In a last ditch effort to remain artistically inspired before school and fall began, Mark, Julia and I spent the rainy Sunday morning before Labor Day at the Brattleboro Museum of Art. This place is a jewel and it is only 30 minutes from our farm. Housed in the beautiful old train station, the space is lofty and always has something fun to view. Sunday we were thrilled to see a series of paintings by the internationally aclaimed artist Wolf Kahn. He has had a summer home in Marlboro, VT for over thirty years and has been a big supporter of this tiny museum. Three rooms of his paintings and a great film showing him sketching and painting at Niagara Falls really gave me a great overview of his prolific artistic life. I had never seen his work - except for on greeting cards and calendars - but boy did I love it! It is so colorful and ethereal. Any knitter and artist can't help but be inspired by his use of color.
Then I was further surprised to find an exhibit of quilts by Faith Ringgold. She is the author of Tar Beach, a children's book about growing up black in Harlem, along with many more books. The next time I get a chance to see her quilts - which are actually paintings in acrylic on fabric made into quilts - I am going to rush there. Her website is excellent and if you are trying to teach your children about making art and life in general, it is really worth a look.If you are heading to New England this fall for leaf-peeping, hop off the first exit in Vermont and check out the tiny, artsy town of Brattleboro. It's only two hours from Boston and four hours from NYC. Green Mountain Spinnery is just up the road too. And yes this is the same town that is home to the "Nude Dudes." I have yet to see them but national t.v. cameras along with Dr. Phil have been in town in large numbers.
1 comment:
I played pedal organ in a tiny church in a paddock 15 km from the nearest town when I was a teenager, and the organ name read Brattleboro, Vermont, which is about as far away from Wagin Western Australia as you can get. Your post reminded me of my daydreaming through the sermon, wondering what Brattleboro was like. It sounds great (and not very much like Wagin, in weather, anyway!)
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