The first lucky discovery happened when I found a copy of “New City” in one of the newspaper corrals. These corrals, which I so loved when I first saw them that I wanted to take a picture to share with our Northampton mayor, have become an eyesore and often are filled with empty coffee cups and people’s belongings rather than newspapers or free magazines. I was happy to find a “New City” in one as we left the Christina Ramberg exhibition because I had read an article online about it, and I was hoping to find a hard copy.
Unfortunately, it was not the right issue, but it did include a review of a show called “Moscoso Magic” at a place called Instituto Cervantes that was closing soon. Victor Moscoso was one of the main five San Francisco psychedelic poster designers, and the exhibit included his most recognizable posters created during an eight month stretch from 1966 to 1997. A visit to the exhibit seemed like the perfect birthday excursion.
On the way to the exhibit, the next serendipitous event occurred. After our bus got to the first Michigan Avenue stop, it didn’t start going again, and after a few minutes, we had to get off the bus. We decided to walk rather than get on another bus, which gave us the opportunity to go into a church on Michigan I’ve been curious about since I’ve noticed from the bus that it is open to visitors. When we walked in, we were directed to a brochure titled “A Guide to the Architecture of Fourth Presbyterian Church,” and I can see why because it’s amazing!
I was especially drawn to the ceiling. The brochure states, “The ceilings of churches often look like an inverted ship. The main area of the church is called the ‘nave’ from the Latin word for ‘ship’ [as in ‘navy’ and ‘navigate’]” So I didn’t just get to see a beautiful building, I got to learn something new!
We also got to see more butterflies on the way to the exhibit.
And then we got to Moscoso Magic. And it was magical!
That’s Victor Moscoso behind Janis. He has said, “The idea was to hang someone up in front of the poster for as long as you could.” He was definitely successful as it was difficult to leave but it was time to go get my birthday treat!
Since we became aware of the Chicago Imagist artists, we have taken every opportunity to learn more about them and see their work, so we were excited to see the Art Institute’s new Christina Ramberg retrospective. While we were there, we walked over to check out the revamped Ryan Learning Center.
It looks more like a library than an art studio! The art project that day was to make a miniature room inspired by the museum’s Thorne Minature Rooms.
I was especially interested in the system they had to display 3D pieces because that has been a challenge with the 3D flea circuses we have been making at the Chicago Children’s Museum.
I also think the building materials on the tables are a great art studio provision.
There was a toddler area as well.
The Trott Gallery featured a hands-on exhibit about art restoration.
I’d like to take a closer look at some other areas and see the newest art project which is inspired by the current Georgia O’Keefe exhibit so when I go to that I will definitely stop by the Ryan Learning Center again!
A few posts ago, I wrote about having to find a place for the things we happen to acquire. There are also the things acquired precisely because there is a space waiting for them. For example, a wooden mushroom I found at Marshalls recently.
It has such great grain patterns, but I don’t know what kind of wood it is since its pretty label just identifies where it’s from.
Of course, now it lives with the other wooden mushrooms.
Looks like there’s room for a few more!
Our older daughter was a frequent visitor to a second-hand shop here in Chicago called Brown Elephant, so I was excited when one opened up in our neighborhood. When I stopped by the other day, I found a handpainted martryoshka set for only $3.00.
When I put them up with the other martryoshka dolls, I realized that the faces had been painted a little further up the doll than on the others, but I love the details.
I also found a handpainted gourd and it was an even bigger bargain at $1.00!
I wasn’t exactly sure where it went, but I knew it belonged in my collection! And I think I found the perfect place for it.
I doubt I’ll be as lucky again, but I’ll definitely be stopping by the Brown Elephant again.
One of the things I enjoy about Chicago is the way art pops up around the city. A few weeks ago, when I arrived at the children’s museum, I saw some large round sculptures that looked intriguing. They didn’t look finished, so I waited till the next week to walk over to them to see what they were.
The last two smaller ones didn’t have any artist information, and one wasn’t finished, but I’m glad I went over to look at them then because they were gone by the next week. I’m sad that I didn’t try to find out why they were there because they were part of Mexico Fest, which was at Navy Pier, and it looks like it would have been great. (It is a pet peeve of mine that Navy Pier doesn’t have a physical “This Week at Navy Pier” poster sign or screen at the entrance. There are some screens throughout the Pier that feature some events, but you have to catch them at the right moment.)
I researched the sculptures, and it turns out that these “monumental ceramic inspired figures from Chihuahua” are in the Mata Ortiz Style. Mata Ortiz pottery is a “recreation of the Mongolian pottery found in and around the archeological site of Casa Grandes (Paquilé) in the Mexican state of Chihuahua” Its too bad they didn’t get to stay in Chicago for awhile.
But there’s always something new. One morning, as my daughter was driving to work and talking to me on the phone (as she does) exclaimed “Ooh somewhere in the city is getting a bunch of butterflies. A truck just passed me with a whole bunch of butterflies in the back.” And then the next time I was going to the children’s museum, I saw one from the bus window and another one when I got off the bus.
It turns out they are part of Flight of the Butterflies, an initiative of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and that they are appearing throughout the city so I’ll be keeping an eye out for them!
I didn’t know what to expect during my recent visit to the DuSable museum, but what I didn’t expect was to come around a corner and see what looked like a children’s museum.
I don’t think it is permanent – the website lists it as a current exhibit but with no dates. I hope lots of people visit it because not only does it have a great message, it looks like so much fun! Look at all the food in the store section! The babies were my favorite part – there were probably twenty cribs, and each baby had a name stenciled on their crib.
As I say to the visitors at the art studio in the Chicago Children’s Museum, sometimes you have an idea of something you’d like to make, and sometimes you appreciate a prompt. When I first picked a needle up again during the Covid times, I had a few ideas of pieces to stitch, but I also enjoyed responding to the Stitchtober prompts.
Recently, all I could think of stitching was a piece for next Stitchtober, which, of course, is futile since the prompt list isn’t revealed until September. So I was glad to find another Instagram prompt to respond to – the Words to Live By Challenge. Although nothing except a piece I had already stitched – Never Let The Old Woman In – came to mind at first. Then I saw a fabric piece by Emma Carlow – an anchor with the word Hope – and I thought that’s my word to live by! On my way to get some graph paper to design my own hope anchor, my Hope sculpture by Bill Healy and a heart in hand card my friend Susan had sent for Valentine’s Day one year caught my eye. And my design was born!
In addition to the anchor and two hearts, I added some other symbols of hope – crosses, an olive branch, and a rainbow. Apparently, the number four is also a symbol of hope, so I filled the fingers with four stitches apiece.
I decided to outline the hand, which was challenging, but helped when I saw another prompt. One of the play and learning facilitators at the children’s museum has her own gallery – Yes Project Space – and she put out an open call for work to respond to the work of two poets – one of whom is another play and learning facilitator. As soon as I read his first poem, I knew I wanted to respond to it.
So I planned my piece “Minion Insurrection”. Since I couldn’t cross stitch a small photo of Walt Disney, I attempted a torn picture of Mickey Mouse – half is on the middle Minion’s sword and the other half on the ground at his feet.
My piece was accepted into the show, which is pretty exciting!
I wonder what I will find to respond to next…
It always amuses me when people on Instagram talk about searching for art for their walls or objects for their shelves because here it’s more a matter of trying to find places for the things we just happen to acquire!
Recently, I had to find places for my Easter gifts – the yellow cast iron bird and the small purple flower tray. The yellow bird ended up on top of the CD cabinet. There were some birds there already and yellow in the art above the cabinet, so it seemed like the right place.
And the little purple flower tray with its purple flowers and gold edge seemed to belong on top of the shelves with the purplish glass vase and gold bowl.
Another object we acquired recently is a small ceramic bowl. We really did simply acquire it because when we bought a ceramic cup at an open studio event, we were given the small bowl as well. It seemed to belong on the sideboard as it was the perfect size for the small eggs that didn’t really have a place to be, and since it goes well with the ceramic bowl my husband made as a child, it will look good there even after we put the eggs away.
And then there are all the things I make! It took a bit of book rearranging, but my latest cross stitch piece found a home on the small bookcase.
I’ll write more about this piece in my next post!
After my last entry, I realized two things. I had forgotten to write about two of this year’s purchases and also that Spring Miscellany was a better title than Miscellaneous Spring. So, to rectify both (and to add a few other things) here is another post.
I couldn’t resist these wooden farm stand pieces when I saw them at Target’s Bull’s Eye Playground. I also couldn’t resist enhancing them with a bunny salesperson and some more carrots. “This is the cutest carrot I ever saw,” my oldest granddaughter said about the glass one. I’m not sure where we got it, but we’ve had it for a long time. The pipe cleaner one in front came with a pipe cleaner body antique paper bunny head figure (like the elves I made this year) but it seems I no longer have him. The carrots on the left went with some that I made but wasn’t satisfied with.
Another of this year’s purchases were several of these enameled bunnies from JoAnn fabrics. Their tag says they were made in India from Mango wood.
When I saw the Heidal egg tin filled with chocolate at Marshall’s, I bought it for my husband’s Easter basket, but I also imagined it paired with a vintage reproduction paper mache egg we already had. Here they are together – both sides work!
At our house, spring decorations stay up from mid-March to the end of April or even mid May, so it still isn’t too late to add to them. Another idea from Sandra @stilundherz was a perfect project to do with my grandchildren when they spent the night this weekend.
As soon as I saw a cute snowdrop made from an egg carton on Instagram (@stillundherz), I wanted to make one, but it took us a while to empty an egg carton. When we did, I made two, and they were perfect additions to the dining room Spring trees.
My Brooklyn niece gave us some honey for Christmas this year and I saved the jars because I thought they’d be perfect to use for a Spring scene with some of the fairy garden figures I bought at a dollar store a while ago.
My Seattle niece also gave us honey for Christmas – from France! I’ve been saving those small jars as well. I think I might be able to create scenes in them as well with the tiny equinox frogs from last year.
I hadn’t come across any frogs this year, so a few days before the equinox, I stopped in at the plant store on the way home from the gym to see if they had any, and I found some glow in the dark ones. It’s so fun to see the tiny little lights in the middle of the night. The one on the right is the one that appeared on the toothbrush holder on the morning of the equinox. And there is one of the tiny frogs from last year hanging out with him.
Our spring decorations ended up in the same places as previous years for the most part, but I added a new display. We have far too many eggs for the egg tree, so I arranged the leftovers in the bowl from Nonotuck Jen.
Speaking of eggs, we tried a new way of dyeing them this year. We made a paste of baking soda, water, and food coloring and “painted” the eggs with it. Then we poured vinegar over the eggs – lots of fizzing and eggs that looked tie dyed.
Here’s my Easter “basket” – a yellow bird and a plate with purple flowers which is covered with Easter grass right now. I’m not sure where they’ll end up yet.
I found this metal egg at Marshall’s for my husband’s basket. It has a different picture on the other side and was filled with several different kinds of chocolate.
We had a great Easter – strawberry pancakes and treats for breakfast and our traditional Italian Potato Casserole (topped with chopped hard boiled eggs) and hot cross buns (crosses added by one of our favorite guests) for an early dinner.
My daughter gave me this wonderful sun vase for Christmas. It’s been waiting for the Christmas/Valentine’s Day vase to disappear so it could take its place in the hall and be featured on the blog. The felt flowers I made last year work well in it, I think. I love where the bee ended up perched on the side.
When my daughter bought it, she imagined it would go here, but her husband asked if it wouldn’t go with the other suns in the dining room. As it turns out, this area has quite a few suns as well now!
Collections and Other Stuff I Like 