Dread & Delight

It was a beautiful fall day for a trip to Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro with my older daughter and my older sister-in-law. (I'm feeling quite young after writing that sentence.)

The whole title of the exhibit we went to see is "Dread & Delight: Fairy Tales in an Anxious World." Although fairy tales were originally "riddled with sexual innuendo, child abuse and all manner of violent scenarios" (Tom Patterson in The Winston-Salem Journal, November 11, 2018), I much prefer the simple fairy tales of my childhood. I confess I had a sense of anxiety and couldn't even finish reading the descriptions of some of the artistic depictions.

 Without further ado, here are some pics ... none of which are R-rated or too dreadful. Enjoy!
 

(Rapunzel) Ties of Protection and Safekeeping. MK Guth

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"What is worth protecting?" Participants wrote their responses on red flannel ribbons which tied the synthetic hair braids.

(Little Red Riding Hood) If We Believe in Theory, by Xaviera Simmons.

Individual boys and girls were given the hooded cape and wicker basket and just one prompt: to tell the photographer where the wolf was.

Hansel and Gretel, by Tom Otterness

"Otterness creates a scene that is engagingly playful but reminds us that, for many children, the joy of play is not a given."

(Cinderella) The Ice Queen, by Ana Teresa Fernandez

High heels made from ice, worn while standing over a street grate until they melted away! (This was actually a video of the shoes slowly melting.) "Her Cinderella exhibits the physical and mental strength to withstand and ultimately walk away from the pain of her own accord."

(Cinderella) Motherload, by Timothy Horn

This was created "in response to the life story of a woman named Alma Spreckles.... Alma was a lowly laundress when she met and married the heir to a sugar fortune. Her 'rags to riches' story, however, did not bring her a life filled with joy. This real-life Cinderella found that happiness is really quite fragile." (The carriage is covered in crystallized rock candy!)

That's yours truly on the left with my daughter Anna.

Now onto a few other pieces of art that caught my eye in the museum.

Kill for Peace, by Carol Summers. A protest against the war in Viet Nam.

Mirror/Vortex by Robert Smithson. I took the photo looking down into the mirrors.

Animals, by Andy Warhol. I took this for my husband the farmer. :)

Next, some "people" photos.

And then it was outside for a short stroll to some deliciousness.

A gorgeous blue sky overhead and two dear family members at my side. Life is good!