mojosmom

There was a very interesting lecture/demonstration at the Spertus Institute last night. Fretwork, a consort of viols, did a program on "Jewish Musicians at the Court of Henry VIII". It is believed that some court musicians who came to England from Italy, specifically the Bassano and Lupo families, were, in fact, Jewish, although, if that were the case, they would not have been able to be open about it. You can read more about the speculation here. Whatever their religion, the music was beautiful.

Right now, my mouth hurts. I went to the dentist to have prep work done for a new crown. It didn't take as long as I had expected, for the good reason that what she found under the old crown wasn't as bad as she thought it might be, and so she didn't need to do as much work as she had originally planned.

Now, this building is a block away from my dentist's office, and as I sit in the chair, I have a view of the side of it. Take a look at that picture. I was looking at the upper left-hand diagonal, and noticed something red. Then it moved. There was a maintenance guy (at least that's what I assumed he was) up there! There was a sort of alcove along that edge, and he was leaning out, doing whatever it was needed doing. I was hoping he'd still be up there when I left, so I could get a photo of him - or at least a spot of red! - but he climbed up a ladder and went inside. I got butterflies in my stomach just looking at him! Scary job.

After the dentist, I did a bit of shopping. I picked up a couple of sweaters and a pair of gloves - winter's coming!

Then I went over to the Art Institute to see Chagall's America's Windows, which have just been reinstalled after a five-year absence. They were removed during the construction of the Modern Wing, to avoid damage. They don't officially re-open until Monday, but there are member previews today and this weekend. I'm not sure I like the new location, as it's in a spot where you have to go intentionally. They were previously located at the end of the hallway between the Michigan Avenue Building and the Columbus Street side, so anyone headed that way would see them. But the conservation that was done on them makes the colors just glow,

and you can see real subtleties in the work:


There are a ton of things going on this evening, but I'm planning on going to only two of them! More on those when I've been.

Not going to the Farmers' Market tomorrow. It would have been the last outdoor market of the season, but it's been canceled on account of Barack. He's holding a big rally late tomorrow afternoon just a few blocks away, so a lot of stuff at or near the site is being canceled due to security, street closures, etc. Oh, lord, I hope nobody was planning to get married at Rockefeller Chapel tomorrow! They're doomed.

I was awakened by thunder and lightning and rain! Fortunately, it stopped before I left the house. I took off work today in order to go to the dentist to have my new crown installed, so I was glad that the weather improved. The dental work went fine. The new crown fit perfectly - no adjustments needed at all!

My plans included a visit to the Art Institute to see the new exhibit of Japanese screens, Beyond Golden Clouds, of which more later. I decided to go via Millennium Park and the Nichols Bridge, and found that there was a "Family Fun Festival" going on in the park. Kids were jumping rope and playing with hula hoops and building things and generally having fun. Then I went to check out the Burnham Pavilions, temporary installations honoring the centennial of the Burnham Plan. Only one of them is actually up. In typical Chicago fashion, there are delays in completing the second.
This one:

is really interesting, because you can go up on the platform and see the city's architecture through the openings. I liked it.

I then heard some music, and realized that the Grant Park Orchestra rehearsal was earlier than usual, so I went over to the Pritzker Pavilion and listened for a bit. Among other things, they were rehearsing Offenbach's Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld, which you'd all recognize if you heard it. It's the can-can music. The conductor, Gilbert Varga, was clearly enjoying himself. He was dancing!


I then went to the Art Institute. Because I went in via the Nichols Bridge, I stopped on the Bluhm Family Terrace, which is a lovely space with great views of the city, and outdoor seating for the Terzo Piano restaurant.

The exhibit was fantastic! I love Japanese screens, and the exhibit had examples ranging from 16th-century to contemporary. They will be changing some of the screens in August, so I'll have to go back. I have discovered another benefit of carrying a camera around. If you can't get close enough to see detail, pull out the camera and look through the lens using your zoom! This contemporary screen is one of my absolute favorites:


The Members' Lounge finally has a permanent home (it moved around a bit during the renovations). With the new restaurant in the Modern Wing, the Lounge has taken over the old restaurant's space next to the cafeteria, looking out onto the courtyard garden:

That used to be part of the restaurant, but now anyone can bring their food or drink and sit out there. So I did (well, my cup of tea - no food because my mouth was still numb from the dentist), and finished my book, too.

When I left, I thought of going down to Powell's Wabash Avenue store. They are closing that location, and everything is 50% off. But as I left the building, I glanced across Michigan Avenue and saw that the Symphony Store is closing! Shock! Also everything 50% off. I went there instead, and spent a fair bit of time picking out several CDs to buy.

By then, it was time to go off to Petterino's, where I was meeting the president of Teatro Vista's board for a drink so she could chat me up about joining the board. I liked her a lot (she's an opera buff, too!), and it sounds as though she is on top of things, with good ideas for rejuvenating the board and getting the company on a sound footing. She gave me a packet of information to peruse, and I've decided that I shall say "yes" to the invitation.