Georgia Day Trip

From our new home in Cumming, GA to Cartersville, GA via highway 20 was a beautiful drive. We had read about the Booth Western Art Museum in an article in the Atlanta paper. It is a wonderful small museum in a fabulous facility that is even now adding additional space for collections they have stored in the basement. They focus on contemporary western art although they have some nice work of historic painters as well. There is a good collection of monumental and life sized sculpture in the grounds surrounding the museum. Several artists who we showed in our old gallery or who have exhibited at our Celebration of Fine Art event were displayed. It was a pleasure to see the work of Bob Vann and Larry Pirnie. It was like visiting old friends. In fact one of the employees is truly a blast from the past. Jim Dunham who is their director of special projects and provides education and entertainment, I have known since my days in Estes Park, CO. Imagine my surprise when he was narrating the introduction movie. They also have a collection of paintings depicting the civil war and a room of letters from every US president. A fun place to go.



Then we drove to the Etowa Indian Mounds. These Indians inhabited this area between 900 and 1550ad. They are part of the Mississipian culture that predates the Creeks and Cherokee. Hernando DeSoto and his explorers brought European disease and hostility that wiped them out. They built mounds to live on and the higher your mound the higher your authority and respect in the community. The 54 acre site has several remaining mounds with the biggest 63 feet. The designs on the artifacts found are very similar to the Aztec designs. We are always amazed at the design elements that repeat themselves in the art of all cultures around the world. I will have to go back to record the image of the Indian mounds and in the distance through the trees you can see modern farm irrigation equipment and beyond that in the far distance the smoke stacks of the nuclear power plant. An amazing picture.

The Year Ends

Well, time to think about 2009. I get to do some new things next year.

I want to volunteer to help some charity or organization. As odd as it sounds, I am having trouble connecting with organizations. Emails go unanswered. Have all charities decided that they only want money and not volunteers? Well, I will continue to pursue that. It reminds me of our search for charities for Celebration of Fine Art. Several actually turned us down because the amount of money we would raise was not enough to be bothered with. I wonder if now they would change their tune?

Times change. I am not old enough to remember the great depression but it brought my parents together. I was born at the end of WWII and was always puzzled that my parents horded certain things. We always had a spare set of tires and a case of oil for the cars. We always had lots of extra food. I guess when you have had those things rationed you stock up against what might be around the corner so you are prepared. The heroes of our time are those that are prepared. The folks who, after a natural disaster, have the generators, extra water and will share with others are the ones we lean on. In these times it seems to be first and last about money. If you have had money in a secure place and others have overextended themselves with those easy credit cards that came in the mail, guess who gets to share.

So those of us who are in a giving and sharing position look for places to share in the new year. We are sure thankful we are in the giving instead of the receiving end of things.
I will let you know how it turns out. Happy New Year!