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.

that's what comes of not having posted anything of substance since last month!

Shocking.

So, what have I been up to?

I went to a program at the Goodman Theatre, part of the Horton Foote Festival, called Anatomy of a Trial: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Scottsboro Boys and the Jena 6, and felt the need to shoot my mouth off during the Q&A. (Surprising, I know.) They did a couple of excerpts from the play of To Kill a Mockingbird, and there was a general discussion of race, reportage and the law. The panel consisted of a law professor, a reporter cum lawyer cum actor, and a couple of theatre people, none of whom knew much about the reality of courtroom practice, particularly as regards criminal law. So the Q&A was actually the most interesting part of the event.

A bit of sadness this week in the book and paper arts community. Aiko's Japanese Art Materials

closed Friday, the victim of a combination of slacking sales and a decrease in the availability of quality stock. There was a reception for the staff Tuesday at the Newberry Library, and Chuck (the owner) had a closing "party" on Saturday. He brought out a few special items and had a silent auction, the proceeds of which will go to the Aiko Fellowship at the Center for Book and Paper Arts. It was a beautiful store, with wonderful, helpful, knowledgeable staff, and will be sorely missed. The husband of a local book conservator has put together a book of photographs to help us remember.

Friday, I went to Symphony Center to hear Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, with a program called Do You Know What It Means?. When Mayfield came on stage, he was followed by a security guard. This video shows why. It was an awesome concert - it went on for two hours without a break, but it sure didn't feel like two hours. Time flew.

Last night was the last concert of the Newberry Consort's '07-08 season. The news is that they will be moving the Hyde Park concerts from their current location to the Oriental Institute's Khorsabad Gallery (warning - monster huge picture - it was the only one I could find). Also, this year, unlike previous years, their open rehearsals will be free, so if one finds oneself with nothing to do on Thursday afternoon before the concert, one can stop by the Newberry Library and hang out. They did an audience survey last night, and, if you returned it at intermission, your name was entered into a drawing for two tickets to next year's benefit, which will be a showing of the 1912 silent movie Queen Elizabeth, starring Sarah Bernhardt, with music provided by the Consort. My friend Jim was chosen to pull the winning name (the Consort director said they asked him because he is a) a longtime supporter of the group and, b) lives in Howard Mayer Brown's old apartment - Brown was an eminent early music scholar and the Consort is doing programs in his memory). Jim did an excellent job at this - he pulled my name! So I know where I'll be on January 18, 2009. ;-))

Today, I went to the Spertus Institute for a program called Unbuttoned: Clothes and the making of American Jewish comedy, given by Ted Merwin, author of In Their Own Image: New York Jews in Jazz Age Popular Culture. It was a very interesting program. However, among the clips Merwin used to illustrate the discussion was a recording of Fanny Brice singing "Second Hand Rose". As a result, I can't get the tune out of my head!

Most important, my car passed its emissions inspection, which means they'll let me renew my registration.

I voted today, even though the primary isn't until February 5. We have early voting, and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. The site wasn't very crowded, I expect because of the holiday, so I was in and out quite quickly, even with the judicial ballot to consider. It occurs to me that they would have a very hard time doing this without computers. With only a few early voting sites, it would be difficult to have ballots for every precinct at each one. Now, they can just program a card for the right precinct and you stick it in a machine. Very cool.

Afterwards, I ran a couple of errands and then went to check out the new building of the Spertus Institute:



It's pretty darn fabulous:



The Museum's permanent collection is in the process of being installed, so one can see the pieces but the labels aren't up yet. It'll be good to go back when that's done. The library is big and open and airy, and must be a pleasure to study in.

The view goes on forever, but unfortunately, the terrace wasn't open, so I didn't get any pics (it's hard to do so through the windows because there's a kind of mesh over them). Taking the elevator, I was talking to a woman who works there, and she told me that the offices were in the back so that visitors can enjoy the views from all the floors. That seems a bit hard on the employees! But probably less distracting. I also highly recommend the gift shop. ;-))