On Summit

This weekend, Wayne LaPierre and the NRA began the process of framing the gun violence debate to their political  advantage. This PR broadside was delivered after what Mr. LaPierre suggested was a respectful period of silence. Now, as a result of Friday's press conference and Sunday's interview with Dave Gregory we find ourselves engaged in a national conversation about the feasibility of putting armed guards in schools, creating a national list of the mentally ill, and looking more closely at the societal effects of media violence. What we are apparently not supposed to talk about (at least according to the NRA) is anything that might fall under the umbrella of gun control or legislation. (As I mentioned in another online conversation, it's interesting to see how many rights and amendments people are willing to throw under the bus simply to ensure the 2nd Amendment can be interpreted as broadly as possible). While much of the NRA's stance is debatable, what struck m...

Last Sunday was sunny, cloudless and 60 degrees. It was, at least in central Ohio, the first of a number of warm days that would add up to a very pleasant "Indian Summer". I'd had a busy week and decided I needed a walk to clear my head and mentally regroup. As I was out, I snapped a few pictures.  This is the view from under the Dodridge Street Bridge. Perhaps to most people this is "just a bridge"; a modest span traversing an unremarkable waterway. To the residents of SoHu, South Clintonville, Old North Columbus and the University District it's much, much more. Closed since July of 2011 the scheduled re-opening on October 31st is cause for much rejoicing! Just north of the Dodridge Bridge is OSU's Olentangy River Wetland Research Park . This park provides a lovely oasis of calm amongst the clatter of the University District. This is the view of the Wetland Research Park's "billabong"; an oxbow th...

A while back I wrote about my 1975 Saab 99 Wagonback . Well, it's time for an update and I'm afraid the news is not good. While the Saab had been a serviceable second car and much-valued conversation piece under my care, this last year had not been good to it. It started with an oil leak. Then, a cooling fan problem that ended with some stripped thermostat housing threads. Finally, in an act of brazen disregard for all that is rare and irreplaceable, someone broke out the back window (Seriously, the 99 is a pretty uncommon model to begin with, the Wagonback version even more so). Instantly what had been a manageable oddity was transformed into a liability. The window had to be replaced. That meant some combination of time and money on my part. If I didn't attend to it the Columbus code enforcement agents would cite me for having a derelict vehicle on my property (Never mind the the fact that the landlocked SS WTF sat for months across the alley from my house. My luck ...

Last week we took a mini-vacation to lovely southeast Ohio (specifically Nelsonville, with some side trips to Logan, Haydenville, and Athens). The main impetus of the trip was the chance to see Lucinda Williams at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville. We figured while we were down there we'd stay an extra night and catch the Ohio Valley Summer Theater's production of "Ragtime" in Athens. Here's the executive summary of the trip: 1. Lucinda Williams - Awesome. Everything went pretty much as expected until she launched into a cover of "Salt of the Earth" (The Rolling Stones), which was just sort of weird. 2. Stuart's Opera House - Fantastic venue with great sound (It probably helped that Lucinda and her band (Buick 6) are total pros who play through responsibly sized amps). 3. Rhapsody - Nelsonville's best restaraunt. If you go on a weekend, make reservations. 4. Ragtime (The Ohio Valley Summer Theater) - Terrific. I'll admit upf...

I first heard The DewDroppers by way of a track they'd contributed to The Dick & Jane Project . A friend had directed me to the site to alert me to the kinds of cool things local bands can do when they work outside of traditional musical outlets. It's really a neat project and one that should serve as a model for how the arts and education can cross-pollinate.   Photo by Jodi Miller courtesy of Columbus Alive The DewDroppers cut, "Ode to Mothers"   is a jazzy and infectious number that's equal parts charm and swing. For me it was love at first listen. That briefest of introductions piqued my interest and lead me to the group's bandcamp page; featuring the EP "Nothing. Darling. Honey Baby" . If "Ode to Mothers" was our courtship, then NDHB was our marriage vows. It's raggedy, loose, fresh, and bubbling over with the kind of reckless enthusiasm that typically only reveals itself when a band knows they're on to something spe...

We're putting the band back together. Well, sort of. My wife and I have started practicing with our friend Ann Fazzini, formerly of Magic City. We're currently learning a few covers and trying to figure out what kind of music the three of us can make. It's exciting and scary and a little bit giddy all at once. In that sense it's very much like the first months of dating, only with more people. This isn't unusual. It's how bands are supposed to start; the good ones anyway The bad ones hold auditions. This post isn't about the band though. I learned long ago not to talk about my band. It's bad form, like talking about how rich you are or how drunk you were. No one cares. As a matter of fact, I'm such a stickler for not talking about my band that I actively discourage others from talking about my band as well. During my brief career in rock I became so adept at changing the subject that people would quickly forget they even asked me about my band....

If you've dabbled in art history, you may have a vague recollection of the Salon des Refusés . It was, as the name implies, an exhibition of rejects. It was also one of the defining moments of modernism. The Salon des Refusés was held in 1863 and featured artworks that were rejected by the Académie des Beaux-Arts' official Paris Salon Exhibition . It was set up under the order of Emperor Napoleon III after many people publicly questioned the legitimacy of the selection process. The Emperor, wishing to assuage the critics, offered up his now famous solution; let the public decide! On April 24th the Moniteur universel contained the following notice: ‘Numerous complaints have reached the Emperor on the subject of works of art which have been refused by the jury of the Exhibition. His Majesty, wishing to let the public judge the legitimacy of these complaints, has decided that the rejected works shall be exhibited in another part of the Palais de l'Industrie. T...

So, I'm taking a continuing education class at the Columbus College of Art Design (CCAD). Me and 15 other brave souls will be meeting weekly throughout June and July to unravel the mysteries of oil painting. According to the syllabus, we'll complete two painting during the course of our term. No promises were made regarding the quality of the completed paintings. Seriously though, I'm really excited about this. That might sound strange considering I've already got a Bachelor's degree in painting and drawing. The truth is I've never felt particularly confident about my ability to paint. Perhaps more to the point, I never felt like I really learned how to paint. Oh, I had some great instructors. I learned a lot about art and expression and theory. Those are all important things, but when it came right down learning how to paint - in the classical sense - well, we weren't really taught like that at my alma mater. This being my first continuing educatio...

I just finished Tina Seelig's new book, "InGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity" . It's a terrific introduction to both the practical and theoretical aspects of innovative thinking. One of the techniques Seelig touches upon as a means of boosting idea generation is the concept of reframing. Normally, and not surprisingly, we see the world through a single frame of reference; our own. We apply our knowledge, experience, expectations and attitudes to the questions and situations that arise each day. This isn't an altogether bad thing. Many of our daily choices don't require a particularly high-level of creativity. Still, this reliance on one viewpoint can be an impediment when it comes to creative problem solving. As Seelig points out, our frame of reference serves to both inform and limit the way we think. The technique of reframing reminds us that there are multiple perspectives to a to every question. Reframing can involve simply asking what the situati...

On Wednesday March 21st me and a few of my library pals drove up to Kent State University to present at the Ohio Library Council's Northeast Chapter Conference. It was a mostly uneventful trip, except that upon disembarking in Worthington for the final leg of my journey home I misplaced my nook. Here's how the story played out on Twitter: As I was juggling my jacket and bag in the library's parking lot, it seems I set my nook down on top of Julie's car. Fortunately she didn't go far with it; only a few miles. During the trek it managed to maintain its perch atop the car. I picked it up later that evening, and needless to say I thankful and relieved to have retrieved it. If you own a nook, you know why! For what it's worth I'm informed by the folks at Barnes & Noble that 1-800-thebook is the customer service number to call if you ever lose your nook. Happy Reading!

Rush Creek Village is one of those hidden gems that most people seem to know about. It gets pretty regular press on the blog circuit , and once every ten years or so The New York Times sends someone out to do a feature on it . Located on the southeast side of Worthington, OH, Rush Creek Village is a unique community of like-minded homes that remains a prime example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian style. Welcome to Rush Creek Village The community was founded (if that's the right word) by Wright admirer Martha Wakefield and her husband Richard. Construction began on the first Rush Creek house in 1956. The principal designer was Theodore van Fossen, a young man whose prior work consisted of working on a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright's projects. (It should also be noted that Van Fossen, who passed away December 20, 2010, was also the designer of the Robert and Mary Gunning House near Blacklick.) When all was said and done Van Fossen had coordinated the design and constructio...

This week London witnessed the expected media buzz that now goes hand-in-hand with the unveiling of the newest Fourth Plinth sculpture . Over the last few years the big reveal has become something of a big deal in the art world; presenting (if nothing else) the chance for contemporary art to demonstrate it still has the power to rankle and subvert. As the Mayor of London's website proclaims, the Fourth Plinth sculptures are "ambitious and provocative and question the role and nature of contemporary art in our public spaces." By that criteria, Marc Quinn's Alison Lapper Pregnant , Yinka Shonibare’s Ship in a Bottle , and Antony Gormley's One and Other certainly delivered the goods. Thoughtful, human, and provocative, these works challenged the traditional idea of monumental public sculpture as well as our notions about what we choose to celebrate. Sadly, this year's work misses the mark. Powerless Structures, Fig 101 by the Scandinavian artist-duo Elmgreen a...

The Columbus Museum of Art has every reason to crow about their current exhibition Caravaggio: Behold the Man! . The chance to present a Caravaggio painting on North American soil is a coup for any museum; an event worthy of all the banners, billboards, and fanfare money can buy. And while I'm as big a fan as anyone of the art world's original enfant terrible , I'll admit to being much more excited about the CMA's other blockbuster show, Monet to Matisse: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Sira k Collection . Edward Degas Houses at the Foot of a Cliff (Saint-Valery-Sur-Somme), ca. 1895-1898 Columbus Museum of Art Acquired in 1991, the Howard C. and Babette L. Sirak Collection represented a watershed moment for the Columbus Museum of Art. Complementing the earlier contributions of notable collector Ferdinand Howald, as well as an already strong selection of American modernists, the Sirak Collection provided a breadth of coverage the CMA had previously been lacking...

I've been using Goodreads for the last couple years to keep track of what I read - and perhaps more importantly - to see what friends and colleagues are reading. I work in a library, so keeping abreast of new titles as well as books in a variety of genres is important. Goodreads helps me do that. It's also a great place to find recommendations from people who have similar tastes. I invariably learn about books I'd probably never had heard of through my Goodreads friends. Add in the copious social features (places to share reviews, comment on reviews and update your status) and you've got a pretty neat tool for book lovers. As if that weren't enough, the "Never Book Ending Quiz" is addictive and educational. This year (2012 that is) I signed up for the Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge. It's a system that allows you to set a target number of books to read in the coming year and then track your progress. My hope is that by using this tool I'll be a...