Art Manifesto

A manifesto on art criticism 

 

24

 I never knew Mexican Coca-Cola was available in 24 packs! 

Armadillo

 Saw this armadillo at 6 am at my in-laws house yesterday. 

Parking

I had this parking spot for six years until a teacher arrived three years ago and nabbed it. They get here obscenely early so it's not worth it for me to get up that early just for a parking spot. But today I had to drop my daughter off for a field trip and I got my spot back, for a day. A colleague walking in snapped this photo with this other teacher's front bumper over the line. Passive aggressive much? Ha! My pettiness knows no bounds. 

Sept 17

30 years ago today I set off to live in Barcelona for a year. 

HOT

 

Sure don't feel like Fall. 

Wives, Slaves and Concubines

 

| just completed reading Wives, Slaves and Concubines: A History of the Female Underclass in Dutch Asia by Dr. Eric Jones who was gracious enough to email me a copy of his enlightening book. Dr. Jones and I met through the AP Readings over the years and this year I was fortunate enough to sit next to him at our work stations. Eric teaches at Northern Illinois University specializing in Southeast Asian Studies.

 

This book greatly enhanced my understanding of the VOC's (Dutch East India Company) trade network in Indonesia and the personal costs of a demographic that is often underreported in history books. Using primary source legal cases, Jones shows the heart wrenching experiences of many women in 16th-18th century Indonesia as they were brought to court for running away from horrendous situations or committing other various

"crimes."

 

I was not aware of how the VOC, which had almost full governmental and judicial authority over much of Southeast Asia, determined social standing. Often standing was based on VOC employment rather than race or ethnicity due to the difficulties of creating long standing Dutch communities without large numbers of Europeans in the region. Pragmatism often led to somewhat illusory enlightened policies. But most women still fell victim to patriarchal oppression. I learned a lot from this work. Academic yet with a compelling narrative. I hope to discuss some of this work with Dr. Jones if we both make it back to Louisville this next summer.

Together

 They don’t usually sit this close together for very long. 

Tailgate

Chillin with some members of the Barbecue Club before Friday’s game. 

Pacific Edge

Finished the third book in Kim Stanley Robinson's Three Californias Trilogy. Pacific Edge. This one was equally captivating but the last quarter of the book was very depressing. I didn't like how it ended for some of the characters. I guess that makes it more realistic. Each volume envisions a different reality for a future California. One, post-apocalyptic. The second, if things continued to proceed the way they are now. The final volume, Pacific Edge, a realistic version of Utopia, societies successfully wrestling with the great issues of our day: economic inequality, climate change, evolving social structures etc. But I found the Utopia volume the saddest. Not for the structural changes described but for the personal sacrifices made in the endeavor for a better society. The main character deserved better!