Art Plus Location
I have recently returned from a wonderful visit with my girl (old lady) cousins that took place in Lexington MA, near Boston. We did a great deal of talking and eating and seeing artwork. My dream vacation realized! So even though some of the conversation had to do with aches and pains of old ladies, and some of the days were damp and windy, there were also plenty of bonus surprises of the delightful kind.
In addition to the amazing sculpture at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, there was also a compelling indoor exhibition about newspaper media. In addition to seeing the lifelong art collection of Isabella Stewart Gardner at the museum of that name, we also happened upon a live singing performance in the stunning indoor courtyard garden! Wow. Someone noticed that the acoustics there are transcendent. At Gallery Twist in Lexington, we saw the curator's superhuman talents for the arrangement of a show called re/seeing Humdrum. She put objects near the paintings that highlighted the subject matter of the artwork. For example a circle of monopoly money around a basket that was constructed using monopoly money, and placing many rolls of toilet paper by two paintings of bathrooms. I've never seen anything like it!
When you add up art + location, you often get something much greater than either one would achieve alone. Here are some examples of the artwork seen at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.
I sometimes create Contemporary Quilt Art for a specific location. When I ship off a completed commission for a unique space, I think about whether it will indeed add something good to that location. Dear reader, if you live near Rochester MN, visit the Mayo Clinic and let me know how the three pieces (Path, Water, and Woods) look in the rehab gym area. If you live near Palo Alto CA, visit the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (West Patient Care Unit 360). Is Wagon Ride a nice match for the space there?
As promised, here is the finished (large) version of Long View, which will ultimately be seen at the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston. I am happy that this piece will be located in Wyoming.
Next month I will be talking about the Abstract Art Quilt (again). But for now, I share a recipe that is perfect for cold weather: Lentil Dahl - Soak 2 c. green lentils in salt water for 4 hours. Drain and rinse. Put in a pot with 5 c. water and one bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 - 60 min. Saute′ 1 large diced yellow onion in 1 T. butter. Add 1 T. minced ginger root and 1 T. cumin seeds. Mix the following spices in a small bowl and add to butter/onion: 1 ½ t. ground coriander, 1 ½ t. turmeric, pinch of ground cloves, pinch of cayenne, salt and black pepper. Add some of the liquid from the lentils to the pan to loosen the bits. Then add this to the lentil pot. Remove bay leaf and serve over quinoa or brown rice (or as is) and top with plain yogurt.
