Things I've enjoyed so far this stay: sunshine, jogging in shorts this morning, eating wonderful Thai food, seeing family and old friends (particularly at a First Chinese Baptist Church-related wedding on Saturday).
A picture of the bride and groom from the banquet:
My sister, May, and her boyfriend, Walter:
Me with my friend Jaime and her new son Ethan:
Last Wednesday I read about an interesting art exhibit in New York. It was closing that evening. Spontaneous me decided to go that morning.
Here is an excerpt of the article:
"Sometimes - never often enough - there's magic in new art. You'll find a sweet, rude shot of it, at least until 10 tonight, at Leo Koenig in Chelsea, where the Vienna-based collective Gelitin is in residence. Over the past week, the group has turned the gallery into a sociable, raunchy, pixilated all-night version of Santa's workshop, pumping out free art on demand, and turning the image of a money-choked, object-clogged New York art world on its head.
Gelitin itself has remained all the while invisible. What you'll see while visiting Koenig, at 545 West 23rd Street, is a sealed, space-hogging wooden box, the size of a small house or a pre-1970's mainframe computer. It has two extensions; one like a cabinet, the other like a top-loading chest. You are invited to place an object, any object, into the chestlike extension. Close the hatch. A yellow light goes on. You hear a sliding sound and a clunk. Your item has temporarily disappeared into the big box, just as dozens of others have, including wallets, photographs, specially made items (artists have brought their own work) and, memorably, a 2-year-old child. (The daughter of another Koenig artist, Erik Parker, spent a few hours in the box, emerging delighted but respectfully mum about her experiences - the Gelitin team had sworn her to secrecy.)
Take a seat. Eventually - the wait can be from a few minutes to more than an hour - a light on the other extension goes on. Open the door, and you'll find your object joined by a brand-new, handmade "duplicate," or at least something that more or less resembles the original. Both items will elicit admiring responses from the other people waiting their turn. And there always are people; the show has generated an avid community of shared interest. When the ooh's and aah's have subsided, you can take your new art home. "
Here is the Tantamounter:
Here are my objects:
I watched an interesting piece on Frank Sinatra on PBS. Here's a young Frank:
Some things I learned, some of which show my great ignorance:
- He was Italian.
- He helped JFK win votes he needed in Illinois by talking to his connections in the Italian Mafia.
- This Mafia association stigmatized him his entire career. During a visit to California, JFK was supposed to stay with Frank, but supposed friends like Peter Lawford said it might reflect badly on JFK because of Frank's alleged mob ties so JFK stayed with Bing Crosby and the Kennedys pretty much cut Frank out after that.
- He was big on loyalty and equality among racial groups. The fact that he wouldn't play anywhere on the Vegas strip that wouldn't allow Sammy Davis Jr. to perform and walk through the front door caused a change in the policies in the city.
- His career took a dive when he divorced his first wife and three kids because such an act was considered an affront to the public.
- He sang with the Tommy Dorsey band.
- He was an accomplished actor who was nominated for Oscars for both supporting and lead actor.
This is a picture happy post. Here are some pics from Chicago.
Architectural River Cruise:
Jelly Bean Sculpture at Millenium Park:
Dinner with friends:
No comments:
Post a Comment