Talk Amongst Yourselves — nic @ 19 Jun 2009 10:23 pm
Across the courtyard I spied her
Her red mane of hair falling
across broad shoulders
She stood before the stove
Her over-sized Tee shirt
slipping off her right shoulder
and riding, enticingly, up her left hip
She was oblivious to any onlooker
as she dipped her fingers into the pot
she pulled up a big bundle
of “straw and hay” as the
Italians would have it.
A great fistful of pasta,
and then threw her head back;
that great red mane of hers
flowing down
She dropped the pasta
into her mouth
I longed, in that moment,
to be that pasta
to have that final moment
to know where I would go
to go into her throat
I still miss that
now
Arts and Current Events and Pop Culture and Review — nic @ 12 Jun 2009 05:14 am
A trip to the Racine Art Museum last night provided insight into the monumental work required to exhibit monumental work. In this case the program was the first 2009 installment of “Meet Me on the Patio,” a summer series of members and visitors events. The subject of the program last night was Living Large – backstage at RAM, which focused, through the compelling tour discussion of David Zaleski, on the issues and labors involved with producing an exhibit like Bigger, Better More: The Art of Viola Frey, currently on display in RAM’s gallery 3.
Zaleski’s talk provided wonderful insight into the suffering of a curatorial assistant and great enlightenment as to the procedures, methods, and issues involved in dealing with any large exhibit, but especially in dealing with an exhibit of the large. Some of Frey’s pieces are so large they may require 30 or 40 or more crates just to move. Several semi-trailers were involved with this show, not to mention the flights back and forth for the specialists involved, the couriers, etc.
All in all a lovely evening at RAM|Art. Programs like this are an invaluable part of the mission of any art museum, but especialy one which, like RAM, focuses on crafts and their more accessible nature. It also engenders thoughtfulness on the part of the casual visitor when they know more of what goes on behind the scenes to get great art in front of them.
Hats off to RAM|Art and to David Zaleski for his great talk.