Seen at the Colorscape Chenango Arts festival in Norwich, New York last September.
"Buy some art to stare at in case your phone breaks".
Colorscape (which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this September) takes place each year on the weekend after Labor Day. It's free, and it's fun.
And you really shouldn't be staring at your phone.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
The other day, I blogged about a visit to the campus of MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, New York.
I am not sure I can show you any of the beautiful pottery or other items they make or import, but I liked the shadows in this courtyard. It's hard to see the planter or the chair with stripes or what they call the Courtly Chec pattern (the checkerboards) but these are some of their signature patterns.
The campus is beautiful. Check out (no pun intended) this weeping willow. Sorry about the sun glare.
From 2001-2008, the company was owned by Pleasant Rowland, the founder of the American Girl doll company. She had gone to college at Wells College, just up the road from MacKenzie-Childs, a college which, sadly, closed suddenly this spring.
When MacKenzie-Childs entered bankruptcy, Rowland purchased it from the bankruptcy court and was successful in turning it around.
One more picture. I can remember visiting perhaps 15 years ago and seeing chickens on the property. On Thursday's visit, I saw geese, but no chickens, but the chicken house and its beautiful gate remain.
Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures and her #ShadowshotSunday.
Today, for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and Wordless Wednesday, outdoor art installations from August of 2023 in North Bennington, Vermont. This is an annual event called NBOSS and what you are about to see are works from the past 20 plus years this event has been held.
Here are some samples of more than 40 art installations we viewed during a visit in early September of 2023 after attending Bennington's annual Garlic Festival.
Gomorrah, originally built in 2000 by Stephen Davidson, who died in a car accident in 2003 at the age of 37. Friends rebuilt the art in 2018 after a tractor-trailer accidentally knocked it down while backing down a driveway.
Blue Profile, by Liz Howe.
Fittingly called No. 2. I don't have the artist's name for this.
By a restored train depot which is now the North Bennington town hall, a commuter waits for a train that is more than 50 years late.
Octopus's Garden by Joe Chirchirillo.
Trojan Horse.
Angel of Death by Jack Howard-Potter.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
"O" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme: Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.
Welcome to my "A" entry in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
My theme this year is Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.
One of the pleasures of travel, even travel an hour or two outside your home area, is finding the unexpected.
For example, who would expect to find art in the bathroom of a library
in rural Andes, New York? But that's exactly what I found last summer. This
mural was created by artist Diane Lockspeiser of Long Island. She worked on the mural in May and early June of last year.
One of the beautiful details of this mural. I blogged more about the mural here.
So, how did I make my way to Andes?
Years back, the grandfather and uncle of my then best friend lived in
the Catskills mountains outside of a hamlet in Delaware County, New
York. My friend and her siblings and mother would spend summers up
there, escaping New York City for the rural life. Her father would join
them on weekends.
In the early 70's, I was invited twice to
visit the family for a week up in Delaware County. I was back a handful
of times to that house in the years since (after her parents moved up there), but
never to other nearby villages I had remembered from those visits when I
was younger. The last time I was at the house was after the funeral of my friend's father in the early 2000's.
One of these hamlets (it was a village when I visited, but they dissolved the village in 2002) is Andes, population approximately 1,000. Andes is located in a setting of hills, winding roads, and farmland and was the center of the Anti-Rent War of 1839-1845. Some called that uprising the Second American Revolution.
Much of Andes' downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places. I don't know if the library building is that old but the library itself celebrated its 100th birthday last year. Some renovation work was done in 2020 during its pandemic closure.
Art pops up in other unexpected places, such as this signage in Ahwaga Park, in Owego, New York.
Or, in poet Robert Frost's former home in South Shaftsbury, Vermont. Notice who signed the painting.
Or, finding art near ruins of an old historic mill next to an operating motel in Arkansas. (Would you like to learn more about the Johnson's Water Mill? If so I'll include that in an A to Z post).
I can't promise that each post will feature the unexpected, but I hope you will join me for more of my journeys through my photos.
This weekend is the Broome County Art Trail, and we decided to visit the site of a historic school that was the site of several art displays.
The J. Ralph Ingalls School in Maine, New York was built around 1938-40. At that time New York State was attempting to consolidate rural one room school houses that were still operating into one centralized building.
The hamlet of Maine, New York (population about 5100) had 14 one room school houses and their students were transferred into the completed J. Ralph Ingalls school building. We were told that classes ceased around 1981 and that the building was placed on the National Historic Register in 1998.
A man in Johnson City had (we were also told) purchased the building and intended to renovate it. Unfortunately, he passed away a couple of years ago before he could complete the work. A local historical society currently owns the building.
I couldn't photograph the outside due to heavy rains when we pulled in, but I found this photo on Wikipedia. The sidewalk was filled with water and I was wearing walking shoes. All I got was a picture of the entrance.
But let's go in and see what we can find.
We were met by a retired teacher and he let us explore some of the rooms. I didn't take pictures because I was concentrating on art, including photographs (excellent ones) taken by our teacher guide while he talked to some former students who had come to visit the building.
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| The stage - taken without flash |
The auditorium was dark. The teacher let us explore inside - in the dark.
The auditorium was filled with treasures - or junk. You decide. I turned the flash on while spouse used his phone as a flashlight.
Rocking horses?
On a couple of tables were books - lots and lots of books. In the dark, I saw a title that interested me (above) and the teacher said I could keep it. (It's a book club edition, alas, but I didn't take it for value but to read.) There was another book, a 1959 Fannie Farmer cookbook that I may have been interested in also, but it was falling apart.
I thought I took some other pictures but they didn't come out.
While we were there, other former students came through. I wonder what I would think if I visited my elementary school (which is still standing and still an elementary school
Maybe I should have taken pictures of the interior. Hopefully one day I will get another chance.
Yesterday, we visited the Andes Public Library in Andes, New York as part of the Four County Library System road trip. I mentioned a bathroom mural and today I want to show it to you.
This is a brand new mural, created by artist Diane Lockspeiser of Long Island. She worked on the mural in May and early June of this year.
A barred rock rooster and a mourning dove look at a peaceful (or is it?) cattle scene from the Anti-Rent War (I'm guessing) of 1839-1845 which I discussed briefly yesterday.
Don't disturb the snoozing raccoon.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday
Whether you are coming here due to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, welcome to my blog!
Today is the first day of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and that's no April Fools Joke. Today, hundreds of bloggers start April 1 with a post whose topic begins with "A". Every day, except Sunday, we will blog -Monday, "B", Tuesday, "C", and so on, although Sunday, April 30, will be a blogging day for the letter Z.
It's not too late to join the fun: just go to this link.
My theme this year is: Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.I hope to blog about South Carolina mainly, but I wanted to give myself a bit of space if a letter gave me difficulty. Plus, my B and M posts will take place locally in my area because...you'll see.
Why South Carolina? After all, I've lived most of my life in New York State, hundreds of miles from South Carolina.
First, for a number of years, South Carolina has been a refuge for a week or so away from winter. I've been to several parts of South Carolina and wanted to share this beautiful state with you.
But more importantly, I am doing the Challenge this year in memory of a fellow blogger, Rena, who passed away March 18 at the age of 53. Rena was a friend and an inspiration to the many bloggers she befriended, and/or did work for. She lived in South Carolina, which fit right in with my them.
I think Rena would have enjoyed today's post.
I am taking you today to Summerville, South Carolina, which is about 25 miles northwest of Charleston. Each spring, Summerville has an azalea festival with a lot of arts and crafts, called the Family YMCA Flowertown Festival. These pictures were taken in 2014, when the festival wasn't quite as large as it is today. These are pictures of the general area where the festival took place in 2014.
Art and Azaleas are together in Azalea Park. This artwork is called "Hop to It".
Let's end with a pink azalea in bloom.
Tomorrow we have A to Z off and I will be blogging about music as part of a group we call "Music Moves Me". On Monday, I will hop back to New York State for a day of remembering, but after that it's back to South Carolina. I hope you like what you will see in the coming month, because South Carolina is a state that can be full of interest - and surprises.
"A" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
Let's check some of their quilts out.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
Cats in art, from an exhibit at the Roberson Museum and Science Center in Binghamton, New York. The exhibit explores cats in all manners of art.
First, an explanation and history of the Modern Cat. I should have done this more closeup - my apologies.
The Ithaca Kitty was a popular stuffed cat toy dating from 1892. I had never heard of it (or so I thought) but I read that it may have started the plush toy craze that, in its own ways, still is ongoing. (I highly recommend clicking on the Ithaca Kitty link if you love cats. You'll love the website, too.) Turns out I remember the toy - I just never knew its name.
This is called West Side Wild Cats. I couldn't find anything online about it.
Japanese cats.
Cat statuettes.
Wasn't that the cat's meow?
The exhibit runs through August 2023.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
It's the last Wordless Wednesday of 2022 and for today, I wanted to recapture the lovely days of earlier this year when trees were green with leaves, the sky wasn't a grim grey, and there was no snow on the ground.
I took this picture from the car during a mid October visit to Ithaca, New York.
Let's zero in on the mural for a minute and enjoy the rural scene of a balloon floating over a field newly hayed. Ahhhh....one day the green will return.
Wishing my fellow Wordless Wednesday-ers a Happy New Year.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
This is a nonpartisan post, and I approve this message.
If you live in the United States, today is Election Day. There's a lot of anxiety about the results. But let's take a deep breath for a minute. It's time for some art.
The city of Seneca Falls, New York, was one of the birthplaces of the women's suffrage movement.
Back in September, I had the opportunity to visit the Women's Rights National Park in Seneca Falls, New York. In the National Women's Hall of Fame there was an exhibit of rug hooking dedicated to women's right, including the right to vote.
I still believe in the process.
I take the right to vote seriously, for many reasons, including the fact that when my father was born, women still did not have the right to vote in New York State. My mother wasn't yet born when the first woman to be able to vote in my county voted.
It's humbling to think of the many women (and men) who worked to give my ancestors the right to vote. I will not disappoint them.
Whatever your identity, my message for today is "if you haven't yet, please get out and vote!"
