Who Is In Your Head? - #149

Pico Iyer is in my head. He snuck in a word at a time. His articles, published by Tricycle, The New York Times, and an occasional airline magazine, support my exploration of mysteries.  

Pico, a lifelong traveler, has the ability to plumb the depths of human nature. (Notice, if you will, how we are on a first name basis.)

The Man Within My Head,* Pico's book describing Graham Greene's foothold in his head, was the rare book I wasn't interested in buying. Unfamiliar and uninterested in Greene's work, I would skip this one.

Promotional material and book reviews tried to convince me otherwise. Both hinted it was essential this book make it into my Amazon cart. 1-click option activated and instant gratification wins again.

The reviews were right - the book is engaging. Here's one of my favorite sentences: "Was it only through another that I could begin to get at myself?"

This made me ask: Is it only through Pico that I can begin to learn about myself? 

I haven't met Pico FTF. Pico didn't meet Graham Greene FTF. Nevertheless, both relationships, mine with Pico and Pico with Graham, were instrumental in the process of our individual self definition.

Who is in your head? How did they get there? Would you be different without them? Who helps you be you? Is there anyone in your head  you wish wasn't? Please let me know in an email or comment in comments section. 

Thanks for exploring the mystery headspace - Nicky Mendenhall

In honor of Pico's travels, the picture above is from my trip to Greece in the early part of the twenty-first century.

Midweek: Good News About Aging

"I seem to be waking to a larger world of wonderment – to catch little glimpses of the immensity and diversity of creation. More than at any other time of my life, I seem to be aware of the beauties of our spinning planet and the sky above. Old age is sharpening my awareness." * ~ Ram Dass, Being With What Is* I wish I would have written the above paragraph; maybe I'm not quite old enough yet. Each year I feel more and more aware of life!  Ram Das will be 84 on April 6, 2015. In 1971, his seminal book, Be Here Now, was published. I remember having a copy years ago but now I can't locate it. Today everyone writes about being in the moment! As you get older, do you appreciate the immensity and diversity of life? I do. Do you appreciate the beauty of the present moment? I do. Let me know how you cope with aging - no matter what your age. Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall Ram Das quote found here: kimmanleyort.com  .

Tis the Weekend for Breathing & Resting - #148

"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day
is the rest we take between two deep breaths."*


This quote from First Sip appeared in my phone email box at just the right moment this afternoon. I was out running errands. My winter coat popped a button. My new haircut didn't produce the look I wanted. The low fuel symbol on my dash began to flash. 

In the midst of those happenings, which I took in stride better than usual, I tried to formulate a post idea in my mind for completing this evening.

Opening up First Sip made me pause as I read about breathing and resting. It soothed my nerves. Then when I didn't devolve into the disaster place I have in the past, I felt pleasure arising.  

How do you handle a series of disappointments? 

My wish for readers of exploring the mystery is for a weekend of breathing and resting. Thanks for reading. Nicky Mendenhall

The photo above is of the sky one evening when I was leaving my office. Looks like snow doesn't it?

*Etty Hillesum

MidWeek - Time To Get Thrown Out of the Nest

The essence of life is that it's challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it relaxes or opens. Sometimes you have a headache, and sometimes you feel 100 percent healthy.

From an awakened perspective, trying to tie up all the loose ends and finally get it together is death, because it involves rejecting a lot of your basic experience. There is something aggressive about that approach to life, trying to flatten out all the rough spots and imperfections into a nice smooth ride.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again. From the awakened point of view, that's life.

Wise words by Pema Chodron found on First Sip, February 17, 2015.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Love According To Angel - #147

Angel Kyodo Williams believes the best way to find love is to create space. In her view, love is spaciousness itself.  

I "met" Angel Kyodo Williams* when she presented a live Daily Dharma Talk,* February 12, 2015. To learn more about Kyodo, an African American Zen Priest, Google her name. When I did this, I found and listened to parts of an interview sponsored by the Global Oneness Project. 

I remember clients who have been puzzled by their partner's request for space. They ask, "What do they mean by space? What do they want?" Kyodo's possible answer: Space and Love are the same. 

She might suggest to the person who was asked for more space to say to the person making the request: "I want to let you be as you are rather than trying to control you." 

As I listened to Kyodo speak about functional love beginning in space, it occurred to me that Valentine's Day is the Western World's attempt to create space for love.

Exploring the mystery wishes you a spacious Valentine's Day. If you experience any discomfort, remember that you always have the tool of breathing space around the discomfort. Your breath will create the space for the discomfort to ease. Fighting the discomfort will likely make you more miserable and increase your suffering. Accept the discomfort and make space for love.

Thanks for exploring the mystery of love - Nicky Mendenhall

*To learn more about this inspiring African American Zen Priest, Google her name. There are multiple options to choose from. I listened to parts of a complete interview of Kyodo by the Global Oneness Project.

Photo: Received at my massage therapist's office.

MidWeek Wisdom: Wait Till Top of Hill

I experienced a miniscule stab of chagrin (I almost didn't pay attention to it but I'm tracking feelings these days) when this comment from Karen arrived in my inbox:   

"While I am not denying that some decisions need to be made immediately, my many years experience tells me most do not.  I think people rush to decisions less out of necessity than being uncomfortable with uncertainty for a period."

How did she know that? 

I sort of knew that.

The way she put it made it so clear.  

So if I remember that what I'm rushing away from is uncertainty, I will be more likely to slow down. Somehow naming uncertainty as uncertainty takes some of the mystery out why it's such a temptation to rush ahead. I will be able to explore the mystery of uncertainty and not rush into making foolhardy decisions.  

Thank you Karen for helping me explore the mystery of my rushing and for being willing to be published.

Let me know how you manage uncertainty!

Thank you readers for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Intersections To Be Aware Of - #146

Why am I so passionate about recognizing and possibly eradicating black and white thinking? 

I would like to propose that black or white, either/or responses occur when we are happily  motoring along  and suddenly encounter an unexpected T intersection.  

Suddenly, a question is thrust in front of us. A decision has to be made.

Knee-jerk reactions are by definition automatic and unthinking.

We depend on our conditioning to answer lightening fast questions. Can you trust your conditioning? Do you know how your conditioning is likely to respond?

For me, my conditioning is likely to want me to rush which means my response is not well-thought out.

How do you handle T intersections?

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Mid Week: More About Black & White

As soon as we admit that there are no right answers, that we must be ready to live with contradiction, we are forced instead to listen to one another, to admit our need to learn, to recognize our need to receive.*

The above Esther de Waal quote gives us clues for moving from a black and white perspective.   

The comment section of exploring the mystery (click on italicized words & then scroll) features a quote by Anonymous that shows how one woman courageously faced her history with black and white thinking. 

Let me know in comment section or by replying to this email what your relationship with black and white thinking has been and what you would like it to be. 

*From Companioning the Dying, January 30, 2015.

Image: Day after 10" snowstorm!

Rooted in Black & White - #145

It takes time to make an informed decision when you begin with the following knowledge: 

You will undoubtedly face more than two options. This tip is good for healthy decision making and for understanding poetry.

When you are steeped in black and white thinking, the hot water of uncertainty urges you to make quick decisions. This often makes for inappropriate decisions based on shallow thinking.

I don't remember when or why or how the above image made its way to my Picasa album. I think it has been in there simmering, waiting for me to become aware: 

Aware that my rushing may be related to my black and white thinking.

When I took another look at the image, it pleased me when I saw gray. Becoming comfortable with the ambiguity of gray is the way out of rigid thinking.

If you remove "undoubtedly" and "often" (words I added in the last edit) from the sentences above, you will see that these additions were necessary to make it possible for me to practice what I preach.

Do you do black or white, all or nothing thinking? Do you recognize it when you do? How do you guard against this fundamentalist tendency to judge right or wrong? Please share by replying to this email or clicking on the underlined exploring the mystery below.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Magic Indeed!

Imagine my surprise when post #131 (originally published October 3, 2014) popped up in my inbox two days ago! My apologies for the extra email - I have no idea how this occurred. Never a boring moment around Blogspot!

"If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then try it for eight, sixteen, thirty-two and so on. Eventually one discovers that it's not boring at all."*

Take a look at the picture above** and see what you can see in thirty-two seconds. Do you see the moon?



*John Cage, Four Statements on the Dance, 1944, Cited in my exciting new book Ways of Looking by Ossian Ward.

**Portion of mural, lower level of the World Food Prize Building, Des Moines, IA.

More Roots For You MidWeek

"These Days

whatever you have to say, leave

the roots on, let them
dangle

And the dirt

Just to make clear
where they come from"*    

What do you think would happen if the next time you spoke, you left the roots on? I'm thinking leaving the roots on could mean, for me, letting my feelings be expressed instead of burying them to keep everyone happy.

Email me with your thoughts about exploring roots; throw in some dirt if you desire.  Nicky Mendenhall

*Charles Olson

Source: Collected Poems of Charles Olson--Excluding Maximus Poems (edited/translated by George Butterick)

December 12, 2014, Inward/Outward, Daily Words.

Watch For Unconscious Roots - #143

"Admit something:

"Everyone you see, you say to them, 'Love me.'
Of course you do not do this out loud; otherwise,
someone would call the cops."*

The Sufi poet Hafiz wrote the above lines,  c. 1320 to 1389. His words assure us that the deeply rooted human desire for connection, a desire we often yearn for, is not a new phenomenon.

Perhaps a mystery we could explore is why it is difficult for us to get past surface emotions. Are the cell phone callers in the above image speaking their true feelings (getting to the root of the matter) or sticking with niceties to keep the other happy?

Watch how often you say or do something to prompt the other to affirm you. Sometimes I hear myself asking a question when what I really want is for someone to pay attention to me.

Often my requests for affirmation aren't coming from my rational mind - they are deeply buried. The primitive brain stores these deep needs for love and connection.  

This weekend, pay attention to how you, and most people you encounter, want  reassurance. Don't judge them or yourself, just notice. Respond to their query if you discern a response from you will help them. Try not to patronize. Be kind to yourself.

Be sure and hit reply to the email you received or go to the blog by clicking on the underlined words, exploring the mystery below.

If you know of someone who might want to join us in exploring mysteries, please forward this email to them. Tell them they can subscribe by putting in their email address.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall











*Section of Hafiz's poem, With That Moon Language, used in Spirituality and Practice month-long workshop, 2015. 




  

Day Late: Check Your Roots

And don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. 

It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.*
~ Rumi

*First Published by First Sip, January 8, 2015.

Roots - #142

Bits of wisdom furrowed deeper into the psyche during my absence from exploring the mystery: 

I know more solidly that a well-lived life includes family and friends. Scanning my old calendar, then my new calendar (always an awkward transition for me) I noted that when an entry recorded a connection with family members - either in person or on the phone, either my husband's family or mine, new friends or long-term friends, I felt genuine feelings of satisfaction. Losing friends and family makes tending the roots of relationship feel more essential.

Being less judgmental of others and myself has been an intention for several years. Accepting everyone became more effortless this year when I remembered differences make life interesting. 

Why is it that a quirky character in a movie, in a television show, or in a good novel is easier to love than a live person across the table?  

Not certain why it took me so long to accept that a life well-lived will necessarily contain the disappointing moments as well as the joyful ones. This is how life is. No matter how good I am (or how advanced psychologically), I can't make everything perfect.

Tooth # 30 (right side molar) gave me practice handling pain and suffering without creating a disaster that could ruin the holidays for me and others around me. Oral surgeons are to be avoided, especially in December, but invited into intimacy as needed. The picture above resembles the extraction from my lower jaw.

A new root I want to nurture and develop in 2015: Poetry.  
Enrolling in a Spirituality and Practice month-long online poetry class with Roger Housden was a way to honor my intention to continue to make a place for poetry in my life. Studying a poem a day, with help from Roger and the other participants, allows me to find a deeper level of life.  

I want to share with you a few lines from Mary Oliver's poem, "Mindful" that have burrowed their way into my mind:

Every day
I see or hear
Something

that more or less
kills me 
with delight.

I am delighted that we can continue exploring the mystery together.

Do you have a sense of your roots? What kills you with delight? Please email me or go to the blog comment section.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Art and The Sense of Confinement - #141

U. Htein Lin* reported that people don't understand his desire to reconnect with a sense of confinement. An artist, he believes the six years he spent in prison produced his best work.  
 
"I was completely cut off from art critics and an audience," he said in an interview. "I just did what I wanted. In the cell I found freedom. It was the most important time in my art career."

I find the "confinement" of publishing a blog post twice a week enables me to do what I want: I've always wanted to write. Lately, I've also been driven to capture images.  

My schedule isn't anything like prison (I've watched Orange is the New Black!). Nevertheless, I'm feeling the need for parole - until Blog Post 142 which will appear on January 9, 2014.

So until then, give yourself parole time from anything that confines you - and enjoy yourself. I'll look forward to 2015 and continuing to explore the mystery!

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall


The above portrait of an Egyptian woman, by Howard G. Buffett, can be viewed at the Photography Exhibit, World Food Prize Building, Des Moines, Iowa.  To see more of his stunning portraits: www.40Chances.com

*New York Times International, December 7, 2014. Interview by Thomas Fuller.

Mid Week Interrogative

Last week's discovery, that asking questions of an art object establishes a relationship with it, continues to intrigue me. 

A Saturday morning visit to the majestic World Food Prize Building would have been the perfect opportunity to practice.  

I was so excited to be in the building that housed my favorite library when I moved to Des Moines - the biggest city I had ever lived in - that I forgot about asking questions of the art work and instead captured images and soaked up the atmospheric beauty. The image above is a section of a mural in the lower level.  

It was later that I asked the work what the horse was doing in the midst of the crowd? We are all animals was the message. The visible passion in people interested me. The colors. There is lots to learn from this one section.  

As for the word interrogative in the heading, it is to alert you to a fascinating book, The Interrogative Mood, which is 164 pages of questions.*

Here's a sample from page 48: "What are three basic things you need to be content in life? Would you rate yourself as more tired than you used to be or as a person who still has all the get-up-and-go that it takes? When offered meat or poultry with a stuffing or dressing, do you first taste the meat or poultry or the dressing? Do you favor a hemline above or below the knee? Has your position with respect to birders changed over the years or remained the same? If right now you were on your deathbed but not feeling too bad and could have some one thing brought to you, what would it be? Do you like flannel? Is there a location or locale on earth you consistently think of as preferable to the one you are usually in? If asked to draw a circle, will you freehand it of effect a compass with the tools at hand? When you trap a rat in a spring trap, to you feel triumphant or bad?"

That wasn't even a full paragraph! 

In this holiday season, ask questions of art and of the people you meet and of yourself, then listen. Ask yourself if you need to take a break and get some rest. Let me know how questions work for you.

Thanks for exploring the mystery of questions. Nicky Mendenhall

*The Interrogative Mood by Padgett Powell (2009)

The Envelope Please - #140

There's no doubt about it - the final message from Lenore metrick-chen, my former docent instructor, has changed my relationship with art. 

Here are her wise words:

"The main idea is that you need to start with the art - ask questions of the artwork, see what questions it leads you to ask. Eventually you might ask a question that requires an answer within the artist's life, or within a broader cultural understanding or one that needs more history - and then of course by all means continue research outside of the art.

"But the biography of an artist is not an explanation of the art. It is not the meaning of the art (which changes each time you develop your understanding by asking another question).

"Start with the art."

 She suggests, "after an initial meeting with the art, we read as much as possible. Biography. History. Art Critics. Not to explain the art but to let it speak even more fully." 

It is a shift for me to relate to art for itself. There's no secret formula for deciding whether of not the art is good. I'm feeling excited that an art object is as worthy of attention as any person I meet. I don't judge people by their parents, why should I judge an art work by its creator.  

The more time we spend with a person, the better we know them and the more we can step back and let them speak for themselves. I bet it will be the same with an art object.  "Long looking" is recommended by Jeanette Winterson in Art Objects.

Does any of this make sense to you? Will this change your relationship with art? How? Please share so we can learn from you. Reply to this email or click on the underlined exploring the mystery below to access the comment section.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Mid Week Elephant Help

"I am a rider on the back of an elephant.......

"I'm holding the reins in my hands and
by pulling one way or the other I can tell the elephant to turn, to stop, or to go. 

"I can direct things, but only when the elephant doesn't have desires of his own. When the elephant really wants to do something, I'm no match for him."*

What a great metaphor!

My elephant needs lots of cajoling before it will actually take a walk in the cold, work on learning Balance Gym, or address Christmas cards.

This time of year my elephant desires sugar. Once I give in, there's no stopping him.  

Introduce yourself to your elephant. Get to know him. I'm betting that he's more active this time of year.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall


*Cal Newport's blog, Study Hacks, is a favorite because his discipline to plan every hour intrigues and horrifies me. Cal attributes the elephant story to the first chapter in Jonathan Haidt's, The Happiness Hypothesis.


          

ART: Black or White? - #139

In the last few posts, I've been sharing my confusing art issue and silly pictures.  I'm clearer now so here's the issue in a few words (you're on your own with the pictures): Why/how is it problematic to use an artist's life to evaluate his/her work?  

If you ask: "where did that question come from?" I will tell you:

Des Moines Art Center docent class instructor.  In 2002, we were forbidden (that's how strong I heard it) to judge art work by the artists' life.   

Sometimes, I fail to recognize "an infusion of simplicity"*  that slips over me manifesting itself in how I receive instruction.  

"An infusion of simplicity" makes it possible to see things in black and white. It flattens out layers. It is not an infusion I recommend.

Deciding to further investigate what I remembered from class, I found a working email address for the instructor and wrote her asking for clarification. 

In the meantime, while reading Art Objects: Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery** by Jeanette Winterson, I had an epiphany!  

Winterson suggests when an artist creates art, he/she creates it in a separate reality. The "art" is then a reflection of the separate reality - not of the artist's life. Does this make sense to you?

Late breaking news: I received an answer from the instructor - a delightful message that I will share next numbered post - probably not midweek.  I want to get her permission to share her name and that may take time.

And we have lots of time. Please be sure and share your thoughts on any and all issues we discuss. It's how I learn.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

*Thanks to Ann and Barry Ulanov for the phrase an "infusion of simplicity" found in Religion and the Unconscious (1975), page 38.

**Isn't that a delightful title? 1995.

Midweek Meows*

 

Have you noticed the last few exploring the mystery posts are exploring art? 

Here is a variation of the question I posed in Surprise Bonus Post: What is the relationship between the artist's work and their life?

And while I have your attention: Do you think the above image is art?

If you determine that there is a relationship between the artist's work and their life and you think the above image is art, tell me about my life.

This image is possibly the silliest image I have ever received. 

Christine Valters Paintner writes, "taking" photos with the head is often an act of analysis or grasping......"receiving" photos with the heart is an experience of grace.**

Are you practical and wrestling with the question: What is art for anyway? Send me all your ideas, positive or negative (and your silliest image).  

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

*My midweek dream: After hearing kittens meowing in my silk purse for several days, I decide to investigate. As soon as the purse is open, an elegant full grown purple cat makes her way across the room. (I'm open to dream analysis should any of you feel so moved.)

**Gratitude to Christine Valters Paintner and her book, Eyes of the Heart, for these ideas.

Surprise Bonus Post: BODY OF ART

A dedicated and resourceful exploring the mystery reader was kind enough to send me a CBS video link which I want to share with you - Body of Art: Meet Performance Artist Marina Abramovic. The interview aired today, November 30, at 9:45 A.M. (in case the link below doesn't work maybe you can locate it).  

I loved seeing Marina and hearing her voice. During the program, an assumption is made that Marina's childhood experiences are responsible for the direction her performance art has unfolded. Do you think this is true? 

Does an artist's work explain the artist's life? 

I would love to know what you think as we may be exploring this question in future posts. Email me or comment on blog comment section which you can reach by clicking on exploring the mystery that is underlined below.


For the interview with Marina - click on underlined words below and then again on the blue line that pops up beneath it if needed.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/body-of-art-meet-performance-artist-marina-abramovic/

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

Constable Inspires Layered Approach - #138

WSJ headline, "An Artist, Inspired and Inspiring"  intrigued me. Turns out the article promoted the exhibit,"Constable: The Making of a Master," (an exhibit through January 11, 2015, at the Victoria and Albert Museum).  

Tour of London, 2011. Final stop for day: Victoria and Albert Museum.  To observe paintings and ceramics throughout the massive building, it was necessary to walk miles and miles. I didn't know until recently that John Constable (1776-1837) was Britain's best-loved artist or I might have ignored my sore feet and fatigued body (mostly what I remember about the V & A) and rallied to locate a Constable.

The article mentions Constable worked and reworked other painter's ideas, often giving them as much attention as he gave his own work. He grappled with the complex subtleties of ideas put forth by others.

Not only that, Constable worked to make his paintings convey the layered complexity of nature. 

He was ahead of his time. 

What a guy! 

He knew how to shift his attention from passive attention to active attention. Active attention is the focus of today's mindfulness. Pay attention, be in the Now. Slow down and pay attention.

My goal is to slow down enough to consider that most of what I deal with comes in layers.  When we slow down enough to pay attention, it is obvious that paying attention to the surface layer of most things is not enough. There is always more to consider.

Do you have a Constable hanging in your living room? Would you like to have a Constable? Do you know a constable? Do you practice active attention? If you meditate and follow your breath or a word you chose and return to it over and over during your meditation, you are practicing active attention. Do you pay attention to layers? Please let me know by replying to this message or going to blog and posting in comment section.

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

The above image is to represent the complexity of nature and is not a Constable. Google John Constable to see his work. 

Midweek: What Does Life/Art Ask Of Us?

"When you commit to a life in the arts or to any field that demands your full creative involvement and your largest meaning investment - whether as a research physicist, inventor, poet, activist, investigative reporter, or country-western singer - then you have made a deal with yourself that you will spend years, decades, even a whole lifetime in the pursuit of real results, excellence, and success, however you might define or measure these. You have said to yourself, "I am authentically involved in this. This matters to me."*

What is life/art asking of you this week? 

Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall

*Creativity for LIfe by Eric Maisel, Ph.D. 

What Does It Take To Be A Great Artist? - #137

 "You know how you know you're an artist? It's like breathing, it's a necessity...but that doesn't make you a great artist. It just makes you an artist."  

 (Quote from WSJ interview Marina Abramovic) 

Marina divides people into two classes: "originals" (like herself & a man I met on nature path who was tickled pink to be photographed - see image above) and "those who follow." 

"Being a great artist requires total sacrifice of everything and loneliness."

Marina exclaims with a laugh (according to he interviewer Alexandra Wolfe) that she has fulfilled these requirements: "I'm single, divorced, have no children, and spend much of my time traveling."

Naifeh and Smith's biography of Vincent Van Gogh captivated me for 868 pages.  Vincent was a great artist. Vincent was lonely and sacrificed for his art.  

What does it take to become a great artist, turns out to be a sobering question.   

Have you ever wanted to be an artist of any kind? What held you back? What do you think it takes to become a great artist?

Thanks for exploring the mystery of art - Nicky Mendenhall

Midweek: The Real Magdalena Abakanowicz

My attraction to Flock II has a long history.  Shortly after moving to Des Moines in 1977, I became fascinated with the idea of contemplation. As a mother of three there wasn't a lot of time to practice this big word but when I discovered The Des Moines Art Center, I knew I had found a place to practice.

My first stab at contemplation was when I contemplated the headless statues. What on earth were they about? What was the artist trying to express? It was almost embarrassing to like them so much. The more time I spent with these guys, the more I noticed how different each one was.  

When I became a docent in 2002 and was given the assignment to study a piece of art and make a presentation to the other docents, I headed straight to the headless wonders, trying not to knock into them, a definite docent no-no.

When researching this work, I learned that the artist, Magdalena Abakanowicz, was born on her family's estate in Poland. When she was nine, she watched the violent takeover of the family estate by German troops.  


Exploring the mystery of Flock II with all of you in exploring the mystery has been satisfying to contemplate. I'm contemplating why these figures mean so much to me. 

Is there a piece of art that you like but can't explain why? Do you spend time with art? Are you learning to tell the difference between Magdalena Abakanowicz and Marina Abramovic?

Thanks again for responding to my emergency plea. I still haven't located the subscriber list but the service seems to be working nevertheless. 

Thanks for exploring the mystery of art - Nicky Mendenhall

Magdalena Abakenowicz 

The Flock II

Burlap and resin; dimensions variable

Permission given by Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections: Purchased with funds from the Edmundson Art Foundation, Inc.m 1992.36

Photo Credit - Rich Sanders, Des Moines

The Delicate Phrase: Don't Look Away - #136

Your first instinct, when viewing Marina Abramovic's provocative  performance art, will be to avert your eyes.  

I can hear astute exploring the mystery readers saying: "Not me, I won't look away!" 

But before you bet the ranch, consider this:

In a retrospective of her work at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 2010, WSJ reports visitors were asked to brush up against nude performance artists in close quarters. Meanwhile, in MoMa's grand atrium, Marina sat perfectly still, staring straight into the eyes of visitors who lined up to sit across from her.  

Her next exhibition will focus on sensory deprivation as an antidote to the fast pace of modern life. Isn't it interesting that she wants to slow down too?

Marina wants to wake up her audience and if this means they are uncomfortable, this doesn't concern her. I imagine she often murmurs "Don't Look Away" when circulating among her fans.  

The question posed (November 4 post), "when would you say Don't Look Away" elicited no answers.  

This wasn't a total surprise; it was a delicate question. The surprise came this week when a situation showed me how difficult and how rewarding it is to say: Don't Look Away. 

When Feedburner stats said exploring the mystery had 0 subscribers and I couldn't find your names on a subscriber list, I needed help.

In effect I was saying, "I'm in trouble here. Don't Look Away!"

And you didn't. As your "got it's" came into my inbox, I understood how important Don't Look Away can be. And I understood how risky it feels to say, Don't Look Away.

Do you look away when you need to keep looking? Do you know what it feels not to be seen?

Thanks for exploring the mystery and not looking away. 
                                                      - Nicky Mendenhall

Image above on Pacific Beach this fall. My favorite restaurant, The Green Flash, was named for what happened when the sun set. In order to see it, you couldn't look away! FYI - the restaurant closed and I was very sad. The end of an era.

Mid week: this might be an emergency

This morning I was "messing around" with Feedburner and fear I have erased all of the email addresses on subscriber list. My pain is visceral.  I can't bring myself to write a regular post because I don't know if it will be delivered.

If you do receive this Mid week greeting - I would be eternally grateful if you would hit reply (to the email you received).  If you tell me you have this email, you will have my undying gratitude.

If you didn't receive anything from me on Wednesday morning - I hope you made your way to exploring the mystery blog and will figure out that you need to subscribe again - look under my picture where it says "follow by Email" - under that put in your email address and hit submit.  You may have to prove you are not a robot. When you pass this test and hit submit, you will receive an email from Feedburner with a link inside that you need to/ have to click on to complete the subscription.

I'm hoping that you won't look away! 

Image illustrating the weather today.

nickymendenhall.blogspot.co

One More Deception - #135

   

I hope since we were last together, you have not been holding your breath in anticipation that this post would reveal who said:    

"Don't look away," 

Because instead of the answer, get ready for a new contest:

 Tell us a situation where you might need/want to say: 

"Don't look away"?   

The prize for the most creative answer: Diane Durston's Wabi Sabi: The Art of Everyday Life.

As you ponder your answer, enjoy the picture above - one received by my camera last year. Then continue reading to learn more about art and me.  

Flummoxed is a word I don't use often but one that describes my feelings since I discovered that Marina did not create Flock II. Have any of you seen Flock II in Pei Gallery at the Des Moines Art Center? If you have, please share the feelings it aroused in/for you. Or if you can't make it to Pei, go to www.NickyMendenhall.blogspot.com and scroll to Post 134.

I would have never mistaken Abramovic for Abakanowicz if I would have known about the Abakans (1966-75). The abakans, so-called after her own name, were enormous three-dimensional hanging structures woven from a variety of fibers.

Abakans have been referred to as not only objects but also spaces. Sculpture as space! How interesting!  Google "images of abakans" for a look at them.

The lesson in all this - don't shy away from mistakes - they will teach you something!

When you enter the contest above, please tell me some of your most profitable mistakes. It will comfort me!

Thanks for exploring the mystery of mistakes  -
                                                                Nicky Mendenhall

Please Look Away!

Early in the twenty-first century, I resigned my volunteer docent position at the Des Moines Art Center. 

A few weeks into my retirement, I read an article about artist Marina Abramovic. Here was a familiar name! I remembered her difficult to pronounce last name when describing her work, Flock II, to fellow docents. And now here she was doing performance art!  I marveled that she could do so many things!

For the next several years, every article about Marina further cemented my bond with her. I knew her real work - it was at the Des Moines Art Center!

In my new Des Moines Art Center Collects seven pound book, the vital statistics of the artist who created Flock II, the work I described in my presentation, didn't make sense to me.  It said she was born in 1930. How could this be? The latest article reported that she was 67. And when I looked closely, her name was Magdalena Abakanowicz.

Yes, years ago I mistakenly decided that Marina Abramovic was Magdalena Abakanowicz - the Polish artist of my docent presentation. 

If you conclude the rushing I've been accusing myself of in the last few posts is true, I would have to agree. 

All I can promise you is that since my error has given me intimate knowledge of both artists, I will share some tidbits about each of them with you. Next post you will learn whether Marina or Magdalena said, "Don't look away!" And you will also learn the   shocking circumstances that made her say it.

Thank you for exploring the mystery with me - Nicky Mendenhall