Good morning GUSAnticipatoryOMGbuddies!!! I took a few days break from election insanity to spend a glorious time in the Berkshires (W. MA) with all non smokers — Marxist and I are recovering addicts — he, decades longer than I.
My dear friend is an internationally known and the most adorable, sweet, and lethal (intellectually) Marxist in the universe. He took my opera buddy and I to an amazing exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, MA. The central exhibit was by Nick Cage who is a well renowned musician amongst those who like seriously violent punk or post punk or galactic punk stuff. But ok, beyond that — he created a genius art display in a massive former factory room.
I can’t really describe it but he combined beauty and death (gun violence) and racism (lawn jockeys) and jeebus, I don’t know what else. No photographer can capture the beauty and tragedy of this exhibit. If you live near Northwestern Massachusetts — GO!!!! It seems it will be on exhibit until September 2017. If you look at the website it doesn’t capture the glory of the light and color and horror.
MoCA is the most astonishing art exhibit space I’ve ever seen. Old factory buildings converted into rotating art spaces. Two, I think are permanent — a Sol Lewitt space (done by 60 artists at his direction) and the Keifer (sp?) building that is haunting — war motif. It seems one of Massachusetts earlier intelligent investments. I need more research as to who decided to create this space. We probably saw a bit more than 1/10th of the spaces in almost 2 hours. Sort of like saying “I went to the Met Museum or the Smithsonian.” What the hank does that mean???
Outside before the entryway there is a beautiful soft maple. It was in perfect fall glory. I said it must be one of their temporary installations. Shocks the senses.
I knew North Adams from the late 60s, early 80s and it was a dead town because of closed factories. Now it is a thriving art center. Yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!
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Our hosts provided brilliant food: Joy of Cooking Chicken Paprika (leftover sauce turned into a perfect soup with rice, genius Marxist frittata with the end of the garden veggies: kale and potato and then a side of a pumpkin (real one) puree with cumin and tamarind. Both meals served with the most astronomically best borscht. The borscht has always been enhanced by what is in the garden. I’ve had it cold last summer and hot this week. Jeebus — I always hated beets. I got the general recipe so will make in a few days and share if good in my interpretation.
Cheers, my dears. Positive thoughts for the coming days. I have them.
P.S. Two great cats in the Berkshires (rescues) on our visit. Can’t ask more than that. Both used the Harry and David pear box we brought with pears then emptied as a resting place even though the bigger one bulged it out. Wish I had my camera for so many reasons.