9.18: Art Break

Other than possibly a little thrift store or book store shopping & blanket delivery (with breakfast), the only other solid thing on our to-do list over the weekend was dinner at a great restaurant. We snagged the last reservation/seating on Friday at Myriel, home of Chef Karyn Tomlinson, who recently won Best Chef Midwest at the 35th James Beard Awards. Some of y’all eyeball the book award lists… I eye up chefs & restaurants! We really enjoyed our visit there — the ambiance was great, staff was wonderful, and the food & drink was superb. We practically licked our plates clean and I’m still thinking licking my lips when I think about the dishes we had — Swedish Corn Waffle, Gnocchi w/Confit Duck Leg, Walleye, soup, mixed mushrooms, among other things, and Panna Cotta to finish it off. Chef, herself, is currently recovering from spinal fusion surgery, so extra props to her team for holding down the fort!

With Friday & Sunday booked, that left Saturday WIDE OPEN! We decided to visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art. You could say that it was another #whirlwindarttripwithkate! I had never been to MIA, and Kate hadn’t visited since high school (when she considered attending MCAD – Minneapolis College of Art and Design). We did a little research & were especially interested in Mary Sully: Native Modern and Cream of the Crop: A Minnesota Art Showcase, but there is SO much more and we didn’t even see half of it. And because Minnesota is the great state that it is, admission to MIA is free. All the time.

I took a lot of photos (not nearly as many as I could have!) & here’s a look at what’s on my camera roll.

This Amazigh (Berber) wool carpet, made c. 1990 in Morocco, was simply amazing. I could have taken 50 pictures of it alone. From the blurb:

In Morocco, each Amazigh group uses distinctive weaving techniques, motifs, and colors for its carpets. This rug is thin and flat, woven like a tapestry instead of knotted… The tapestry technique provides the female weaver more freedom in design, reflected in the juxtaposition of colorful triangles, checks, and stripes.

That’s a gallery (as will be most multiple images) — click to embiggen.

As an aside, I think I made 5 or 6 granny squares over the weekend, and I was struck by how similar the colors are to those in the rug!

The textiles really drew me in — possibly because I have Kaffe-Fasset-on-the-brain — but, in reality, just because they are stunning!

Architrave garland frieze, 19th century; Chinese silk brocade; appliqued in Tibet.

One type [of hanging], seen here, is meant to hang from the ceiling crossbeams. Artisans salvaged pieces of precious Chinese silk and used laborious open-work and applique techniques to depict Buddhist deities amid a network of flowers and wish-granting jewels. Here, Shakya Tupa, the historical Buddha, sits atop a lotus throne and holds an alms bowl, a symbol of his humility, while his right hand reaches down to touch the earth, thus summoning it to bear witness to his enlightenment and ability to quell all negative forces.

These are both wool rugs from Tibet. I just love the colors.

Bal Kontredans (Country Dance), 2021, by Myrlande Constant (Haitian, b. 1968); beads, fabric, sequins, and trimmings.

Myrlande Constant has revolutionized the male-dominated practice of Vodou flag making in Haiti, both by using nontraditional materials and depicting nontraditional subjects. Her beadwork skills, acquired while working at a wedding-dress factory as a teenager, is fundamental to her complex compositions, which represent regular people in everyday life.

Having recently returned to my Alabama Chanin project, which involves a bit of work with beads & sequins, I was WOW’d by this & so many other pieces throughout MIA.

Childhood, 2004, by C. Maxx Stevens (Seminole/Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, b. 1951); paper, pigment, wood, electrical components, light bulb.

C. Maxx Stevens explores cultural and personal memories to create works of art that bridge her past and prsent. Because of a childhood illness, memory has been illusive for Stevens, but she receives clues, such as a dress she wore in grade school, from her family members. In the installation work Childhood, the unfinished nature of her materials is intentional and suggests the fragility and imperfection of memory. For Stevens, the crow is both a messenger and protector, ever present in her life and work.

This piece was hung in a corner, so it would move, swing & rotate slightly as people passed by.

I took photos of only one of the many pieces by Mary Sully on display.

They were all in this format.

This particular piece is called Indian Church, c. 1920s-40s, by Mary Sully (American/Dakota, 1896-1963); colored pencil, black ink, gilt, white paint, pastel crayon on paper.

As the daughter of an ordained Episcopal priest and sister to a linguistic ethnographer — both of whom traveled extensively for their work among diverse Indigenous communities — Sully had numerous opportunities to observe cross-cultural religious practices.

Here, in the top panel, Sully merged imagery of Christian clery vestments with that of Native American ceremonies and community feasts. Her detailed depiction of attendees’ colorful regalia and accessories confims Sully’s understanding of intertribal distinctions, as well as connections, among Native peoples.

Sully created over 130 “personality prints” in this triptych style, of celebrities & important figures/events from her time — some of which were on display, including Fred Astaire, Shirley Temple, Pavlova, and Titled Husbands in the USA. They are mesmerizing.

Infinite Regress CLIV, 2021, by Eamon Ore-Giron (American, b. 1973); mineral paint and flashe on linen (left).

Tahkt | Sulayman Variation II, 1969, by Frank Stella (American, 1936-2024); acrylic on canvas (right).

Black and White Pot #1, #2, #3, 2014, by Paula Estevan (Haak’u/Acoma Pueblo, b. 1967); clay, pigments

Sometimes it’s just about the color, pattern & texture. The two paintings above took up entire walls; the little pots — maybe 6″ in diameter at most — grabbed my attention just as hard.

Crop Art. Have you heard of it, or is it just because of my proximity to Minnesota that I’ve become aware? There’s a great story on MPR News by Alex V. Cipolle that will give you an intro: ‘This will take forever’: My crop art journey to the Minnesota State Fair.

Top left: Vincent Van Grow Olive Trees, 2025, Jill Osiecki.

In reimagining Van Gogh’s Olive Trees with 14 seeds, I sought to honor his bold brushstrokes through the natural textures and color of crop art.

Top center: Star Gazing, 2025, Nancy Rzesztek (see video below).

Top right: GOAT!, 2025, Annmarie Geniusz.

I want people to shout “G.O.A.T.!” (Greatest of All Time) about my art at the fair. But a real goat would eat my art. So this one did.

Bottom left: Under the Wave off Kanagawa (also known as the Great Wave), 2025, Amanda Cashman.

A tidal wave of loe went into this interpretation of The Great Wave off Kanagawa — crafted with individually placed, mostly painted, Minnesota-grown seeds.

Bottom right: All the Eternal Love I Have for the Crop Art, 2025, Jill Moe (see detail below).

Yayoi Kusama’s childhood on her family’s seed farm in Matsumoto, Japan, influenced her artistic career, particularly her iconic pumpkin motif.

Like beads & sequins & stitches… but with mustard seeds & corn husks & wild rice & black soy beans (& turmeric & canola & black lentils & hairy vetch).

Star Gazing, 2025, by Nancy Rzesztek; poppy seeds (including Elka White), lazy Susan, thistle, wild rice, pearled barley, amaranth, millet, CIA, black Quinoa, and cardboard.

Star Gazing is about an iconic Minneapolis music venue where many legendary artists graced the famous stage. The greatest — PRINCE!

Thanks for coming along! I hope you enjoyed the show.

We had a late lunch, afterwards, at Baba’s Hummus House & Mana’eesh Bakery, and THAT was amazing. We were hungry & ordered way too much food (Falafelicious bowl, Wagyu Shawarma, Arabi Pickles, etc.) but I ate as much as I could (it was so good).

There’s a long time between “late lunch” and breakfast that’s “maybe a little bit later – like a brunch” (per Addison, who was going out on Saturday night), so we stopped down at Masa & Agave, the cantina it the lower level of Hotel Ivy. We didn’t want anything big (because it was getting late), so we ordered Nachos from the “Starters” section and added Chicken Tinga. It looked like a stack of pancakes when it arrived — and kind of blew our minds! Corn tortillas stacked & layered with cheeses, pico de gallo, crema, pickled red onion, jalapeno — it was amazing! We sliced it in quarters as if it were a layer cake (as best we could). I can’t stop thinking about that, either.

Food, art, family, and even down time (to nap, crochet, write & watch the dumb TV shows that one only ever watches at a hotel). It was a pretty great weekend! There’s another #whirlwindarttripwithkate in the works, but a few other things first. Stay tuned!

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Meanwhile, Davy’s keeping the boot (no cast) and is cleared to return to school. He was over yesterday & ohmygosh, that little boot…