Sunday, July 2, 2023
The plan for today was just like yesterday. Just go out walking and see what I could find. I woke up to the sound of rain on the hotel window. At first it was supposed to end by 10A, then 11A. So, I hung out in the hotel and edited some travel notes. When the new forecast suggested maybe by 4P, I just had to get out.
I grabbed by rain jacket and walked outside, under the hotel's overhang. Based on what I was seeing from the people walking along, I decided to head back in for another cup of coffee. I wound up in a conversation with a couple in town for the Cubs game and a guy in town for the NASCAR race.
This band of rain was parked over the city, causing alerts on my phone of street flooding. This is why the rain didn't end by late morning as promised.
Considering how long I've been out on the road, I can't complain about one full day of rain. So, I started looking for things close by. The Museum of Contemporary Art is only four blocks away. I had no idea what to expect. But, it would get me out of the hotel and rain, and quite possibly introduce me to something completely different.
The first gallery inside is a series of works they called Enter the Mirror
The purpose is to question what you perceive. For example, White #11 by Glenn Ligon. From across the room, it's just a canvas painted black.
But, up close there's text throughout.
Lights in a lounge area.
The fourth floor is almost all the work of Gary Simmons in a display called Public Enemy. It's centered around his observations of racism and classism as they've been depicted in the past and are still being depicted. And he pulls no punches.
Three of his works are painted directly on the walls of the museum. When it's time to bring in the next artist, they'll simply be painted over. To him, that means they'll remain a permanent part of the museum, even if no one ever sees them again.
He calls this one "Line Up." Those are gold shoes.
He calls this piece "Step Into the Arena." It's a scaled down boxing ring, with tap shoes. On the ring floor is a step diagram of a dance called the Cakewalk. The dance began as a way to subtly mock slave owner's formal dancing. It was then used in minstrel shows, often by actors in blackface. It's supposed to represent racial exploitation through sports and entertainment, and how often these arenas have been used for protest.
He calls this one "6-X" and it represents the racist indoctrination of youth and how kids pick up ideas from the world around them.
He calls this one simply, "Boom." We all saw cartoon explosions as kids. The question he's asking is, did it desensitize us to violence to some degree?
A caricature of the antagonists from "Deliverance." Simmons said the "fears and stereotypes are all right there and inherent within the film. It's about the fear of others." What better way to show the outsized caricatures than by making them oversized bobbleheads.
Rockland Drive in
Hold Up-Wait a Minute depicts Bosko, a mostly forgotten 1930's Looney Tunes character based on the mannerisms depicted in minstrel shows.
Like I said, he doesn't pull his punches.
By now it was 3P and still raining. The weather guessers were now saying this slop would clear out by 7P, maybe. My first thought was, the car is only a block and a half away. I keep a small, collapsible umbrella tucked in the door. My second thought, but the car keys are still four blocks away.
So, I started thinking about a late lunch. A block up is Harry Carey's restaurant. What better "Chicago" place to eat. With only a cap and a waterproofish jacket, my shoes and everything below the bottom of the jacket were soaked when I arrived.
There's actually an express elevator to the seventh floor and the restaurant.
Lunch was a decent meatball sandwich. As I was settling up, Josh mentioned that my receipt would get me into the Chicago Sports Museum adjacent to them. With the rain still coming down, I figured why not.
A depiction of Shaquille O'Neal's show size.
A representation of William "the Refrigerator" Perry's Super Bowl ring, the largest every made.
The actual Hoverboard and Sports Almanac from "Back to the Future" predicting the Cub's World Series win.
This is actually fascinating how often they found references to the number 108 in the predictions of the Cubs' win.
This is the actual ball Steve Bartman caught in the 2003 playoffs, effecting the outcome of the game.
When I finally worked my way down to the street, the rain had actually stopped, well almost. It felt good to be able to walk back, and not have to run.
I did go back out for sunset and started walking west, looking for an open view. From the walk west...
Finally sunset...
From the walk back to the room...
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