art!

photo by Dan

 What do you think this is?

Any guesses?

The eyeball of a marine animal?

Something embedded in a piece of coral?

An emerging alien, perhaps?

photo by Dan

photo by Dan

 These photos were a happy surprise from Dan on my camera, after he took a walk with the girls. Aren't they cool (and does he know me, or what?)?  They were on their way home from an event at the local art museum, which is across the river in one of the buildings that housed a mental hospital for years.  The current exhibit  features works by Ohio artist, Jim Dine.  He has worked in a wide variety of mediums, and there were bronze sculptures, wooden sculptures, paintings, and prints.  Dine has had an obsession with Pinnochio, and there were dozens of representations of the puppet throughout the exhibit.  The museum teamed up with the library and local artists to provide an afternoon of activities for families: a reading of Pinnochio, art stations where you could try making block prints (with thin pieces of foam),  a puppet show of Chicken Little, and a corner of a gallery where participants could make a community piece of word art, encouraged by local poet, Wendy McVicker.

word art

favorite words and phrases, in pencil or rubbed white with gum eraser

My family made me some beautiful artwork that afternoon, and presented it to me for my birthday.

my birthday card, from my sweetie

So, back to the walk! While I headed to grocery shopping, Dan and the girls walked home, mostly so they could check on the progress of this public art work, decorating the tunnel under the road along the river. (the rest of these photos are by Dan)