Art: Book Review: African American Art: The Long Struggle

African American Art: The Long Struggle by Crystal A. Britton, Smithmark, New York, 1996.

This book is unique, as the artwork of the African Americans reflect the political situation in their lives.  Early art represented the African style, and then followed by neoclassical type work.  Edmonia Wildfire Lewis represented this style.  Lewis, a sculpture was the first African woman to achieve international success.  Her work, “Forever Free” is full of emotion.  Two freed slaves, she kneeling in prayer, and he with a hand raised showing a  broken chain.  Henry Ossawa Tanner, a post-Civil War painter provides a look into African culture.  “The Banjo Lesson” has an older kind gentleman teaching an enthusiastic boy on the banjo.  Religious themes abound and I really enjoy “The Burning Bush” by Beauford Delaney.  “The Flight Into Egypt” by James Lesesne Wells also presents this theme beautifully, using a myriad of colors.  From here the painting represents race relationships, with a nailed boot crushing and African American’s head to bloody riots.  More recently “The Struggle Continue” and other works based on this theme.

Book Review: Shut Up and Sing

Shut Up and Sing: How Elites from Hollywood, Politics, and the UN are Subverting America by Laura Ingraham, Regnery Publishing, Washington D.C., 2003.
I read this originally in 2004.  At that time I said "Very good exploration of how the elite are  not necessarily in touch with people.  They are not any better than others outside their own particular fields--although they often think they are."  I think Ingraham's message is perhaps more important today when those who support our current president, or support that America is great, or any other ideas considered naive or ignorant or misguided.  It is enough to make you sick.
Of course Laura Ingraham is now on Fox News.  She was a radio host when she wrote this book. 

Weight Wars

I came across something really scary: a record of my weight from 2001 through 2003.  I started at 292 in December of 2001.  However I was down to 285 by mid January; only to blossom back up by the end of the year.  My last recorded weight in 2002, early December, was 292.  Then I became my heaviest.  I started 2003 at 298.  That is just gross.  That is the most I have weighed my entire life.  That is 100 pounds above the obese line.  I recorded that by the end of 2003 I was back to 285.  I have continued a mostly downward spiral, with significance periods of getting stuck.  I am half of the way to the obese line--in other words I am 50 pounds lighter than my heaviest with another 50 to go.
What have been the consequences.  I have diabetes and tinnitus, and sleep apnea and high blood pressure.  Weight is a contributing factor in all these areas.  I hope when I am no longer obese--some of these health issues will be resolved.  I would be grateful if just one or two  would improve and I not have to take so many medications.

Federick Remington: Art for Children by Ernest Raboff, J.B. Lippincott, New York, 1973.

This book gives a brief history of Frederick Remington, who was born in Canton, New York in 1861 and died and died in 1909.  He is credited with almost 3000 drawing and paintings.  He also created bronze sculptures and wrote eight books.  He was famous because of his art by the time he thirty.  His most common theme was the West, mountain men, cowboys and Native Americans.  In his drawings he documented the changes which took place in the West and the changing native American economy.  The book mentions the material is copyrighted so I have borrowed a couple pictures from the internet which are representative of the illustrations in the book.

Book Review: Nasa/Art: 50 Years of Exploration

NASA/Art: 50 Years of Exploration, by James Dean and Bertram Ulrich, NASA, Abrams, New York, 2008.

This book is where science and art meet.  This book provides a history of the NASA space program, as told through the eyes of several artists.  From early on different artists were invited to NASA to interpret history through the eyes of an artists.  There is a very mixed bag.  In talks about NASA failures, three flights that ended in tragedy, two Space Shuttles and Apollo 1.  There are some very brilliant pictures; three for Norman Rockwell, Nathan Greene contributes several, John Solie and Ken Wicks. Jaune Quick-To-See Smith provides a Native American interpretation of the space program which is very telling.  A woman’s robe represents the earth.  There are several artworks of the plume of smoke left after take-off.  These include symbolic representations.  This book is divided into four chapters: Blazing the Trail, On to the Moon, Soaring to the Skies and the Heavens, New Worlds.  I have enjoyed browsing the pictures.

Railroad Runs Through It: Art and Poetry

Railroad Runs Through It: Livingston Artists Celebrate the railroad: An Exhibition of Dynamic Interpretations of the Railroad, The Livingston Depot Center, Livingston, Montana, 2017.
 This is a booklet that I am sure was available at an art exhibit.  This exhibit is unique as it focused on the railroad.  Livingston must have a long history with the railroad.  The booklet includes artwork as well as poems.  There are views of scenes from the railroad car, pictures of trains, Those who waited for a ride, those who worked on the trains, and raffic effected by the trains.

Edd Enders

Sheila Hrasky

David Swanson

Richard Dillof

Doris Davis Gallagher

John Zumpano

Jim Barrett

Joe Wayne

Bob Newhall

Marc Beaudin  Ghost Town

They dug for the bones of the earth

clinging to darkness

Meanwhile people built homes, raised kids of corn

The ore-filled railcars rolling east

spreading the darkness

Meanwhile some people died, some were born

The big shovels scraped & gnashed--came up empty

holding only darkness

Meanwhile the people stood with hands outstretched

Looking into the darkness of yet another American dream

Marc Beaudin from Vagabond Song.

Quote: Oscar Hammerstein: A Bell's not a bell 'til you ring it

Oscar Hammerstein III quoted his grandfather at the Pioneer Day Concert.  I really like these words:
A bell's not a bell 'til you ring it
A song's not a song 'til you sing it
Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay
Love isn't love 'til you give it away!

Mosaics: Northwest Trek Wildlife Park

I like the mosaics at the wildlife park we visited in Washington.

Camping on the Mississippi and the legend of Grand Tower, Illinois

When I was an 11-year-old-scout we lived in Illinois.  My dad was the scoutmaster, so I participated in both the 11-year-old program and the regular program.  As such I went with my dad to scout camps.  It was because our group  was small, just one patrol, so my dad needed every scout he could get.  One of our camps was to a camp ground by Grand Tower, Illinois.  Grand Tower is between  St. Louis and Cape Girardeau which are both on the Missouri side of the river, while Grand Tower is on the Illinois side.  Grand Tower takes its name from Tower Rock, which is an island on the Missouri side of the river.  Out in the river was this rock tower, which was covered with trees.  We sleep where we could see the rock, and where we could walk along the banks of the river.  It was  an experience to remember for a life time.  Rock Tower isn't the only island in the river.  In fact there was a larger island close by.  However it is the prettiest.  I thought it could be its only little National Park.
However what made this trip even more special, was the legend of the Rock Tower.  Somehow we became familiar with this story, and in its way it kept us from swimming too vigorously in the river  Wading was about as far as we got.  We hadn't come prepared for swimming anyway.
I was recently reading a book, set in grand Tower, which reminded my of this story.  In fact I told the story to my daughter; and then I read the actual story in the book.  I am taking the liberty to share the story from the book, "The River Between Us'  by Richard Peck.  This is an early Civil War book.  In the book it explains one of the character's  visions.  It must be written on a plaque someplace in the town, as the story is what I remembered:

The wedding party was Grand Tower's oldest story.  It went back to 1839, and people talked about it yet.  It seemed there was a young couple who took a notion to get married across the river on top of Tower Rock.  She was Miss Penelope Pike.  He was John Randolph Davis, both of them shirttail kin to half the county.  They set forth in an open boat with the bride's parents and  sister, the groom's mother, and three slaves.  The Reverend Josiah Maxwell went too, to tie the know for them.
Well, they got married on the rock.  Don't ask me how they got up to the top of the thing.  That's never part of the story.  On their way back, their  boat got caught crossways in the current and pulled down by the whirlpool.  They disappeared without a trace, though a moment before they were visible from both shores.  That was the story of the wedding party.
That story played with my imagination when I was a scout.  You could see small whirlpools int he water.  I could imagine them bigger, pulling  down boats and swimmers and whatever else might venture out there.

Movie Review: Death of a Nation (2018)

The Death of a Nation (2018)  This is a movie from Dinesh D’Souza.  He is a conservative film producer.  He compares the Trump Presidency with that of Abraham Lincoln.  In both cases the public, or the Democratic Party was unwilling to accept the election results.  With Abraham Lincoln this lead to a fractured nation.  With Trump it has led to a political party doing everything they can to delegitimize a presidency. 

One of the big themes is the use of a Hitler strategy.  If you tell a lie enough eventually people will start to believe it.  The “Big Lie” is that the Democrats have been the party of racist, slavery and the Ku Klux Klan.  Ku Klux Klan was an arm of the Democrat Party.  The Democrat Party fought for slavery.  Woodrow Wilson screened the movie Birth of a Nation, which lead to a rebirth of the Klan through the U.S. rather than just the deep South.  It was Republicans who passed the Civil Rights laws, with Southern Democrats opposing.  And no, the parties did not change sides.  The Southern Democrats did not join the Republican Party.  Richard Nixon sponsored Affirmative Action.  And President Trump has unemployment among African Americans lower than it has ever been.

When Abraham Lincoln talked about slavery, he talked about people being forced to work, and then someone else taking their efforts to feed themselves.  The Democrat Party continues to be the party of taking wealth from those that work, to give it to others. 

An interesting story of resistance to the Nazi regime is presented.  Sophia School opposed the Nazi tactics, and published a newsletter which she and others distributed.  She called Hitler a liar.  She was caught and executed for her resistance. 

This movie is very disturbing to me.  I was antsy in my seat.  I keep trying to think why conservatives are often labeled as racists or bigots.  This does not make sense to me.  D’Souza calls this the “Big Lie” but I do not think this explains enough. 

As for myself my loyalties have shifting from being more liberal to being conservative.  Being a social worker that doesn’t quite add up; but I think conservative philosophies, “work for what you get” is more in line with my thinking. 

This production is very likely bound for documentary apathy.  However I think it deserves a view.  

Machu Pichu Trip: Train Ticket

This is the ticket pamphlet for the trip to Machu Pichu from Cusco in 1978.  The first part of the trip was somewhat subdued as we climb out of the valley.  The train had to take many switchbacks and it looked pretty scary at times.  It was also fun to see the artifacts that the Incans had on their homes, and the roof style, with tiles.  It was a great trip as we had tour guides who provided instruction during the train ride.  This included pointing out many Inca constructions along the route, large boulders that hat been put into the river to create a place down stream for a bridge etc., terraces on the hills.  He also talked about the diet of the Inca.  This included many varieties of the potato.  The trip included such amenities as a box lunch.  We also had a tour guide at the ruins.  As a group we left the English speaking guide (his English was poor) and went with the Spanish speaking guide.  There was als some time to explore on your own, and we hiked to the top os a peak (not Machu Pichu, but a smaller peak.  It was incredible. 

Utah State School of Art

I always enjoyed walking through the School of Art at Utah State.  The art museum was closed, but these are class projects the teachers have exhibited in the hall.  Pretty cool stuff.  The teachers I am sure only display the best, and then I only take pictures of the best of the best.
First a paper geometric display

Some aluminum and ceramic projects

self portraits

and then something in a room by itself

Mark's High School Garage Band: As December Leaves

I am pretty sure this is drama awards night for which Mark's band played.  I may be wrong about the occasion, but Mark appears to be having fun.  He played bass, Chris Chavez drums and Andrew Loc lead guitar.  They all three provided vocals.  First three pictures are the band, and last two of the awards.