James Bond in Cincy?

                                             
Well no, he's not actually here himself. But one of his cars is! Just a couple days ago the Aston Martin DB5 made its way to the Cincinnati Art Museum via a local collector. The car will only be there until July 15th. So, if you are a James Bond fanatic this may be your one and only chance!

Jon McLaughlin at 20th Century

Tuesday evening I received a text message from my little sister (not by kin, but by sorority) asking me if I had plans Wednesday night. This was exciting considering I don't get to see Lauren too often. She then told me she had tickets to a concert if I wanted to join. I am always up for hearing new music, especially if the tickets are a little cheap (20 bucks).

Of course I asked her who we would be seeing before I committed. Jon McLaughlin, one of her favorites, would be playing at 20th Century in Cincinnati. I had heard a couple of his songs, but was not too familiar. I logged-in to Spotify to hear a few more tracks, and I thought he was pretty good. So, I told Lauren yes and thought it would be a fun time to hang out and hear some new music.

Lauren, Katie, and I headed out around 6:00 toward the theater. We ate at Potbelly Sandwiches for dinner and drove over for the concert. The theater is a decent size with a relaxed atmosphere for a sit-down concert. The show started around 8:00 with one of Jon's band members playing a few songs with his guitar. Then a guy named Mikey Wax played for a bit.

I was not too keen on Mikey's music. His voice was a bit too airy for my taste and his songs a bit too pre-teen. Anytime facebook is mentioned in a song, it looses points for me!  But alas, I sat and listened to this grown man named Mikey and gave him my attention. Finally, Jon and his band decided to come on stage (it was about time!).

I did not quite know what to expect with his performance but I enjoyed it. I was glad to hear some drums and bass after listening to several acoustic songs by the other artists. Most of Jon's songs were happy and upbeat. Unfortunately some of that was ruined by a few middle-aged ladies next to us who insisted on yelling before and after each song, screaming "we love you," and making other loud comments among a somewhat peaceful crowd. But, I guess fans like these go without saying at any concert.

My ears were entertained at the concert and it was an overall good experience. It is summer and concert season begins all around. I look forward to seeing other artists in the area!

Katie, Jon, Lauren, and I posing with Jon for a quick picture after the show.

Butterflies and Many Other Species

                                                 
On Sunday my mom came up for a short visit and we enjoyed a few different activities around NKY and Cincinnati. For lunch Claudio, my mom, and I went to Mammoth Cafe in Newport for some sandwiches. After, we drove to OTR to walk around and peruse a couple locally-owned shops. (We all now can be on the lookout for cute baby things for my upcoming niece!)

We then decided to drive past the Krohn Conservatory and see how busy it was. The International Butterfly show is now going on and I've been wanting to go see it. The park didn't seem too crazy so we parked the car and headed in. I had never been to the conservatory so it was exciting to finally see what all the talk was about. The butterfly show houses butterflies from across the globe in a room filled with flowers and fruit trees.

We entered in to buy our tickets and walked through a pathway of luscious trees and plants. We then entered a room with different types of bonsai trees. Bonsai trees amaze me because they are so small and remind me of some type of fairy tale, or as if a small Asian man may poke his head out of one of the roots at any moment. After taking a look at the various trees, we made our way into the butterfly room.

A guide gave us all small paper flowers that he said would attract the butterflies. We were instructed not to touch the butterflies or the plants. As we walked into the room, we didn't notice all the butterflies at first glance. The room was full of people of all ages, all trying to catch a butterfly on their paper flower. The walls were hidden with colorful flowers of all kinds and several fruit trees.

As we began to walk around the room we noticed all the many species of butterflies flying about, drinking nectar, and being bothered by small children.  We were amazed by the diversity of the butterflies, all with their distinct shapes, colors, and designs. I felt like a little kid again, wanting to catch a butterfly and look at its huge eyes staring up at me. I was just in awe and these creatures, how small, how large, and how beautiful they were.  It was also interesting to see the different lifespans of these insects. Some living for only a short couple weeks while others strive for a few months.

After spending quite some time in the butterfly room and getting quite hot and thirsty, we made our way out to be brushed off by another guide, insuring that we hadn't accidentally carried one off.  We then walked through the rest of the conservatory, admiring the many plants and trees within the room.  As I read different names of the species of plants, looked at the strange leaves and branches, I thought to myself how incredible our earth is and the One who created it. Talk about being smart! It still blows my mind that God could conjure up millions upon billions of creatures, plants, trees, and these tiny, beautiful insects and how they all work together.

I hope you go to the butterfly show soon and see what it's all about! Time is ticking.

What a Monday

                                          

Yesterday was full of new experiences and exciting news. I started my day off at the museum to do an emergency training class. The best part of this was learning how to put out a fire with a fire extinguisher. (Ok, that may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but it was a first for me!) Later in the day I took some time to do some painting and also studying for the GRE with Claudio.

Since I did not have to work, I thought it would be a great day to visit the Contemporary Arts Center.  Even though I work right across from the CAC, I still had not been able to go. Thankfully they are open on Mondays until 9 and have free admission from 5-9pm. Claudio and I ventured downtown to peruse the galleries. The CAC has a few different exhibitions going on now: Spectacle: The Music Video, Francis Upritchard: A Long Wait, and Jannis Varelas: Sleep My Little Sheep Sleep. 


Though I consider myself to be quite open-minded when it comes to art, I do not always enjoy everything I see. After  reading about Varelas' work, I respect his ideas and thought processes. As far as aesthetics go, do not expect something pretty to look at. His large collages are quite repulsive but I think that may have been his aim.

I enjoyed Upritchard's work a little more. Her clay sculptures seemed to lie somewhere between a playful and eerie fantasy world. The characters' long limbs and closed eyelids were somewhat of a contrast against the cool, bright colors of their skin and costumes.

We took the majority of our visit to view Spectacle: The Music Video, an exhibition based on the idea of the music video. This showcased different elements of the music video and also how it has changed over the years. There was quite a plethora of music videos, all displayed in various ways. Many of these videos had their own headphones, interactive touch-screens, peep-holes, and even the ability to changed the pace of a song by one's own movements. This exhibition is definitely for everyone, the techie, musician, artist, historian, you-name-it.

After spending over an hour at the CAC, Claudio and I headed over to Nada to enjoy a few drinks. To our surprise (mostly Claudio's) Radiohead decided to dine-in before today's big concert in Cincinnati. Claudio was star-struck to say the least! We had a great night and best of all, I found out I am having a little niece! I am beyond excited :D

Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit

                              

 

Yesterday while at work I took a walk up the grandstaircase to view Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit. The exhibition just opened this weekend and will be on view until September 9. Before viewing the collection of works, I had only seen a few of Tanner's paintings in art history books, such as The Resurrection of Lazurus.  I always admired that painting but I must say, the photos do not do it justice.

 

While walking in to the gallery space, I began viewing his paintings one-by-one. The first piece that caught my eye was of a lion. One of the security guards and I both commented on how life-like the lion was.  I then made a turn into more gallery space to view even more pieces. I was utterly amazed by the amount of works. It was like I was walking through a maze of a never-ending story of Tanner's history as an artist.

 

The religious paintings awe-struck me the most. I enjoyed seeing the contrast between the warm and cool pieces. To see The Resurrection of Lazarus in person was incredible. The Annunciation also seemed to glow brillantly on the canvas. It seemed as if I was almost standing in the room with Mary herself, silenced by the angel's presence in the room.  Other pieces painted with cooler blues depicted Biblical scenes such as the fisherman, the three Marys, and Mary with Jesus as a child.

 

As I viewed Tanner's work, walked from gallery to gallery, I realized how little I knew about this artist and how much I really enjoy his work. I always find it exciting to learn more about a particular artist and be able to see his/her work in person. I would love to take a few more trips to the gallery and read more about Tanner's history. Do not think one quick 15 minute trip will be enough! I would definitely encourage you to come by sometime this summer to see this large exhibition organized by the Pennsylvania Acadamy of Fine Arts.

Re-designing

As you can see, I have be revamping my blog page. I am still not quite happy with the design. I can never seem to get the colors just the way I like them. If you have any advice on using the blogger templates, please let me know! I would like to use one of my own photos as the background, but I have no yet decided on one.