I’m married to a Type A military guy and his days are normally all about schedules, deadlines and plans. He’s married to an artist who hates an agenda and would rather see where life takes her. We’ve learned to live with that dichotomy for almost four decades now….at times more successfully than others. This day was a success.
On Saturday we at least had a start-up plan, beginning our day with a visit to Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum, an extraordinary building in the Art Deco style, full of wonderful and beautiful masterpieces. Jim was happy because we had a plan. I was happy because we were going to absorb some art.
And we did. Gorgeous works by accomplished artists, beautifully framed, exhibited and curated. Among other things, I was thrilled to find a Chihuly glass installation and one of Degas’ Little Dancers, a sculpture with an interesting history and one I will go back to visit now that I know she’s in Omaha.
On the way to our car we discovered a children’s garden and a completely different kind of art expression, set against an incredibly blue sky.
From there the day became that “no agenda” day, taking us where we just happened to end up. A craving for ice cream found us in Dundee, at eCreamery, where not only did we eat some delicious cold goodness but also found a “to be visited again” art gallery down the street.
From there we migrated to Benson, with Jim in search of a micro brew he’d read about and wanted to try. Hmmm…I’m starting to see a pattern here…..perhaps the man did have an agenda after all.
No matter, I spotted an art car show as we were driving down the street and so our afternoon in Benson began. Jim went and found his Vanilla Bean Ale, I found a unique group of car artists. They were about ready to end their show but I managed to take a few photographs of the cars and ended up giving many of the car artist/owners an Instagram. They were more than happy to show off their cars, encouraged pictures, and because I was sharing my own art, we crossed the barrier between observer and artist. Click here to learn more about the car with all the dentures.
My visual day didn’t stop there. Benson is brimming with street art, most of it in the form of murals, most of it existing in back alleys and side streets, and although I thoroughly enjoyed the earlier part of our day at the museum it’s this version of art that makes me happiest. The majority of people never walk through the doors of a museum but those same people walk outside and when they’re surrounded by all of this within just a few blocks, how can they NOT be in awe of it? As I wandered the streets I shared and gave away more Instagrams, briefly intersecting lives by connecting with people, using my photographs as a conduit.
At the end of the day our “no agenda” Saturday was a huge success. It left me with an overstimulated art brain and exhausted eyes, but made me believe even more strongly in public art. Not just the kind that exists for the public in museums or galleries, which take a conscious decision to enter, but the kind that infuses itself in everyday existence.
These are the people I gave Instagrams to on this last Saturday in August, along with the images they chose to keep.
Click here to read an earlier post about why I started taking Instagrams. When the post was written I had posted a total of 391 images; last week I crested the 1300 mark.
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