Day 6: Phoenix

Day 6: Phoenix

Department of early postings: One of the faithful followers noticed that the Statom "ladder" was labeled Hank Murta Adams. THB had forgot to put in the picture that went with the caption. For those of you that wait a few days (weeks, years...) before reading the blog posts, that's now been fixed.

We're up early, THB hustles to Starbucks for coffee and their only copy of the NYT ($7), and we meet 8 others for an early trip to see the James Turrell skyscape. Not early enough: the person with the right directions is late, the bus goes by the site, and we really should've met 15-30 minutes early than planned. 

Still, it is a Turrell, it's meditative, fascinating, and another box checked off (not quite as many Turrells as ballparks or Natl Parks; it is getting up there!).

Back to the hotel for a short breakfast (yogurt, granola and unfrozen blueberries and an English muffin), included. Then meet the group at 10am (so plenty of time to get ready) for a longish drive 

The bus is smaller, it's just our Museum group today

to Susan Silver Brown's house and studio (one of her studios!) She does work in cast glass and has a collection of tribal art from Papa New Guinea, Borneo, Tibet and Africa. Pics allowed of her work, not the tribal stuff.

The big moment: one of our group manages to stick his foot in the infinity pool out back. Nothing like one wet shoe and a soaking sock to get you moving.

Typical upscale plantings (from around Susan's large house in a nice part of town):

Paloverde: read the book by J. Briskin and contribute to my bro's royalty fund!

A giant saguaro in the middle of the house

We're back in Scottsdale (another 1/2 hour drive) for lunch at Arcadia; actually we're across the street from Arcadia in their space for large groups (there's another large group of 20 in the long room next to ours). Butternut squash for all and THB and DB have the strawberries, almonds and chicken salad. Decent. Cookies for dessert, pretty good.

Our group in private room on right, another on the left, and kitchen and bathrooms in the back

The big moment (wait, two big moments in the same day? How can that be?): there's a kitchen between the two big long rooms with a swinging door. Two of the women in our group head to the loo and someone comes barreling out of the kitchen and scores a two-fer: knocks both women down. 

Bruises, scrapes, a quick visit to the hospital for one, and both are in good enough shape they make it to the gala/auction later in the day.

SORRY: NO PHOTOS of the bruises, even THB didn't want to take those pics.

After lunch, a reasonable drive back to ASU campus and studio visits with the ceramics grad students. Some interesting stuff, as always, including video work (well, tech is everywhere, even where people are playing with clay).

Back to the hotel long enough to check e-mail and then back to the Research Center to hear a lecture by Paul Smith. 

Paul, either 81 or 82

Can you see two different spellings of Pfennebaker? We've been to his compound outside Philly, and he has a LOT of early work by many many artists

Paul took those great pics of ceramicists from way back in the day. He was an early director of Museum of Art and Design in NYC (then called the American Craft Museum). Frankly, the lecture is a dud, too much history and way too little gossip, stories of fights over Craft vs Art vs Design, or anything else of interest. We last a bit over an hour and head back to the hotel.

We decide to eat at Tricks (instead of gala food at communal tables), a restaurant between the hotel and the gala/auction, which means it is one block from the hotel. We sit in the bar (tables are reserved through 8:30, and it's 5:40) and share a farro and tomato and burrata salad (it is not tomato season in Phoenix, though the salad is pretty good) and DB has veggie enchiladas and THB has short ribs with grits and jalapenos. Food is very good. And very very very slow in arriving. 

The waiter/bartender comps the salad and the beer, drink and wine, comes to $100 with a generous tip. THB and DB are very happy....

Off to the gala/auction (more Mexican food and snacks served from warming trays; we're thankful we skipped this one) and a lot of ceramic pieces we have no interest in bidding on. A sign of the times? There are no really good pieces in the auction, live or silent. Way different than the other time we attended this function. Guess there was a recession in between (true!) and a falling off of interest in the crafts world (true!). 

The band is quite the thing (if you think playing whatever you want regardless of the others around you is "playing"). Good news: not electronic!

Note the matching outfits

Back to the hotel (it's 2 blocks away) and time to pre-pack and rest up because we're gonna give the Turrell another go tomorrow, early (i.e., when it is dark out and the light show is more prominent). 

Here's the teaser about THB and DB's next trip: