Greening the Earth

Can you believe it's been forty years since the first Earth Day?

I suppose if you were born after about 1965, you can.

I like the way Pasadena celebrates. With love in our hearts we hail April 22nd as Earth Day, then when Saturday rolls around we celebrate Greening the Earth Day when everyone can come to the party no matter what year they were born.

This Saturday the free festivities at Memorial Park include something new: a "Free Market" swap meet.

Here's the gist: "As a community we have many more resources than we do as individuals. If we share our resources we won't need to buy as many new ones...The basic concept of our Free Market is this, bring items you don’t need or services you want to share, and leave with items you do need and maybe a service provided at no cost. No currency is exchanged, everything is free. Bringing items is not mandatory. If you see something you could use, feel free to take it and enjoy! There is always plenty for everyone."

(Even fresh produce is welcome.)

If you think it sounds like it's going to be hard to get in there and get what you want, keep in mind that set-up volunteers have first dibs on all pre-donated items during the preview hour from 10am-11am. And good stuff has already been donated. Read the Free Market link to get all the info.

When I read that press release I almost didn't make it past the swap meet. But other wonderful stuff will be available Saturday at Memorial Park: information about how you can be a "greener" citizen, artwork and workshops (across the street) at the Armory Center for the Arts, live music and dance--even a guided bicycle tour of green projects in Pasadena, organized by C.I.C.L.E., begins at 11am. There's so much I can't fit it all here. Contests! Prizes! Read the links!

I don't think they had all this stuff at the first Earth Day back in 1970. But frankly, I don't remember. I was way more concerned about summer's imminence and three months off to play outside in green forests, fresh air and sunshine. Just trying to keep it that way, is all.

Street View: Julia Child

I hadn't known until the popularity of Julie and Julia that Julia Child was born in Pasadena. Commenter Markowsky mentioned her childhood home on another post. He quotes this link describing House and Garden's Book of Houses: "Of interest is the house Reginald Johnson designed in Pasadena for John McWilliams Jr. McWilliams was a Pasadena pioneer and the father of Julia Child. This was her family's first home, located at 625 Magnolia Avenue, Pasadena."

Markowsky looked up the address on Google. He said, "it appears to be an apartment complex at the intersection of California and Magnolia." I love Google, but knowing that Street View is one area where Google isn't perfect, I had to see for myself. There is indeed an apartment building on the corner, but 625 is a large and lovely house, and it's pleasant to imagine Julia McWilliams growing up there.

And Google does come through with an interesting excerpt from Appetite for Life, the Biography of Julia Child, by Noel Riley Fitch. (Thanks to Lori Lynn of San Pedro Daily Photo for pointing me in that direction.) I also found the commenter who sent me searching. He turns out to be Michael Markowsky, an innovative and talented Canadian artist who has lived in Pasadena and exhibited at Pasadena's Armory Center for the Arts.

And this tidbit: the post referred to exists no longer, but look at the comments. I wonder who winky_the_tinkler is?

Really. Such interesting people pass through Pasadena. I imagine the people who currently live in the house sick and tired of being so interesting.

Untitled 1969-2009

"This major work, Untitled 1969/2009, takes the form of skywriting that will say, with Nauman's classic mischievous humor, 'Leave the Land Alone.'"

I read that publicity phrase before yesterday's art installation but didn't understand it. How is "leave the land alone" funny or mischievous, let alone classy?

But I went to the La Loma Bridge to watch yesterday, because I wondered if there might be something more to this piece by artist Bruce Nauman. There was and there wasn't. By the time I left, the planes had written in the sky four times, "LEAVE THE LAND ALONE." The crowd on the bridge loved it, I think.

I wasn't disappointed but I might have been, had it not been for the Armory Center for the Arts. The project was initiated by Andrew Berardini, Adjunct Assistant Curator, and organized by Director of Gallery Programs Jay Belloli and Gallery Programs Manager Sinead Finnerty-Pyne. I assume it's thanks to these people that there happened to be, on the bridge, a very pleasant woman with printed information about the artwork.

This information explained that Nauman was directing his phrase at his contemporaries in the movement known as Land Art or Earth Art, questioning the artist's intervention with landscape.

Ah.

Ah!

Aha!

Cagey, doing that from the sky.

Art Night

Art Night Pasadena is held twice a year. It's always great and it's always free, and that includes transportation between the venues.

Last night, 14 venues participated. My friend Linda and I started at the Armory Center for the Arts, where this man couldn't seem to tear himself away from Ornithology 3 by David Dedlow. To the left is ReloJ, an etching by Edward Ruscha. Both works are part of the Armory Center's Off the Wall Biennial Art Auction.

It's damn near impossible to see everything, but Linda and I gave it our best shot. The night was brisk and beautiful and it was fun to be out. Instead of using the free transportation we used our personal, built-in free transportation between several of the venues.

Sore feet, ibuprofen and early to bed. But worth it. Art Night is one of those things that makes me a braggart about Pasadena.

Extra Art Night shots on Overdog.