Looking Back

Murals in San Cristobal, Galapagos

Going back a few months, I wanted to share some street scenes from Puerto Ayora in the Galapagos — photos taken from the moving bus in which we rode through the small city, so I have no information about the locations. Our ship’s destinations were almost all uninhabited islands — we visited only this one inhabited area, which is the location of the Darwin Research Station. I have not yet posted all of these photos, so now I’m sharing this look around the very obscure town with Sami’s Monday Murals. The rest of this post after the Galapagos images contains a variety of photo memories.

In the Detroit Institute of Arts

Behind a “Do Not Enter” sign at the DIA: a mural hidden by cleaning equipment.
It appears that this was once a classroom of some kind behind the momentarily open door.

Salt Springs Brewery, Saline, Michigan

Katrina and Jason’s wedding site intrigues me, and I hope to go back for dinner sometime.
Shared with Elizabeth’s Tea Party. (Combination of my photos & web search.)

Saturday Night at Carol’s

No Comment

From an Instagram post discovered with google.

The Berlin Wall Fell on November 9, 1989

From Deutche Welle

Blog post © 2024 mae sander

At the Detroit Institute of Arts

On our recent visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) we began with a special exhibit
titled “The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World.”

Many amazing works of arts and crafts appeared in the exhibit, which borrowed items from many museums around the world.
I was impressed by the numerous images of birds and other animals on the many art works.
These bird-head jugs are from Iran (around 1200) and China (618-907)

One case featured musical instruments that would have been played during formal dinners.
This instrument was called a peacock, and was made in 19th century India.

This bowl decorated with birds and fish is from 9th-Century Egypt.

Another dish featuring bird images. From Iran in the late 1400s.

More birds on an elegant dish from Iran or Iraq (224-651)

I found this bird-headed spoon made of jade and precious stones amazing! (India, 17th C)

The focus of this exhibition was on the lives of the richest and most upper class people of several Islamic countries and on their possessions, not on the poor or the middle-class. The emphasis was on the art of tableware and presentation, not on the food. However, the food for one banquet was described with recipes for several of the dishes that would have been served (link to recipe page). See the DIA website for more images of the artifacts. 

The Great Hall

The tile work in the main part of the museum is fascinating. The tile was made by Pewabic Pottery, a local studio that has been creating art tile since 1903. This is a small section of the floor.

The entrance to the Great Hall where the Diego Rivera Murals are located.

We always visit the famous Detroit Industry Murals by Diego Rivera; I often show photos of them.

Ofrendas for the Day of the Dead

“The 11th installment of Ofrendas: Celebrating el Día de Muertos 
features 13 ofrendas, or offerings, by local artists and community members”

 

We looked at several of this year’s offerings during our visit to the museum.

Another Day of the Dead Image

A Day-of-the-Dead Cake from this week’s Great British Baking Show.

DIA Puppet Collections

A few puppets from “A Christmas Carol” made by Lilian Owen Thompson.

The DIA has a world-class collection of over 1,000 puppets with state-of-the art storage for them. It also owns many props, backdrops, puppet stages, and puppet heads. Unfortunately, the museum has only one case for puppet display in a hallway near the coffee shop. Each time we visit, we check this out, as the puppets on display are changed very frequently. 

This month, several women puppeteers and puppet-makers are featured. The puppets in the case above are the work of Lilian Owen Thompson, “one of the most innovative puppet makers of the 1920s. She was skilled in sculpting, carving, sewing, and painting, and she used many other methods depending on the character. Thompson was also an engineer in puppet mechanics. A puppet's movements can appear haphazard if it's not created thoughtfully. Thompson attached each string and constructed each joint so that a marionette's gestures expressed its personality-without getting tangled up, of course.” (Quote from the documentation in the case.)

  

Blog post and original photos © 2024 mae sander

Rural and Urban

Another quiet week has gone by. We took a few photos of some not-far-away places that we visited, including a country ride where we saw barns and a market, and a brief expedition to Detroit.

A Country Market

Here’s what I did with some of the tomatoes! Basil grows in my herb garden.

We’ve shopped at Fusilier’s Family Farm Market a number of times.
From our house, it’s around a 45 minute drive through a beautiful farming area.

Southwest of Ann Arbor

Downtown Detroit Murals

The John R. King Used and Rare Book Store.

I wondered why a giant glove was painted on the side of this bookstore. The bookstore’s website explains that it was “formerly the Advance Glove Factory, which operated from the 1940s to the 1970s. After the factory was shut down, it sat vacant until Mr. King purchased it in 1983.”  (link)

Architectural details resemble murals on this building.
This area is around 45 minutes of driving in the opposite direction from the barns and farmland.

In Our Neighborhood

As we took a walk we heard some classic rock music. This Co-op was having a concert on the porch.

I feel as if my life this week has been in two places: one at the Olympics and also at home in Michigan.

So I have two posts to share with Deb’s Sunday Salon, this one today, and one Friday.

Also shared with Sami’s Murals.

Photos © 2024 mae sander.

“Regeneration: Black Cinema”

“Regeneration: Black Cinema 1891-1971” — on view until June 23. 

A wonderful exhibit is on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts: “Regeneration.” It includes a remarkable collection of movie posters, props, costumes, and above all numerous film clips: many from forgotten or lost films from the past. The exhibit documents  “the legacy of African American filmmakers and actors from the dawn of cinema, through the golden age, and into the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by and named after an independent 1923 all-Black-cast movie, Regeneration seeks to revive lost or forgotten films, filmmakers, and performers for a contemporary audience.” (source)

In the first room of the exhibit is this installation by Kara Walker.

We liked seeing the posters and other film memorabilia, but we most enjoyed the film clips,
and watched every one that was available. Quite a few viewing rooms showed loops with these excerpts.

Beyond the Exhibit

“Quilting Time” by Romare Bearden: a tile-mosaic mural near the entrance to the exhibit space.

On the Way to the DIA

“The Big Tire” has been next to US 94 in Allen Park, MI since 1966.
It is 80 feet high. This is perfect street art, isn’t it?

Blog post © 2024 mae sander;

All photos taken during my visit to the DIA.

Shared with Sami’s Monday Murals.

Street Art in Detroit

Last weekend after visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, we stopped to look at several murals as we were driving towards the freeway to return home to Ann Arbor. This neighborhood near Trumbull Avenue appears to be undergoing quite a lot of rebuilding and rehab. Some of the older murals have been covered up by newer structures built in front of them. Generally, though, the murals seem to have been respected as art works, and they show very few defacing graffiti. I do not have any information about the murals I photographed, but here they are.

"Francios" by Chelsea Overton.

Blog post and all photos © 2024 mae sander

Shared with Eileen’s Saturday Critters and Sami’s Monday Murals