in reflection

For the second time this month, I've made a mistake about the date of an event.

The first time was last week, when I showed up for an AARP event, absolutely sure that it was scheduled for Friday, the 18th.

That party won't be held until Friday, August 8th.

Sheesh.

Then, today, I went to the Jepson at noon for a Lunch & Learn that included a performance by the artist featured in the (Un)Grounded exhibit.

Nope, that won't happen until August 29th.

Seriously.

I didn't let it stop me from having a day at the museum!

After all, I already had 90 minutes on the parking meter.

(smile!) 

I'd not visited the "In Reflection: Contemporary Art And Ourselves" exhibit.

How appropriate that I take a few moments there, n'est-ce pas?

Maybe pull together my mental faculties?

Yes.

And as I perused the various and varied works there, I was stopped in my tracks by her.

Isn't she magnificent?!

Pulled together from odd bits and pieces reclaimed from the environment, 'she' is "Black Girl on Skateboard Going Where She's Got to Go to Do What She's Got to Do and It Might Not Have Anything to Do With You, Ever."

Yes, ma'am, you go on your merry way with your bad self!!!

(smile!) 

The artist, born in 1976, is vanessa german - and, yes, that's all lower-case.

 I wouldn't mind seeing more of her sassy works!

 

Feeling better about my mind, I immediately went to another work in the same space, as it reminded me of my brother Smitty.

It was untitled, but done tongue-in-cheek as a joke for other artists.

See, it was the custom for some to put their art on the floor, not the wall.

Get it?

Instead, she'd done this pseudo-parquet piece, for display on the wall.

I found it hilarious!

While making a note of her name, though, I was stuck.

Was her first name really "Slyvia"???

I checked with the room monitor, just in case.

She came over and checked the label, too, and found it was incorrect.

The artist is actually Sylvia Mangold and she is known for these "representational depictions of interiors".

Here's the thing: this exhibit has been up since April 25th...

and I was the only one to catch the typo in her name.

Kudos to me!

The room monitor reported it while I was there.

(smile!)

Another piece I really liked was on four huge sheets of paper.

It seems that Rocio Rodriguez got started drawing and just kept adding another blank as she went along.

I liked it because it reminds me of my scribble flowers!

I like the idea of my art having made it onto the walls of the museum!

In fact, this particular piece belongs to the Telfair, so it will likely be on one wall or another for years to come. 

(smile!) 

The odd thing was the title: "February 3, 2005". 

Was she marking the date that Alberto Gonzalez was approved by the Senate and sworn in as the first Hispanic named as Attorney General in US history?

Perhaps so.

As a 53 year old Hispanic woman, seeing a Hispanic person rise to that position in the federal government would have been a unique event.

This piece may have been crafted as the pomp and circumstance that she would have deemed the situation warranted.

Once in a lifetime events deserve special recognition.

(Yes, I did include one such that should never be repeated.)

 

After I left the Jepson, I considered going to the Telfair's basement to visit a few of my favorite statues, as I do for my birthday visits, but there really wasn't enough time to do it justice.

(Just us tripping out a little pun!)

Instead, I sat on a bench (another judge joke!) for more than ten minutes.

It truly was a 'blue true dream of sky' day that e.e. cummings celebrated in his poetry and would have loved.

And here was this ancient oak, with its 'leaping greenly spirit' draped with Spanish moss gently swaying in the slight breeze - so awesome!

Happy bday67 to me, still, almost two months later.

Right time, right place, after all. 

(smile!)

bday67 at jepson, jason's, and dance!

Today has all been a wonderful gift from the Universe to me!

What do I mean by that?

Everything I did today was absolutely free -

and everything was exactly what I wanted to do!

It all began with the Lunch & Learn at the Jepson Center this morning.

I found my favorite parking spot - that coin meter by the SCAD gym on Barnard - and had enough change to get 2 1/2 hours for my $2.50.

A street worker asked me how to get to Broughton... so I enlightened him with my little acronym "AH GLOBB", my mnemonic based on old scifi movies.

AH GLOBB stands for: Anderson, Henry, Gaston, Liberty, Oglethorpe, Broughton, Bay.

Those are the cross streets that have traffic lights on Drayton as one proceeds from south to north downtown on that one-way street.

Ah, Globb!!!

The guy really got a kick out of that!

Right place, Right time!

On I went into the Jepson, having deliberately arrived a half-hour early to take in the sights.

I'd not yet visited "The Moss Mystique: Southern Women And Newcomb Pottery" and thought I should at least hit a few of the items before the lecture.

I'm glad I did!

One of the other women on this tour came over afterward to tell me how impressed she was with what I knew!

See, this particular piece had caught my eye at once, and its title confirmed what I already knew it to be: "Plate with spiderwort flowers".

Alma Simmons must have cultivated them in her yard back in 1907 for her to have so fondly painted their image onto this art!  

After all, that's what the genteel ladies did at this Louisiana institute: they "decorated" the pottery and earthenware crafted by men.

This particular plate, as well as many other pieces in the exhibit here, was fashioned by Joseph Fortune Meyer.

However, the women were the ones who earned income from the sales of this art, and they chose flowers from their homes in the southeast as inspiration: spiderwort, camellias, azaleas, hydrangea, day lilies.

 

Mama would have loved this!

I hadn't likened my little Christmas angel and Mama's other pieces sent to me in 1981 to these works until I saw this display.

It showed the clay all the way from greenware, through the first firing in the kiln, then through a second process, to the final firing of the painted work.

I remembered Mama talking about 'greenware' and how fragile it was.

Maybe now is the time to take Cameron's class in ceramics. 

Right place, right time.

This truly has been a perfect gift for my bday67.

I had missed my annual visit to the museums for my birthday this year, but for good reason.

Then, I meant to peruse the Jepson more a few weeks ago, while I was there for the outdoor exhibit, but somehow that didn't happen.

Hence, the reason I had allotted so much time for today's trip here.

However, this luncheon lecture went on for well over an hour!

That's thanks in large part to the engaging guest speaker, Joanna Angel, the tall blonde on the right, against the wall, with Erin Dunn of the Jepson helping to field questions and spark discussions. 

By the way, that's Erin with her back against the case that holds the "Plate with spiderwort flowers".

Perfect, right?

We had begun the tour in the other half of this major exhibit, eventually making it into this area, which is where I began today.

(smile!)

 

Afterward I did some preliminary exploring of the changes in the Children's Art Museum section.

That entryway has been refashioned as a yellow submarine and features the crayon-and-pencil seafaring art of William O. Golding!

I'll have another "Lunch & Learn" next month to give me the details on that.

By then it was time to rescue my car.

I made it back with ten minutes to spare!

Time to get slunch and I knew exactly where to go: Jason's Deli!

They were still holding a dessert for my birthday but I knew not what.

I settled on a slice of blueberry cake, a special that they had to enter as "strawberry" cake for me to get it free.

I cared not what they called it as long as it was free!

Then I did what I learned from Barbara about the value of the Salad Bar To-Go, making myself two delicious servings, with broccoli salad for lunch and the spicy corn-and-bean salad for dinner.

Just perfect for this Friday night!

 

Before I knew it, it was time to bop down toward Windsor Forest.

One Spirit Dance Academy had a special performance and, wonder of wonders, it was free!

Silly me, I had missed on the poster that "A Twenty-Year Journey" was the Summer Camp show!

Held in the gym of Windsor Forest Church, the parking lot was packed and so was the auditorium.

(I'm wearing my sleeveless, 'spring flowers', dress, and was in the back row, seated between the man in the red shirt and the man in the white shirt.

That photo was put on fb by one of the photographers at the event.) 

I absolutely loved the show!

Combining gospel songs and dance stories of the troupe through the last two decades, I felt so blessed to be there.

Right place, right time.

The 2002 penny I found at the Publix after the show confirmed it for me.

i thank You, God!

bday67 gift from the Jepson... new window art!

I always enjoy the talks with the artists at the Jepson Center.

The format for many of them have changed in the last couple of years.

Previously, the artist would be introduced, then they would provide insight into their works by presenting us with a lecture.

No more of that.

Someone from the museum - Erin Dunn, this time - would give a brief biography of the artist, then they would sit on the stage in comfy chairs and chat, with occasional questions to lead the discussion.

Erin is the one on the left, with Dana Richardson in the middle and Lisa Watson rounding out the trio on the stage.

This year's #art912 Boxed In/Boxed Out exhibit is titled "Heroes And Hosts" and will be displayed for all passersby to enjoy until next April.

"Heroes And Hosts" is science-friendly, presenting native habitats, native plants, and native animals as the featured stars, with nary a human in sight.

Very nice!!!

That's because Lisa Watson is a Georgia peach, like me, with a definite interest in making sure these native species live for future generations.

Lisa is also a found-objects artist, creating her sculptures from items discarded by others, whereas Dana is a painter and provided all the backgrounds for the six windows.

The scene above them demonstrates their collaborative nature as they worked on one of the window displays in Dana's studio.

 

Here is part of that very window as it now exists in this exhibit.

Dana's canvas is actually partly rumpled at the bottom, as it was too long for the allowed 13" depth inside the frame.

They kept it that way to mimic the leafy ground around the gopher tortoise hole.

And that creature trying to crawl out of the display?

That's the gopher tortoise itself, moving from the opening of the deep hole it's dug.

Is that where it lives?

Nope, it digs those holes for others to live in, especially during brush fires.

What a kind beast!

I do look forward to spending more time with the windows!

Thanks to the Jepson Center for this bday67 gift, not only to me, but to the world!

Nice to see Axelle and Jordan there, as well as Tomasc!

(smile!)

compliments from odd places

Last Thursday, I was talking care of errands prior to my weekend trip.

Stitch up the placket on my new purple and lime and chocolate blouse from Italy. The lovely ruffles cannot hide the gap caused by the curvature of my bosom, revealing my chocolate bra when it should remain hidden.
Done!
I'll wear it on Saturday at the workshop!

Wash clothes, including newly stitched blouse.
Done!
Plenty of clean clothes for the trip, and after!

Get manicure. Get my first manicure EVER.
Done!
The manicurist couldn't believe it was my very first one. She also couldn't believe I only wanted clear coat on the nails and not any color. But hey, I was the customer, and the customer is always right, right? Absolutely!
And now my nails, my naturally white-tipped nails, are all the same length and almost distract me from typing. Wild!

Drop off wedding gown at the dry cleaners to see if it can be salvaged.
Done!
The dress had been out in the shed and had "age spots" on it, especially noticeable on the high-low, creamy, peau satin skirt of the gown. I know exactly what the material is because I made the gown twenty years ago. It was the last thing I ever sewed. Long story.
The young woman at the counter called the owner over to look at the damage and assess whether it could be removed. The woman handled the fabric, noticing that there were no tags. 'Was it custom made?'
'Yes, it was. I made it myself.'
Incredulous, admiring looks, at the dress, at me. 'And what kind of fabric is it? Is there any silk?'
'No, ma'am, no silk at all. That fabric is too difficult to sew. The dress is satin and lace and pearl buttons, with the skirt being peau satin.'
'Beautiful work', she told me. 'We can't promise we'll be able to get all of the spots out, but we'll try. It's going to take a few weeks, because it has to be done in stages. Is that going to be okay?'
'Oh, yes, that will be fine. Just let me know when it's done.'
'We'll take good care of it. You really did beautiful work on it.'
So, I thanked her and left, amazed that this stranger had made such a point of complimenting me on my work as a seamstress. Lately, I find myself looking at fabric. I've even opened up my mother's sewing machine to figure out how to thread it, as every maker likes a slightly different path from the spool to the needle.
Amazing!

Then I went to the Jepson for moon pies and mini corndogs and popcorn, with NeHi sodas and RC Cola to wash down the repast. This was the reception for the new exhibit featuring the works of a Georgia artist, the late Reverend Howard Finster. Of course, not ALL of his works are there - the man had created almost 50,000 pieces, with about 40,000 completed in the last 16 years of his life. I've never owned any, but I do admire his cheetahs.
After the reception, I watched a rock-umentary titled "Athens, GA Inside/Out", filmed in 1987. Mr Finster was present there, also, as were musicians still with us today (R.E.M. and Love Tractor) and those that faded shortly after the filming (Time Toy and Flat Duo Jets). It was so nice to share that experience with the Portuguese (Mike Rendeiro) and other friends!
All in all, a fabulous day and evening!

So, that was last Thursday.

Today, I had gone to the Jepson to visit the art works of the Reverend Howard Finster, as the display will only be available for another two or so weeks. I went there to distract myself from disturbing events of this morning, events still hurtful and alarming, but soon to be rectified.
Instead of the newly featured works, however, I found myself captured by the Science and Technology exhibit. Seriously. Well, actually, anyone who knows me at all knows what a science nerd I am, so I guess my attraction to this display was to be expected. After all, not only did it feature light and imagery, but also the "school of fish" live painting (originated in 1986 by Reynolds and presently the work of Shiffman from 2004). And the electric fish were making paintings of ME. From wherever I stood in the room. Honestly, I think I could have played with it for hours! But if I had, I would have not seen any of Finster's religious works of art.

As it was, I only had about thirty minutes to do a brisk sweep of the hall containing the Finster exhibit. I'll have to plan on returning for a more leisurely stroll in the rooms devoted to it.
So, afterward, I spent an hour in Telfair Square, admiring the arch of the trees toward the clear blue sky. Admiring the robins and bluejays and grackles which fluttered to peck at the ground near where I sat. Soaking in the warmth in the cool shade. Talking to my first niece, sharing my day.
Then, off to the coffeehouse to look for supper. Why there? Well, in truth, I did go by another coffeehouse earlier, thinking I might join the philosophy group for tonight's discussion of happiness. But, that was not to be for me. Too many cars, not enough room for my compact. So, off to the one at the foot of Forsyth, to check out the Oklahoma songstress. Nice aubergine sandwich, too. And my lovely blue-sky cousin called! She had received the "thinking of you" package and wanted to share her happiness with me. Yea!!!
After the phone call, I left to join the Liquor Posse at one of their trivia haunts. But the joint was too crowded, as was the table, so I said my hellos and goodbyes and departed, with plans to see them on First Thursday.
Then I did a bit of grocery shopping, as I needed milk. The soymilk I have will be thrown out. Much as I like the taste, it makes me overly emotional, so it must go. So I bought my Lactaid and my almond milk and a few other odd bits, like raspberries and celery and Vidalia onions, and took my purchases up to the one register still open.
And the young woman at the register says, 'You've lost a lot of weight! You look good!'
I don't know how she could really tell, as I was wearing my loose green dress. But I responded with 'Yes, I have. I've lost fifty pounds.'
'I can tell', she says, 'I can see it in your face.'
But of course, I thought, I see it there, too. 'Thank you', I said to her.
'I sure can tell', she said again. 'I just don't recall how I know you.'
'You look familiar to me, too', I told her, checking her badge to see if I recognized her name. Nope. So I rattled off a short list of places we might have in common. Church? School? Baseball? Nope.
'Well, you keep doing what you;re doing', she told me. 'You look good.'
Thank you, thank so much!

I'm curious what my doc will say tomorrow morning at my yearly check-up.

random art

"What is the secret of life? I had a friend." Aldwyth

So said the artist in one of her works, "Corpus", a nine-part collection of odd bits. A huge collection of her collections is currently on display at the Jepson Center For The Arts. There are even videos of her handling her works on YouTube, should you care to take a gander. As one art expert, Mark Sloan, Director of the College of Charleston, says of her, "She is a voracious reader and inveterate collector of detritus."
And "detritus" is certainly the operative word. Much of her material has a history to it and has been collected from unusual places and unusual times. For example, one display is titled "A Walk In The Woods" and includes tiny bits of branches. The exhibit also has three works composed of the remnants of Hurricane Hugo's mark on Charleston, with the bits collected within days of the horrific event.
Horrific is an apt term for her works. In addition to the physical bits and pieces of nature and man-made items, there were also fashioned (or re-purposed) bits: misshapen torsos, eyes, eyeballs, arms and legs and hands. I found the resultant creations quite disturbing, with their tangible undercurrents of dementia, fear, violence, bedlam. I found myself unable to view all of the works shown because of the unease they evoked. I don't know when I've ever had such a reaction to art.