blog

moving

2009-07-30T22:27:00.005-05:00

Moving to:

http://stromsensuisse.blogspot.com/

The moment we've all been waiting for...well I have anyway: Derek and I are beginning a new journey in Europe. You can follow our adventures and see pictures of some of the yummy things I imagine we will be doing, seeing, and eating in this exciting new phase of our lives together. We are spending our final days in DeKalb packing and hurrying around, but are grateful we were able to see many friends and family members this summer. If we missed you, we will be back briefly in mid-September before the actual move and hope to see you then.

I had planned to have a big farewell DeKalb- all the things I will miss and lots of sentimentality, but time is getting short (maybe it's still coming). Anyway, I hope we will keep in touch. My posts on this blog may be limited at this time, but you can see what we are up to at our new shared blog stroms en suisse.

Uf Widerluege

by the mighty mississippi...

2009-07-25T21:48:00.009-05:00

Derek, Justin, Phil, Elizabeth, Greta and I all left for the Quad Cities for a long anticipated Augustana road trip/reunion. We e set out Friday evening for a fun filled 24 hours- I can't remember when I've laughed so much. First stop Village Inn- that's after two hours of walkies-talkie banter, checking into our hotel room, and braving flash floods. The torrential rains cleared while we enjoyed a late night breakfast at our table tucked away in the back corner of the VI, Rock Island. Then a visit to an empty Blue Cat and the rangoon man in the District before utter silliness broke out.

Saturday we enjoyed a complementary breakfast at our hotel before making our rounds through the QCA to reminisce and recreate old photos. Festivities were going on at the John Deer Pavilion. Justin and I got "Corn is Amaizing" tattoos.

Photo Reenactment: D + J 2000

D + J 2009

We did some thrifting/antiquing and then to Arther's Deli- I have waited years for a cheesy potato. We spent the afternoon walking through campus and took some group photos at some of our favorite spots donning our Augustana T's. Maybe Augustana could put us in a student life ad...

Finally to another college frequent: Whitey's Ice Cream to top off a great afternoon. And then it was already to drive back home too soon.

Good times.

master pieces

2009-07-16T09:30:00.008-05:00

Although I didn't make it to Cincinnati this weekend, Friday was the opening for Master Pieces at Manifest Gallery. After seeing photos courtesy curator Jason Franz, I really wish I would have had a way to get there. It looks like a fantastic show. Again I am impressed by the quality of all the work, and it looks like a great space and a good time.

The gallery also sent out the catalog for proofing this week. It was great to see reproductions of all the works and read some similar interests and themes in each artist's statement connecting our concerns from across the country. I can't wait to get a copy. If you are interested, the 44 page stellar catalog will be available for $9.39 at the gallery bookstore soon (I think in September). Here is a look at an introductory page discussing the premise of the show. I have copied the text below the image:

A Question of Mastery: Curator, Jason Franz

"What is it? Where do masterpieces come from? What do we do in society to promote such high achievement - the production of singularly qualified works of skill, imagination, intellect, craftsmanship, and commitment? Manifest realizes that the answers to these questions are varied. Mastery occurs in many ways, sometimes even by way of circumstances out of our control. However, we also understand that society is often disassociated from one of the primary sources of mastery today, that it does not have access to, or understanding of the academic MFA process. We feel this is to the detriment of both parties.

Therefore with the annual Master Pieces project we invite graduate students, and those having attained the degree of Master within the past year, to submit works for consideration by our jury, in order to share this realm of academic pursuit, and these artists' efforts to attain a terminal degree in the practice of visual art.

Manifest’s goal has been to select works that in the truest sense of the word are contemporary masterpieces – works that set the standard of quality that the artist is expected to maintain throughout his or her professional career. This exhibit catalog will serve as an historic documentation of the artists’ professional benchmarks for years to come.

With Master Pieces Manifest takes a stand for the importance of what these artists are doing, the system by which they are trained and proclaimed 'master', and for the objects they have made to establish their place and role in the world."

This third annual Master Pieces project received 400 entries from 139 artists. The final selection includes 16 works by thirteen new masters from across the U.S.:

Meredith Adamisin (Northville, Michigan)
John Carrasco III (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Kyle Chaput (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Hima Chennamaraju (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Benjamin Clore (East Lansing, Michigan)
Rachel Heberling (Lewisburg, Pennsylvania)
Robert Hernandez (Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts)
Josh Johnson (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Sonia Lea (Bloomington, Indiana)
Robert Minervini (San Francisco, California)
Travis Shaffer (Nicholasville, Kentucky)
Japheth Storlie (Maquoketa, Iowa)
Kimberly Strom (DeKalb, Illinois)

works on paper

2009-07-15T20:52:00.008-05:00

Saturday night was the opening at Around the Coyote in Wicker park for the Joseph Frasca Memorial Works on Paper Competition.
The show runs through August 15, so if you happen to be in the area, it is worth stopping. I was impressed by the overall quality of the work and excited to be one of the artists included. I knew two of the artists that were selected for the show and was happy to find that my piece was hung next to one of them.

Awesome layered drawing and photograph by Deb Rockman left, one of my trees right.

Here are a few photos from the opening:

This is the second exhibition in Around the Coyote's new space- behind a lumber yard. As you can see, it is a fun space with cement floors, brick walls, exposed ceiling, and open garage door for fresh air- I love it, and it was a beautiful evening.

berries

2009-07-14T20:14:00.003-05:00

This evening I picked a few wild black raspberries by the park (ripe a few weeks later than normal). I associate raspberries with scratches and mosquito bites, and although I tried to pick from the perimeter rather than climbing through the bushes like usual, I still managed to get a few of both. But the berries are always worth it. Normally I would pick as many as I could carry home and then go back for more, but I don't plan on making jam this summer- just some fresh ones to eat tonight on vanilla ice cream and pancakes in the morning.

summer goals

2009-07-10T19:40:00.001-05:00

One of my "goals" this summer was to watch all four seasons of Doogie Howser, M.D. Yes, I can already cross this one off the list. I didn't watched the show 20 years ago when it aired-except I remember watching one episode at a friend's house- the episode where Doogie and Vinnie are held hostage at the convenience store. Although It took me a few episodes to get into it, I was completely hooked. This show is still great! I feel like I can relate better now to the early nineties - I also have a list of movies I never saw that are considered essential to anyone growing up in the 80's. I've still got some catching up to do. Derek recently made me see the Terminator for the first time and last summer I saw my first Indiana Jones movie.

I wish I had some clever way to express the lessons I learned watching Doogie (pause, glance up and to the left, smirk signalling I just had a revelation, and begin typing again), but mostly I mostly I just enjoy watching Neil Patrick Harris. Guess what Derek's nick-name was as a kid...

madison, wi

2009-07-07T21:56:00.005-05:00

Derek attended a summer session at UW, Madison for almost 2 weeks at the end of June. I rode up with our friends Pete and Janean to spend a weekend eating good food, birding, and visiting Derek for a bit, but then I ended up staying for a whole week. My week in Madison was chilly, but I found plenty to keep busy, long, long walks along the lakes: Mendota, Monona, and Wingra, museum visits, lots to eat, and plenty of resale shops and bookstores to browse. I had a majority of the days to wander, but Derek had a 3 hour lunch break, so we also got to do a little exploring together.

Wisconsin State Capitol building: (above photo- inside the dome).

The night before we left for home, there was an orchestra concert on the lawn around the capitol. We stopped at a nearby shop, Fromagination, a cheese and things that go with cheese store, and bought cheese, of course, a hot baguette, and chocolate to picnic at the concert. We enjoyed the 1812 Overture with blasting cannons.

madison: food

2009-07-07T21:54:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite things to do in Madison is eat. There is no shortage of great vegetarian restaurants, street vendors, cafes, and a large local co-op. We made the necessary stop at the Blue Plate Diner- always a favorite, but had the opportunity to share a truly fabulous dinner at L'Etoile with Pete and Janean when we arrived on Saturday night. L'Etoile is a beautiful restaurant that serves seasonal, locally grown food from small farms. We had a cheese tasting with our meals and even sprung for dessert, but I think the best part may have been my rhubarb/mint mojito- YUM. Everyone there was delightful and generous with sampling between courses. They also have a breakfast/lunch cafe where Derek and I stopped for a great lunch and beverages one afternoon. I was fond of the copper bars and details.

Another day, we shared a pasty from Teddy Wedgers in this tiny corner front. Good crust, warm and filling on a nippy day.

madison: green things

2009-07-07T21:53:00.014-05:00

We traveled to Horicon marsh on Sunday with Pete and Janean for a full day of birdwatching. We saw over 50 species of birds including yellow-headed black birds that Derek and I had not seen before.

Madison is known for being a "green" city- bike lanes and pedestrian friendly. I found plenty of great places to walk and to walk to. Each morning during the week, I went for long walks, usually along a lakefront trail. One day I visited the arboretum and another, I found my way out to the botanic garden. Derek and I stopped at both these places again on our way back home on Friday.

This is the conservatory at the botanical gardens (free admission to the gardens and $1 for the conservatory).

A kaleidoscopic view of potted succulents, and bears picnicking at the gardens:

Here come a lot of flower photos- who can resist:

Some of these large pelican orchids were nearly the size of a soccer ball when blooming.

madison: museums

2009-07-07T21:53:00.013-05:00

Although it didn't rain much, it looked like it was about to rain most of the time. Wile I spent most of the week outside anyway, enjoying a break from the sudden summer heat, walking, or watching sailing lessons, I also found some fun museums to visit on cooler afternoons.

One of my favorites was the Odd Wisconsin exhibit at the History Museum displaying a variety of artifacts and objects loaded with local and national history. Each object was accompanied by a unique story. Some favorites: paint-gallon size fall-out food from General Mills, an x-ray machine for custom-fit shoes, Wisconsin Death Trip photos, shoe molds for a giant, skunk oil, an early perm machine- yikes, and all sorts of other oddities that seemed to make sense in some other time.

Outside this exhibit was also a two room set-up showing how we use objects to understand something about a culture and a specific time: a 1990's kitchen and living room! How funny to see a Nintendo, cassette tapes, teenage mutant ninja turtles, a wall-mounted corded telephone, a blue corduroy reclining chair, even a computer like the one Doogie Howser typed on at the end of each episode. It really was like looking into our own homes not too many years ago, and realizing how different everyday objects have become in such a short time.

Derek and I also visited the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art to see Return to Function, an interesting look at art objects exploring ideas of transportation, shelter, clothing, and commodity.

We are sitting at the rooftop sculpture garden, and the view of the street below:

madison: etc

2009-07-07T21:51:00.008-05:00

I also had plenty of time to wander trough shops and book stores. I like the loose paper at Pop Deluxe. They also carried some great jewelry, pantone color coffee mugs, and other fun designy things. Papers:

I even got a few treats-

Sweet: Candinas chocolates (all for me).

Cheap: 2 Vera scarves from Goodwill $2 each, earrings $4, used paperback, Willa Cather's first novel $3, and a beautiful field guide to the birds of Europe for Derek $6.95.

Free: an origami crane I found on one of my walks.

2009 (miles)

2009-07-01T17:03:00.003-05:00

One year ago, I began the walking project and have accumulated 2,009 miles commuting by foot to school, work, the grocery store, and anywhere else I needed to get to. Coincidentally, I walked 2009 miles from July 2008-June 2009- that's kind of weird.

haircut

2009-06-21T20:37:00.002-05:00

Bathroom glamor shot of my fun new haircut. Perfect timing for the first warm days of summer. I love having short hair now for a full day, still getting used to it. No blow drying or even brushing required!

good-bye pony tail

2009-06-20T22:44:00.004-05:00

Today I had this removed... So I have never before had short hair, but a recent photo prompted me to realize it was time to loose several inches. This morning I walked to Super Cuts, nervous, but I didn't want my sudden burst of courage to pass, so one quick pass with the scissors and it was gone. This is just a teaser, I'll have to take an "after" photo maybe tomorrow. I have to say, besides feeling much lighter and cooler, it is no maintenance- it looked the same after swimming.

storm

2009-06-20T22:37:00.004-05:00

More storms and rain yesterday. I went out for a walk as soon as it stopped raining last night. The sky was awesome. I was especially fascinated by this low dark cloud that made a ring about 3 miles around.

chicago tourists

2009-06-18T21:55:00.005-05:00

Having lived within an hour of Chicago all my life, I haven't really spent too much time in the city until recently. Derek had to make a trip in to UIC last week, so I went along and we had a date at a free AIC evening so that he could see the new Modern Wing. We also happened upon the "bean" (aka: Cloud Gate by British artist Anish Kapoor) which neither of us had actually visited yet, and took the typical snapshots.

beautiful surprise

2009-06-09T21:15:00.004-05:00

Today I received a beautiful surprise. Besides an afternoon slice of sweet potato pie, my friend Janean gave me gave me this awesome, vintage c. 1930s-1940s, turquoise ring that I think is really gorgeous.

I learned that it is difficult to photograph your own hand, and nearly impossible to hold a camera with your left hand. Do they make cameras for lefties? I always shoot with my left eye, but that is not nearly the inconvenience of trying to balance a camera in your left hand. I had to put the ring on my opposite hand to take a quick snapshot.

printers row

2009-06-08T18:18:00.002-05:00

Despite the threat of rain and storms, Printers Row made it through the weekend without more than a little drizzle. A big relief after heavy storms and nearby tornadoes last year. An exhausting weekend making trips into the city both Saturday and Sunday, but never a dull moment at the I Due Art for You Museum book tent. Besides piling fabulous photography books, we decorated the tent with baby heads, yes we can openers, political toilet paper, vintage pins and postcards, quacking ducks, rubber stamps, the famous Rolling Stones Shmuzzle puzzles, and just about anything else that fits into shiny silver baskets.

book fair

2009-06-04T20:43:00.004-05:00

This weekend you can find me at the Printers Row Book Fair! It will be my fourth year manning the tent for Books 4 You, a division of the I Due Art 4 You Museum with every one's favorite Dadaist, Chicago artist and curator Helene Smith-Romer. The Books 4 You tent will have a fabulous selection of art books, especially photography, and all sorts of zany toys/memorabilia/kitsch.

If you happen to be in the are, please stop and say HI!

aic modern wing

2009-05-31T21:25:00.005-05:00

About a week ago, I had the privilege to visit the new Modern Wing at the Art Institute. The NIU Art Museum took a small group into Chicago to spend one of the first week's free days at the newly opened addition by architect Renzo Piano. Piano is also the architect of the inside-out Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern- where I plan to make my first excursion when we arrive in Switzerland in August. I have to admit, as much as the Ai has a fabulous Modern collection (only enhanced by its new setting) and a new photography gallery and a section devoted to design and architecture , I was most interested in seeing the building for the first time, enjoying the natural light, and relaxing on the third floor balcony and other public/social spaces on a beautiful spring afternoon. Can't wait to visit again!

This is the view from the coffee bar overlooking the entrance.

opening night

2009-05-11T09:22:00.006-05:00

Friday night was the opening of departures, Northern Illinois University MFA 2009 exhibition at Chicago Arts District. We had a great turn out (estimates around 400 guests or so throughout the evening). The gallery is a great space with high ceiling and good wood floors. The receptions was catered (yum) and we even had two bartenders. It was fun to see many friends and faculty, as well as meeting some new people. Our graduating group is terrific and I think we put together an awesome show.

Me in front of my piece, record: i don't know who the people are.

Congrats to NIU's 2009 MFA graduates. Yea for skipping the graduation ceremony for opening night! You are all great and I wish you much happiness and success!

More photos on facebook. I'll try to tag you all later.

departures

2009-05-07T21:03:00.003-05:00

Today we installed departures, the MFA group exhibition for those of us graduating this spring from NIU. The opening reception is tomorrow night, 6 - 10 pm, 1915 S Halsted, Chicago Arts District Exhibitions space. Hope to see you there.

spring, finally

2009-05-04T08:47:00.004-05:00

We finally had a spring-like weekend- the sun was out, flowers blooming, ad of course we continued the major spring cleaning. As a break from the cleaning push, Derek and I went on one of Pete's bird walks at Afton- a great way to enjoy a spring morning.

Unfortunately, it was still too wet to plant the garden, but we staked off the next acre for the prairie restoration.

almost over

2009-04-27T19:55:00.003-05:00

Being away from campus for nearly the last two weeks, it seems a lot has changed- it smells like the last week of school in the hallways, the air is heavy and humid, and everyone is anticipating a break and better weather.

I turned in my final MFA thesis and documentation with the last set of advisory signatures today. I think this means that I am all done with grad school....

some road trip photos

2009-04-27T19:04:00.015-05:00

Derek calling for road closures.

Derek and I had a great road trip to Colorado. After our long day of driving- all the way to Cheyenne, we ended up spending the night in our car- all roads in and out were closed from a sudden snow storm that was estimated to drop nearly four feet of snow. We made our way out the next morning, down to Ft. Collins and then back up to Saratoga for a relaxing evening of hot springs. We had a great weekend with Amber and Brandon, and enjoyed a walk into Old Town Ft. Collins on Sunday.

After a great weekend in Ft. Collins, we headed to the Denver area to visit friends and my aunt and uncle who we always stop to see on our road trips westward. The weather was splendid, nearly 80 everyday, after that initial snowstorm. We spent a day out walking and birdwatching and saw several exciting birds. Derek will have more photos on his blog at some point, but I borrowed this Western Meadowlark that he digiscoped. Other exciting birds we saw: horned and western grebes, pelicans, bald eagles, western bluebirds, swainsen's hawk, and common mergansers.
We made a day trip to Leadville up in the mountains, and spent some time wandering there. We stopped a an antique shop that was previously a hardware store. There was so much to see.

Then back to Denver to hunt for the big blue bear and another chance to hang out with friends before starting back east.

Thanks Kevin for the group photo (and the bear back photo above)!

During the trip home, we stopped at the Konza Prairie near Manhattan, Kansas for a hike. Here is Derek in the dried remnants of last year's grasses.

The drive was the perfect time to finish reading Willa Cather's My Anotnia. It is one of my all time favorite book. Her language is incredibly powerful, especially describing the prairie landscape. I just finished it for a second time, and already want to read it again.

back from vacation

2009-04-26T20:48:00.003-05:00

Derek and I have just returned from a fabulous road trip to Colorado. We had the opportunity to visit several family members and friends, and just had a super time (even sleeping in our car at a gas station in Wyoming through a spring snowstorm after driving 14 hours and only 30 miles from our destination was somehow an enjoyable experience). We have lots of stories and photos, so I will be catching up with all the details soon.

field trip

2009-04-15T20:46:00.006-05:00

Today I had the opportunity to tag along with one of the Museum Studies class trips to visit the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago (they also went to the planetarium, but I was busy looking at the fish). First stop, Field Museum, and we got to visit the bug room ad the room where they prepare birds- stuffing and cleaning skeletons. I went along on this trip last year too, but you just can't pass up the "behind the scenes" tours. In the bug area, I even got to old a tarantula (Charlie)- I hope to get a picture from someone else. These are some of the great bug cases:

A stray:

Then to the aquarium, not a lot of photos, but the ceiling is really beautiful:

This is a Caiman lizard.

We also saw really awesome fish. It was a fun day, but lots to do now tonight.

ars nova show

2009-04-14T23:15:00.006-05:00

Finally, am I am posting a few quick photos from the Annual Juried Blick Art Materials Ars Nova Exhibition that opened last week Thursday at the Olson Gallery. The gallery received over 180 submissions this year. My piece, record, won first place for the graduate level! There is now a nice pink sticker next to the piece stating this, but I haven't gotten a photo of that yet.

record: i don't know who the people are

mfa show post cards

2009-04-07T21:20:00.004-05:00

Today I ordered the postcards for departures - the exhibition of work by the 12 MFA grads this year (myself included). The show is at the Chicago Arts District again this year, opening reception 6 - 10 pm on May 8 (which also happens to be during the actual graduation ceremony back in DeKalb...) Anyway, it should be a strong show.

Opening this Thursday 4:30 - 6:00 pm at the Olson Gallery: the Annual Juried Blick Art Materials Ars Nova Exhibition. (say that 3 times fast). The juror this year was Shannon Stratton, co-founder of three walls in Chicago, who will give a brief gallery talk at the opening. I have been busy installing the approx. 40 pieces selected from over 180 submissions by both grads and undergrads. I'll post photos later this week.

tonight at the museum

2009-04-02T10:56:00.006-05:00

Opening reception tonight for our Spring Printmaking Suite, four fantastic exhibitions including a beautiful Kathe Kollwitz show:

and an exhibition of prints and plates by David Driesbach organized by a Museum Studies class here at NIU.

I should probably head to the museum now to start setting up !

cheekwood art & gardens

2009-04-02T10:41:00.004-05:00

Derek and I spent Sunday afternoon (after breakfast and before the wedding) at Cheekwood, on the southwest side of Nashville. I wanted to come here especially for the William Christenberry exhibition, Passing Time- which was absolutely fabulous, and then we quickly toured the mile long sculpture trail on the grounds. Some of our favorites: (above- Douf Hollis, High-Back Windharp Chairs)

Siah Armajani, Glass

Bridge Sophie Ryder, Crawling Lady Hare

James Turell, Blue Pesher

This is the Cheekwood house and location of the art galleries. A must stop when in Nashville.

spring comes sooner in the south

2009-04-02T10:29:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Derek and I made a trip to Tennessee (so not too far south) for the wedding of one of his childhood friends (although I don't have photos of the wedding, it was absolutely stunning and intimate, at a state park where we camped for two nights). These purple buds were everywhere. We drove part of the day on Friday, camped near Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky, and then spent most of Saturday hiking in that area in the border of TN and KY. Within five minutes into a long hike, we saw nearly 60 species of birds! Wandering just a little off the trail, we came across this stream and tons of wildflowers. It was fantastic to see so much color, and things in bloom.

On Sunday, we got to have breakfast with my cousin at Belmont University, and she gave us a driving tour of Nashville. I wish we had longer to stay, but it was a quick trip, and we were home again Monday evening.

what's next...

2009-03-17T21:41:00.003-05:00

Derek accepted an offer from UIC to work on the CMS experiment. He will begin work with UIC this May, and we will be moving this fall somewhere by the French Swiss border to be near the CERN lab. Derek is very excited about the work he will be doing, and of course I am super excited about the opportunity to spend some time in Europe. (Above image is the CMS silicon detector, photo from wikimedia.com)

Celebration sushi for dinner:

jay ryan posters at the museum

2009-03-13T21:57:00.006-05:00

Jay Ryan installed his posters for Flock at the Art Museum. The show opens on 3/24. I really like Cat on a Bicycle (above).

chicago botanic garden

2009-03-08T14:44:00.015-05:00

Before Jess's opening on Friday, Derek and I spent the afternoon at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was only 3 miles from the Art Center, so we walked there for lunch, taking photos, and enjoying some fresh air and much needed interaction with color and living things. It was a beautiful day, so we got to eat outside in the warm sunshine, and spent the afternoon wandering the paths and photographing the blooming plants in the green houses. Here are lots of colorful pictures to brighten a dreary/stormy day:

Japanese gardens:

English walled-garden:

Green-ish things:

for a limited time only

2009-03-07T12:45:00.010-06:00

Some photos from the opening reception of for a limited time only at the Art Center in Highland Park. There was a great crowd for the openings there, and we were so happy to see Jess and her bird seed sculptures. She had beautiful weather for arranging the seed outside too.

Jess and Derek:

Jess and Michele:

Everyone enjoyed participating in Jess's sculptures.

Some more photos of the show and Jess making the rounds, also giant frosted cakes with salami and cabbage:

For more images and info about this exhibition, visit the curator's (Olga Stefan) blog: Correspondences.

quinoa recipe

2009-03-05T20:42:00.005-06:00

It's not all chocolate around here. This is one of my favorites, and the quasi-recipe is below (I guess I'm not too big on measurements) but this is super easy and really tasty:

-cooked quinoa (soaked, rinsed, drained,
simmered 1:2 with water about 20 minutes)
-red pepper, diced
-scallions, sliced
-onion, a little bit diced
-currents
-pine nuts
-turmeric
-cilantro, chopped
-olive oil, not much (I used lemon olive oil)

Serve cold (I like it room temp).

I make a bunch and keep it in the fridge for a week of lunches.

p^2

2009-03-05T20:31:00.003-06:00

Today I helped Pete and Peter install their show:
P2: Prints and Drawings by Peter Olson and Peter Van Ael, at the Nehring Gallery, in downtown DeKalb. Since the gallery is in a historic building, no nail holes allowed, so we had to hang all the work from fishing line, attached to fishing hooks on the molding.

Show info:
Dates: March 19 - May 2
Hours: Wednesday 11 am - 3 pm, Saturday 1 - 5 pm,
and by Appointment
Web: www.nehringgallery.org,
www.petervanael.com, www.peterolsonbirds.com

"P2; Peter Squared; an exhibition of work by two printmakers named Peter. Mr. Van Ael is coordinator of the Jack Olson Gallery at Northern Illinois University (NIU); Mr. Olson is the Assistant Director of the NIU Art Museum. The Nehring Gallery is located in an historic building in downtown DeKalb, Illinois."

uber indulgence

2009-03-04T19:27:00.004-06:00

Tonight I will be enjoying a little (okay not a little) an uber indulgence. I finished making the truffles (yum) in 4 flavors: raspberry liquor with cocoa, orange, German chocolate, and almond with cocoa. My big plans tonight: re-sample each of the flavors to make sure they are good before sharing, and kick back with a dvd- the first season of Project Runway- I'm excited. Maybe I'll even finish crocheting the scarf I started around the holidays, before the warm weather gets here.

torte and rearranging

2009-03-03T17:23:00.003-06:00

This is my favorite: Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte. It must be good with a name like that. I made it for my birthday and shared it with some company over the weekend. It is very rich, so a little goes a long way (I did have two pieces of it yesterday though and some cheesecake). The topping besides fresh raspberries and blackberries is raspberry liquor made from berries I picked in October, and aging in the cabinet.

Like everyone else, I have a terrible case of spring fever. I think it started towards the end of January, but in the last few weeks, has manifested in the need for flowers, the urge to plant, and of course the impulse to clean and reorganize. One morning last week, Derek and I moved all our furniture around. Since we no longer have a tv, there is no reason to aim furniture at one. We decided to devote the kitchen table to a work area, since that is what we use it for anyway, so now we don't have to move our computers when it's time to eat. We brought down Derek's kitchen table from his apartment in Evanston that we had upstairs to use specifically for eating on. The new arrangement puts our work area beside the patio door, so we get lots of morning sunshine. It's great how a little cleaning up and moving around can put a little order back in your days and thoughts.

it's my birthday...

2009-03-02T09:55:00.002-06:00

So I'll celebrate however I want to.

I was looking for an adorable picture of me as a kid with some cake and candles, but as I couldn't come across one of those quickly, I figured this would do, also cute and definitely celebrating something.

march is women's history month

2009-03-01T12:04:00.002-06:00

The NIU Women's Studies Department organizes and sponsors all sorts of events and activities in March for Women's History Month (including a poster design contest to advertise the events). I was selected as this years designer - two years in a row- and am extra excited for the theme Women, the Environment and Sustainability. The events are listed on the WOMs webpage. As you can see from all the tiny text on the poster image (actual is 17" x 22") there is lots going on this month.

live from budapest

2009-03-01T09:45:00.005-06:00

Last night we went to the Egyptian Theater in town for the Live from Budapest variety show, feature lots of community talent. Here is the Egyptian's listing:

"Budapest is a place where dreams come true, where entertainment and inspiration reign supreme. This fantastic evening features: Emergence Dance Theatre's SHAKTI BELLYDANCERS, Live Jazz from The Lil' Phat Band, an extraordinary shadow puppet rendition of The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari from Toy Box Theatre, skits and songs from your dynamically charming host BRIAN STARR and Friends, a classical cello/piano piece by ERIC MILLER & SUE ELLEN DUBBERT, and don't forget to bring your cameras for the World Famous MUSTACHE RIDE in the lobby! One list cannot contain all the goodies awaiting to entice your senses. Come join in on an amazing historical event, where we are all a part of each other's dreams."

It was all fun and entertaining, but the the shadow puppet show was magical, and Maha Ra was awesome...ever see two people play one guitar at the same time? I couldn't find a video clip, but they were great and you can hear some clips on their myspace page (linked above).

Oh yes, the mustache ride. Since it might be difficult to describe, a picture might provide a better understanding. Here's Derek riding the mustache. I like this idea a lot:

the end of analog

2009-02-19T20:45:00.008-06:00

Ever feel like your just not hip with the times?

Our antiquated tv sits quite useless in the little cabinet we built so we can close the doors over it to keep it out of sight. The end of analog means we no longer get television reception because, obviously, we will not buy a new tv or even a converter box. In the last six weeks we are less a tv set and a car, both losses I consider another step in the right direction (now if only I could pry the laptop out of my hands...)

To add to my sense of estrangement, we were busy installing the new exhibition at the Olson Gallery today. Play Up! features artists using technology and gaming to explore and critique the cultural, sociological and conceptual landscape. See photos below.

My most recent video game experience was pulling out the original Nintendo from the basement a few years ago to play Super Mario Brothers. Maybe that isn't totally honest...who out there didn't play wii bowling on New Year's Eve?

Yet here I sit blogging, and of course I enjoy some of the benefits of digital photography in my work. Yes, we have complex relationships to technology, more than I can muse on at this point in time. Although I lean toward "Better OFF" I cannot deny some of my own dependencies, for better or worse.

Now what do we do with our rabbit ears?

february

2009-02-18T19:50:00.008-06:00

This winter is passing too quickly. Now that it is nearly over, here is February's postcard calendar.

It would be nice if February could be a little longer...to get more done. But on the other hand, we are getting closer to spring.

yedoensis

2009-02-13T16:58:00.005-06:00

One blossom.

I have been remembering Ayomi Yoshida's installation Yedoensis at the Art Museum this time last year. It was an incredible installation, and one of my favorite projects as it involved so many people. Besides the Art Museum staff and student volunteers, several of Ayomi's students traveled from Japan to be a part of the project. It was also the first exhibition that I designed a catalog for. We had so much fun placing each of nearly 100,000 1" x 1" woodblock prints to the gallery walls, and carefully removing them again. I have a special affinity for this repetitious work, but it was even better because of the fabulous crew working together hour after hour. Ayomi kept a blog as the installation progressed with lots more photos.

Just starting out.

Full bloom. Photo by Larry Gregory.

foto 2009 closing reception

2009-02-12T22:57:00.003-06:00

This afternoon was the closing reception for foto 2009 at Gallery 214- although the show has been extended and will remain open until next Friday 2/20. I forgot to take photos during the reception, but here is a quick once-around-the-gallery tour.

museum reception

2009-02-06T10:21:00.004-06:00

Last night was the opening reception for our first set of 3 spring shows at the museum. I posted several photos on the museum blog.

(Above: me, my cousin Erika, museum assistant, and Derek)

finger pupets

2009-01-31T14:39:00.004-06:00

Back to Christmas make-gifts, we just got the chance to see theses finger puppets that Tyler made out of felted wool. Super cute. Visit Tyler's blog to see some of his fabulous photos from his first year of graduates studies in environmental studies and sustainability science at Lund University, Sweden.

foto 2009 install

2009-01-30T22:04:00.003-06:00

This afternoon I installed foto 2009, featuring photography by NIU photo faculty and grad students. The show will open on Monday. A closing reception is planned for Thursday, February 12 from 4:30 - 6:30. I think the show came together well and I am happy to have an exhibition for our department.

Just a sneak peak:

pin up

2009-01-27T20:20:00.005-06:00

Pin Up is open at Gallery 214 through Friday. Pin Up is an informal exhibition of grad student works in progress, sketchbooks, and etc that I could easily pin to the wall. Here are a few quick photos:

Cassie Christenson:

Fu-Chi Shih

Mike McGovern:

me:

The show also includes Curtis Readel, Fawn Clarke-Peterson, and Erin Coleman-Cruz.

1,000 miles

2009-01-23T20:23:00.003-06:00

Tonight I passed the 1,000th mile of my walking project.

To celebrate:

I would walk 500 miles - kewego
How I met your mother 2.17

Keywords: 500 miles himym

Video from cracotte777

wash dc and OBAMA inauguration

2009-01-21T08:39:00.008-06:00

On late Saturday afternoon, Derek and I decided that we would head to DC for Obama's inauguration. So at 5:15 Sunday morning, we pulled out of the driveway for the long ride east. I have posted lots of pictures from our drive through a mountain blizzard in PA, a trip to the National Gallery of Art to see Robert Frank's The Americans, Monday's "day of service events," the Illinois State Society Gala, of course the inauguration, the Agricultural Ball, a walk through Georgetown, tons of Obama paraphernalia, and etc. We had a fantastic trip. DC was overflowing with optimism and celebration for our new president.

See photos or view black and white slideshow.

keeping warm

2009-01-16T20:15:00.008-06:00

I'm in there somewhere...under the snowy sideburns and icicled eyelashes.

Apparently it has been a bit nippy here in the Chicagoland area. Illinois was colder yesterday than the North Pole. But the high of -9 really didin't seem that bad. These cold days have actually been nice and sunny and we didn't quite reach the anticipated -25. Yesterday I even had to stop to take off a layer of clothing- haven't missed a day yet this year, and I have a feeling this has likely been as cold as it will get. Tomorrow's 20 degree temps will feel like spring.

January 15, 2009	High	Low

	-9°F	-18°F

i like to hang vinyl

2009-01-15T17:44:00.003-06:00

I always enjoy adhering the vinyl show titles to the wall. The title for the painting exhibition Push, Pull, Scrub, Drip, Drip was especially enjoyable. One of my other favorite things to do at work is to pick the vinyl off the wall after the shows close. Yes, it's the little things :)

There are more photos of this show on the museum blog.

nikki giovanni at niu & recent updates

2009-01-14T18:36:00.006-06:00

Jo and I cut out for a bit to hear Words of Inspiration from Nikki Giovanni who was on campus to give two talks today. Her quick ramblings were brilliant, hysterical- I laughed, tried not to cry, etc. A great afternoon break. I typically skip these talks/readings/and such, regret it later, and hope to go when there's a next time. I am very glad we went to this one. Between her political speeches and good-humored rants, she read a few poems from Acolytes.

Today I installed Judith Brotman's Objects For Perfect Strangers. To see more visit the NIU Art Museum blog...and to see everything...come to Crossing Threads, Crossing Boundaries, opening Tuesday, January 20, reception February 5 (see NIU AM blog for details).

We have also been busy "remodeling" at the Olson Gallery. Last week, we did a bit of work to restructure the layout of the gallery. Reusing the old, horribly heavy, supposedly-movable walls, we closed off a small section of the gallery to make up for lost storage space and create and area for matting and framing. Our new movable walls are actually light enough that I can move them, and they can be stored in the back when they are not needed. We also built this title wall on wheels that covers the 12 foot entrance to the extended storage area, and have nearly completed installing the opening show for this semester- New and Renew: New Faculty and Sabbatical Biennial, also opens Tuesday, reception Thursday Jan. 22.

above: framed title wall
below: in-progress title wall...fun, yellow

niu art museum blog

2009-01-08T22:16:00.002-06:00

Check out the NIU Art Museum blog!

root and shadow closing

2009-01-03T17:09:00.004-06:00

Root and Shadow closed yesterday at Aurora University's Dunham Gallery. I'll be bringing the trees home on Monday.

2009 calendar

2009-01-02T13:07:00.003-06:00

For Christmas, I gave out lots of my 2009 calendars. Each month is a 4" x 6" postcard made from one of my photos. If I didn't see you, or saw you over the holidays and forgot to give you one, let me know and I will send one your way if you want one. January is below:

Happy 2009!

90th birthday

2008-12-28T22:11:00.005-06:00

Today, we celebrated Grandma Strom's 90th birthday (actually not until January, but much of the family was already gathered for the holidays). She may be recognizable from some of my photos, or the farmhouse may look familiar. I spent a lot of time here with her and my camera while she was still living here. An early Happy Birthday!

christmas

2008-12-26T22:01:00.005-06:00

Christmas morning, Derek and I were the first ones awake to go out snowshoeing. There was a clear blue sky and plenty of sunshine for our morning hike with the dogs. We took Amber and Brandon's dogs, Aspen (chocolate lab in the picture), Huey, and Stella (both healers) with us. After an hour in the crisp morning, we headed back to the house for some coffee, homemade bagels, pears, and bond ost while opening presents around the crackling fire. My mom and dad and grandma joined the Strom family for a terrific afternoon meal, cookies, and company.

Happy Holidays!

make gifts

2008-12-23T23:36:00.006-06:00

This is the leaf I made for Amber and Brandon. It is like the trees I had been working on for the past several months, but a little smaller, frame size is 9" x 9."

Every year for the Anderson side of the family, we draw names and make a gift for the exchange. This is the project that I made this year, a magnetic tic-tac-toe game from an altoid container. The pieces are clothe covered buttons glued to magnets. I made this for Renae's long car rides, and some chocolate covered pretzels and postcards.

Rob, Lily, and Stephanie on Christmas Eve.
Derek made blue and orange Chicago Bears scarves for Rob and Lily, and a jar of apple pie drink (apple juice, cider, sugar, a cinnamon stick and Everclear for extra warmth).

graph paper packages tied up with string

2008-12-21T22:47:00.004-06:00

My new favorite wrapping paper: leftover pages from Derek's statistical mechanics notebook wound with hand-me-down tatting string. The notebook pages are just the perfect size for these little packages. I can't tell what's inside since you will likely be receiving one during the holiday season if you are reading this post.

The holiday parties have officially begun. Last night was my family Christmas in Beecher. A quite evening, but white-out conditions on the drive home. Due to the sub-zero high and negative 20 degree windchill, we decided it would be best to hole-up today by the fire, watch some holiday classics (like Elf) and work on our Christmas make-gift projects- more on that subject to come (it has become one of my favorite traditions).

winter wonderland

2008-12-18T22:39:00.006-06:00

We are getting more snow. I seems to be a very white December, and with a week until Christmas, I'm sure there will still be plenty on the ground. Derek and I had a nice trudge through it to the post office today- bright and sunny.

We have also decided it it about time to start thinking about the holidays, so I strung a few lights and hung some ornaments from a branch I attached to our shelf. It looks quite a bit more festive around here now. In honor of the snow outside, we decided to try to remember how to make those paper cut out snowflakes. Our first attempts were not so successful (I don't remember the ones I made in Kindergarten being quite so ugly. A little research refreshed our memories, and we ended up with these beauties.

PhD defense

2008-12-17T22:58:00.006-06:00

Derek gave his PhD defense at Northwestern today. 6.5 years of study, work, research, and writing was summed up in this 1 hour presentation that he has been preparing along with his dissertation non-stop for the last several months.

Yea for champagne celebration post-defense. Notice the relief.

Photos courtesy Bob Tilden.
To see more photos from the defense and celebration (including camera phone lunch photos), click here.

Congratulations Dr. Derek.

bfa show at jog

2008-12-16T19:54:00.004-06:00

I forgot to post a photo of the show while it was open, but the BFA show ran from 12/4 - 12/11. The second reception of my exhibition was the same night of the opening.

happy birthday derek

2008-12-11T21:47:00.005-06:00

Gotta love the Snowths: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPRB4XF74-Q

Anyway, today is Derek's 29th birthday.

I made a lasagna for Derek's birthday. One of his many favorites. It was a good lasagna which you might assume from the looks of it.

And what is in the package? Sweet sweaters and a wool jacket from Salvation army.

wrapping up

2008-12-08T21:59:00.004-06:00

Professor Raymond curated a fantastic exhibition from the Burma collection, and again as usual, it is over too soon.

The exhibitions at the Art Museum closed on Saturday afternoon. Our next round of exhibitions open on in mid January so we will be busy preparing over the holidays. First we have been "wrapping up" (quote from Pete Olson) the Burma show and transporting the collection back to storage. Tomorrow we will patch and touch up the walls as delivery of artwork for the next set of shows has already begun.

Watch more information for our upcoming shows to be added soon.

361 patched nail holes and a gallon of paint later

2008-12-05T23:01:00.006-06:00

Yes, of course I counted the nails. And as you can see from the photo bellow, we didn't use one gallon of paint, but actually 2 nearly empty gallons and started one fresh gallon- that should figure out to be about one full gallon.

My show closed Friday afternoon. After some final documentation, I got to work straight away re-wrapping the string/button/walking piece. The best part was repainting the big green wall back to plain old white. Thankfully I had a helper or I would have been there much later Friday night.

Back to white walls.

It was disappointing to take down already...a week passes so quickly, but both receptions went well, and I was happy to have many visitors leave their comments and congratulations. I will post more documentation photos and a video tour as soon as I finish editing.

opening reception

2008-11-30T18:53:00.006-06:00

This afternoon was the opening reception for my MFA thesis exhibition (see previous installation posts). Today was also our first winter weather, although I was excited to see many family and friends who made the trip to DeKalb despite the questionable weather. A great big thank you to everyone who made the trip.

The gallery just a bit before opening.

Food spread. Thanks to the contributors.

Yea, family in town from Indy signing the guest book.

Derek and Rosie.

Me and Traci. Notice that beautiful rock on her finger. She just got engaged last night. Her surprise made my day. She and her mom came out together to see the show today. Congratulations Traci!

My parents.

Current weather conditions from our front door.

Post party: reception leftovers by the fire place.

Thank you so much to all of you who made the trip out on this wintry day, and to those of you who sent good thoughts and wishes. I hope to see more of everyone over the Christmas holiday.

I almost forgot... I am sure you are wondering how my walk to the gallery went today. It was a little blustery, but we made it there with all the final touches for the reception.

installation (part 6)

2008-11-29T23:28:00.004-06:00

All the details are nearly taken care of. I'm sure I'll be ready and waiting by 2 pm tomorrow for the opening, although I am growing nervous about the weather forecast.

I had my first visitors to the nearly completed installation, Derek's Aunt Reanne and Grandma (who has allowed me to photograph her home and her family albums for the past couple years). She also belongs to the famous feet.

I'll share more installation shots and photos of the opening reception tomorrow. Here's hoping I don't get snowed out!

happy turkey day

2008-11-27T20:10:00.001-06:00

installation (part 5)

2008-11-26T18:09:00.005-06:00

With the show installed and lighting finished, I have been tidying up the gallery and nearby area where the reception will be hosted. I have also been busy with some of the details, guest book, labels, hanging some publicity, stuffing faculty boxes with announcement cards, and carrying a few items at a time to squirrel away at the gallery for Sunday's opening. Now, back to signage (yes, labels for where to deposit used plastic cups and silverware so that they can be washed and reused).

installation (part 4)

2008-11-25T19:30:00.003-06:00

It's getting closer. Today I finished installation and lighting. There are mostly just details left, but details tend to lead to other details and lots of time. It has been fun to have the occasional visitor to the gallery to check progress. Looking forward to Sunday!

installation (part 3)

2008-11-24T18:56:00.003-06:00

This morning was our first snow, and first snow walk to campus. To celebrate, we stopped for a hot chai to go on the way to campus. (Yes, celebrating the barely measurable bit of white on the ground).

First business at the gallery: unwrapping the box of photos that I pushed there yesterday.

Then measuring out the spacing hammering each nail, and leveling.

Things are moving along. Still a bit more to install, lighting, labels, and etcetera. I also hung the title, just couldn't resist.

installation (part 2)

2008-11-23T22:22:00.005-06:00

I put the first nail in the wall this afternoon, followed by approximately 200 more. I did the math, but I stopped counting after awhile. The piece went up pretty smoothly, hardly any tangles- not bad for 700 feet of string. I'll will have this weeks walks to add on up until the day of the opening. (By the way, this is the walking piece. 1 foot of string for every mile walked. The buttons are the start/end of each days journey = home.)

See my laser line in the above photo - I rigged up a little contraption to hang it from the track lighting since my tripod isn't ten feet tall.

I almost forgot. Getting there is half the fun. I couldn't pack up my work and take it to the gallery all at once, so I have been taking a few things at a time and stashing them away. The gallon of paint I think was the worst to carry. Derek took some photos of some of the more ambitious trips. Yesterday I carried this drawer and the string piece- neatly wrapped around a shipping tube- sticking out of my backpack.

Today I brought my photo work to the gallery. Yes, that is the bulk of my thesis show that I am dragging across town. I hope to start installing the contents of the box tomorrow.

installation (part 1)

2008-11-22T20:14:00.004-06:00

I started installing my MFA thesis exhibition today. Actually, I spent the afternoon spackling and cleaning the gallery walls and painting one large chartreuse wall (part of an installation). Tomorrow I will start putting holes back into the walls.

Derek came with and we pulled a small desk into the gallery so he could work too while keeping me company. We have been great thesis buddies the last several weeks.

I am very excited by the number of responses to the evite for Sunday and Thursday's receptions at the gallery. Thank you to family and friends for your support. I am so happy that many of you plan to make the trip to DeKalb for the show, and am looking forward to a great celebration.

I hope to post progress as it is made, so check back daily to see what's on the walls.

book discount

2008-11-16T19:08:00.005-06:00

Just found a newer BLURB discount code:

Free shipping promotion code: freeshipping good through December 5, 2008

the book

2008-11-12T19:13:00.003-06:00

I finished designing and self-publishing my first little book. It is a grouping of six photo series plus a small amount of text. The book is 80 pages, 7" x 7," and available in soft ($24.95) or hardcover ($37.95) at BLURB.com. To cut the cost of S/H, I have ordered some copies - available as first come first serve. Send me an email if you are interested. I will have a few copies at my 11/30 and 12/4 receptions.

Click on the link below to visit my bookstore.

collection

By kimberly strom

Book Preview

grad show

2008-11-07T20:20:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was the opening of the annual juried graduate exhibition. I forgot to take photos, but here are a few from the gallery today.

My pieces are the two medium sized mostly-white ones on the far wall.

Today was the most difficult walking weather so far, but I am sure there will be some even more challenging days to trek to campus. This morning was okay, but the temperature dropped during the day making for a long walk home in a cold, light rain. I guess those seventy degree days couldn't stay the whole week, but it was nice/weird to be out in shorts in November. I don't imagine that I will continue the pattern of increasing monthly miles at this point. I am ready to hibernate.

recurrence photos

2008-11-04T06:23:00.004-06:00

We had the reception for recurrence last week Thursday and the show is already closed. Michele came down from Michigan for the reception, and stayed with us to visit some favorite DeKalb spots. Here are some photos of the installation and Cassie and I at the reception. (coming)

recurrence: preview

2008-10-26T20:19:00.002-05:00

recurrence opens at Gallery 214 tomorrow. The show of Cassie and my work will run through Friday October 31. We will have a reception on Thursday, October 30. Here is a sneak peak...you will have to come to the show to see more.

Kelly Joe Phelps

2008-10-26T10:40:00.004-05:00

Last night, Derek and I took a little break to see Kelly Joe Phelps at SPACE in Evanston. There was a gathering of only about 40 people in the the back space of a newer restaurant in town. Of course the show was incredible. My only complaint is that it could have gone on for hours more. We had a great evening with a good dinner and awesome performance, and home again before too late. It was a perfect weekend break.

museum reception

2008-10-23T22:12:00.002-05:00

Tonight was the opening reception of two new shows at the NIU Art Museum.

Common Ground: A Selection of Illinois Ceramics and Maley/Hand: Journey Toward Healing, a poignant collaboration between collage artist Janette Maley and her husband documentary photographer Art Hand that chronicles their experience with Janette's breast cancer. These shows along with Belief Made Tangible are open through December 6.

Above are some photos of the ceramic show in the Rotunda Gallery and below is Journey Toward Healing. Yes the box of tissue is necessary.

This is after the reception ended, but it was quite crowded during Art's gallery talk. Also many of the ceramic artists attended the reception. We had an autumnal refreshment selection with pumpkin cheesecake, cookies, and bread plus Kuiper's apple cider.

new and improved

2008-10-22T22:36:00.004-05:00

Finally, after hours and hours, I am happy to announce the re-launch of my website. There will be additional content in the coming weeks, and watch for upcoming exhibitions.

Check it out:

www.kimberlystrom.com

(Still best to view in firefox or safari).

out takes

2008-10-21T21:08:00.005-05:00

On Sunday after some chores, Derek helped me shoot a new bio image for my website (actually for the new website...coming soon...just as soon as internet explorer can read html- no problems in safari or firefox). I have been working like mad on my new site and learning lots (more than I really wanted to) about web design. It will launch this week .

So, back to new bio pictures...that is a tough project. Between trying not to make a senior portrait or Ralph Lauren ad, and keep me from looking like Tom Petty, we got quite a work out. Here are a few of my favorite out takes:

quick update

2008-10-17T22:44:00.004-05:00

I saw this balloon early Sunday morning as we were leaving DeKalb to visit my grandma for her 80th birthday. It has been busy here with thesis work, show change overs at the museum and gallery, a few of my own shows, and another project that I hope to announce the completion of very soon.

Mary Ann Papanek-Miller: "Looking for Alice, You Won't Know Who to Trust" is the current show that opened last Thursday at the Olson Gallery. The artist came to DeKalb for the opening and to give graduate critiques. It is a fantastic show, and was fun to work on. Two new shows will open at the Art Museum this coming Thursday, so I will have pictures of those next week.

Derek and I have been working hard through the final weeks of our graduate studies, but sometimes I need a quick break for something like these pumpkin scones to keep us going.

indian summer

2008-10-10T18:31:00.004-05:00

I saw this at a thrift shop today- thought it was fun, liked the colors, and the birds have been making lots of chirping lately, especially cedar waxwings. Anyway, I am enjoying a few days of indian summer. After a few nights of wool sock, sweat pants, hot tea, and squirling carbs, I had nearly given up on feeling comfortably warm until sometime next spring. But then came a few distracting seventy degree days. Actually, I have done my best to see the computer screen outside combining fresh air and productivity.

Walking home, I found some leaf impressions in the sidewalk.

Yesterday, I made a long walk out to the art studios for a critique with a visiting artist before her opening reception at the gallery. (Photos of this show to follow.) On my way back to campus, I stopped to look at the piles of pumpkins, wishing I could carry one all the way home with me. I was also coerced into having my picture taken sitting on the tractor, but I don't think I'll post that one.

giant ants

2008-10-06T07:58:00.002-05:00

The work of New York artist David Rogers at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, three 20 foot long ants that weigh 700 pounds each.

I drove for a Museum Studies class field trip last Wednesday to visit the arboretum and tour some of the collections. The giant ants used to line the toll road at one edge of the park.

madison

2008-10-05T22:09:00.003-05:00

Yea, Ray Lamontagne finally came back to the Midwest. We saw him at the Barrymore in Madison three years ago, and went to Madison again last Friday at the Union Theater.

Also essential for the perfect Madison concert night: dinner at the Blue Plate Diner.

raspberry pickin'

2008-09-30T07:01:00.004-05:00

Saturday morning, Jess and I went out to Granny's berries in Rochelle to pick these big, beautiful red raspberries.

It was a great morning, and we had the berry picking all to ourselves.

Here is Jess picking berries. She and her husband were in town for the weekend after recently moving to St. Louis. What a great way to spend some quality catch-up and chit-chat time.

Many of the berries have ended up in the freezer, some in homemade scones, alot were eaten, and some saved to make raspberry schnapps.

artXposium

2008-09-25T21:43:00.006-05:00

The three day artXposium occurred last weekend at the former Grobe's True Value in West Chicago. Even though the event has passed, see the artxposium website for more info, photos, and websites of the artists involved.

Paul Klein, mentions artXposium in his recent artletter which can be found at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-klein/the-changing-landscape-ar_b_127253.html

A book form for artXposium 2.0 began as an idea for a catalog and grew into a larger project, with essays by several participants and viewers of the 2007 exhibition, an introduction to the purpose and background of this project by Anni Holm, and images from over sixty participating artists.

artXposium 2.0
an artINcorporators project in West Chicago
edited by Anni Holm, Irene Pérez, and Meghan Borato
can be purchased at:
http://stepsisterpress.com/artXposium.html

We spent most of the weekend in Minneapolis for a family wedding. Here we are with Derek's Grandma who bought a beautiful new dress for the occasion. It was a great weekend and a fun wedding with fabulous desserts.

not where I thought I’d be…

2008-09-24T23:31:00.004-05:00

I didn’t think I would be wading out in Lake Michigan on a beach on the south side of Evanston this morning, but why not, it was a gorgeous day. Derek gave a presentation at Northwestern today for a DOE review, and since I had not been back to the area since we moved to DeKalb more than four years ago, I decided to ride along, which put me sitting on the beach by 8:30 this morning. The water was about the same temperature as the air- have to enjoy every last bit of summer sunshine. I decided to walk to Rogers Park where I lived before we got married, but I didn’t get to far before the water called me in to roll up my pants and come in. I used to enjoy this 3 mile lakefront commute (walk) and realize that I miss being near the water. Back in downtown Evanston, with a few beach detours, I ate lunch outside, and visited the drs. I worked for during the year I took off between college and grad school. I spent most of the afternoon walking around the downtown area (shopping) and found a great resale shop.

Derek and I visited the Block Museum and ate at Blind Faith – vegetarian restaurant. I should have taken pictures of the four course chef’s special that we shared because the presentation was beautiful, not to mention tasty. It may have been my favorite restaurant meal of all time.

hanging on to summer

2008-09-23T19:57:00.004-05:00

Yes, this is the Kishwaukee River just in front of the art building on campus. No, it probably isn't the best place to lounge on a raft, but these guys seemed to be having a lot of fun this afternoon. I like the inflatable frogs. With recent flooding, the Kish is actually flowing!

last week at the niu art museum

2008-09-23T11:33:00.010-05:00

After many long days of hard work (sewing, painting, building, taping, pinning, hammering, etc), Belief made Tangible, opened at the NIU Art Museum last Thursday evening. Above is the tusk room.

This was the state of the gallery not too many days before Thursday's opening reception.

Belief Made Tangible

Selections from the NIU Burma Art Collection

September 18 - December 6, South Galleries

Besides the Burma show, Global Matrix II, an international printmaking exhibition is also on display for a little while longer.

Global Matrix II

An international print exhibition organized by Purdue University

August 26 - October 3, North and Rotunda Galleries

Visit the museum website for more info on both shows: www.niu.edu/artmuseum

carrot soup

2008-09-10T22:47:00.004-05:00

Finally, I got the carrot soup done. The task had been postponed since I didn't have a carrot peeler. We picked all the carrots from the garden Saturday afternoon, and they have been waiting since then to be made into soup.

I used leeks from the garden in the second batch- so it has a yellower/greenish coloration.

Carrot Soup from the 1977 edition of Moosewood Cookbook

2 pounds peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots
4 cups stock or water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium potato, chopped (optional, for heartier soup)
3-4 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1-2 small cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup chopped cashews or almonds

Choose one:
1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt or buttermilk plus a little honey
1/2 pint heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream

Seasoning choices:
-2 pinches of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, dash of cinnamon
-1 teaspoon each of thyme, marjoram and basil
-1 teaspoon grated ginger

Place carrots, liquid and salt (and potato if you are using it- I didn't) into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer it for 12-15 minutes. Let it cool to room temp.

Saute the onion, garlic and nuts in the butter until the onions are clear. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the seasoning combo of your choice - or add in while heating for serving. (I made just the base of water carrots, onion garlic, almonds, butter to freeze).

Puree everything together in a blender until smooth.

Whisk in one of the dairy products before serving.

So I made a few adjustments from the recipe. I used about 10 pounds of carrots to begin with.

For dinner, I added in some milk, honey, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little rosemary on top. It was worth scrubbing and peeling all those carrots.

fire museum coference

2008-09-07T21:37:00.003-05:00

This morning I participated in a panel presentation- Introduction to the Framework for Assessing Excellence in Museum Exhibitions at the annual Fire Museum Network Seminar hosted by the Aurora Fire Museum. It is a fun bunch. I snapped a quick photo driving past the Aurora Fire Museum- it's a great building, notice the onion top.

After two presentations in the morning, there was an outing to Cantigne's First Division Museum and Naper Settlement (below).

first fall film

2008-09-07T21:22:00.002-05:00

I took Derek to see Rudy last night at the the Egyptian Theater in downtown DeKalb. After helping to close the pool and pulling all the carrots from the garden, we pulled on jeans and sweaters and walked to the movie. Fall is here: the music in Rudy made it official.

About once a month (more for October) the Egyptian hosts $5 movies. Egyptian movie schedule: www.egyptiantheatre.org/movies.html. We had a nearly private screening, only two other movie goers last night. Maybe there will be a better turn out for the horror movie week.

first friday

2008-09-06T09:15:00.008-05:00

The NIU Art Museum took a trip into Chicago yesterday for the First Friday gallery openings. First stop, Kurt Perschke's Red Ball, which is currently touring Chicago. (above) The Red Ball visited DeKalb a few years ago. There are some photos of it around town and at the castle on the Museum's website: www.vpa.niu.edu/museum/RedBall

From there we spent time at Packer Schopf, Flatfile, Kasia Kay, and Linda Warren Gallery early in the evening.

Qin Fengling - Multitude at Kasia Kay curated by David Parker.

Pete and Derek admiring a plant outside Linda Warren Gallery (great show inside too).

For dinner: Veerasway Fresh Indian. We were lucky to squeeze a big group into this small restaurant, but I really wanted to try this place- mostly because of its great exterior. The paneer was fantastic. When we came out of the restaurant, the street parties had begun and it became nearly impossible to move through the galleries. We herded through some of the tight spaces for about an hour at the end of the evening, and all met back at the site of the big Red Ball- already deflated and en route to its next destination.

The NIU Art Museum sponsors several trips each semester. To Get-on-the-Bus, visit www.niu.edu/artmuseum/bus for upcoming excursions.

garden fresh

2008-09-03T17:10:00.006-05:00

The garden is yielding tons of vegetables. We can hardly eat them fast enough or give them away. We have made lots of salsa with the tomatoes as they are ripening daily. We also gathered a grocery bag worth of burr oak acorns... we'll see what we can do with them besides planting many in the restoration area.

I made this bruschetta with garden vegetables plus some roasted red pepper for dinner last night - yum.

After picking and cleaning nearly one ton of basil, I made four large batches of pesto- sesame, lemon zest, sun-dried tomato with red wine, and mixed pepper pesto. They will be great as the weather changes and we start to miss our garden fresh meals.

In other big exciting news, DeKalb Salvation Army has had some great buys lately like this $2 blue sweater. And yes, today called for a sweater. Quite a change from this past weekend, but even though it was cooler, windy, and threatening rain, it was still a pretty nice day for a walk to the co-op and to work.