Walked past the Guthrie, where we’re seeing The Nacirema Society tonight. It’s a comedy set in 1964 Montgomery, Alabama, in the home of a wealthy Black family focused on an upcoming debutante ball. A comedy set during the Freedom Struggle should be interesting. My only experience of Montgomery was on business in 1977, where I witnessed blatant racism and de facto segregation.
Category: In This Together
Not your grandmother’s park
Cycled through the newest park in Minneapolis, Graco Park. This building, The River Hub, is net-zero with rooftop solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling. It houses high-tech equipment for a variety of activities including media arts and makers. I wanted to poke around, but it’s not open on Mondays. The area in front is for storm water runoff.
It’s our community
Today I was back in the classroom and found a card waiting, signed by my students. It’s a two-way street; I get so much out of it. Meanwhile, Dwight was at the University greenhouse today and has recently added a gig at Hennepin County Medical Center assembling kits (needles, condoms, etc.) for people with substance use disorder. I’ve also just added a gig: tutoring an adult learner in reading comprehension.
A pedestrian/cyclist freeway
We modified our usual Sunday morning walk along both sides of the Mississippi because three out of four bridges are currently being repaired or replaced. Here, a new pedestrian/cyclist trail is being built above the entrance to a dock then through a tunnel under Plymouth Avenue (just beyond the crane). The tunnel will lead to a recently opened park, Graco Park. The Minneapolis park system is a big reason we live where we live.
An artist making Japan great again
After a late night arrival home I took it easy today by finishing a biography of the Japanese artist Foujita. In the 1930s he embraced the influence of the fascist regime and later became Japan’s top official war artist during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. Postwar there was an almost immediate backlash from fellow artists and the public against his propagandist work.
Walking the Grand Ring at Expo 2025 in Osaka
Walked the paths atop the beautiful 2-kilometer structure encircling Osaka’s Expo 2025. Up close, the amazing workmanship features traditional joints reminiscent of temple construction. The laminated wooden beams are meticulously finished and appear suitable for interior work. Its theme, “unity in diversity,” is something most would surely support.
Kobe: art, architecture, and a look at history
Visited the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in Kobe, designed by Tadao Ando. I always feel at peace in Ando’s buildings. Walked around galleries featuring Ando’s building models and timeline. Took a look at a large Paul Klee retrospective, his Bauhaus pieces particularly resonated with me. His work was condemned as degenerate in 1930’s Germany and was confiscated from museums. In the USA we’re on the thin end of that wedge.
Rendezvous at Minnehaha Falls
Met a friend at Minnehaha Falls then caught up over coffee and fine pastries at nearby Cafe Ceres.
Walking into a peaceful place
Snow-covered tables were waiting for warmer weather as I walked into Northrop Auditorium for a cuppa. While I sipped, I was struck by the hushed atmosphere in the crowded cafe where U of M students were hunched over their study materials. Occasionally, there were quiet murmurs between study partners. No one was talking on their cell phone.
Where graffiti is encouraged
You just don’t see graffiti in Palm Springs, except here, on my cycle ride today. This is the site of a now-demolished fashion mall, an improvement and a monument to pragmatism, IMHO. A governing board oversees this site, applying just a few rules. Elsewhere, a call to the city’s graffiti-abatement hotline promptly summons a cleanup crew.