Festivals and Culture
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Spring is Coming
Ferida Wolff writes: "The daffies have been spreading over the years. They seem to decide where to plant themselves and then surprise me when they bloom. It’s a pleasure to see the vibrant yellow greeting me when I look out the kitchen window and it feels like the flowers’ energy is present when I do qigong exercises outside on a nice pre-spring day. A daffodil is seen as a symbol of hope and healing. It feels like an awakening as it begins to bring our thoughts to Spring. It’s almost an invitation to set aside what the winter offered and to welcome what is yet to come." more »
23rd Annual Library of Congress National Book Festival, Saturday August 12; Get to Know the Authors and Their Books
Great Reads from Great Places: A great way to interact and stay connected to the Library and the Festival is to download the Great Reads from Great Places brochure. The brochure contains a reading list of books and authors for each state across the nation and a map that allows you to mark and keep track of your reading. Local libraries and other organizations will be hosting livestream watch parties and live events across the country. Locate an event near you by visiting the Festival Near You page. Contact the organizations directly or visit their sites for more information. more »
Sheila Pepe, Textile Artist: My Neighbor’s Garden .... In Madison Square Park, NYC
"The artist’s mother taught her to crochet in the 1960s. Pepe discovered women artists working in America who were a generation or two older and associated with the feminist art movement — Lynda Benglis, Eva Hesse, and Nancy Spero — as a crucible to launch her sculptural investigations. Those women responded to the fury of the Vietnam War and became agents of activism for Pepe who overturned hoary assumptions by responding to gender, identity, and civil rights. She also questioned the materiality in sculpture, so closely linked to gender. Pepe radicalized the grandmotherly constitution of crochet into a paradigm of feminist action." more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Bee-side Our Window
Ferida Wolff Ponders: "Well, the bushes are beginning to flower again and Bebe is back! It seems to have even more energy than last year. It is there when I open the door but it isn’t threatening. It keeps its distance as I watch it discourage any other bees that seem interested in the bushes. The strange thing is that I don’t see any nest in the bushes. What is it protecting?"
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