Birthdays Provide Opportunities for Reflection and Gratitude
This is day two of my birthday week journal series. (Click here if you would like to read day one of my birthday reflections.) I don’t mean to be obnoxious and talk incessantly about my birthday, but I think birthdays provide an opportunity for reflection and even gratitude. I feel grateful for art. Frequently, however, I fail to take advantage of local art exhibitions in my own backyard. If you find me in St. Pete (Florida that is, although I have visited St. Petersburg, Russia) or Chicago, I promptly make a date to spend my vacation time wandering through the Dali Museum or the Art Institute (and even the Hermitage in St. Petersburg) breathing in the colors, carvings, and compositions.
Nancy LeClaire
My friend Nancy LeClaire helped me celebrate my birthday with lunch and a visit to the Albin Polasek Museum in Winter Park to see an exhibition of Gordon Parks’ photographs. Parks was a renowned photographer who created powerful images about the impact of racism in communities.
Parks’ Photographs of people living in 1940’s Daytona Beach
This exhibition focused on Mary Bethune Cookman, the founder of Bethune Cookman College and her single-minded focus on helping improve the lives of African Americans living in the Daytona Beach area in the 1940s. We also toured the grounds of the museum to see the sculptures created by the Czechoslovakian-born Albin Polasek. He was director of the sculpture department at Chicago’s Art Institute for thirty years and became known widely as the “Chicago Artist”. His sculptures live in buildings and green spaces throughout the windy city.
Polasek sculpture of a Mother weeping for the world
I climbed into my car (where the thermometer read 108 degrees) with a huge smile on my face (despite the sweltering heat). I love learning new things, especially about art and artists. I felt nourished. What a wonderful birthday present.
Yesterday I ended my journal entry saying I was “living in the pink” on the eve of my birthday. Today I added a few more colors to my pallet, along with a bronze or two to complete the spectrum. My vow over the next year is to tour museums like the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College and the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum in Daytona Beach. I’ve heard about these gems for years and they are virtually on my doorstep. Why did it take me until 71 to make this commitment? I guess it’s never too late to be nourished. I’d love for you to join me.
One of several bronze medallions created by Albin Polasek featuring the Stations of the Cross