Memorial
December 13, 2014 § 2 Comments
Not sure how I’ve missed this veterans memorial, which sits in one of my favorite areas of town in the shadows of the Grain Belt Brewery in Northeast Minneapolis. But it’s there, and I like it.
Deconstruction
December 2, 2014 § 3 Comments
It takes me a good 45-60 minutes to make one of my annual holiday cards. That includes cutting out the cardboard, paper, and ribbon; gluing the paper to the cardboard; assembling the card; handwriting a personal note; hand-addressing the envelope; and sending it on its way. Because of the thickness of my cards, I also make several trips to the post office to stand in long lines and make sure I have the right amount of postage on each.
Today I laid out all the tools and materials I use to create one card. Below is a picture of everything and a few photos of the finished product, including the two sides. This year’s card is a play on an accordion and Jacob’s Ladder book structure, and will have writing on both sides, as the back cover flips to become the front. When folded, the card is about three-quarters of an inch thick.
Modern
November 30, 2014 § 1 Comment
Spent the afternoon at The Walker Art Center, primarily watching the wonderful documentary “National Gallery,” but also had time to briefly stroll past the galleries and take a few photos:
Shapes, Hard and Soft
November 8, 2014 § 2 Comments
This didn’t start as an assignment to find shapes, but as I was putting this gallery together, an obvious theme evolved.
All photographs were taken in Northeast Minneapolis. The outdoor shots are from an industrial yard (through which I was probably trespassing), and the interior pictures were taken at the Casket Arts Building. It houses about 100 artist studios and is one of my favorite places to browse, not just for the art, but also for the experience of wandering through a 125-year-old factory constructed of wood and brick.
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- Circle (sky)
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- Circle (yellow)
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- Rectangle (peephole)
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- Rectangle (other side)
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- Cylinder (red drill)
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- Cylinder (white drill)
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- Square (third floor)
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- Square (second floor)
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- Line (blade)
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- Line (string of lights)
For All the Lonely People
October 25, 2014 § 2 Comments
A few weeks ago, the House of Coates (a story in words and photos about drifter Lester B. Morrison) was reissued. Its launch was kicked off with its author, Brad Zellar, spinning vinyl while its photographer, Alec Soth, pulled transparencies on and off the overhead projector, using dying Sharpies to write blurred words and phrases on his photos. The evening was funny and disconnected, bordered on confused mayhem, and was quite enjoyable. And the venue, a vintage furniture store, added to the eccentricity.
I debated going to a second House of Coates book launch, this time at the Walker Art Center, thinking it would be more DJing and AVing (not that there’s anything wrong with that). However, I had just finished the book, adored it, and wanted to see what strange frivolity would ensue.
So I went. And in typical fashion when topics about sad lives are broached, I cried.
Zellar began by talking about his move several years ago to a small cabin in Vermont for eight months to get away from computers/email/social media and those whom he felt were disappearing behind it. He also explained his lifelong interest in outsiders and described people he’d known who walked on that periphery of loneliness, who were never really understood or valued or loved or given a place or purpose.
The tears made their appearance when Zellar read an introduction he’d written, which had been cut from the book, about different types of invisible people and why they are regularly discarded or forgotten. Not only were Zellar’s words beautiful and profound, but they triggered the deep sadness and worry I’ve forever held for misfits, along with a similar curiosity to understand their stories and lives.
When Q&A time rolled around, I was eager to ask several questions, but I didn’t for fear of starting to cry again. Instead I listened as Zellar shared details about a new project that involves finding obituaries of people with no known survivors and researching their lives. I’ve often had a desire to do similar work, more along the lines of going to funerals of people who die alone or whose families can’t afford to pay for lengthy obituaries, and trying to untangle the questions of their lives or to memorialize them properly.
I admittedly bought this book because I love Alec Soth’s photography, but Zellar’s story (both in the book and in his life) moved me in ways I never imagined when I paid my $20 three weeks back. It also got me thinking about my abandoned projects on the brokenhearted and forgotten and has renewed my interest in giving them another go.
The book is available through Coffee House Press and independent bookstores (and I’m sure it is at Amazon, too, but check with your local bookseller first), and an interview with Zellar and Soth on Minnesota Public Radio is a fantastic companion to the book. They’ve also been getting a lot of attention nationally, specifically from the New York Times, and I suggest you get a taste of some of their other work there.
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While at the Walker, I did stop by one of my favorite places in the city — Sky Pesher, the James Turrell piece. I hit it twice (before and after the talk) for some quiet reflection and also strolled around the sculpture garden and pedestrian bridge before heading home.
The Art of Architecture and the Handwritten Note
October 22, 2014 § 2 Comments
My evening swirled around two events ideal for aesthetic-loving nuts like me.
A friend invited me to a party celebrating Shelter’s tenth anniversary and its new digs in Northeast Minneapolis. Shelter is a funky architecture firm that has designed such great spaces as Icehouse and Bauhaus Brew Labs. And the party was pretty happenin’ too.
Next I sped back to my own neighborhood to attend a handwriting workshop at Christine Hoffman’s Foxglove Market & Studio. Wendy Brown from Brown Ink and Gina Sekelsky from Gina Sekelsky Studio led us through exercises to prep our imaginations for creative ideas that would help us resurrect the old-fashioned way of staying in touch. After an hour or so of practicing, mingling, snacking, and oohing and aahing over examples of beautiful handwriting, we ended the night penning our own cards and popping them in the mail.
When next in St. Paul, stop by Foxglove on Grand Avenue, and keep an eye open for other events offered at the shop. It’s an original gem that offers vintage and new furnishings and household goods, and it specializes in organic flower arrangements, stationery, and a whole array of eclectic, colorful, and beautiful gifts.
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