Oak Park Sculpture Walk

Oak Park has a summer tradition of installing temporary public art pieces around the village called the Sculpture Walk. Sculptures from all over the country are featured at various places and this summer it is hosted in the "Arts District", which is on Harrison Street. I serve as a board member on the Oak Park Area Arts Council (OPAAC) and I was able to help judge and select some of the pieces this year. The Sculpture Walk helps to highlight Oak Park as a jurisdiction, it fosters local business, and I like how it brings critical visual thinking to the community. While some pieces are more material based others have symbolic meanings. I love being apart of OPAAC and I think this year's Sculpture Walk has been a great success.

"Nutrition Sculpture" - Will Vannerson

"Blue Woman in The Twilight" - Jacqueline Willis

"Three Muses (Memory, Song and Practice" - Valerie Jean Schafer

"Quarry Moons" - Shawn Morin

"Popsicles" - Craig Gray

"Catch Up" - Shencheng Xu

"Ecosystem No. 1" - Margot McMahon

Socrates Sculpture Park

Situated in the western part of Astoria, Queens is the Socrates Sculpture Park. I've heard of the park, but haven't been able to visit until I was in New York a couple of weeks ago. This summer features Nari Ward: G.O.A.T., Again, which had artworks featuring the idolization and fixation of goats. I loved the unsettling feeling of sacrifice and brutality epitomized in Ward's pieces foiled against the serene summer landscape. Public art in such a setting is engaging and I really enjoyed my brief visit to the park. Hopefully, someday I'll finally make it to the Naguichi Museum, which is close by.

Detroit

Detroit is an extraordinary American city. I have never been to Detroit before and I really wanted to check out the Detroit Institute of Arts and its collection. I was also able to see the Detroit Historical Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, which had an excellent painting show by artist Nancy Mitchnick. I took a six hour bus ride on a Saturday and returned the following day. Saturday night I got dinner inside the Renaissance Center, which is the Brutalist concrete fortress that glorifies all things automobile. 

Everywhere on the quiet streets and in the vacant office buildings a paradoxical question of urban life is being asked. It seems that Detroit is at a moment of self reckoning--determining whether it wants to rise or fade. For its future and its people I hope it chooses to rise.

Colorful façade of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit