Take a break from thoughts of the impending winter, shorter days, the dramas being played out in our homes, our communities, the country, and the world... breathe in deeply and... see the art and artistry all around you. This column will be about my close encounters with art in the last few months, but there is no doubt you can find art in your life as well.
First, there is art and there is Art. Don’t get me wrong, both are glorious, impressive, and awe-inspiring, but I’m not talking about Metropolitan Museum of Art or Louvre-type art. I refer instead to the work and effort of folks as varied as high school students and true artistic craftspeople who live locally. A perfectly ripe beach, a good book, a sublime sunrise or sunset are all creations worthy of our admiration. In the next few days, we’ll sit down to our true national holiday – Thanksgiving. The apple pies made by my sister-in-law Karen were a work of art, as was oyster dressing (kudos to Holly), a perfectly cooked turkey, and the logistical acumen to pull off a family gathering without a major national incident.
So that’s art of one kind.
In September and again in November, I attended concerts by the Idaho State Civic Symphony, which is art and Art. September’s performance featured an original work by ISU faculty member Jon Armstrong, who composed a sonic reverie and memory (“Voluntary Breath”) of his son’s early life in the NICU. Original, moving, deeply visceral. I’m not one for displaying my emotions, but when Armstrong’s wee lad was lifted onto the stage at the conclusion of the piece, my throat clenched, and my eyes blinked with tears. That is what art does. In November, the ISCS performed a Shostakovich symphony for strings – ah, the sound of all the stringed instruments – which was powerful (both the musical rendition and the excellent program notes that described the composer’s personal and emotional turmoil he experienced in Stalin’s Russia). It was an evening of classical music at its most glorious: Rossini, Haydn, and Strauss. There is the gift of high art as expressed in music – accessible to just about everyone – right in our own backyard.
By some strange coincidence, I read The Great Gatsby this fall. Not sure why. I thought I had read it in high school, but not a word was familiar to me, and I had no recollection that it was a rags-to-riches story (among other things). The decadence, the alienation of people from each other, the multiple tragedies – phew! It all felt quite familiar and struck a chord at this particular moment. And then? Robert Redford died just as I was finishing the book. Apparently, the movie version of the novel starring Redford was not great, but just on visual terms, you have to admit that Redford was very Gatsby-esque.
Do students in grades kindergarten through 12 need art? You bet. In the school where I work, there are a handful of committed art teachers. Students who are creatively inclined – even those who don’t think of themselves as creatively inclined – have accomplished much. In Sculpture class, Cyron proudly showed me his ceramic “Ramen Bowl.” Eliza made two mugs, and on the inside bottom of one was a line from her favorite television show: “I will not discard you.” Raylee simultaneously carved / cut / drew a tree that has the look of November: stark, leafless, yet formidable. The Art Department put on its inaugural Art Show & Sale recently, and it was a big success, raising much-needed funds for the art teachers and students. I bought a number of items: ceramics, multi-media, felted snowmen, and a piece that is both fantastically creative + funny + entirely original. Entitled “Holiday Hazard,” it transforms a traffic cone (lots of those in and around our school these days) into a work of fantastic holiday art. Hundreds of strips of silver sheet metal give the appearance of a tree; there are tea lights and an illuminated top. I couldn’t resist – and to be honest, I would have bought it based on the title alone. The sophomore women who designed and created “Holiday Hazard” spent countless hours transforming a traffic cone into a wonder – it is an artistic feat.
At ISU’s Holiday Fair, I visited with artists of all types – craftspeople, professionals, those with careers in art and those who have side gigs: painters, woodworkers, folks who create art in cloth and yarn, metalsmiths, stained-glass masters, and more. It is one of my favorite (and favorite social) events of the year.
All this is material, physical, human (and amazing for that), but then there is also the beauty of the night sky, the Northern Lights we were recently gifted, a chevron of geese flying to warmer climes. The art of nature. It is a season for gratitude and connection, but we cannot assume the holidays are happy for many, many people. Art, natural and material, is a balm to a soul that is pained or stressed. Turn to it, and you’ll find it helps, even heals.
This is not a book review column, but let me recommend a couple since I haven’t offered a recommendation in a while. The Great Gatsby was a very pleasant surprise; it spoke to me in ways I did not expect. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton is the account of a woman who finds an infant hare and... wait for it... raises the baby leveret to, um, adulthood. If it sounds like a snooze, it is not. I loved it. And James by Percival Everett: the reimagining of the adventure of Huckleberry Finn. In a word: brilliant.
I am thankful for you, kind readers.
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