A TRIP TO THE CITY

Having come to Miami for a couple of years now, I decided it was time to go to - Miami. We go to Miami Beach, to South Beach, but Miami is an entirely separate destination ... frankly, what little I saw could be deemed
"didn't miss much" ...

As we ate our Sunday breakfast, Paul and I thought maybe we should catch one more movie on the Oscar list before award night. Larry asked me if I would like to go to the Miami Art Museum and when I answered in the affirmative, Paul shrugged ... guess he's just not into that sort of thing!
We bid the anxious doggies good bye and away we went ...

As we drove into the city in search of the museum, it was rather numbing.
Many cross-streets with overhead ramps and confining cement-clad support girders. The street pattern was very confusing and so many one-way restrictions that we had to go out of our way just to turn onto a street going in another direction. I didn't like the closeness and feeling of "no escape" if hurricanes or the equivalent came barreling through. Streets were littered, lots of graffiti, small park areas were almost empty ... guess Sundays are days to hit the beach, not museums!

We located the MAM (I'm trying to sound cool) ... it was a large, sprawling building typical of Florida architecture with vast outdoor spaces of tiles instead of lawn. We thought it would be a great place for a big, raucous party complete with different bands, lots of food, etc. Went inside (not too impressive) and up to the second floor where the artist's works that we had seen advertised in the paper were dislayed ... only two paintings by that artist (Rauschenberg) but a few odd-ball jobs by Rothenberg that made us laugh and be shushed by a petite gallery docent who kept an eye on Paul because he was carrying his phone (and you know how Paul loves to take random pictures). What made us laugh was ... the first painting was of a running horse, painted in a Navajo Indian sand-style, muddy maroons and faded blacks. The adjoining wall had just two legs of the horse, suspended in an odd juxtaposition, from strings, like a marionette ... in the same colors. Then there were paintings of the legs with the hooves touching "like a horse coming toward you, using the frontal parts to create a space to make you wonder." The little explanations by the paintings explained that the artist decided to take the "whole" (horse) and divide it into parts ... well, yeah ... and have about ten more paintings of pieces "to make you wonder" ... I wondered if she was in cahoots with a vet or a butcher ... enough of Susan R.

Actually, after really enjoying exhibits in the Chicago Art Museum and museums in New York. Montreal and San Francisco, I was surprised at all the space used for practically nothing ... even the other galleries on that floor were in brightly lighted areas with concrete walls, any small
sculptures were on what looked like concrete columns in corners, the description cards were just that ... ordinary index cards with typewritten info just lightly placed on the wall. It was not impressive ...

One thing I really enjoyed was the exhibition of the works of the winners of the Scholastic Art competition from the high schools. I couldn't believe the imagination of some of these artists ...works in all the fine arts media from the classics of oil painting and sculpture to photography and digital formats ... amazing.

Paul did sneak one fuzzy picture inside (much to my chagrin) and took one or two more outside just to prove we were there (On Facebook). Went home and watched an episode of Tudors while we ate ...

Valentine's Day, box of chocolates and ME!! I'm relishing that chocolate because for the last two years, V-Day came during Lent and that's when I seem to crave candy and dessert more than any other time ... guess that's why they call it "penance" ... a pool man came to make some plumbing adjustments; hopefully, soon we will have photos of a finished project surrounded by lounges and palm trees and us in bathing suits (that last item we can skip) ... another day and I hear Chicago area is to reach the sixties this weekend ... certainly hope so ... I just feel terrible down here thinking of you all shoveling snow ... carry on!!

Marma