ALLEGHENY CEMETERY

More impressions from this wonderful place.

CEMETERY GATES

We took our bikes to the North Side today to the Science Center to see the Titanic exhibit, a production I’d seen a larger version of years ago, this one a bit smaller and oddly sterile. On our way home through the Lawrenceville neighborhood we decided to take a route uphill through the sprawling Allegheny Cemetery on the East Side, an eerie, beautiful thing full of beauty and wildlife. Along with a Great Blue Heron and flocks of Canadian Geese, we witnessed two small groups of deer foraging around the sprawling family plots, oblivious to what was underfoot, as if they cared if they knew.

HIT THE POLE

Whilst riding my bike in East Liberty I heard the unmistakable collision of heavy metal on wheels. It’s a sickening sound unlike any other, and instantly creates fascination. I was about a half block away and immediately headed toward the scene, obviously something was seriously wrong rather and I was rather amazed that not a single other person in my immediate vicinity made any attempt to put one lousy foot forward to investigate. An older man was in the car on the pole and slowly getting out, I asked him if he was OK and all he said was the other car came out of nowhere. Luckily there was a medical professional in the crowd to attend to him, so I called 911 and was put on hold for at least five minutes when a firetruck arrived just as they took my call. The other driver, a woman, was trying to get a witness, and unbelievably seemed like she was having some difficulty getting someone to come forward. In fact, with all the attention the older man was getting, it appeared nobody was even bothering to ask how she was. Her car was in pretty good shape considering, but she said the same thing the other driver did, the guy came out of nowhere. I wonder how you sort something like that out without witnesses. Whose word gets taken?

MORE HIGH-BROW CARNEGIE MATERIAL

Had a chance to wander over near the dinosaurs where this incongruous installation was resting on the third floor.

LIFE ON MARS

Like some love affair you never get over, I was a bit afraid to be away from my dear Metropolitan Art Museum or new friend MoMA, left alone in Pittsburgh to fend for art amongst the raw expressions of youth and rough gallery spaces. Life On Mars, the Carnegie Art Museum’s 55th annual international easily dispelled such silly kid fears. Major cities tend to get the focus for large curated events, and being in New York I was somewhat spoiled, skipping or dismissing shows for whatever reason, knowing something just as large and unruly would come along I could hem and haw about having enough time to see. Never take what you love for granted, it can be taken away from you in a moment’s notice.

To be honest, we actually arrived at the Carnegie Musuem complex intending to see the Titanic exhibit, only to find that particular complex was located elsewhere in town. I purchased a membership as an act of conviction, and it’s a hell of bargain for $100, which includes four museums, Art: Science, Natural History and the Warhol.

Cool spacious interiors of museums on hot summer afternoons are not to be taken lightly. We stayed put and went to the international. Eventually I would have found this out, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Mike Kelly and David Shriegley while falling head over heels for Matthew Monahan’s tremendous foam and mixed media sculptures. Thomas Hirschorn’s eerie artificial cave or cardboard, foil, tape and other media has got to be the high point for most given how spacious and interactive it is, even if they can’t make sense of it.

It’s a huge show, and in all honesty most of the time I prefer overwhelming, when it comes to art there’s satisfaction too much. Thank god for the robber barons.