FRIDAY SKY - LUC AT AWAKENING

Around 7:30 p.m. last night (Thursday, February 24th), snow started to fall. There was no major accumulation and the roads were pretty clear the next day. I stopped by Central Park in Chesterfield to take a few photos of Luc at the Awakening. We had the place all for ourselves. No one was around, no kids climbing onto the hand, face and foot of the sculpture. It was nice :)The Awakening, a monumental, five-part sculpture by American sculptor J. Seward Johnson, Jr., was installed in October 2009. The sculpture is 70 feet in length, 17 feet tall, and 4,700 lbs cast aluminum.

For more information, visit www.sewardjohnson.com or www.chesterfieldarts.org.

MIRACLE OF METAMORPHOSIS

From my recent visit to the Butterfly House, here are the photos of the "Miracle of Metamorphosis" featuring butterflies emerging from carefully mounted chrysalids. Nature is so wonderful. Do you have a Butterfly House or something similar in your town?

CENTRAL PARK IN CHESTERFIELD, MISSOURI

This post featuring photos of Central Park in Chesterfield, Missouri, will conclude the "Central Park Series". I just learned from another blogger that there is a Central Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We must have missed it when we were there last October. There was a lot of road construction around Tulsa, and we decided not to spend the night there, instead continued on to Oklahoma City.

According to the City of Chesterfield website, "This 38 acre park, which is being developed in stages, consists of the Chesterfield Family Aquatic Center featuring a 25-yard competitive pool; a leisure pool with slides and a children's play structure; splash playground; a lazy river; and two flume slides. A playground containing play components for ages 2-5, another component for children 5-12, swing sets, benches, picnic tables, and funbrellas. The Pavilion is also available for rent. Future Improvements include a 7.5 acre lake, bridges, trails and amphitheater."

WALKING IN THE WINTER WONDERLAND

My very own "treasure hunt" of public sculptures started last year when more than 20 life-size sculptures by the American artist J. Seward Johnson were on displayed throughout the City of Chesterfield in anticipation for the permanent installation of the Awakening. I also began to search for all other sculptures listed in the website of Chesterfield Arts. I enjoyed the outdoor Laumeier Sculpture Park but only saw half of the displays. I plan to go back to the park to see all the other pieces. Since then I look for sculptures wherever I happen to be. The sculpture below of five children crossing the creek on a tree log is on display at the entrance to the park in Manchester. We spotted the next two sculptures in front of an office building on Olive Boulevard, about 1.5 miles from I-270. What also makes the treasure hunt so much fun is being able to share what I found with my adoring fans. And that makes me very happy :)

ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?

Last Saturday my husband and I went to Red Lobster for our Lunch Date. As we followed the hostess to our table, we heard the phone ring and a young lady answered, "Hi! I am here with my mother. We are having lunch." From where we were seated, I had a direct view of the young lady (let's call her Rudy) and her mother. I also witnessed a sad picture of how technology when mis-used has destroyed the personal interactions and family communication. From the moment she answered that "important"phone call, Rudy spent the time talking to someone who must be more "important" than her mother because the next fifteen minutes the mother quietly ate her lunch, trying not to disturb her daughter cell phone conversation. Rudy was smiling while continuing her phone conversation and enjoying her lunch as if the mother was not even there. I was so tempted to walk over and ask if the mother would like to join us at our table since her daughter was so busy talking on the phone. When both finished their lunch, Rudy took care of the bill, she was still on the phone, talking and walking out of the restaurant, with her mother right next to her. In her mind, Rudy thought driving her mother to the restaurant and paying for her meal was good enough. Perhaps what I witnessed was a reminder that I should not allow technology to replace personal connection, not letting email replacing phone conversations, that I should shut off the iPod, the iPhone, the computer, the television, all the video games or any other electronic device and really be in the moment with my family, whether the person is next to me or 1,000 miles away.
These sculptures by J. Seward Johnson were on displayed throughout the City of Chesterfield from August to October 2009 as part of public arts development leading up to the unveiling of "The Awakening". I thought the sculptures would be fitting for this post about human interactions and family communication in the modern time.

SOLSTICE, CANTO C, CAKE

Since I am not as talented as Qaptain Qwerty, I could not put together some kind of fancy collage of photos for this 500th post. Instead I am posting the above sculpture of figures represents the number FIVE. This work of art is called Solstice (1982) by the artist William King, currently on display at Faust Park in Chesterfield.
Next is the sculpture Profile Canto C (1981) by the late Ernest Trova, represents the first ZERO, currently on displayed in front of Bank Midwest at 15500 Olive Boulevard in Chesterfield.

I did not wish to spend too much time looking for another sculpture representing the second ZERO, so the photo below of the cake would have to do. I said to my husband that he has hidden agenda, not to celebrate my anniversary coming to America, but he would not miss an occasion to eat cake (and ice cream too)!

OH SAY CAN YOU SEE

To commemorate my family 30th anniversary coming to America, I have been posting images of the American flag in various places around town-St. Louis, along Route 66, and I plan to post images from Grand Haven, Michigan, New York, Alaska, Colorado and all other towns I visited. Many people have posted on their blogs images of the above barn in an open field with the American flag painted on the side facing Route 66 in Nilwood, Illinois. One blogger called the image, "Patriotic Barn". To me, an old barn with the American flag is so beautifully Americana.

Above - Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, Illinois, was built in 1931 and still is serving good food and delicious homemade pies to anyone who seeks a real meal like Mom's cooking.

Above - The Unveiling of the Awakening sculpture in October 2009, Chesterfield, Missouri. It was a well-attended event and I had the opportunity to meet the artist, Mr. J. Seward Johnson, Jr. The Awakening is on permanent displayed also at the National Harbor in Maryland and at Piazza Marconi in Rome.

Below - A roundable in the town center, Carthage, Missouri.

BODY PARTS (THE AWAKENING)

For this week St. Louis Friday Series, I am posting photos of The Awakening, a five-part (thus giving the title to this post - Body Parts) sculpture by American sculptor J. Seward Johnson. The sculpture was unveiled on Saturday, October 10th and will be on display permanently at Central Park in Chesterfield, Missouri. "The Awakening" is a 4,700-pound cast aluminum giant, 70 feet in length and 17 feet tall, that appears to be emerging from the ground.

In this photo, Benjamin tried to shake hand with the Giant but he gave up and decided to just "high-five" instead! (As I watch the kids happily scrambled over the face, climbing and sitting in the huge hand and the right foot, I sure missed my nephew and thought JL would have a good time playing around the Giant as well as taking part in make-and-take art activities.)

PUBLIC ARTS - CITY OF CHESTERFIELD

Below - God Bless America - J. Seward Johnson, Jr. on displayed in front of Chesterfield Arts office.

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 10th, I am planning to go to Central Park in Chesterfield, Missouri (not Central Park in New York City, I wish) to see the unveiling of The Awakening, a monumental, five-part sculpture by American sculptor J. Seward Johnson, Jr. The event is a community celebration scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. with the unveiling at 11:00 a.m., and all sorts of art activities including T-shirt painting, sand sculpting, hands-on family art projects, dancing performances and food from area restaurants.
Since early summer, twenty life size bronze sculptures crafted by Johnson have been placed throughout the City of Chesterfield as a preview to the arrival of this 70 feet in length, 17 feet tall, 4,700 lbs cast aluminum, monumental piece called "The Awakening". This week, I am posting a few of my favorite sculptures. I like all of the pieces and promise to post work by other artists that are on displayed at public parks, office complexes, street corners, in future St. Louis Friday series. It was a lot of fun to look for public arts, just like my own treasure hunt and cost only a few dollars of gas.

Above - Coming Home, on displayed at Chesterfield Mall.

Visit www.chesterfieldarts.org for more information and for placements of these sculptures and other outdoor arts.
Below - Out of Sight, on displayed at Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex, North Outer 40 Road.

Above - My World - inside Sachs Library. (Note - Benjamin looks as if he was part of the sculpture being next to the young lady - haa haa)
Below - Midstream - in front of Chesterfield City Hall on Chesterfield Parkway West.

PUBLIC ART - BICYCLES

A creative way to make use of an old bicycle. My husband pointed out that someone with a clever idea has installed a lawn mower to the front of this 60s style bicycle. Should we call it a "licycle mower" or a "bawn mower"?
(Photo above - Fanning US 66 Outpost)

At Dixon's Bike Shop (above) on Union & 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYC, I wondered was the mural part of our real world or the bikes and people on the sidewalk actually were part of the mural?

Benjamin had fun riding the bicycle sculpture at Vlasis Park (above).

Yellow bicycle sculptures (below) on display at Chesterfield Valley, a large shopping area that was submerged under water during the 1983 Flood. Developers were confident that after the new levee was built, it would be another 100 years before the town might be flooded again. I would be long gone by then so what do I care?