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Photo ©Darren Bradley I recently did a blog post on San Diego's new Central Library, which was designed by Rob Wellington Quigley . Quigley is one of San Diego's most renowned architects and has done a lot to shape the fabric of our built environment. I had the opportunity to shoot this museum a couple of years ago, so thought I'd put up some of those photos here.  Photo ©Darren Bradley Primary access to the museum is through this narrow bridge, which enhances the experience of discovery as you enter.  Photo ©Darren Bradley The catwalk continues through the inside to the front desk.  Photo ©Darren Bradley The building replaces an old warehouse that the museum previously occupied on this spot, and is certainly meant to evoke that space.  Photo ©Darren Bradley The interior is revealed as an open space, criss-crossed with a series of walkways and stairs.  Photo ©Darren Bradley The exhibits change every couple of years. The theme here was about trash and r...

Photo ©Darren Bradley Seems like I've been spending a lot of time at UCSD this year , so apologies for that. But I've had several commissions on the campus. And there's such a rich modernist architectural heritage there, it's really a never-ending source of inspiration for me. So when I'm there for whatever reason, I also often stop by somewhere else on campus for a quick side trip. This was the case for Muir College . And it's also the reason for these shots of the theater district.  The La Jolla Playhouse is one of the country's premier regional theater programs . There is actually a "theatre district" on the campus of the University of California, San Diego , with multiple performance spaces. The drama / performance arts program at UCSD is first rate, and many productions that originate here end up on Broadway, and with Tony Awards.  Photo ©Darren Bradley But I've never really paid much attention to this part of the campus because, frankly, ...

Muir College buildings by Robert Mosher (1969). Photo ©Darren Bradley The design of Muir College was inspired by Yosemite and the great redwood forests of northern California. Frankly, I don't really see it. But I still think it's a pretty interesting place.  Photo ©Darren Bradley One of six colleges that make up the University of California, San Diego, Muir College was established in 1967. The school is named for celebrated naturalist John Muir. The buildings bear the names of areas of Yosemite National Park, which Muir helped to establish. These include Tioga and Tenaya Halls,  Tuolumne Apartments, Half-Dome Lounge, Redwood Lounge, Clouds Rest, etc. There's also a coffee house called Muir Woods, named after the redwood forest just north of San Francisco that also bears his name. Biology Building by Liebhardt & Weston (1969). Photo ©Darren Bradley The initial concept for this campus was conceived by consulting architects Robert Alexander and A. Quincy Jones. But by 1...

Welcome! Photo ©Darren Bradley This past spring, my friend Dave Hampton told me about a new museum exhibit he was planning to curate on the artist C. Carl Jennings, for the Mingei International Museum in San Diego. He was planning to visit the late artist's residence in Sonoma County soon, and asked me if I'd join him for the trip.  d Photo ©Darren Bradley But it wasn't just a pleasure trip. He had the idea that he would like to photograph the site and the unique home that the artist had built, himself, in the 60s. He also wanted to try to document the original artwork as much as possible in its context in the home. So that's where I came in, I guess.  Photo ©Darren Bradley I wasn't exactly sure what he had in mind or why me. This is a bit different from what I usually do. But it sounded like fun and so I immediately accepted.  Photo ©Darren Bradley I was admittedly not familiar with Jennings' work and didn't really know what to expect of for the house or ...