We Take Ourselves With Us

Ai Weiwei's traveling exhibit had just opened at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) last week.  I had loved it so much when I saw it at the Hirschorn, and thought we should see it together.  AGO is a short walk--and one Indian all you can eat buffet lunch--away from FanExpo.  So, off we went ... The kids felt strongly about the exhibit--really engaged by the story of Weiwei's rebellion against the Chinese government after the Sichuan earthquake.  I'll say that if anything, the impact of the works was magnified, not lessened, by a second viewing, especially with my kids along. And, then, of course, there's also such an element of fun in his work, which keeps the more powerful messages from being overwhelming. AGO was renovated and redesigned in 2008 by Frank Gehry (we actually went there first just after it reopened), and one of the most significant additions was this glorious long gallery filled with light and sculptural wood.  It ...

No one does museums like the Kress-Davis family.  We show up when they open and leave as they're kicking folks out the door!  Are there special exhibits?  We'll see them all.  Can we participate in something?  Sign us up?  Are there games to play, movies to see, lots of stairs to walk?  Sign us up! We saw   Animals Inside Out , a magic Fairy Castle , a crazy huge IMAX movie about the Last Reef (which made us feel horrible about wearing sunscreen while snorkling), the real U505 German Sub, chicks being hatched, and tornadoes and tsunamis being formed.  We made our own toys, danced in slow motion, ran in fast motion, simulated earthquakes and landslides, visualized our DNA, and trained to be submariners, and charted international airline routes.  In short, we spent about 7 hours at MSI-Chicago and still missed stuff.  Here are some highlights: We love museums!!!!

We immediately hit the Art Institute--open late on Thursday.  It was the opening day of the Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity exhibit--huge impressionist portraits paired with the insanely gorgeous dresses that inspired them--no photos allowed, sadly. We walked the galleries til they closed. Then, we ended the day with a late dinner at Wishbone , eating more Southern food 'cause we're in Chicago. Hoppin' John, fried green tomatoes, red beans and rice, mac and cheese, pecan pie.  Awesome!! Us on way to Art Institute: The Lions in their Blackhawks helmets, ready for tomorrow's ticker tape parade! They kinda looked like riot gear to me. Art!  Penn saw the Doctor Who Van Gogh episode come to life.   Harper practiced her pose. Penn compared Uruk-Hai armor to the real deal. Millennium Park Me Harper ponders Dinner with catapult!