Vanilla Nightmare #2, 1986
Charcoal and red crayon, with erasing, on tan wove paper (newsprint)
600 x 703 mm
Cinema Remixed & Reloaded: Black Women Artists and the Moving Image Since 1970 by Andrea Brownlee
Cy Twombly – Untitled, 2007
Cy Twombly – Untitled, 2001
Jasper Johns – Perilous Night
Gaston Lachaise – Woman (Elevation)
Joan Miro – Ciphers and Constellations in Love with a Woman
Hi All!
It’s raining right now in Chicago. The Isley Brothers’ “Footsteps in the Dark” is keeping me company. Thank goodness for Pandora.com!
I am planning to head out to the Museum of Contemporary Art shortly. I’ll spend some time there before heading over to the Blogging While Brown Conference (http://www.bloggingwhilebrown.com) which starts with registration around 5:00 p.m. There’s also a reception that kicks off at 7:00 p.m. After the reception, my cousin Ellen and I are going to visit Devon Avenue for some good Indian food.
Yesterday was amazing. I slept late. I spent the afternoon chilling and relaxing. I walked around downtown Chicago in the early evening and just took in the sunshine and beauty. I also visited the Chicago Architecture Foundation (http://www.architecture.org) and viewed the Chicago Model City exhibit which opened on June 10. I learned about the Mecca Flats, an African American housing unit on the Southside. I want to research it more for some story ideas.
My evening got sweeter as I walked along Michigan Avenue and strolled with the evening crowd. I took a few moments to take some pictures of the Art Institute of Chicago before heading in for one of the best creative adventures of my trip. I saw three exhibits:
- Modern and Contemporary Works on Paper – I was introduced to some fantastic artists: Laurie Anderson, Sol Lewitt, Nancy Spero, Brice Marden, Annie Ryan, Joan Miro, Evelyn Statsinger, Kurt Schwitter, and Yayoi Kusama. My heart was so full when I saw one of my favorite artists Adrian Piper’s Vanilla Nightmare #2. The evening continued to bring me joy when I saw Glenn Ligon’s Backlash, Backlash…, Jasper John’s Perilous Night, Amedeo Modigliani’s Caryatid: Rose and Blue, and Pablo Picasso’s Head of a Woman.
- Cy Twombly: The Natural World, Selected Works 2000-2007 – I first learned about Twombly’s work while reading More magazine last month. I tore the picture of his painting out and kept it with me. I was so excited when I realized his work was on exhibit at the Art Institute. The exhibit was mesmerizing. WOW. It generated so much creative fire in me. I was bubbling as I noticed his use of color and the way he creates this lush intuitive, messy flow of paint mixed with words, poetry, flowers, nature, crayon drawings, and scribbles. Damn, this cat is truly amazing. I am in love. Yes indeedie sweetie I love me some Cy Twombly! That’s why I purchased a book featuring his artwork from the exhibition. I even wrote a poem about the series that touched me the most.
- Girls, Tricky – This film by artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen features the rehearsal of Tricky, a trip hop musician and producer from London. WEIRD. I watched it for about 8 minutes before rolling out. It wasn’t for me!
- Museum Shop Discovery #1 – When I picked up a copy of Cinema Remixed & Reloaded: Black Women Artists and the Moving Image Since 1970 by Andrea Brownlee (http://www.digidiva.net/Cinema%20II%20Brochure%20005.pdf), I thanked the shopping goddess because it was priced at only $27.50. Now that’s a bargain for an art book about Black women. There was only one copy left. It was waiting for me! Cinema Remixed & Reloaded: Black Women Artists and the Moving Image Since 1970 is the first exhibition to examine the critical contributions of Black women film and video artists to the field of contemporary art. The book chronicles the exhibition which features some of my favorite artists such as Adrian Piper, Julie Dash, Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Kara Walker, Marìa Magdelena Campos-Pons, and Xaviera Simmons. The exhibition and book were created by The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and Spelman College Museum of Fine Art.
- Museum Shop Discovery #2 – I laughed when I found a postcard featuring artist Gaston Lachaise’s Woman, a bronze sculpture of a woman with a body like mine. It was a much needed affirmation to embrace my fullness and beauty. I am keeping the card as a reminder and will place it on my altar when I get home.
- Museum Shop Discovery #3 – Joan Miro’s Ciphers and Constellations in Love with a Woman reflected how I felt about the artwork I saw during my creative adventure at the Art Institute. That’s why I purchased a postcard of her work as a reminder to surrender and allow myself to flow with the art of life. Her work also made me think of a statement that I read while I was reading the curator’s description for the Modern and Contemporary Works on Paper: “Art is a sign of life. There can be no life without change, as there can be no development without change.” Now that’s some art wisdom!
Peace and Creativity,
Ananda
Ananda Leeke 