Sears Building Project
When I heard that a group of artists were working on making something positive out of the old Sears building, I was very intrigued. I thought it was a great idea to utilize such a large neglected space in the city. When I heard the plan was to cover the building with lights, I imagined it covered from top to bottom with various lit up features. I was sorely disappointed with the outcome. I went to the "grand opening", if it could really be called that. It didn't seem complete. A small fraction of the windows lit up and some mediocre band started playing. I left shortly after drinking one complementary beer and donating a few dollars in hopes that maybe they will continue working on the project. I have recently noticed a few more lights on the highest tower, so maybe one day it really will look as cool as I imagined.
Ernest Withers Collection
I found the Ernest Withers collection to be a very concise and decently put together representation of the man's work. His work focuses largely on segregation and the whole civil rights movement, which almost becomes even more moving due to its close proximity to the Lorraine hotel downtown. I haven't lived in this city for very long, but the history of that time period here is very rich. I think it's wonderful that this collection is now available for public access. It's things like this that add to the richness of an areas heritage and history.
Center for Southern Folklore
I went to the Center for Southern Folklore for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I imagined it being very different, but was not disappointed with it. It seemed to be centered around African American Folklore, which is very interesting in itself, but there are other aspects that I thought deserved more attention. What I found most interesting were the photographs adorning all the walls. A lot of them were taken anonymously and I was shocked at how striking some of them were. There was also hand made quilts on display. I enjoyed them a lot because they reminded me of some of the Gee's Bend quilts I love. Some of the "newer" folk art definitely did not seem as appealing or authentic, but I still found the museum to be enjoyable as a whole.
Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art
When I first entered the museum, I found myself standing in front a giant intricate ivory carving that immediately took my breath away. I had never seen anything like it. The detail and the pristine condition it remains in today really impressed me. I'd passed this museum countless times before and never would have thought that it held anything like this. I sort of regretted not coming sooner. The rest of the museum was impressive too, but that ivory sculpture was difficult to top. I really enjoy history, so this place was right up my alley. Artifact after artifact, I felt like I could have stayed there a lot longer.
The Art of Brian Selznick
When I was a kid, my parents always tried to get me children's books with the best illustrations. I still have a good bit of them, my favorite being Anthony Brown's King Kong. Anyway, this show reminded me of opening up those books when I was a kid and staring at the images on each page, completely transfixed. It was wonderful. My sister is a writer and we used to pretend when we were little that she was a famous author and I illustrated all of her stories. I guess this show just brought up a lot of good memories for me, so maybe my opinion is a bit biased. It really jst made me want to go home and get to work on my own story books.
