art | FAUX REAL THO

FAUX REAL THO

Hilda the Pin-Up: Chunky but Funky

The allure of Hilda is not that she’s sexually available, but that she is active, curious, adventurous, and unconscious about her zaftig body. She had a full and romantic (if fictional) life, was kind of a goober, and possessed the magnetic, sexy goodwill that comes from living a life of happiness, much like many of…

Who Was G.G. Drayton?

If you’re local to the Lafayette, Indiana, area and you’ve eaten at Arni’s, you are probably already familiar with G.G. Drayton’s art without realizing it. She was well-known in her time for creating the “Dolly Dingle” and “Kaptain Kiddo” characters, including an extremely popular line of paper dolls — which are featured in jumbo size…

Pin-Up Queens

In the golden days of pin-ups, some of the best artists were women basing their art off their own bodies and fantasies.

Behind Signage, City Code, Street Art, and the Banana House

At question this month in West Lafayette is the sudden presence of the “banana house” and whether or not it should be allowed to stay or if it must go. Many locals in local media turned out with lots of opinions about the banana house: some grumbled about graffiti and street art in highly visible…

Can a Music Video Make Your City Desirable?

Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been on the bad end of some press lately, from being named the fattest and dumbest city in the nation, to the most riddled with cholesterol. Ouch. This, along with the ever-present issue of brain drain, inspired a promotional campaign that pulled together the city’s hip-hop scene to make a video…

Window Shopping

Out and about this week, I had the opportunity to drop by a handful of charming local shops. American Treasures and One Earth Gallery This Lafayette staple carries a variety of Native-American and international fair trade items, including a huge array of hand-crafted gold and silver jewelry. Genevee’s StudioThis full-service salon also has a vintage…