Visioncity Art Adventurer

Southern California Continued

2010-03-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Around Los Angeles,

05/04/09
#257. Laguna Museum of Art

05/05/09
#258. The Getty Center

05/06/09
Riverside
#259. UCR/California Museum of Photography
#260. Riverside Art Museum
#261. Riverside Metropolitan Museum

05/07/09
#262. UCLA Hammer Museum
#263. Los Angeles County Museum of Art

05/08/09
#264. Long Beach Museum of Art
#265. UAM/CSULB
#266. Orange County Center for Contemporary Art

Southern California

2010-03-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

Southern California around San Diego.

04/28/09
San Diego
#248. Mingei International Museum
#249. Museum of Photographic Arts
#250. San Diego Museum of Art
#251. Spanish Village Art Center
#252. Timken Museum
#253. San Diego Art Institute: Museum of The Living Artist
#254. San Diego Museum of Man

04/30/09
Oceanside
#255. Oceanside Museum of Art
California Surf Museum

05/03/09
#256. Carlsbad Oceanside Art League

Pittsburgh

2008-08-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

#227. Carnegie Museum of Art,

#228. Mattress Factory, the,

Here in Youngstown

2008-08-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

#226. Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH

Fathers Day Fun

2008-06-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

#223: Vanderpoel Art Association [Museum(collection)]
When we got there the gallery was locked. I told the attendant I was here for the art(this is a field house with a pool and a community workout center), she had to get the keys and power up the lights from a hidden closet on the first floor. Once inside we had the exhibit all to ourselves. I could see the years of wear on some of the paintings(reminds me of the condition of the work at the Gardner in Boston) but for the most part the work was in good shape. I felt no pressure as examined each painting, print and sculpture on display. I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere , a collection definitely off the beaten path and worth checking out.

#224: NVVAM or National Viet Nam Veterans Art Museum
I've driven and biked by this place so many times, it's about time to check it out. First off it's much larger than I imagined having three floors. Work is by both skilled and amateur artists mostly from veterans some work by children of veterans. I can appreciate the work and exhibits but feel there should be more work because there seemed to be a lot of unused space. Worth checking out and very intense. Be prepared.

#225: Depaul University Museum
Campus was geering up for graduation but the museum was still open to the public. The first exhibit was a display of Ellis Island Portraits. The work looked as though it was digitally reprinted on a pebble finish coldpress paper with a sepia tone. I most enjoyed the descriptions of the travelers that accompanied each piortrait. Across the hall there was a Juried Student Art exhibition, with various types of work including video, interactive even installation. I was told that there was an exhibition of photographs of Cuba from the early 20th century in the Latino Studies dept but the space was closed by the time we got there.

Studio is a Mess!

2007-10-01T20:25:00.001-07:00

This studio is really a mess and I'm not gonna take it anymore!

South Central...Art Tour

2007-05-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Wednesday thru Saturday: Charlotte > Spartanburg > Greenville > Augusta > Savannah > Charleston > Columbia

Charlotte:

#189: Mint Museum of Art
The building actually used to be a U.S. Mint or something like that. They have examples of the money minted there so long ago. They also have a decent art collection. The Mint Museum system also operates a Craft and Design Museum in a separate location, I did not get to visit that location.

Spartanburg:

#190: Spartanburg Art Museum
One of the best jurried shows I have seen in a long time. Kudos the artists, the curator and the museum for have a distinct vision. A wonderful surprise!!!

Greenville:

BMW Zentrum
#191: Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery
#192: Geenville County Museum of Art
A hidden gem! The building is architecturally interesting and the inner space is still usable. There were at least three good sized exhibitions and there was still room left for more and the people were friendly! Whoa! What a great art place.

Augusta:

#193: Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art
Another hidden gem! While you may have seen the art center in a historic home thing before, think again.

Savannah:

#194: SCAD Museum of Art
#195: Telfair Museum of Art
#196: Jepson Center for the Arts

Charleston:

#197: Gibbes Museum of Art

Columbia:

#198: Columbia Museum of Art

Art Madison

2007-03-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

One Special Saturday started with drving through blustery weather en-route to explore the Art Museums of Madison, Wisconsin. Why? Because I never hear about them. I have heard decent things about the art program at UW though.

THE MAINSTREAM would like you to eat your pinecone and shut up! To hell with the mainstream! The mainstream says "contemporary art= unintelligible, conceptual, monstrosity with excrement smeared on it." Yeah, Right! Contemporary Art, really = art done in our time. Even watercolors, landscapes and portraiture.

#187: Chazen Museum of Art:

In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite

For me this exhibit was a sort of reaquainting with roman culture. It fleshed out the experience I had while exploring Empuries on the Spanish coast north of Barcelona. I think this is a good exhibit for those interested in history and willing to slow down enough to take in what they are seeing.

Peter Gourfain: Roundabout and Fate of the Earth Doors

This piece is massive and fills almost the entire main floor. The reliefs made of terra-cotta are interesting though seemingly repetative. The artist had originally intended to carve the reliefs from wood but had to stop after developing an alergic reaction to the wood dust.

Permanent collection

Browsing the permanent collection felt as if I was getting just a sample of great collection. The size of the museum confims this, as there are several galleries with changing exhibitions, there is not enough space to show more of the native collection.

#188: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art:

You can go on the roof! This is really cool and you get a small sculpture park/dining area with a good view of the roofline across the street and a great pearch for watching people on the street below.

In Depth: A Closer Look at MMoCA's Permanent Collection:

These guys have a nice photography and print collection, it's almost as if they cornered the market on Bravo photographs, Just kidding. Overall I enjoyed a lot of the works from Wisconsin artists unknown to me.

Young at Art:

Alot of childrens exhibits often look like just that: childrens work. Alot of the work in this exhibit seems to be a bit more polished than I am used to. Kudo's to Madison's student artists!

Comment: I am really glad to see usable building space at MMoCA is much more successful than other buildings of similar concept. The MCA, Contemporary Art Center and Racine Art Museum all have an exorbitant amount of wasted space. Thank You again MMoCA!

Boston & New York

2006-12-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, so most of you will think I'm off my rocker... a lot of culture in a very short period.

11/30/06

Harvard:

#173, Sackler Museum; work from the permanent collection
#174, Fogg Museum; Dissent!, Employee Art Exhibit
#175, Busch-Reisinger Museum; Art&Design from Central & Northern Europe since 1880

MIT:

Deans Gallery MIT; Neil Welliver: Prints from the Maine Landscape
"Strobe Alley" Old Doc Edgerton's exhibits
#176, List Visual Art Center; "Sensorium" stinky!
Wolk Gallery, Policy and Design for Housing
Compton Gallery; Front & Back: Investigating a Renaissance Drawing
Wiesner Gallery and what was left of an oragami exhibit
Hart Nautical Collection
#177, MIT Museum;The Sculpture of Arthur Ganson, Holography: The Light Fantastic

12/01/06

Boston:

#178, Museum of Fine Arts Boston; permanent collection, Ambreen Butt, Cecily Brown
SMFA; Student Exhibtion
#179, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Boston University:

#180, Photographic Resource Center; PRC/POV: Photography Now and the Next 30 Years
Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery; Territories of Terror
Commonwealth Gallery; Student Exhibition
808 Gallery; Gulag

Boston:

Panopticon Gallery(Downtown)Photography
Gargoyle Gallery???
L'attitude Gallery and Sculpture Garden; Tim Harding: Smooth as Silk
Alpha Gallery; Haley Hasler: New Paintings, David Kapp: Paintings

12/01/06
"Boston to New York City"

New York City:

#181, International Center of Photography; Ectopia
Max Lang; Living with Pop
Robinsons Art Gallery
DJT Fine Art
Printed Matter; Pure Products of America
Visual Aids; Postcards from the Edge(glimpse)

12/02/06

#182, MOMA
#183, Frick Collection
#184, The Whitney Museum of American Art

12/03/06

#185, The Neue Gallery

That's a lot of art...

Iowa SlingShot Trip

2006-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Filled with all of the wonderful foods of Thanksgiving, SuperJ and I are off to visit the flat-lands of Iowa and the Nipp-ster.

Stop #1: #169, The Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa

I'ts been awhile since I have had a couple hours to examine the new Davenport Museum of Art, now known as The Figge(like figgy pudd'n). In a new location with a new name and a new building it's enough to consider this a new if not different museum than the old Davenport. I believe the collection remains the same but I can't say that I remember any of the work currently on display.

The new space is oh-so contemporary with the ususal seemingly wasted space a-la MCA. With several large galleries there is an exhibition on quilts that spans two floors and an exhibtion of the paintings of comedian Martin Mull. I do have to say this new building is titanic(great for exhibiting art) compared to the old space, but more sterile(not cozy or inviting. Kinda like a hospital).

Ok, so I like to patronize the art centers I visit. I spend fare amounts of money on memorobilia. I just don't understand why museums of any magnitude fail to stock the basics in their giftshops: pencils(everyone uses these), mugs(your staff drinks coffee) and postcards of the permanent collection. So what do you stock? Stuff from the Met, Art Institute or the Louvre. Tacky scarves and the no-name dinner-ware and chromed overpriced trendy crap does not allow the public to remember you establishments name!(just a pet-peeve!)

Stop #2: #170, UIMA or University of Iowa Art Museum, Iowa City, Iowa

Plans are uncertain with the Nipp-ster so I decide to go to UIMA. Next time I visit I will know where to park. After a walk through campus and over the main bridge we find the museum. About an hour before close we take in what seems to be a deceptively small university museum, but looks are deceiving! There is a great, no awesome contemporary collection including a Pollock mural. I move through the museum like a sponge taking in paintings, photographs and sculptures. I come to the farthest gallery near the rear of the museum and what I expected to be the end has actually just begun. A rather large space with a solo exhibit of the paintings of Jules Kirchenbaum. While I enjoied the work it was unsettling and somewhat remniscent of Witkin's photographs. Feeling satisfied that I saw "everything" currently on display, I was horrified to discover another gallery... an exhibit of 50 more pieces depicting animals and human-animal relationships and annex extension of modern art. Figuring that the museum is about to close I head to the giftshop to donate some money and it is closed. It closed a half hour ago. Hmmm... I guess they don't want my money? After spending 16 years in retail still I'm surprised that most museum giftshops don't have a clue. "Giftshops should stay open past gallery hours to rake in all of the money lost from lull in donation, membership and government allocation."

So we vacate the museum and notice the UI Art Center across the road. It's closed but it's architecture is cool and there is some form of exhibit inside! We may have to come back tomorrow!

We finally meetup with the Nipp-ster and head downtown to meet her friends, eat, drink and be merry. We park and are cutting though an open business to get to the bar and what do we find? Yup! A used bookstore! But not any used bookstore, it's Uptown Bill's Small Mall. Woo Hoo! After some aquainting I remember seeing the movie Bill with Mickey Rooney when I was a kid. SuperJ went to hunt down some biography and I hit up the CD's which the gentleman assured me was picked over. I ended up finding some good stuff anyway. In the book section I found some fun art related material as well. I always love a couple of good finds. Now food, then sleep. And up in the morn to see some more of UIMA and beyond.

Stop #3: #171, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I can't believe how many old Carnegie libraries I've visited. From street level the building was ominous. Up the front stairs and into the botanical gardens(?). How unusual to find a good sized botanical garden as the ticketing area of an art museum. The humidity was pleasant for an overcast November day in Cedar Rapids. The main exhibit filling three galleries was a show of midwestern centric art by known and unknown midwestern artists. I can say that while some of the work was under par, I can give much kudos for pulling off an exhibit focusing on the midwest! Did I mention Grant Wood's presence here. A very large collection of prints, drawings and paintings by the Cedar Rapids native, go figure! For whatever reason Marvin Cone had been under the radar, but no longer! I actually like his work more than Wood's. It's interestng and disturbing to see how artists are regionalized. Cone's work is nothing short of Brilliant! he landscapes are warm and inviting, his urban/abstract pieces verge on Gunther Gerszo. Most of his work is located at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, so go and check it out! I am sure you will be pleased.

Stop #3b Grant Wood studio, Cedar Rapid, Iowa

The Cedar Rapids Art Museum holds the deed to Grant Wood's Studio and it is open to the public. At a location not to far from the museum in the attic above of an old carriage house is the what Grant Wood called a home and a studio. more to follow.

Stop #4: Dubuque, Iowa

Stop #5: Galena, Illinois

The Triangle Trips

2006-11-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Indianapolis the Triangle Trips
SuperJ had a conference in Indianapolis so I decided to go with her and take day trips to some of the art centers off the beaten path. Each day's route sort of formed a triangle, thus "Triangle Trips".

Day One: 11/03/06

Stop #1: (#161)The Anderson Fine Arts Center, Anderson, Indiana
The Anderson Fine Arts Center is housed in an early Carnegie Center and is a very ornate place indeed and an excellent place for an art exhibition. American Scenes: The Art of Don Austin was a series of enjoyable illustrative styled paintings and prints reminiscent of Tom Benton in subject but a little less polished. There was also an exhibit from the permanent collection that involved pieces that had been purchased from the annual juried exhibitions from the last 50+ years. There were some really great pieces, even a painting by Lillian Fendig(a gallery in the Carnegie Center in Rensselaer is named for her). I really enjoyed the pieces from the collection because a majority of work were from Indianapolis regional artists that had traveled the world and brought it home with them in their art. A great show!

Stop #2: (#162)Ball State University Museum of Art, Muncie, Indiana
A seemingly small building from the outside, it houses a great collection of art. A lot of pre-twentieth century work with a sprinkling of turn of the century, impressionist and modern art as well as some contemporary pieces. Something I noticed immediately upon entering the museum were the 38inch and 47inch bronze figures of "Diana" by Paul Howard Manship. They were placed closely as if for comparison. It was unusual having two nearly identical pieces side by side.

Stop #3: (#163)Minnetrista, Muncie, Indiana
It's website says it is a Museum and Cultural center so I stopped in to check it out. As I approached by car I noticed some monumental sculpture on the grounds and I was hoping for an art exhibit of some sort inside the museum. As it turns out there was an exhibit of kites from around the world. Not what I had in mind and time was short and I still had some more stops to make. I made my way to the gift shop to get some things and I noticed some paintings in a large conference room. It turned out to be a portraiture exhibit. I'm glad it caught my eye, the greeter didn't seem to know anything about the portraiture exhibit or even care. The show was made up of pencil and ink drawings as well as paintings that spanned over a hundred years. All of the work was from regional artists and there were some really great pieces. This made my stop worthwhile.

This experience sort of reminds me of an occasion a couple of years ago at a "cultural complex" that shall remain nameless. We stopped to see the "art museum" section of this complex. It was expensive too. So we pay the lady and go up to the second floor. The lights are on the art is hung and the doors are locked and the art galleries are closed. The sign on the gallery door said they were hanging a new exhibit. Normally I don't have a problem with this except NO-ONE MENTIONED THE ART GALLERIES WERE CLOSED WHEN THEY WERE TAKING MY MONEY and there were no signs at the counter stating this. I realized that the State I was in is not know for it's fine art but come on! The lady behind the desk called the assistant director(who had to be no older than 18) and she told me that they couldn't give me a refund but could give me a free pass for the next time there is an exhibit since I already paid the admission and the only sections open were the children section, the gift shop and the food court. I told her I was an art critic and that I would be happy to view the gallery since most of the work is already hung. She couldn't do that because security wouldn't let her. I said security could escort me through the exhibit. About this point a guy behind the counter says he knows how to do refunds. I was relieved, got my money back and got out of there asap! I believe in satisfying the customer(I worked retail for 16yrs, you don't have to give away the store just give the customer his money back!) Ok no more ranting... sorry.

Stop #4 Richmond Art Museum, Richmond Indiana
*Canceled* out of time

Stop #5 Dayton Visual Arts Center(DVAC), Dayton Ohio
*Canceled* out of time

Stop #6, (#164)Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio
It was dark and some rain but I made it, The Dayton Art Institute! It is somewhat dark inside but I find my way to the front desk and imagine that "no entrance fees" except for special exhibits. Great I'm in. I find the contemporary section and work my way around to a Sheeler painting I've never seen before. "Stacks in Celebration" 1954 is an oil on canvas approximately 22"x28". I love this painting, a later painting and really polished. It almost looks as if there are solid layers of color applied to the canvas. The most attractive a smokestack I've ever seen. There was a full instalation Skoglund; Shimmering Madness. I was wondering where the thrashing sound was coming from... in all an enjoyable experience and a great art museum.

Day Two: 11/04/06

Stop #1: Terre Haute, Indiana
I stopped at a little coffee shop and wandered around while I was waiting for the Museum to open. I spied a little place crammed into the metropolis's storefronts called the Illiana Arts Alliance. There was a variety of work from local and regional artists. A nice surprise that they were open early on a Saturday morning. I went over to the (#165)Swope Art Museum. Coming around the corner of the Swope I noticed there was a separate entrance for the Halcyon gallery. It is part of the museum building that was vacant except for the summer months when the Swope held childrens art classes. Two ladies approched the museum with an idea to use the space the rest of the year for a contemporary gallery. A great idea! There was a two person show at the time of my visit but the 1st annual juried show was in the works. The gallery is actually quite large and bright and viewable from the street. The Swope: something I noticed right off was the huge "Diana" sculpture that greeted me as I entered the mueseum. It had to stand over 10ft high and was gold in color. Identical to the two at the Ball State Museum of Art. The story as the receptionist told goes... when the old director left and the new one came on board they found this statue in parts up in a storage area. It's actually made of plaster with a gold paint. If it's not a Paul Manship statue It's a damn good reproduction.

Stop #2 (#166)Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, Indiana
After a long strange trip that included a overcast day and a surly Dairy Queen clerk I made it to Bloomington, Indiana. I always love trying to find parking on college campuses. Well luck was with me this day as the three spots designated for visitors one was actually available in this packed parkinglot. The building reminds me of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. A large wedge pointing into space houses several galleries and a world class collection of art. In one of the first floor galleries the exhibit Contemporary Painting from the Guilin Chinese Painting Academy made and impression that I will not soon forget. I often lump traditional art together in my mind as more craft that art. This exhibit has changed this for me.

Day Three: 11/05/06

Stop #1 (#167)Indianapolis Arts Center in Broad Ripple
more to come

Stop #2 (#168)Eitlejorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana
more to come

Well, End Of Some Beginning of Others

2006-03-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

I will postpone my long trip series in favor of honoring "The Ends".

I was working on my computer at home in late December early January when the operating system failed and left me with a difficult time retrieving my images files which included all of the digital pictures I have ever taken. This followed a scary holiday experience in which I was the front passenger in a mini-van, waking up just in time to see through the fog as oncoming traffic avoided us as we landed in a snow covered farmers field at 11pm on Christmas Eve.

In November one our members from The Pilsen Photo Group passed on... to be followed in January by our gallery space.

In mid January I decided it would be time to get a new vehicle. Maybe it was the leaky gas tank, missing exhaust system, chip in the windshield, rusting rear drivers side door, missing stereo(attempts to steal it have been so frequent I removed it myself and hummed my way to work), no, It was the slowly failing transmission that made me decide to move on. I have had that car since mile 7 and I put darn near all of the 180,000 miles on her and knew I could count on speeds of 75-100 miles per hour! Not anymore. Dying at stop lights put an end to that. I decided that I would trade it to a friend instead of junking it, he would fix it and use it as a beater. The last car I traded to my friend was my Lincoln Continental MK IV, I got a black Nikon FA body that had some brassing but still works to this day. So I got the new car. Great, the next day I would drop off my old car and not have to see it junked. Super J driving the new car and I in the old car travelling down I-94 to drop it off and at about 79th street it starts to lose power Ugh! and I was able to make it up the ramp and right turn into the alley behind Churches Chicken where it smoked and died. I figured the city would ticket the heck out of me if I left it there so I had SuperJ steer and I pushed it around the block. I was in luck because there are several places that will come and get your old dead car and give you cash on the spot. I had SuperJ call around while I removed my belongings and then began removing the cerwins and fosgate speakers I had installed years earlier. So I got $75, enough to pay for license plate transfer to the new car.

We are dealing without a microwave that also died in January and now my 10year old JVC reciever is on the fritz not to mention the yamaha CD-R drive in my pc died when my OS took a dive.

These are "The Ends",

Visioncity

P.S. Oh, and the SuperJ's favorite "The Berghoff" closed it's doors after 107 years this past Tuesday evening. We stopped by on Monday night to take in the fare one last time.

The Longest Two Week Trip In the World: Episode 4

2005-11-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

That evening after unloading at the hotel we ventured into downtown Billings for some food. Just about the only indigenous place open was the Montana Brewing Company. We had some diner style food and I had a really good porter. We wandered around a bit so I could take some pictures in the peaceful evening. The next morning we woke cleaned up and got some breakfast at Denny's because it was right next to our first destination: The Yellowstone Art Museum. It was a nice smaller sized museum, we viewed the exhibition A Ceramic Continuum: Fifty Years of the Archie Bray Influence. There was quite a variety of work and some excellent pieces that made me reconsider my feelings on the ceramic craft as artform. On the way out of Billings we stopped at local cafe across from the Montana Brewing Co. the name escapes me but the place was enormous and sat on the corner all glass panes to provide a great time people watching.

A little over 100 miles later we landed in Livingston where we located the Visions West gallery. The painter Jerry Cornelia was well represented and I got to see a larger selection of the work that had impressed me at our stop in Miles City. Along with Cornelia, Jeb Todd's painting of fish really stuck with me. This gallery used the space nicely and was bright and warm with a great selection of northwest contemporary work.

Our next stop Bozeman.

Montana, the continuing trip north and west #3

2005-10-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

After attaining the proper beverages and some chocolate at a locally owned Coffee House in Medora, we headed down the block to check out local art the Western Edge Book Store. They did have some really nice art and I picked up some post cards and a book called "Every Place with A Name, A Dakota Photo Documentary". I like to buy local and regional documentary books especially ones that have good photography. While I was checking out I noticed the clerk had the television going...

To my horror one of my favorite places in the entire universe was being attacked by a killer hurricane! I was in shock a million miles away on the other side of the country during a beautiful morning with a warm sun in a place that should be really cold this time of year. I couldn't get this song out of my head, it played over and over... I wish I was in New Orleans... New Orleans I'll be there... as I watched in disbelief as people sat on the roofs of their flooded homes waiting for someone to come and save them. Time is a prime mover and this trip wasn't getting any longer. I looked back at the t.v. one more time and we left Medora.

From the Montana and North Dakota border we passed Wibaux and Glendive and paused in Miles City. It turns out that The Custer County Art Center in Miles City is one of the nicest and best designed art spaces I've seen. Originally a water reclaimation center discarded when the county moved to a bigger and better facility, the old water holding cells lent perfectly to gallery space and the place is near bomb proof with walls of concrete several feet thick. The curator was kind enough to let us wander as he and an assistant layed out the upcoming jurried show. In all honesty I expected little from a small town in Montana but the art was well done and made for what will be an excellent show. Kudos!!! We left in drizzle with really powerful winds. Wind I don't see in Chicago!

The weather cleared up and an hour or two down he road I spied a sign that said something about a "National Monument"! Well it sure wasn't on my NPS map. So SuperJ was game and we left the comfort of the highway for the uncertainty of the backroads of Montana. About five miles later after doubling back we found it, a place called "Pompey's Pillar'. It is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. This trail is made up of local, state and national sites all strung together. This one is a conglomeration between the NPS, BLM and throw in the Dept of the Interior, which is why it doesn't show up on my NPS map. Captain William Clark arrived at Pompeys Pillar on July 25, 1806 and carved his name on the side of the rock. The rock sits about 100ft bove the yellowstone river and the base is approximately 1 acre. It was great being here at sunset, we could see for miles in every direction. We are now aware of most of the well known trails; Lewis and Clark, Mormon, California and Oregon National Historic trails. We made it to Billings to find a hotel for the night...

Fargo to Theodore Roosevelt... installment #2

2005-09-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Overnight in Fargo...

on the way to breakfast we passed a somewhat trendy but unusual purple building with themed decor. We later learned it was a Space Aliens Grill and Bar and ate at the original one in Bismarck for dinner(sampling the local/regional culture is a must) . Entertaining fast food with space and alien memorobilia with a bar and game room. Sorta reminded me of the old Planet Hollywood in Chicago. SuperJ spent some time in the gameroom winning a ton of game tickets used to procure our trip mascot "pinky" a one eyed pink space alien with springloaded base. On the way to Bismarck we stopped The National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown to see the "Great White Buffalo" and the Largest Buffalo in the world. Thats one big buffalo, and it was really cool to see an albino buffalo. After Jamestown and Bismarck we ended the day at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

We camped at the Cottonwood site and SuperJ got up bright and early the next morning to get her running in. She ran along the road leading into the campground at some point there was a fence along side her and she passed a prariedog town and noted the creatures playing and wrestling. Near the end of the fence she noticed a heard of buffalo grazing,
with the bull standing guard watching SuperJ as she ran beyond the fence and into the open..... SuperJ noticed the bull watching her intently and did a u-turn right back around to the safety of the fence. As I was getting my photographic equipment together I saw Super coming around the bend and realized I lounged a little too long. On the way out we stopped at a place overlooking the badlands with an amazing view. I shot through a couple rolls of 120 and we were off to Medora to seek coffee and an Iced-t with a shot of raspberry.

Recounting my most recent trip out West, installment #1

2005-09-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

...two weeks earlier on a Saturday Super J. and I got a late start out of Chicago ...

stopped overnight at a B+B near the Dells of Wisconsin had breakfast and a look around. Seems as though they have more water parks than anywhere...

Leaving Wisconsin we headed to the University of Minnesota’s Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art where I first encountered Frank Gehry's stainless facade several years ago(Super J. has never visited). I always enjoy the atmosphere at the Weisman. We enjoyed lunch in Dinkytown at the Loring Pasta Bar seated at a sidewalk table as near as possible to the corner crosswalk great for people watching. Afterward we stopped across the street to The Purple Onion Cafe for some coffee, tea and local artwork.

Back on the road heading for Fargo...

The Car

2005-08-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

and head'n out to Montana, Idaho and Nevada. It should be a lot of fun. Much to see and do... I'll take some pictures. :)

the pit at work... ahhrgh

2005-08-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Flickr is going well, my eyes are bugging out from looking at the computer screen for 8 hours a day. I may be going to the grant park movie thing this evening. I also need to gearup for this big "two week roadtrip" to Glacier NP and other points... mabey Craters of the Moon, Badlands, Wind Cave not to mention art stops there are a good 25 art museums in our way(Super J always loves that part of the trip(not)). This trip will effectively put me at "49" states+1 for DC. All of the maps and guides I have list DC and so am I.

Chicago...Northside at a cookout

2005-08-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

We got to Sandy's cookout bout the time people were on their way out. A very busy day and I got to see parts of Chicago I've never seen before! A cool evening breeze interspersed with jet sounds, Sandy lives on the flight path for O'hare. Wasn't that loud the "L" was more noisey.

Chicago... Southside at a cookout.

2005-08-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

The annual Garry burger festival. One that is sure to clog your arteries. And quite a diverse range of beers. I had a wonderful Imperial Sout from Colorado of all places. Mmm!

A Cold Trek

2004-09-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

in Alaska;

#108. Anchorage Museum of History and Art
#109. Museum of the North, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Gallery, Seward
#100. Kenai Visitors & Cultural Center
Heritage Library Museum, Anchorage

To Top it Off!

2003-12-22T19:56:00.000-08:00

An adventure in the West;

Iowa
#96. Davenport Museum of Art

Nebraska
National Rollerskating Museum, Lincoln

Wyoming
Snow and Lots of It, Had to turn South to Fort Collins.

Colorado
Garden of The Gods
Durango Film Festival
Great Sand Dune N.M.
Mesa Verde N.P.

Utah
Valley of The Gods

Arizona
Monument Valley
Petrified Forest N.P.

New Mexico
#97. Albuquerque Museum of Art
#98. Museum of Fine Arts, Sante Fe

Texas
Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo
Alibates Flint Quarry/ Lake Meredith

Oklahoma
Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
#99. Oklahoma City Museum of Art
#100. Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa

Arkansas
#101. Fort Smith Art Center
#102. Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock

One More Thing...

2003-11-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

A Road Trip To Florida;

Indiana:
#59. Indianapolis Museum of Art

Tennessee:
#35. Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art

Alabama:
#90. Montgomery Museum of Art

Florida:
#91. Pensecola Museum of Art, Pensecola
#92. Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, Tallahassee
#06. Salvadore Dali Museum, St. Petersburg
#25. John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota
#93. Appleton Museum of Art, FSU & CFCC, Ocala

Berkley-Oakland

2003-11-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

#88. BerkleyArt Museum/PFA

&

#89. Oakland Museum

Houston

2003-09-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

September, Houston, Art

Houston, TX:
#81. Houston Museum of Contemporary Art
#82. Houston Museum of Fine Art
Rothko Chapel
Cy Twombly Gallery
#83. The Menil Collection
Dan Flavin, Richmond Hall

2003 Another Trip and More Art and Cultrue

2003-05-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

This time I'm in the North-West Eh!

Seattle to Portland to Victoria to Vancouver and back to Seattle:

Seattle:
#72. The Burke Museum, University of Washington
#73. The Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington
#74. Seattle Art Museum

Tacoma:
#75. Tacoma Art Museum
#76. Museum of Glass

Port Angeles:
#77. Port Angeles Fine Arts Center Sculpture Park

Victoria, BC
#78. Gallery of Greater Victoria

Vancover: BC
#79. Vancouver Art Gallery
Artropolis Exhibition, CBC Studios

Bellingham:
#80. Whatcom Museum of Art and History

Lawrence Here We Come

2003-02-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

My friend John and I took a little trip to Lawrence, Kansas just for the heck of it...

in chronological order:
02/08/03
#67. Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
#68. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO
American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, MO
#69. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO

02/09/03
#70. Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, MO
#71. St. Louis Museum of Art, St. Louis, MO

New York and Back Again

2002-03-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

Early March 02

Depart: Chicago

- Indiana

-Ohio

-Pennsylvania
Place: Pittsburg, PA
Visit: #46. Andy Warhol Museum

-New York

-Massachusetts
Place: North Adams, MA
Visit: #47. MASS MoCA

-Vermont

-Massachusetts

-Rhode Island

-Conneticut

-New York
Place: New York City
Visit: #48. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Church of Heavenly Rest
#49. Metropolitan Museum of Art

-Pennsylvania
Place: Scranton
Visit: #50. Everhart Museum

Arrive: Chicago