Return to Cranland

Went to Cranbrook last weekend for the degree show opening. It was a really great time. We got there a day early because I thought it was on Friday, but that just meant we got some extra time to hang out with people. We stayed with Ben and Ayami, who got married less than a month ago. Ayami graduated from Ceramics last year and Ben is graduating this year. We got to look around at the final installation progress in the museum and ran into Andrew, Cullen, and our old pal Reniel, my roommate for both years at Cranbrook and a groomsman in our wedding. We hung around campus for a while, saw a nice Forum gallery show that included a bed of cloth donuts, and sat around with the drinking ceramicists. That night we went out for thai with Ayami and Ben and then went briefly to a party hosted by Audrey and John.

On Saturday we met Reniel for lunch at the Moose Preserve, which is just up the street from Cranbrook and which, for some reason, I had never been to before.

The opening was good. I bumped into Tony at the reception and had a good little chat with him, but I felt rather inane. I saw Cas briefly but didn't actually get to say hi. I miss Cas. The actual show was pretty cool - I'd say about as good as last year's. It was fun to go around and see crazy poppy art and talk to people I hadn't seen in a year. Here is Bethany's official photo set.

We went to a party at the house of, I think, Alison and Bradley, where Alison's parents served course after course of delicious and/or spicy food. It was almost entirely painting majors there. We came as Ben and Ayami's hangers-on. Ben and Bradley play mandolin and guitar (respectively) quite often, and Shannon and I snagged a copy of a cd they recorded together, which sounds awesome. I just need to find out the track names. Ben also gave us a copy of Elliott Earls' new EP with The Venomous Sons of Jonah (Ben is one of them), which is also great. Elliott is the 2D Designer-in-Residence and does a lot of video and performance pieces.

After that party we went to lounge, where Shannon and I got our groove on and danced to 80s music and MIA, et al.

Ayami and Ben were great hosts. I liked looking at Ayami's art books, including Little Boy by Murakami and a book on Yoshitomo Nara. (Aside: Bradley's dog looks like a Nara painting.) Ayami made chai with honey and Ben made french toast on the morning we left. They are awesome.

posted by Bryce at 12:44 PM / 0 comments

Goodbye

Two weeks ago (on Good Friday) my aunt Carolyn passed away. She had cancer, first diagnosed less than a year ago. She was a wonderful woman - one of the sweetest people I've ever met, and our whole family (including her nine siblings, of whom my dad is the oldest one) is feeling the loss.

Shannon wrote some nice things about Carolyn shortly after she died.

posted by Bryce at 11:59 AM / 0 comments