Archive for November 9, 2008

Palin’s Game: Tacking Back on Stevens

So much of Sarah Palin’s campaign rhetoric was contingent: provided she didn’t have to go back to being the governor of Alaska, she could condemn Ted Stevens; her daughter would have to get married, but could walk away if the election didn’t go well; etc. Now, it’s time to backtrack – saying that she doesn’t want to be thought of as a “dictator,” Palin won’t push Stevens to resign, even though it could benefit her.

Feed Your Brain: Sol LeWitt at MASS MoCA

In the mood for a road trip? If so, I strongly recommend visiting MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA) to witness the amazing humor and intelligence of Sol LeWitt. We saw a much smaller exhibition at DIA:Beacon last year, but we can’t wait to haul our cookies to MASS MoCA to see this huge exhibit. LeWitt’s drawings will blow your mind. His art plays with mathematics, color theory, random movement … step back and see one thing, come close and see all sorts of new details … sometimes it’s kinda like looking at a crystal … sometimes, a fractal … but always, it’s tons of fun. I cannot recommend LeWitt enough.

Of course, MASS MoCA is a piece of art in itself. Situated in a converted factory, the museum reinvigorated North Adams, which was a typical company town and suffered tremendously when the Sprague Electric Works shut down in the 1980s. PBS’s Independent Lens series presented a documentary on the construction of the museum: Downside Up tells a terrific story.

North Adams, Massachusetts is located in the northwest corner of the state. It is about three hours from Boston, two hours from Poughkeepsie, NY (woo-hoo!), and a little over an hour from Albany.