Championing the makers, artists, and wanderers in all of us.
I took some video of our city’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade this January, and I finally got it together and online.
There was such an atmosphere of joy and community at the event. The people walking (or dancing or riding) down the parade route seemed so glad to be involved, and the crowd cheered everyone on.
No joke, applause broke out when the horse cleanup guy shoveled some manure off the road.
The parade was followed by music and talks about the legacy of Dr. King.
Since we couldn’t work a Naples/Pompeii visit into our Italy trip (another one of those trade-offs) even though I’d always wanted to go, I basically lost my mind when I read there would be an exhibition with artifacts from Pompeii at the Arizona Science Center here in Phoenix. Pompeii was coming to me!
One of the events surrounding the exhibit was a simulation of the historic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius with lava flows projected onto the outside of the building, and smoke, bursts of flame, and “ash” coming from the top.
It was quite the spectacle. But I was honestly more moved by the exhibit inside, by household items that look just as they did when they were in use nearly 2000 years ago and by the tragic fate of people who possessed them.
The exhibition was very well done, putting the items in context with wall-sized photos of the architectural site and video reconstructions of the city.
It is in Phoenix through May, and I believe it will be on tour for awhile. I would definitely recommend seeing Pompeii if it comes to you.
A new portrait of President Obama was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery last week. It was met with mixed reviews.
Critics compared the unconventional painting by Kehinde Wiley to portraits from the White House collection, implying that the new work – and, by extension, Obama himself – was less dignified or presidential than those that came before.
But it’s a flawed comparison. This is not his White House portrait. (Also? Judge presidents by their actions, not by artwork created of them.)
There are two collections of portraits that include all (except the most recent) former U.S. Presidents: the 43 paintings in the White House and the more varied collection in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG), which also includes sculptures and photographs.
The portraits in the White House are often more formal and official-looking than their NPG counterparts, especially in recent decades, when artwork has been veering away from tradition, widening the gap between the two collections.
Wiley’s painting has been installed in the National Portrait Gallery, where I’m sure it stands out as unique, but not out of place.
PS Obama’s portrait has been re-created on a cookie.
Former President Barack Obama's painting for the "America's Presidents" exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., has been unveiled. #CookieTheNews pic.twitter.com/J89Q7l4849
— Tastemade (@tastemade) February 17, 2018
Photos via the White House and National Portrait Gallery.
Red isn’t the only color of love.
The classic combination of black and white can also have a romantic feel.
You can see it in this month’s color story with elegant DIYs, destinations, art, interiors, and objects in black and white.
1. Venice mailboxes 2. L’amour print 3. Printable geometric heart gift wrap 4. Boyce Thompson Arboretum 5. Black steps
6. Sandnes, Norway manhole cover tote 7. Black sesame cappuccino 8. Ceramics by Inger Södergren 9. Bridge of Sighs, Venice 10. Stay True poster
11. Black Cloud (Nube Negra) detail by Carlos Amorales at Phoenix Art Museum 12. DIY eraser heart stamp 13. Windmill Winery, Florence, Arizona 14. Traditional bookbinding patterns 15. Minimal open wardrobe DIY 16. Bee Mine card
17. Peggy Guggenheim Museum Café, Venice 18. Hand carved block printing stamp 19. Farmhouse in Woodend, Victoria (Australia) + rental cottage 20. Punkpost thank you card
Bear hugs to all of you! (Illustration by Daryl Hochi)
Images via respective sites.
Groggily standing outside Rome Ciampino Airport our very first hour in Italy, I suddenly felt unsure how to get into a cab. Even though I had read up on the do’s and dont’s of taking Italian taxis. Even though I was actually at the taxi stand and staring at a couple dozen of them.
I guess I had expected to see available taxis all lined up or at least a designated spot to wait for one.
Instead, cabs were parked haphazardly around different curbs and corners of the parking lot. Some were idling with their green (available) lights on, others had drivers (without passengers) just sitting there with their lights off, and still others were just empty with no driver in sight.
They were all mixed together, and I couldn’t make any sense of it. Ambiguity is rough when you’re sleep deprived.
After deliberating way too long, I just picked one with a green light and a good vibe. We walked over to it, and I leaned towards the passenger window.
While I intended to say buona sera (“good evening” in Italian), I may have actually said buena suerte (“good luck” in Spanish).
The driver, understandably, looked confused.
So I gave up on attempting any non-essential Italian and cut to the chase, saying the name of square we were headed to as if it were a question.
“Piazza Salerno?”
“Si.”
“Mastercard?”
“No problem!”
I still am not sure if that’s how it’s supposed to be done, but it worked for us!
Write it down! I stuck a post-it note in my wallet before we left with the name of the first hotel we’d be going to, the address, and the piazza it was in. I had practiced saying the address, but the driver didn’t understand me, so it was good I could just hand him a piece of paper with the information.
MyTaxi – One of our Airbnb hosts told us about this app, and it worked great for our trip back to the airport! We scheduled a pick up the night before and paid via the app.
From Ciampino airport – There’s a taxi stand right outside the airport, and you shouldn’t go elsewhere to get a cab.
From Fiumicino airport – Terminals 1 and 3 have taxi service.
