And so before I go to southeast Alaska, I should go back to Chicago.....
The week before the northwest, I headed to the midwest, to meet up with the other museum ladies working on the Canadian community project. We haven't had the chance to see each other and work on the project for about a year and a half, and we don't get the chance to talk together just ourselves. As the grant is coming to an end, we thought it a good idea to get together and figure out what outcomes were realistic and achievable at this point in time. The Field Museum hosted, as they are in the middle. And it was so productive!
I went in early to enjoy the weekend, since I haven't been to Chicago in some time and it's a great town. While I missed catching up with another friend who lives there, I stayed with one of the museum ladies for the weekend, and the other out-of-towner also came in, stayed with the other museum lady, and we all managed to do some fun things together. Of course, we talked about work an extra bit too! Hazard of the job. But here's a recap of four fun-filled days in Chicago, two of which centered around meetings. Nowhere near enough time....
Friday night dinner on the beach! I wanted to see the bird sanctuary at Montrose, so we did that on the way over. It was a beautiful sunset, and a lovely evening. Until the thunderstorms rolled on top of us. I never had seen the sand lift up and be thrown like that before. Needless the say, drenched does not begin to cover it.
The next day we went to this incredible architectural antiques store. I thought this sign a good omen, seeing as I was headed north soon. I do love stained glass.
Had I $26,000 spare--and a place to put it--I might have taken home this stunning French bar. Instead of the $10 curtain tieback.
Haha. What museum ladies do to be silly.
Lovely buildings in wonderful neighborhoods. We had a great day exploring several different areas of town.
Then we met up with the other out-of-towner at the National Museum of Mexican Art. This small exhibition was about identity. It was powerful. That's hair.
And those are beads! There's a huge mural, beaded by the Huichol people. Reminded me of that amazing time at the museum when we had that beaded VW beetle....
Then off for drinks! And snacks. So nice to feel like an adult.
My host then went home so we non-Chicagoans went to the Green Mill, a famous jazz club. We arrived right at the end of the first set and managed to score front row seats for the second! We left after that, not wanting to be too late arriving back to our host homes.
But we met up the next morning to do the river architecture tour, by the Chicago Architecture Foundation.
Did I mention that this weekend was the two hottest days in Chicago all year? The sky was beautiful, but it felt just like DC, hot and humid. So we turned the brochures into hats to protect ourselves. Actually, truth be told, I copied my colleague. But we were clearly the most stylish on the boat then.
And the tour is amazing! It's 90 minutes, on the river, incredibly informative, and very fun. I love this building, both the design and the reflective qualities.
And this one shows you a map of the river! Really great tour.
Then I was on my own, so I went to the Art Institute. I want this MacIntosh table!
And this Calder! Again, not nearly enough time, but I'm so glad I made it for a couple of hours. After, I settled into the hotel and read the case file during a wonderful tapas dinner at the José Garcés restaurant in the lobby. Yum!
And I was close enough to walk to the Field Museum. I enjoyed this street art very much.
Between meetings, I had a little time to wander. Of course, the Field is famous for Sue!
And there were these beautiful woodcut prints highlighting the relationship between Chicago and Beijing.
And a new exhibition on Vikings! It was beautiful.
I really loved this piece; rivets from a ship that had been buried, hung in their proper location, and thereby redefining the ship. Brilliant!
The next morning I got really lucky; the Field was getting ready to deploy a new wayfinding system, so I had the chance to talk with them and get a peak. That's part of my next project at the museum, so this was amazing. And the system is fabulous--I'm inspired. Then, off to the collection to join the others, then into our meetings again, and then I was off to the airport! Sad but true. But these couple of days reminded me of how easy it is to get to Chicago and how much fun the city is too. I will be back.....
No comments:
Post a Comment