Artists
Marilyn
I attended my sister’s baby shower yesterday at the M Street Bar and Grill in the St. Gregory Hotel. This “Forever Marilyn” Monroe statue by J. Seward Johnson greets you as you walk in the door. I never knew it was here and it was a pleasant surprise to see it. Wow — highly realistic and what a conversation piece. I love how the dress is strategically draped as to not reveal anything you shouldn’t see at eye level — just like the actual still photo from the 1954 movie, The Seven Year Itch. I’ve always liked Johnson’s work, particularly The Awakening.
From Dollar to Postcard
I wasn’t aware of Dean Bracy’s concept until recently to put 10,000 one-dollar bills through the banking system in 2000. They all had hand written notes, which is legal to do, on the margins, asking the question, “Where does a dollar go? ” and to send him a postcard telling him about how folks received them. His plan was to use these postcards to create a giant mosaic art piece. As last I read in the Reader’s Digest 2004 story, he had received over 7,400 responses. I’m not sure where he is on his artwork. If anyone knows of any follow up information, please let me know. His website is…
Joseph Cornell
Collecting things reminds me of Joseph Cornell (1903–1972). An artist known in the 1930’s for assembling his many collections into miniature and large scale dioramas, which were like mini sculptures. I really like his work and saw the Smithsonian’s exhibit, Navigating the Imagination dedicated to him in February 2007. Here are a few websites for Joseph Cornell that I found very worthwhile for seeing and learning more about his work: http://josephcornell.org/ An interesting blog post on Collections and Archives as Creative Practice http://www.josephcornellbox.com/ I have one of these boxes that I picked up at the exhibit and it’s pretty cool. I’ve been collecting things to finally put it together and…
