A much needed road trip adventure, courtesy of my friend Amy.
We’ve both been wanting to see the Vivian Maier exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center — and, lucky us, we made it to its last weekend.
For a look a her work and to read about her work, check this out. And a new exhibit of her work is coming to Chicago on April 15. She had an extraordinary eye and an amazing gift.
But that Cultural Center brought a few memorable experiences beyond the exhibit.
First, we were introduced to the Art-O-Mat, which seems to be a repurposed vintage cigarette dispenser that sells tiny pieces of art. My art treasure was a photograph taken by Matt Larson with a toy camera. Check out his blog here. The photo was in his March 28 post. My only regret is that I didn’t buy more of his photos.
Next at the Cultural Center? George. George and Project Onward, a studio and gallery where artists with mental and developmental disabilities can create and sell their work. As we walked through the gallery and store, we noticed some wonderful pastel portraits of cats and dogs. Turns out they had their artist in common — George Zuniga. This was on a card that I bought. I copied the image from his page on Project Onward’s site. (One of his kitties is also on the home page.) When I asked the cashier to tell me about the artist, she said that his name is George, he is autistic and oh, by the way, he just walked around the corner. So I got to meet George. He made me laugh and touched my heart. I liked him even more after I read on his webpage that he describes his work as “Artism” — a term he uses to describe the work of an artist with autism.
Then we left and Amy suggested lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern, which apparently is the source of an SNL skit. See that video? Yeah, that’s about how it went. I want to take the kids there now.
The day also brought a trip to the Hello Kitty store and the Lego Store. Life size Woody was something else. Yes, Drew has already asked to go there during our trip in July.
We walked all over the place and saw the not-unusual-for-Chicago things.
And then we saw some unusual things…like statues with a pulse…
…and big, cool birds on buildings.
And then we saw some really unusual things.
A Peeps promotional event at Tribune Tower Plaza, complete with Peeps bug and well, a Peep.
Oh, and notice all of the feathers around Peeps bug? They were the result of…
International Pillow Fight Day was in full swing right alongside Peep. It was hilarious (as long as you weren’t the groundskeeper) and feathers were flying everywhere.
Then we finished the day with a walk – and drive – around the lake at the Morton Arboretum.
What a beautiful space.
Loved this bush. Reminded me of something I saw at Our Lady of the Snows.
Now I’m home with my boys and trying to wrap my head around going back to work in the morning. But what a fun adventure. New things, great food, good company. Feeling so lucky. Thanks, Amy!
hey there, friends 
Another Vivian Maier exhibit?? Your pictures are great! Loved watching the SNL skit only they really serve "Coke, no Pepsi!" Too funny! Oh and I loved seeing George's page. Glad you could hang out with me this weekend – thank you!
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Can you believe that?! Did you look at the preview link on the website? I thought the photos looked new. But I'm glad we saw the first exhibit. It was great – thank you again. SO much fun.
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Yeah, I thought they looked new, too. I was showing your pics to Joe and he freaked when he saw the Morton Arboretum pic. He took a pic of the same bush and is turning in a black and white version for class tomorrow! Crazy!
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Oh that's funny!! It really is a cool bush. I'm guessing it's been the subject of quite a few photos.
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