Let's Make a Giant Collage

More Chicago madness with Julie Meckler and friends...

Trip to the Dia

I snapped a secret photo on my last trip to the Dia in Beacon, NY.  I know photos aren't allowed, but it was so beautiful I couldn't help myself. Shhhhhh....

Farnsworth House: Part II (interior)

This is a follow up to my last post about the Farnsworth House.  To read it click here.  To read about the rest of my trip to Chicago, click here.

I just have to say, before I let you go to look at the pictures, that I wasn't as impressed with this house as I thought I was supposed to be.  For all the hype and fuss, I really can't say that I would ever want to live in this house.  The detailing and materials are beautifully done, but the experience of being in the house didn't do it for me.  It was such a contrast to my visit to the Robie House.  I felt that the floating white slabs were such an aggressive contrast to the landscape, and it really wasn't peaceful to me at all in that it didn't seem like a place where a person could really live.  Not only that, but it looks better in the pictures than in real life, which I think is never a good thing.  That's the best I can explain it for now.  Anyways, this blog isn't about the words, its about the pictures , but feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think about it.

Umshini Wam

My Visit to the Farnsworth House, Part I

It wouldn't be a visit to Chicago without a visit to the Farnsworth House.  Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and built in 1951 in Plano, Illinoiso for Dr. Edith Farnsworth, a prominent Chicago nephrologist - this is one of the most studied and talked about houses of the 20th century.  

I took the Metra Rail from Chicago to Aurora, IL, the very last stop on the line.  From there you have to take a 30 minute taxi ride to Plano.  Plano is a small, sleepy, rural city.  As I chatted with the driver, I looked out the window and saw cornfields, silos, and small farmhouses passing by.  

I arrived at the visitors center at the Farnsworth House, and met with the guide, as you must be part of a guided tour to go in.   From there it was a good 20 minute walk through the forest before we arrived at the house.

Click here to read part II, see interior photos, and read more of my musings on this house.

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Chicago Folk and Roots Festival

I'm still catching up on sharing all of the photos from my trip to Chicago and all of the great things I did and saw, like the Robie House, and the Pitchfork Music Festival.

Summers in Chicago are great for many reasons, but one of the best things is that there is so much free music happening everywhere.  I went with the great Julie Meckler to the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival next to the Old Town School of Folk Music.  We saw a lot of great musicians from all around the world, but the best part of the whole thing was the Puppet Bike!

We also saw this guy, Baloji, a Congolese hip-hop/rumba/soul/rap artist.  I love his outfit.

LE JOUR D'APRES / SIKU YA BAADAYE (INDEPENDANCE CHA-CHA) from BALOJI on Vimeo.


And the Soul Sonic Sircus!!  Take jazz, hip-hop, acrobatics and a performing Pit Bull and put it all together and that's what you get. They are so amazing that I didn't take any good pictures of them because I was too busy watching.