Getting around the to usual haunts this summer. Time in Ohio and Pennsylvania. If you’re in the Buckeye State, it’s worth it to check out Front, a new triennial exhibition https://frontart.org/ in Cleveland. Some really strong work and thoughtfully situated projects throughout the city. And the museum there is so big and so air conditioned, which is frankly all I can think about when it gets this hot and humid in NY.

Walking on top of a mountain in Missoula, Montana, I overheard an older woman telling an even older woman, that she’d like to retire, but she’s worried that if they repeal the ACA, she wouldn’t be able to afford insurance. So even in Montana, things are getting real. Missoula was beautiful though – and I highly recommend Black Coffee for a strong cup of coffee (with bee pollen!) and a seasonal strawberry toast. I love that you can get expensive single pieces of toast with stuff on it in almost any city now. Live it up, toast enthusiasts, this is your moment. Oh, and of course visit the Missoula Art Museum in between hikes. Is this a travel blog now? I dunno. I’m just telling you that some places are worth it and I’m fortunate I get paid to see them.

Big Car is an artspace in Indiana that is just endlessly inspiring. As long as you’re going to be in Indianapolis, right near the airport, there’s a crystal and I guess “New Age” shop (are we still in the New Age? How long does that last? Are waterbeds still a part of that?) called All My Relations. That’s also the name of a gallery/coffee shop in Minneapolis – so check your GPS directions before you head out. The point is, I loaded up on some crystals and incense to make the summer go a little quicker and in preparation for a fortuitous fall. New shows start soon. But it’s too hot to think about that. I’d rather think about elephant ears and swimming holes and walking tacos (you eat it from the bag!).

It sure feels that way after this weekend. Amazing that you can do something for 20 years and still be thrown off by a simple thing. Oh well. I liked these fish when we found them in a koi pond in Austin not long ago, so now you can see em, too. I’m sure it’s not easy for them either. I’m pretty sure they only came over to me because they thought I had food pellets. I didn’t.

File this under – I’m trying to post anything other than a promotional thing for my next show – which is coming up May 16th. And then? Who knows. Maybe I’ll just dive back under the water for a bit and see what happens.

An end of summer update. Not the most important thing in the world, but there we go.

Visited the art world grand tour, seeing so much/too much work in Venice, Kassel, and Munster. Didn’t make it to Athens (sorry, Athens) for the extension of Documenta there, but got lots of Greek/German history on this trip. Also got to enjoy the entirely not glamorous German approach to temporary accommodations, with a stay that has to rank among the worst in my nine years of business travel. The lack of air conditioning was one thing, but not like a major thing. But let’s talk about the bed, for a minute. A kind of inverted thing, where the feet ended up higher than your head. The first night I gave up half way through the night and just slept on the floor on a wadded up blanket. The second night, I opened the window which had the affect of filling my room with multiple hungry mosquitoes, but I did manage to flip the mattress over and though itchy, I did get some rest. The third night, I rolled over and my entire elbow went right through the sheet. Tore a giant hole. I covered it up and left a 2 euro tip in the morning.

Documenta was solid. Venice was a less so. Munster was “get me off this effing bike”. The thing is, you end up seeing some strong work – but you also end up seeing some stuff that’s just not worth the pain of a bike seat and riding forty minutes in the wrong direction up a one way street. The food everywhere – including the Frankfurt train station – was great. Even that horrible hotel had a good meat and fresh pastries vibe going on in the breakfast buffet.

Venice. Always in my heart. It may be overrun, and overdone, but gosh darn it, I love that place. Ciao! Prego! Allora. I can’t stop saying it. It’s annoying. I know. Still…

Then we did the moving. Which…a month later, we’re still unpacking boxes. A few blocks away, but a much improved situation. Still…so.many. boxes.

Then Ohio, where this photo was taken at the world famous Kings Island. I learned once again that I am not as asset on water rides if you want to stay dry.

Recalling that trip, I also can’t help thinking about Charlottesville, I place I’ve been only briefly. So many of those young men who participated in the violence there were from or spent time in, Ohio. Many were from the places we go to every summer. Kids who no doubt rode the same log flume, ate the same weird blue ice cream, kids who sat at a Skyline Chili and ate oyster crackers to bide the time before the coneys arrived. How they went wrong, well, I dunno. Somewhere ignorance took root and hate grew from there. I’ve seen it fully formed. Stood next to it. Cringed at Confederate flags and Nazi paraphernalia in car show fields and flea market stalls. Laughed awkwardly at comments or jokes, just to get on to the next thing and not deal with it. But I’m going to try harder and be better. Let’s take down all the mammy salt and pepper shakers we have. Let’s not let an Uncle slip a little racism into conversation over the mashed potatoes. And by all means, let’s protest and continue to evaluate the worth of public monuments to a lost war.

I was also in Lexington and Louisville where that particular debate is active and working its way through the community. I second the idea to relocate all these old monuments to some empty gas station lot in the desert. Or melt them down and make new ones in honor of more lasting values, like justice and equality. Acknowledge the past, reconcile with it, or abandon it, and move forward. Meanwhile, I’m going to focus on putting more love out there.

And reading grant proposals. And unpacking.