31 Happy Things
Yours truly visiting the Ice Palace in St. Paul, MN Sunday, January 28, 2018 Inspired by a prompt in the current winter issue of Bella Grace, I kept [...]
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Feb, 2018
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Nov, 2017
Cloisonné – Beauty Below the Surface
With all the barbarism we're facing these days (the truck-ramming terror attack in New York being the latest), I find it's good to remind ourselves of all the beauty and [...]
12
Jun, 2017
Snail Mail Art
I adore snail mail art. As a kid, I loved to draw. That pastime, along with several others, has remained in my childhood. Over the past few years, however, I've [...]
1
Feb, 2016
The Gift of a Poetry Reading
Yesterday I treated myself: I went to a poetry reading. Normally, I am loath to schlep up to the north side of the city on a Sunday afternoon, but it [...]
13
May, 2015
The Sweetest Little Mother’s Day Gift
I just had to share this: My 17-year-old son gave me this for Mother's Day--a tiny rose he crafted from tin and copper, propped into the cutest little vase, namely [...]
19
Nov, 2013
Art: Boring Today, Interesting Tomorrow?
Pierce Hall, in its current state of half demolition For my Artist's Dates these past two weeks, I attended the two-evening Bookmakers program offered jointly by the Smart Museum and the [...]
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Jul, 2013
Report from a Literary Hybrid/Book Arts Workshop
Ellen Sheffield's Book Arts Studio at Kenyon College One of my housemates at the Kenyon Writer's Workshop was Mimi Chiang, and not only did we hit it off right away, [...]
23
Jun, 2013
Art that Went Straight to My Heart: Ori Gersht at the Gund Gallery
Ori Gersht Exhibit at the Gund Gallery - It can't be a coincidence, can it,that the panels featuring trees are hung next to the grand window framing the trees of [...]
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Feb, 2013
A Blog Thank You
Article in the French Jewish magazine Tenou'a featuring the same art work by Michael Thompson I featured last May. Coming on the heels of my damp review of hosting guest [...]
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Sep, 2012
My Six-Word Jewish Memoir
I've shared Debbie Lekousis' Star of David origami work before, but I love it so much I thought I'd share it again as it is sort of fitting for today. [...]
3
Aug, 2012
Art: Sunsets by Lauren Carter
"What is this?" I asked myself when I first spotted this sculpture at the entrance of the Hyde Park Art Center's recent exhibit Hairy Blob. I'm currently taking a photography class there (just [...]
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Jul, 2012
A Spanish Colonial House in Shanghai
After featuring a renovated Shanghai lane house, I want to give you another insight into living in contemporary Shanghai with a few shots of the home of Patricia Lambert, which [...]
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Jun, 2012
Literary Magazine Layout
The past few days I've become obsessed with creating a book in blurb, as I am handling the layout of the literary magazine my son's school is publishing. It's been [...]
8
Jun, 2012
Haunting Photography by Susanne Helmert
Home of Forgotten Souls by Susanne Helmert As promised in my post about last weekend's 57th Street Art Fair, I'm sharing some photography today, namely the work of photographer Susanne Helmert, whom I discovered [...]
5
Jun, 2012
At the 57th Street Art Fair
Howard Scott's funny maps intrigue visitors at the 57th Street Art Fair Browsing the 57th Street Art Fair, right in our very own neighborhood of Hyde Park in Chicago, is [...]
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May, 2012
Roy Lichtenstein at the Art Institute of Chicago
Photo of Roy Lichtenstein's "Compositions" via Museo Madre I think I've gotten into the habit of featuring art on Saturdays, so today I'm sharing the one painting that I really liked [...]
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May, 2012
Art: Kosher by Michael Thompson
Kosher by Chicago artist Michael Thompson, courtesy of MichaelThompsonArt.com Something for Shabbat - I saw this recently at the Write Now - Artists & Letterforms Exhibit at the Chicago Cultural [...]
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May, 2012
Origami Peep Toe Pumps
Another day off for me, so I'm sharing another one of Debbie Lekousis's stunning origami creations. The amazing thing is that she even wore these to a party, keeping on her [...]
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May, 2012
I Want to Be in Kindergarten
Even though my kids are now in high school and 6th grade, I still want to be in Kindergarten. After all the grades they've been through, Kindergarten is still my [...]
5
May, 2012
Origami Star of David
Since it is the Sabbath today, I am taking the day off and leaving you with this stunning origami Star of David by my colleague and accomplished artist Debbie Lekousis. [...]
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Feb, 2012
The Art of Dr. Seuss
There is one more thing I wanted to share with you from my visit to the recent Dr. Seuss and the Art of Invention Exhibit at the Museum of Science [...]
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Jan, 2012
Green Eggs & Ham: A Story with 50 Words
These days, in the age of soundbites, we challenge ourselves to tell stories in no more than 140 characters (on Twitter), or no more than six words (see the Six [...]
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Jan, 2012
Dr. Seuss’s Creative Process
The Christmas Around the World exhibit also wrapped up today. Fittingly, the Great Hall with the big Christmas Tree was decorated with Grinch posters. Today was the last day of [...]
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Dec, 2011
Encounter with Art
When you first approach the Midway, you wonder: What shines so bright between the trees at night? In Chicago you don't have to go to a museum to experience art. Rather, [...]
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May, 2011
Note from Charlotte: Visiting Niki de Saint Phalle
Last weekend I was in Charlotte, NC for the alumni conference of the Queens MFA Program in Creative Writing, and I made a point of swinging by downtown and the [...]
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Jan, 2011
The Missing Narrative
I saw Edvard Munch’s painting “The Girl at the Window” at the Art Institute of Chicago again this Monday. (This month admission is free, so the Art Institute is seeing [...]
10
Jan, 2011
Strong Verbs and the Art Institute
“As a creative person, it’s good to visit places like the Art Institute; they always inspire you in unexpected ways,” I said to my daughter as we left the Art [...]