li·brary (n) \ˈlī-ˌbrer-ē\ - a place in which literary, artistic, or reference materials are kept
la·gniappe (n) \ˈlan-ˌyap, lan-ˈ\ - a little something extra
1Canoe2 is a best friend duo from Missouri. Carrie Shryock and Beth Snyder create letterpress works from a big red barn in Missouri. Read more about their process and their journey as friends here. Check out some of my favorites from their print collections:
Above is a screen shot of a jukebox from the Library of Congress politics and pop culture exhibit that played songs about political or social issues. I listened to snippets of a lot of my favorites from the 1960s and 1970s, but played this entire song in honor of my mom, who introduced me to Aretha when I was just a young little thing.
My last stop in my tour of the northeast over spring break was Baltimore to visit my longtime friend Liza. We have been friends since 1st grade. Unfortunately, Liza found out the day of my arrival that she had to go to Florida for the weekend for work. Her lovely roommates, Ellie and Eleana, were gracious enough to host me for the rest of the weekend.
Laura, me and Liza circa 1996
Liza, me and Laura - 2007 Senior Prom
Laura, Liza, Krista, me and Allie - Christmas 2010
Since we had a change of plans, I decided to go to D.C. during the day on Saturday and hopped on the train early in the morning and returned to Baltimore that evening. Trying to squeeze everything I wanted to see into one day was a challenge I did not meet. What better excuse for a return trip though - on a weekend that Liza is home! This is what I did see:
I know no one looks forward to Mondays, especially after a weekend with gorgeous weather and lots of down time. Here is some inspiration to get you through the day..eh, week if you need it.
Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) was born in Port Arthur, Texas and served in the U.S. Marines during World War II. For a brief period, he used the GI Bill to study art in Paris, but moved to North Carolina after less than a year. He moved to chaotic and exciting New York after North Carolina and became truly inspired. Not really belonging to any one movement, he rejected the Abstract Expressionists and embraced popular culture and non-traditional materials. In 1997, the Guggenheim Museum organized the most comprehensive exhibition of his works ever. Robert Rauschenberg: A Retrospective featured nearly 300 works. Rauschenberg died from heart failure on May 12, 2008.
Bed, 1955, is one of Rauschenberg's first combines. This mixed media piece was on view during my trip to MoMA last week. It is oil and pencil on an his actual pillow, sheet, and quilt.
This piece, Untitled (Asheville Citizen), was made from two canvases, matte black paint, and a piece of the August 3, 1951 Asheville Citizen newspaper. Asheville is near Black Mountain College, an experimental arts college with professors like Josef Albers, where Rauschenberg was a student during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It is reminiscent of Mark Rothko. This was on view as well during my visit.
Signs, 1970, is a silkscreen print that really sums up the 1960s through an assemblage of various clippings. Images include U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, Robert F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Janis Joplin, Martin Luther King, and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. According to Rauschenberg, Signs was "conceived to remind us of love, terror, violence of the last ten years. Danger lies in forgetting."
The photo on the right is a coffee table at the National Museum of American History. When I saw AnneMarie's post this morning, I immediately thought of the similarities between these two images: their colors and statements.
This exhibit featured photos, posters, and newspaper clippings from the 1960s. I found the juxtaposition of the My Lai Massacre and the Woodstock poster promoting peace interesting.
Hope I didn't look like this during my travels! via
Did you take any fun trips recently? Tell me about it!
All photos are my own unless credited otherwise.All images appearing on this blog that were taken by the author are exclusive property of Jamie Burke. Reproduction with permission only.
Have you ever been to Philadelphia? What was your favorite part?
All photos are my own unless credited otherwise.All images appearing on this blog that were taken by the author are exclusive property of Jamie Burke. Reproduction with permission only.
