Last week one of my sisters and her spouse visited and then they departed, and my other sister and husband arrived. Having house guests is always an excuse for fun outings we’ve put off taking. One such outing was exploring the Bradenton Riverwalk (last week’s blog); another was a live concert (more in my next blog); and yet another was a return to the Sarasota Art Museum. And there are always TV programs to watch and a never-ending supply of books to read!
LOOKING
Sarasota Art Museum
This small museum, connected with Ringling College, has lovely gallery space and presents several changing exhibits each year. We had not visited in a while and took my younger sister and brother-in-law.
The main exhibit focused on paintings by Judith Linhares and several artist friends of hers. Linhares is represented in several museums including the Whitney in New York. Here were large scale female nudes midst colorful quilts along with works featuring tigers and woodpeckers. Her paintings are vibrant and alive.
I also enjoyed the small paintings of everyday objects by Mary Jo Vath. Especially appealing were the fuzzy yellow monkey hat and a bowl of red roses reflected on a tabletop.
The museum’s shop is chock full of tempting items from jigsaw puzzles to note cards and jewelry. They also have a café which we haven’t yet tried. Worth a visit!
VIEWING
Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands (PBS American Masters)
February is Black History Month and appropriately, PBS is offering relevant programming. We watched this two-hour documentary about Marian Anderson, and it’s superb! There’s archive footage of Anderson performing in a variety of venues including at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. Details of her early life, her travels abroad, and her eventual marriage to architect Orpheus Fisher round out the film.
It’s well known that the DAR denied her the right to sing in Constitution Hall in DC, but probably less so that, in Europe, Anderson suffered none of the indignities of being Black that were widespread at home. She was an extraordinary woman with a great gift which I appreciated even more so having watched this.
As a staff member in the Penn Libraries, I well recall when Marian’s nephew donated her papers to the collection. The library is credited in the documentary.
READING
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
H Mart is a Korean supermarket and Zauner’s memoir is about her mother’s illness and subsequent death from cancer. It’s also pop musician Zauner’s coming of age story as the child of a Korean mother and an American father growing up in Philadelphia and Oregon. Her mother is demanding and picky, and she and Michelle are often at odds, particularly during Michelle’s teenage years. Their shared love of food and Korean dishes figures prominently in their relationship, both the dishes her mother cooks for her and those that Michelle makes to tempt her mother when ill.
Annual trips to Seoul to visit her mother’s family are noteworthy events, and one aunt in particular a real comfort after her mother’s death. Michelle’s relationship with her father is also a tense one, and she is frequently very critical of him. Rebellious in trying to find her place, she vacillates between her Korean heritage and her American roots.
Zauner writes candidly, in raw detail, about her mother’s decline and death. Some readers may find this more than they want or need to know. Nonetheless, I recommend this memoir. (~JWFarrington)
Note: All unattributed photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is of Tigress by Judith Linhares, 2009.
