Studio Ruthe

Another week, another activity postponed

Next year better come, even though my poster says it won't. I'm beginning to think that poster was a curse. I was supposed to go to Chicago last Monday, October 24. Our trek up to Door County was postponed this year because of the illness of our host, so several of us were going to get together in Chicago. It's a place I always like to return to; I guess it will always be home. I was having second thoughts because of the driving, which had been very difficult last spring. So when my friend, in whose apartment I planned to stay, called and said there was a problem, I decided not to go. I regarded it as an omen. I should have just found another place to stay.

Then last Sunday, which was a beautiful day, unlike yesterday, I went out for a walk and I fell. This time I only banged up one side of my face, so only the right side looked like a raccoon, but the swelling was fierce all week. Fortunately only my glasses broke, no bones. I feel like I've been vegetating all week. Each morning when I woke up the eye seemed sealed shut and took about an hour before it would stay open. I stayed in most of the week, nasty weather anyhow, and Friday night was my first public appearance. I used lots of makeup and kept my glasses on (older ones) and mostly no one seemed to notice--or they didn't want to ask me about it. Today I went to my Osher class and everyone asked. We're not shy about these things.

I'm planning to observe nojomo and write a new post every day in November. I'm not sure I have that much to say, but there's always pictures.

Chicago continued

One of the exhibits at the History Museum was

Facing Freedom

What does freedom mean? To whom should freedom be extended? How are denied rights gained? These are some of the questions the new American history exhibition explores. Based on the central idea that the history of the United States has been shaped by conflicts over what it means to be free, this new exhibition uses images, artifacts, and interactivity to explore familiar and not-so-familiar stories from the nation’s past. From women's suffrage and the formation of unions, to Japanese internment, to a local school boycott, the exhibition highlights some of the ways Americans have struggled over the true meaning of freedom.

It's a powerful exhibit as pertinent today as its recollection of events of the past.

On Thursday we went on an Architecture Foundation tour of the Fine Arts Building, an artists' building on Michigan Avenue. I've been in the building many times, but learned all sorts of new things from the tour. I didn't know there was this beautiful courtyard on the fourth floor.

I would like to have a studio that opens into the courtyard and have tea every afternoon when the 4 o'clock low hits me.

Afterward we went to Millenium Park, the jewel of Chicago, and looked at the Lurie Garden. Chicago's motto is "city in a garden." You can really believe that here.

Friday morning I left Chicago and drove down to New Albany, Indiana, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, to go to Jan's opening. Here she is taking my picture. Be sure to note the wonderful banner they hung for the show.

You can read more about the show in her blog here and in the show blog here. It was a great opening and a great show. I'm very glad I went, although I hope I remember not to do two hard days of driving, back to back, again. I got back to Pittsburgh in spite of tornado warnings in Ohio and a terrible traffic backup in Kentucky.

 

More from Chicago

Sunday and Monday were family days. My family grows smaller each year, and sometimes that's hard to watch. Mostly it was fun to see everyone.

Tuesday I had an early blood test downtown (this can be done anywhere), then spent most of the remainder of the morning wandering around the Cultural Center. This is my favorite place in the city. The building is fabulous with Tiffany domes and amazing glass mosaics. They usually have excellent art exhibits, performances, a good cafe, a special gallery for seniors with computer access and more art exhibits, usually by seniors, but with no sacrifice in quality. I met B at a blues performance by the Mississippi Heat. It would have been wonderful if they had skipped the microphones, but I had to leave in the middle because the sound was so loud. I rmoved my hearing aids, but this time it didn't help.

Here are two large banners from the performance space:

After lunch we went over to the Art Institute to look at Japanese art. I'm sure you knew I would do that. Tuesday evening I had dinner with Eli, Charna and Adele, who has become a new member of the family. We ate at a Vietnamese place, then walked around until it was time to move the car. Parking regulations are a real pain here: Ordinary street spaces cost $1.50/hour and there are many arcane rules about loading zones, no parking zones, etc.

Wednesday we spent the day at the Chicago History Museum, a rather nostalgic bit, but most of the exhibits are from before my time.

 

Chicago Day 3

B's wonderful birthday party was last night. There were 40 people, all relatives, except for me and one other friend—a great celebration. B is one of my best friends for 50 years, at least. I wanted to bring a present, but we 70 or 80 year olds don't need much. She certainly didn't need another chachkie. One day, while I was pondering this question, we talked on the phone about roladexes and keeping track of people's addresses. B mentioned that she wanted a birthday book—a kind of diary where you entered the birthdates of friends and relatives--popular during our girlhood and earlier Victorian times.

There was my solution: make a birthday book. I emailed B's son asking for pictures and birthdates and he contacted the rest of the family. Sometimes it was like pulling teeth, but most were wonderfully cooperative. Once I got all of the photos and information, creating the book on the computer was relatively easy. Then I had to select and acquire the paper I wanted to print on and make all the decisions about the binding. I knew that B loved grayed green colors so I chose an olive green text weight paper. The book is 5.5 inches wide by 6.5 inches deep. I printed two pages on each side of 8.5 by 11 inch sheets, then trimmed and folded the sheets in three page signatures. Each signature was then wrapped in a translucent sheet with roses printed on one side and another piece pasted with double-sided tape to form a pocket for additional photographs. There are four signatures with a total of 48 pages, not including the translucent pockets. The first 12 pages have family pictures and info. The remainder have the month names heading each page with lines for names and space for photos. I made two books, giving the second to B's sister with some modifications.   

 

The books are covered with a handmade (no, I didn't) paper with ferns and rose petal incorporations.

One of the pockets. There is a story about the roses, also. Maybe I'll tell that next.

Family pictures inside the book.

 

The week is nearing its end

and I have survived. Among other things, tomorrow I am driving to Chicago for one of my dear friends 80th birthday celebration. I've been making something special for her (more to come on that) so that's part of what made the week difficult. One of the other things is that I am going to move. Not to New York, as I might have enjoyed, but to another place in Pittsburgh. Although I think not connected to my argument with the landlord, he raised the rent $150. I figure for that kind of rent I can get someplace with more services. I began looking about a month ago and found little that pleased me. Most of the rentals here are in converted single family homes--no services. There are a few large places like the one I chose to get away from in New Jersey, but they're expensive and, so far, nothing I want.

Now I am looking at places to buy. That's the next step. I want a place where I do not have to take my trash to the curb; where the common areas are really kept clean, and where the snow is removed promptly. I don't think it's asking too much.

This week was my birthday. My artist neighbor made a card for me with my portrait. I must say, she got it exactly right.

Copyright 2011, Sari Werner

That's me, peering at the computer amid all the chaos of my life.

Back soon with more.

One dream, big plans

The sun rose at 7:44 this morning. The radio began talking to me at 6:59. I hate getting up in the dark, so I didn't. The radio told me it was 22 degrees out and wasn't likely to get warmer. I burrowed deeper into the covers and went back to sleep. The radio stopped talking to me at 7:59. I had a vivid dream about Marcia, a long-time friend who finally pushed the boundaries of friendship too far, and whom I haven't seen for seven or eight years. In that time, I moved to Pittsburgh and her studio in Chicago was emptied and sold. I don't know what happened to her; sometimes it makes me very sad. It's hard to lose a friend, even when the friendship had become onerous.

On a happier note: I am planning my next trip to Japan. I will leave Pittsburgh on March 22 and return on May 7. Six weeks ought to be long enough to satisfy my Japanese garden obsession, I hope.

Back home

just in time to do laundry, get a blood test, visit the doctor and get ready for another trip: New York in about 2 weeks. But...let me finish the last trip. After the wedding we picked up Charna who was returning from Peru (I am amazed at how international my family has become), then Robin and Steve dropped me off at Betty's and took Charna and the car to the south side of the city: no more parking problems. Betty and I went to dinner with her son and daughter-in-law to celebrate her birthday. Here is a picture of Betty and me at dinner.

On Sunday we went to the Art Institute to see another show about Louis Sullivan. This seems to be his year. This show had some of his wonderful drawing and mostly photographs of demolished buildings. Fortunately, several excellent architectural photographers concentrated on Sullivan's work before the buildings were destroyed.

Here is a last picture of the city; it was that silver tube that caught my eye.

And a few pictures of the lake from Betty's window.

Looking at Navy Pier and all the boats

As the sun sets shadows of the buildings appear on the water.

North Avenue beach and sunshine on the water.

 

And the doctor doesn't need to see me until December, but the blood tests go on and on.

The Wedding

I had a terrible foreboding of us three elders ancients, Richard, Robert and I, bringing our 58 years of memories together and being overwhelmed. I haven't seen Robert for 21 years and that was OK. But it didn't work that way. He didn't recognize me, or Robin. He was unusually quiet; his normal demeanor being loud voice and bad jokes. I only saw him smile once at this very joyous occasion of his son's marriage. I don't know what was wrong. 

Then I got very lucky, again. When we first sat down Robert and his other  sons weren't there; the empty chairs were next to me. I got up and went to the ladies room. When I returned I found the people who originally sat next to Richard had moved next to me. Robert sat next to Richard and across the table from me. My seat partner was the groom's stepfather, a lovely man I had met several times before. Memories abounded, but they were not unpleasant. Of course, none of us recognized each other. Time had clearly done its terrible work.

I had a chance to talk to Robert's other two sons, whom I hadn't seen since they were toddlers. One was particularly charming; I was pleased.

As for the wedding: the bride was beautiful (I think she is probably always beautiful); the ambiance was lovely; food was good; drinks abundant; music too loud; everyone had a good time. 

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

I’m sitting in a lovely hotel room just outside of Chicago--a rare experience for me--and enjoying doing nothing. Robin and Steve arrived earlier. I gave them the car and they went shopping. Tonight is Jerry’s wedding; I’m resting, regrouping and enjoying the free wi-fi with two days to tell about.  

I got a parking space at 9:30 Wednesday evening; undoubtedly the luckiest day of all. First a long lunch with my cousin Phyllis, shopping with no purchases to show for it, dinner with Karen and Kathryn. All told a satisfying day.  Found out the North Shore Hotel in Evanston is still a retirement facility. If I ever decide to come back here, that’s the place. Everything in downtown Evanston and much of Northwestern is accessible on foot and there is train service to downtown Chicago.

Thursday, Betty and I went to Skokie to the Illinois Holocaust Museum. They told us it would take one or two hours to go through; we were there four or five hours. It’s a heart wrenching experience.  Original films and oral histories are used to tell the stories of the people whose lives were so drastically affected by Hitler and his war against the Jews. 

I am always amazed at how pervasive anti-semitism is, and how easily it is blamed for anything someone doesn't like.  Louis Sullivan, not a Jew but with a Jewish partner, whose work was too "different" for the establishment and establishment architects, was accused of creating Jewishness (whatever that means), according to this statement in the exhibit I saw on Tuesday. (Chicago's first architect) John van Osdel says "it's architecture run crazy. It's an experiment in Jewishness like we have never seen before."

 

A little more country and the big city

For more pictures and stories about our “art camp” in Door County, see Jan’s blog and Sandy’s blog. Anita has a brand new blog where you can see her work. 

Sandy sent this wonderful thank you note: Special thanks to Anita for all her hospitality and the use of her home and studio.  Special thanks to Kathy for her hospitality.  I'm sorry you weren't up to all we did, but it was good being with you.  Because of you we know about such glorious places as the Garden Gate and got to dine on such good asparagus.

Special thanks to Ruthe for all her help putting the blog together.....and especially this year adding Picasa to my computer.  What a blessing that was in doing this blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And thanks to Ruthe also for all her excellent instruction on the books, and for the "Paper in Three Dimensions" book.  Thanks to Jan, our worthy Best of Show, all the blood, sweat and talent who kept everyone laughing.I'm a richer woman for the experience of last week.  Loving you all, Sandy

At breakfast with Eli this morning I said I would not want to move back here. Walking downtown afterwards I could feel the power and energy of the city and realized I still loved it. The sun was shining; lots of people on the streets; the city looked wonderful. Once I knew every building, every alcove and alley. Now there are many surprises. Walking toward the Daley Center I stopped to take a picture. Someone came over to me and said the Stanley Cup was there. I could stand in line to have my picture taken with it, or just take a picture of it. It’s there, somewhere, behind the Picasso sculpture.

 

Walking near the Chicago River and the Opera House.  

Wabash Avenue with Chicago's Trump Tower in the distance. 

My destination was the Cultural Center, one of my favorite places. I saw an exhibit of jewelry made with handmade paper by Arte Papel Oaxaca. Unfortunately there was no catalog, they wouldn’t let me take photos and there is only this one article I could find on the web. I’d love to show you more, or better, I‘d like to go and be part of the collective.

An exhibit about Louis Sullivan, the architect, was also very interesting; lots of photos and information. 

A newly created space within the Center is Project Onward, a studio and gallery for artists with mental and developmental disabilities. There was a lot of good work and a lot going on within the studio. I was much impressed.