Season's Greetings!
In the spirit of the season and annual ritual of selecting highlights from the past year, I submit a few of my favorite art experiences of 2010 in chronological order, one per month starting in April when I began Arts Without Borders. May the New Year be as filled with art and creativity!
April: Nudes at MoMA: Why are we surprised?
Marina Abramović's controversial show at the Museum of Modern Art in NY
May: The opening of the Lynden Sculpture Garden.
Public opening of the formerly private Bradley Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee
June: A day in Chicago: a 3-part series.
Matisse at the Art Institute, Bearden and others at the Cultural Center, and various shows at the Smart Museum of Art
July: A visit to the Walker in Minneapolis.
Inside and outside at the Walker Museum of Contemporary Art
August: WPCA show on refugees in Milwaukee
A documentary photography project by John Ruebartsch and Sally Kuzma
September: War: missing in action?
War: Humanity in the Crosshairs at Merge Gallery in Milwaukee
October: Day of the Dead at Chicago's National Museum of Mexican Art
Some of the best ofrendas anywhere, honoring the dead; plus a second post about Milwaukee's Day of the Dead exhibits
November: Milwaukee Art Museum is "world's sexiest building"
A provocative look at the designation by VirtualTourist
December: 100 Acres of art and nature in Indianapolis
An art and nature park next to the Indianapolis Museum of Art
And in a separate category, my favorite movie of the year, hands down: Winter's Bone.
(Runners up: Black Swan and Exit Through the Gift Shop.)
The image at the top is a contemporary version of a haiga. Haiga originated in Japan where it is a hybrid form that combines a haiku with an image, traditionally an ink drawing. My humble offering shows a frosty dawn on the Rock River in Rockford, IL.
