Sunday, March 03, 2013

More Art

After my time in Miami last September and taking in its amazing art and culture, I knew change had to happen.  I was clearly missing that art and creativity in my life.  I did a little bit in the fall but it was still tough with work travel and then storms and then the holiday.

My promise for 2013 was simply More Art.  More Art in 2013.  It was easy to start off on that foot too - with IPAY and APAP within 10 days of each other immediately post New Year's.  I saw some wonderful performances at both conferences but it also occured to me that I've relied on the conferences as a primary source of performance and new art.  I still get out and see shows - in NYC and here - but I wasn't reading the reviews in the Times and making lists of theater worth checking out.  And we all know the visual arts fell off my radar some time ago.

So without over-doing it, I'm adding in bits of art each month.  February has included a trip to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, a gorgeous indoor and outdoor scultpure and mosaic garden designed and created by Philadelphia native Isaac Zagar.

It also included me getting back into the pottery/ceramics studio.  I took a Friday night Fun in Clay class at the local community arts center.  It was a small class and within the first hour, it was incredible to experience how it felt again - how much I rememebered, how focused I could be.

It's about First Fridays, museums, photography, ceramics, painting, and doing more of it.  Doing some with the child and some alone.  Some structured, some not.

Let me hear that whistle baby

So I'm not a top 40 listener, unless I'm working out.  But it's killing me how many people I hear all fired up over lyrics these days, corrupting their kids - as if it's any different now than it was when we were kids.  Of course it's trash.  Of course there is way more in our/their faces now.  But I counter Flo Rider's Whistle with The Do Me Rap...or I Touch Myself.  Both tunes I knew word for word and sung along to, in the late 80s/early 90s, when I was 12-13, and knew what they meant.  But I also sang Like a Virgin and I was 7.  Or Billie Jean at age 5.  I didn't know what it meant and the 'rents didn't get into it.  They let me enjoy Madonna and MJ.  I'm sure they rolled their eyes at Madonna the way my eyes roll at "celebs" these days.  This stuff will always be around, in some form, influencing our kids, be it through radio, peers, social media.  All we can do is make the choice to be and stay involved - know when it makes sense to change the channel (put on XPN), unplug, zap MTV/YouTube, or ask the 6th grader, "Do you know what Whistle is about?" and maybe it's a platform for meaningful conversation...or let a teacher know that the 4 yr old is belting out some inappropriate language at school.

And now I give you the Divinyls.  CLASSIC.