From the Wire to the Walters (and Hampden in between...)

I should probably turn over authorship of this blog to the lovely Collier sisters-- both because they might be more diligent about updating it frequently, and they've also inspired the past two posts.

Last weekend I was invited to an art exhibit at the Antreasian gallery in Hampden where Katherine has a painting in the "Summer Nudes" exhibit. It was a great summer night, with lots of folks spilling out onto the sidewalk on the Avenue and many beautiful paintings, photos, and sculptures to admire. Go check out the exhibit if you're near 36th, and if you go in the morning have breakfast at Golden West Cafe next door and order the most amazing french toast I've ever tasted!

On Saturday we continued our arty adventures at the Walters Art Museum in Mount Vernon to see the Gee's Bend Quilts. I'd never heard of these quilts before last weekend, but it was probably one of the most exciting experiences I've had at an art museum. The quilts of Gee's Bend (an African American town in rural Alabama) were discovered a few years ago and have been amazing audiences at the Whitney and museums around the country ever since, and the women quilters are now heralded as masters of modern art. The colors, patterns, and use of unusual fabrics (denim work pants, fuzzy knees and all!) are truly stunning. The civil rights story of Gee's Bend is equally interesting-- after Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Gees Bend in the 60's and residents began taking the ferry to the county seat to vote, the ferry was shut down, effectively closing off the town's access to the outside world. Luckily the ferry service was reinstated (wait for it, wait for it)...in 2006, FORTY YEARS later!!

The quilts are only at the Walters through August 26 (admission is free) so get over there while you can. Apologies for the awkward exhibit poster photo-- pictures weren't allowed of the actual quilts.

As for me, I'm naturally blogging to delay packing for a trip-- the hubby and I are off to chase Hemingway (Hemingway's ghosts?) around France and Spain, so I'll be in Europe til end of August. Au revoir!

Real life Omar!

Check out today's article in the New York Times about the real man who inspired the character Omar (aka my all time favorite) on The Wire-- an amazing story. Thanks to Miss Collier for the tip!


BALTIMORE, Aug. 2 — Donnie Andrews was a stickup man with a .44 Magnum who robbed drug dealers and was sentenced to life in prison for murdering one of them.

Fran Boyd was a heroin addict who shoplifted to get from fix to fix, passing her stupors in the shooting gallery and stash house that once was her middle-class home.

Their separate stories of decline into drugs and violence are nationally known: Mr. Andrews was the inspiration for the character Omar Little, a ruthless thug who stalks dealers on the HBO series “The Wire.” Ms. Boyd was the protagonist of “The Corner,” an HBO miniseries that chronicled her fall into addiction.

But the story of their shared redemption is less widely known. On Aug. 11, they are getting married after a lengthy courtship that was as much about turning their lives around as it was about finding each other. Over a decade in the making, their union is a source of inspiration for the grittier parts of West Baltimore, where few people who end up on the corner using and selling drugs manage to break free, and even fewer return to make a difference.

Click here for full story...