Interactive art exhibit

The Art Institute of Chicago recently unveiled a new exhibit, titled 'Windows on the War: Soviet TASS Posters at Home and Abroad, 1941–1945,' focusing on the aftermath of German invasion of the Soviet Union. It looks incredibly interesting, especially considering the current political climate and detail in the artists' work. I would love to visit the exhibit. I may have to plan a little day trip to the museum.

The most interesting aspect of this exhibit, I think, is the interactivity between viewers. Everyone focuses on media being more interactive, but people often forget art. And art, expressive communication, is the ultimate interactive work. I like that museums are recognizing this. But, with that said, it would not work well with every exhibit, possibly just with more where the art is making more of a social or political statement. {I understand that all art is a statement in one form or another.}

{First images via, last via}

365 things for 365 days

This blog is EXACTLY something I would love to do.... if I could draw. The blogger draws one illustration a day for 365 days. It's so simple, the idea and the drawings, but it's so clever, I love it!

This reminds me of the photography project I attempted last year. My goal was one photo a day for a year. I think I made it about 4 or so months before I just gave up, which was unfortunate. It could just be difficult to find something worthy of a photograph on a day you wake up, go to work, go home and then to bed. But this blog has revived that project a bit. I may consider trying it again.

87 down, 278 to go.

Trucks, trucks, trucks.

One of my favorite places to hang out in Chicago is the Chicago Cultural Center. Every time I step in, there's a new exhibit that blows me away. {Also, I'm a huge supporter of Project Onward as I mentioned once before in a post.} This last visit, it was an exhibit called 'Driven: New Trucks' by John Himmelfarb of abstract trucks that caught my eye. As the exhibit explanation stated, Himmelfarb is known for his "unique vocabulary of abstract forms which, depending on scale and composition, may range from pure abstraction to evocations of gesture, form, landscape, architecture, and even the character of an idiosyncratic written language."

At first, I wondered why someone would be so invested in trucks that they'd feel the need to capture them within artwork, but then I read the artist's thoughts. These works "are not about trucks but about us, our histories, skills and coping mechanisms, ambitions, and character." While I understand how they capture elements of the American life, I still have some trouble seeing how they present themselves as narratives of the human experience. Maybe I'm still looking at them in a too literal manner?

Either way, they are incredible. The few snaps I took do not do them justice, especially the sculptures.

art fair

This weekend I was lucky enough to stumble upon beautiful artwork while shopping in downtown Chicago. The Chicago Tribune sponsored the incredible art fair near their building on Michigan Avenue. I wandered around for what seemed like an hour and I still didn't make it through all of the exhibits. There were beautiful murals, photographs, sculptures, jewelry and pieces of pottery in all colors, shapes, sizes and beautiful designs. I especially fell in love with one artists bubble/ink blot paintings. She created amazing designs that seemed incredibly random but I'm sure were meticulously planned, much like Jackson Pollock's work. They kind of reminded me of a Rorschach test. I wish I had a picture of those to share.

We Are Super Heroes

My friend Cara, an elementary school art teacher, had her second-graders create art projects of themselves portrayed as superheroes. Unknown to Cara, her friend, a college art professor, also had her students doing the same thing. When they discovered the coincidence, an amazing idea was formed...

They, along with ArtWorks of Kenosha, created “We Are Super Heroes” a 3-tiered art exhibition of elementary students, college students, and local adult artists who rendered themselves as a superhero or icon. I'm really excited to see the exhibition and the differences of what an elementary student sees as heroic characteristics compared to what an adult thinks.

Eric Carle artwork

I work with children so I read a lot of books, many, many times a day. But my favorite children books of all time are all by Eric Carle. His books are simple, yet creative. I especially love the amazing geometric art in his books. I think it would be so cool to frame pages from his books to hang in a child's bed or classroom. Or even my kitchen, where they will probably eventually make an appearance.

Interesting afternoon at the Chicago Cultural Center

About a month ago, I went to the Chicago Cultural Center with my friend. As we were wandering through photography exhibits, we passed an area that looked like an art studio, but we weren’t sure. He walked in. It turned out to be a Project Onward studio dedicated to the creative growth of artists with mental or developmental disabilities. {Read more about Project Onward here. It is truly an incredible program for artists with special needs.}

As my friend and I were browsing work in the gallery, we found an exhibit that we both really liked. The artist, Stephon Doby {definitely not pronounced Steven}, painted mostly portraits in a simple, yet clever way. I really liked the colors and focus on typically unnoticed details. Bill and I told one of the directors how much we enjoyed Doby’s work and so he insisted that we meet the artist.

I’m not quite sure how it came to happen, but I ended up getting my portrait painted by Stephon Doby. It was an experience that I won’t forget, especially because it was the first, and most likely the last, time I got my portrait painted. It doesn’t really look like me, but I love it just the same.

Bill and I were joking that next time we visit the Chicago Cultural Center it will be his turn to get a portrait painted. It may become a tradition.

Nanny and street photographer

The Chicago Cultural Center is running an exhibit of Vivian Maier, a street photographer and nanny in Chicago. Her story is a remarkable one. Throughout her life, she took over 100,000 photographs, mainly of people around Chicago, but she also travelled around the world with her camera. A few years ago, a real estate agent came across the remains of an unclaimed storage locker: over 100,000 negatives, more than 3,000 prints and a huge stockpile of undeveloped film. What is most interesting is that she kept these photographs and her hobby a secret from those around her.

Read more about Vivian Maier and view her photographs here.

{photographs via http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/}

little felt creatures

my mom's artistic. my sister's artistic. it seemed to skip me though. anything, absolutely anything involving artistic creativity and ability, my big sister is good at. a couple months ago, she started needle felting. she's already taught classes at a local art shop and has made a bunch of cute little creatures. {like these} she includes such intricate detail as eye lashes and i can't seem to make the stuff form a ball.

maggie made me an orange, purple and red duckie creature as a thank you for moving her to new york. i absolutely adore him. {what a sweet gesture too, so much more meaningful than a gift card.} she's also made creatures for her nieces' birthdays and others. i think she should also open an etsy shop but i have no idea where she would start with that. i think there are a lot of people who would want to have such an adorable animal around.

i heard she's finishing up natural disasters and moving on to a sloth next. i'm excited to see what other creatures she comes up with.

{all photos by mags}

Guggenheim

Lately, I've developed a huge crush on the Guggenheim in New York. {but much love to the others, too.}

On view now:

Paris and the Avant-Garde: Modern Masters from the Guggenheim Collection

"feature[s] some thirty paintings from the Guggenheim Collection by such artists as Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Robert Delaunay, Albert Gleizes, Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Joan Miró, and Yves Tanguy, among others, as well as showcase a significant group of sculpture by Constantin Brancusi and Alexander Calder. The exhibition is curated by Tracey Bashkoff, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, and Megan Fontanella, Assistant Curator."

I would LOVE to see this. Or any of their other exhibits. I grew up going to the Art Institute in Chicago on field trips and still try to make at least an annual trip there, but I have never been to any art museums in New York. {My one trip to the city consisted of all things "touristy": a visit to the Empire State Building, Central Park Zoo, Rockefeller Center, Times Square and lots of shopping.}

A few friends and I are trying to plan a road trip to the East Coast this summer. We're talking about starting in Chicago and driving to Memphis, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. If we do make it to New York, a trip to the Guggenheim is a must. {I'm also hoping my sister in Poughkeepsie can take the train down and meet us.}

Also, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York was designed by one of my favorite architects: Frank Lloyd Wright. {And yes, I also have an intense love and appreciation for architecture.}

{image is Pablo Picasso Mandolin and Guitar, found here}

interesting paint technique.

i just came across this amazing artist and thought i should share her work with others. alexa meademakes her subjects appear as if they were in a painting by applying acrylic paint. it's an incredibly interesting and creative, though backward, artistic design. i really enjoy the paradox in her work.

{images via}

Struggle. Hope. Triumph. Love.

My cousin Laura stars in RENT next week at the Greendale Community Theatre in Greendale, Wisconsin. She's playing Maureen Johnson, a bisexual performance artist, and my favorite character in the play. I'm really proud of all the work she's put into the play and I can't wait to see it! Watch their video blog here.

It's definitely one of the best plays of my generation. I hope if you ever get the chance to see RENT in the theatre, you do.

Drawing in Air

One of my favorite things to do on July 4th is "paint" with Sparklers. The trick is to be fast enough so your drawing doesn't disappear before you finish!

In 1949, LIFE photographer Gjon Mili photographed Picasso drawing in the air with a small flashlight. His drawings were amazing. There's something magical about drawing in the air.

{image via doubletakes via LIFE}