Aw shoot. Who can be mad at a fella who says stuff like that?