Our first day at Art Prize was a bit lackluster. I guess I just wasn't "in love" with anything. The most exciting part of Art Prize is falling in love with certain pieces, and the husband and I felt so underwhelmed. After taking the Little Person to pick apples for the first time, we headed to Hillside and St. Cecelia's for a children's presentation called "Can You Think It? Can You Dream It?"
Kevin Kammerkad had a fantastic show, with songs, dancing, and puppetry. At 30 minutes, it's just the right time for my two-year-old, and we left with a free CD and activity book! And it was completely free! It was so far off the beaten path that it was a small group. However, it gave the Person ample room to run in circles.
We then moved on to my husband's pick, the Women's City Club. It's a beautiful venue with a quiet, contemplative gallery. The ladies are always so generous, and they serve meals and drinks. Their efforts are tremendous. Now, travelling with a 2-year-old is complicated, and here is what she liked best:
The live music in the luncheon room. Luckily my sister had already visited this venue, and was kind enough to take the Person around while my husband and I enjoyed the art. Now, enjoy . . . a complicated word when discussing Site:Lab. I am not going to include any photos, as I didn't love it there. Site:Lab is just so polarizing. I truly loved the video piece Sonnet 27, on the jury short list. The vibe fit perfectly with the building. Everything else I just wasn't feeling this year. I really felt like Year of the Snake opened up the building in a way that took some of the darkness and foreboding out of it. That building is damn creepy, and I like it that way.
Since we were strapped for time, we finished up at UICA, a venue we've been dying to get to for years. It did not disappoint.
The level of creativity in one space was unbelievable. From Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me? (the top picture, sculpture made with crayon) to WoolHouse (directly above), the forms used were so varied, the use of space so unique, I just had my faith in Art Prize restored completely. We will be returning, because I actually felt like we missed something. I really wanted to concentrate on the pieces even more.
What really made me excited today was the enthusiasm from the artists at UICA. The vibe was much more personal, and the artist above, Jessica Joy London, was so willing to let the public touch an example of the art that it made me more excited to experience it. Her piece, Natural Phenomena/Synthetic Wonder, had the colorful appeal that my Person loves. The more color, the better. Going to Hillside and Heartside was eye-opening. We have yet to visit Center City and the more populist art, but we're feeling more excited about the coming days.
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