Up North

    After celebrating a special 4th birthday,

I decided that a trip up north was called for;

I needed to see a large body of water, 

breathe cool damp air

and see both old people and new things!

 

This trip ticked all the boxes.

(It also involved my car battery dying and purchasing a new one,

but such is life, right?)

While it rained part of every day I was there,

when the sun did peek out,

it was glorious. 

So much fun to see spring all over again.

There were half-hearted attempts at retail therapy

but, since none of us need anything, it was totally

just looking.

 

The highlight of the visit -

besides time with loved ones,

was a trip to my favorite museum ,

one the specializes in folk art -

John Michael Kohler  Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI.

 

There is currently an exhibit on the Upper Midwest phenomena: "The Grotto." 

SO much work and so much preparation went into each piece

by seemingly untrained, 'normal' people...

we had lots of fun thinking about what their family members and neighbors must have thought

as these were being created.

Religiosity is so often a component of these pieces;

not sure whether that speaks to the divine inspiration that sparks their creation

 or the perseverance required to see them completed but it's a noticeable part

of the essential grotto. 

 

The time it must have taken to amass all the objects used -

and where they must have been stored in the meantime

is impossible for me to imagine. 

is

 

Thank goodness I don't have that 'pack rack' gene.

 

Even a more contemporary form of the grotto

must have been an amazing labor of love. 

The Kohler also had amazing contemporary pieces made out of medical equipment,

including crutches

and syringes

If you've never been to the museum,

I recommend it highly.

The Art Center features contemporary exhibits and selections from their permanent collections.

 

The new Art Preserve is where they house pieces of their permanent art environments -

and that will be featured in the next post.

It was unbelievable!

Stay tuned.