Weekend Adventure...

This weekend was really fruitful for me, if you count afternoon naps and light shopping among constructive endeavors.

Actually, I was more active than the above-sentence might suggest. On Saturday I rode my bike over to the Riverside Art Market where I used Matt’s/BikeJax’s Bike Valet Service. It is such a smart way to effectively utilize the space, while letting people feel secure about their “steeds.” *Sidebar, when I was a kid, I used to pretend that my bright-red 10-speed was really a horse…now, slightly more steeped in bike culture (well, at least I read the blogs) I find out this is a fairly common occurrence…

But enough of my maundering; after arriving at the market, I wandered around for a good hour or so, just kind of absorbing the vibe and seeing how everything worked. And I must say, it seems to be a success…I will be curious to hear about how the artists themselves do, but the ancillary booths seemed to be doing a brisk business and everyone I ran into that I knew seemed to be smiling…

Overall, I hope the RAM serves to elevate the visibility of the arts in Jacksonville, and in so doing, contribute to a culture where the value of the arts aren’t just given lip service, but instead help to create a community where the arts are more viable for artists themselves.

That being said, I’d like to remind myself and others of what Jim Draper (gosh I seem to be quoting him a lot) once told a roomful of aspiring artists: that only 20% of his market was here in Jacksonville, the rest are much further afield.

Interestingly, a few of the vendors that really caught my eye were those using humble materials and transforming them…but these thoughts I’m developing into a more articulate article for EU…look for it in the May issue.

After RAM, I went to check out the Tilly Fowler Memorial sculpture being installed just behind the YMCA, on the Riverwalk in Riverside. I am still not sure that I love the piece, but I do support a greater proliferation of public art in our city…

Then later on this weekend, I found myself at my friend’s suburban home near the beach, watching a troupe of usually articulate friends hurl themselves down a hill, into a retension pond…though I was tempted, I resisted…it was like stank, kamikaze, slip-n-slide...

*and finally, the picture of my dog is taken from my recent Santa Fe trip, we were out hiking in the Sangre de Christo mountains, and the shot, taken on my trusty cell phone pleases me to no end.

A Mighty Oak for a Steel Magnolia?

Tillie Fowler, formerly President of Jacksonville’s City Council from 1982-85, and then, (1992-2000) she served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, died in 2005. As one of Jacksonville’s most beloved politicians (there were about 500 people at her memorial service), it does not surprise me that she is being honored with a monument. What is surprising however, is the more progressive nature, not of the imagery, but of the process.

From the artist, Brower Hatcher’s proposal {it is, ahem a bit purple}: “I have designed a work that embodies the strength, beauty and grace of Tillie Fowler. Tillie's spirit will be captured in the image of a magnificent oak tree – strong, protective of her community, concerned for all and always reaching out.”

After looking over Hatcher’s work, it seems safe to say that there’s definitely a preoccupation with the mathematically generated, in keeping with his engineering background. According to the Cultural Council, Hatcher attended Vanderbilt University School of Engineering in Nashville, TN and received his degree in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute in New York. He studied sculpture at St. Martins School of Art in London, U.K. and served on the faculty at St. Martins and Bennington College. In his career as an artist, Hatcher has built over 40 public art projects throughout the U.S. He has received three National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship and an honorary Ph.D. from the State University of New York.

Though the above drawings have a kind of geeky coolness to them, they also remind me of fractals, so I am withholding judgement until the piece is installed. Installation begins on the Northbank Riverwalk beginning March 30, and is projected to last about five days.

While in Jacksonville, Hatcher will present a lecture for the public on April 1, at 7:00 p.m. at MOCA.