Detroit: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Exhibit at Detroit Institute of Arts

A few years ago, my friends and I read Barbara Kingsolver's, The Lacuna, a book in which the main character becomes an apprentice to Diego Rivera and ends up living and working alongside the artist and his wife, Frieda Kahlo. We found the book to be fascinating, so when the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) announced this exciting joint exhibition between Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, we vowed to see it together.

We found our chance on Saturday, April 18 and spent a wonderful afternoon perusing the exhibit. I had seen Diego Rivera's famous Detroit Industry murals many times, but I hadn't realized until I saw the preparatory drawings and read more about it, that the murals chronicled the entire process of building a car. Here are just two of the images I took in the giant, sunlight space.

You can see the car chassis moving down the production line as the steering wheel is installed (above).

This image (above) shows what I think is the engine block getting screws tightened before it is loaded onto a cart to go on to the next phase. The murals were commissioned by Edsel Ford. The narrative in the exhibit remind us of the complexity of auto production and states that Edsel Ford was impressed that Diego Rivera was able to comprehend and translate the entire process so seamlessly.

Photography is not permitted in the exhibition itself, but this link to the Frida Kahlo website features many of the Frida Kahlo images that I saw in person at this exhibit. In all, Frida Kahlo's style has more biological references and violent interpretations than I am comfortable with. Let's just say that I didn't buy any magnets of her work to hang on my fridge. 

What I was most interested in was the idea of two artists living a life together. The image that left the biggest impression on me was a photograph of Frida painting on an easel inside the Detroit Institute of Arts. The audience knows that since this was painted inside the DIA, her husband must have been up on a scaffolding working on his mural nearby. The piece she was painting was titled Self Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States and it hangs in this limited engagement exhibit. There are 38 works by Diego Rivera and 26 works by Frida Kahlo.

Another photograph that caught my attention and in fact may be the one "take away" that most museum visitors will remember after seeing this exhibit, is of the pair kissing. Someone captured a kiss between Diego Rivera and his wife, artist Frida Kahlo up on the scaffolding, adjacent to his Detroit Industry mural. In this moment, they are husband and wife, who just happen to be making art history in Detroit.

You can find local events and programs about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Detroit here. The exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts will be on display until July 12, 2015.

Detroit Metro Airport: Make A Candy Connection

I found Candyland! Dylan's Candy Bar originated in New York City and I was lucky enough to visit the multilevel masterpiece back in 2005. I believe in candy and color and fun - all things that can make a travel layover better, right?

There is a now a good-size Dylan's Candy Bar right in the terminal at Detroit Metro Airport - if you're a traveler, be on the lookout for sugar central. They sell classic candy by the half pound, more gummy products than you can imagine and they have a display wall of chocolate-covered everything.

The store also stocks a variety of their brightly colored branded merchandise like iPhone cases, tote bags and miscellany to show you "were there."

Swedish Fish, anyone?

Detroit Goodfellow Dolls

Here are the dolls my mom dressed for The Old Newsboys' Goodfellow Fund of Detroit.  This organization has been coordinating volunteers to dress dolls to distribute as Christmas gifts to needy children in metro Detroit since 1924!  

You can register anytime in the Spring by reading this website and contacting Sari Klok-Schneider (sarigoodfellows@gmail.com).  The group has entire companies participating, with employees dressing hundreds of dolls, but they also welcome individual participants like my mom and me.  We requested 3 baby dolls and they arrived in the mail (complete with shoes, socks and underpants) ready for us to dress.  The program details are listed online.  This year my mom tracked down and purchased all the pieces we needed and we had a wonderful time gluing flowers and ribbons to their hats, sewing on a purse and making sure that their slips had some pouf. 

Here are "the girls", all ready to be loved.  We wrapped them in tissue and mailed them back to the Goodfellow's Headquarters a few weeks ago.  This fantastic program will distribute 12,000 dolls to children this Christmas!  I am so proud to be involved.  If you are interested in supporting this program, registration usually begins in March and the distribution of dolls to volunteers begins in May/June. 

I think every little girl should have a doll.  Are you with me?

Art of Dining at the Detroit Institute of Arts

I love to bring the world a "Moment of Delight."  You never quite know what topic I will blog about - food, art, travel, crafts.  Hopefully by now you can count on me to show you something that is beautiful and interesting.

Today I am putting the spotlight on an interactive exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts called "The Art of Dining."  It has been over a year since I visited, but I am sure that it is a permanent part of the collection and I look forward to seeing it again when I visit the museum this Winter.

In the gallery of eighteenth-century decorative arts, there is a table and four chairs.  Museum visitors are encourage to take a seat and "participate" in a formal dinner that is projected on the table (that serves as a video projection screen).  Some of the French porcelain serving pieces and silver on display in the cases in the galley, were used to make this formal dinner footage.  Isn't that neat? 

The video is on a loop and begins with empty plates and clean silverware.  As the meal progresses, you see the "arm" of the dinner guest (dressed in period costume) reaching for food and interacting with the table. 

Words appear on the screen periodically to define the type of food served at this formal dinner - you can see (above) "Steamed Stuffed Artichokes in Red Pepper Sauce."  All the while, observers at the table hear the clinking of silver on dishes and the light banter of dinner conversation in French.  I absolutely loved it.

Can you see that now the stuffed artichoke is on the plate?  He was reaching for it in the photo above.

At the end, I slid over to another chair.  I wanted you to see what it looked like to be a woman with a puffy sleeve reaching for miniature cakes.  So pretty!

I found this article online from when "The Art of Dining" interactive installation opened and amazingly, you can click a short video on the link and see this table in action.  I do encourage you to see it.  What you can see clearly in the video is that the silver showpiece in the center, is on display behind glass right next to the table.

French Porcelain is art indeed.

Dolls for Goodfellows

This summer my Mom handed me an article torn from the newspaper titled, Get ready to dress the Goodfellow dolls.  I read on and learned that the Old Newsboys' Goodfellow Fund of Detroit has been coordinating volunteers to dress dolls to distribute as Christmas gifts to needy children in metro Detroit since 1924!  How did I not know about this?

I told her, "I'm in!" and we have been scouting doll shops for outfits and accessories ever since.  I emailed Sari Klok-Schneider (sarigoodfellows@gmail.com) to register and before I knew it, 3 baby dolls (complete with shoes, socks and underpants) arrived at my house ready for us to dress.  The program details are listed here.  We purchased all the pieces we needed and had a wonderful time gluing flowers and ribbons to their hats, sewing on a purse and making sure that their slips had some pouf. 

Here they are, all ready to be loved.  We wrapped them in tissue and mailed them back to the Goodfellow's Headquarters yesterday.  This fantastic program will distribute 12,000 dolls to children this Christmas!  I am so proud to be involved.  If you are interested in supporting this program, registration usually begins in March and the distribution of dolls to volunteers begins in May/June.  I will re-post this blog in March to remind you to sign up.

I think every little girl should have a doll.  Are you with me?

Channeling France in Detroit via La Danse

A few friends and I were channeling France last weekend. We had heard that the Detroit Film Theater would be showing a matinee of La Danse, a 3-hour documentary on the legendary Paris Opera Ballet.

We started the afternoon across from the Detroit Institute of Arts at Good Girls Go To Paris creperie. We each enjoyed our own "savory" crepe for lunch and then split this masterpiece named "Fay" for dessert. It is a warm swirl of bananas, pecans, caramel, salted butter and brown sugar. (Sigh)

It was a clear, bright and cold day as we walked next door to watch our film. The documentary was more than I had hoped for. Yes, 3 hours is a long time, but I fell right into each scene. The gorgeous crunchy white skirts. The "hard-to-believe-they-are-real" ballerinas practicing in classic leotards and toe shoes. The luxurious auditorium being cleaned and prepped for a performance. The attention to detail in this film was intoxicating.  The sweep of the broom.  The lacing of the ribbons.  I loved it all.

My ballet experience is really limited to this Ballerina Barbie I had growing up. She was lovely, regal and everything I knew a ballerina to be. I named her Barbara and found that she was never silly or ridiculous like the other girls (ha!). Seeing this magnificent dance company was relaxing, informative and it brought back some childhood memories to boot! What a delight.

And we had a surprise, too. Remember when I told you about the honey that is collected on the roof of the Opera National de Paris and how I bought some when I was there? They showed the roof and the honey in the movie!

If you get the chance, I recommend that you channel France.

Woodward Dream Cruise

Today 1.5 million car lovers are camped out on a 16-mile stretch of Detroit's famous Woodward Avenue (the first paved road in the world). They are participating in the Woodward Dream Cruise, a one-day event where you can wander among 40,000 classic cars. The afternoon and evening are meant for "cruising" and thousands of people sit in chairs along Woodward to watch the amazing assortment of cars cruise past. You can see a Muscle car, Model-A, DeLorean and Hummer all drive by in a matter of minutes. An unorganized parade of automobile history. And you don't have to be in a classic car to cruise. Stick to the inside lanes and you can drive among the best. I "cruised" last night for about an hour and it was wonderful to see so many people enjoying a gorgeous night - families in camping chairs with a cooler and camera. They were sharing car stories and making memories.

This is Detroit and we love the cars we build.

Detroit Eastern Market

"Oh, what a beautiful morning..." How I love this time of year! This morning my good friend, Barb and I went on our annual pilgrimage to Detroit's Eastern Market (the largest historic public market district in the United States) to shop from the best-of-the-best local produce. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and we strolled the market stalls for hours admiring everything from bunches of asparagus to pots of herbs.

What did I buy? An armful of rhubarb, spring onions, new potatoes and some gorgeous flowering kale. Am I making you long for fresh fruit and vegetables? You can locate your local farmers' market here.

Woodward Dream Cruise

1.7 Million people are expected to "cruise" Woodward Avenue today in the suburbs of Detroit. So far the weather has been beautiful and I've enjoyed being a part of it all. Lots of cold pop, live music and classic cars. What did I notice? Everyone was happy...talking, taking pictures and reminiscing. How wonderful.

Pewabic Pottery Event

Yesterday was the Pewabic Pottery Annual Antique & Contemporary Art Tile Fair in Detroit. The event was held on the grounds of the Tudor Revival style building that has been home to Pewabic Tile for the last 100 years! The building is a National Historic Landmark and is Michigan's only historic pottery. It was interesting to see the glazes, motifs and themes in the artists' work at the contemporary tile event (lots of dragonflies, birds & branches). What surprised me the most wasn't made of tile. Well, not really. It was a scale model of the building itself...in Lego. It even has a bird's eye view of the craftman making little vessels. Amazing. If you are ever drawn to this historic landmark, buy a few tiles, soak up some history and then go upstairs in the museum to check out an entirely different kind of art.

Market Day

On Saturday, my friend, Barb, and I went down to Detroit's Eastern Market. It was a perfect morning and with a wagon and a camera we made our way through display after display of flats of flowers, fresh produce and local bakery vendors. I bought some gorgeous tomatoes, stalks of rhubarb about 3 ft long (yes, I want more crisp!) and loads of blueberries. We stopped to contemplate our choices (Barb wanted some flats of flowers) and had cider and fresh donuts.
Oh happy day. We went to Barb's favorite spice store and as I checked out, I realized that I have a salt collection. I bought 2 beautiful containers for $1.99/each to display in my kitchen. Yes, display. I will probably never open them - I love graphics and often buy things for the packaging more than products. Anyway, with 2 more packages, I think what I have at home now constitues a collection.