Spring-time is here!
And what is this in it and from it?
The grass of spring covers the prairies,
With the fresh sweet herbage under foot,
And the pale green leaves of the trees prolific,
The arbutus under foot, the willow’s yellow-green, the blossoming plum and cherry.
- Walt Whitman , excerpt from “Spring”
And I learned that arbutus is a genus of 12 accepted species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae commonly called madrones or strawberry trees. I often experienced the madrone tree on my hikes in the forests of Northern California. When you touch their bark, it is cool to your hand because of the water it holds. The trees have the magical ability to stay cool in the summer. I often think of that ability to stay cool when it’s hot, and stay warm when it’s cool. How might we stay even keeled when pressures mount?
I recently previewed the Whitney Biennial this past Sunday, which is supposedly to give us viewers the current pulse of American art. The title of the exhibition, “Even Better Than the Real Thing” addressing the rise of AI directly. Though, I think the exhibition does the exact opposite of its intended curatorial text. The artists represented seem completely disinterested in the power of technology and more interested in how to carve a place in the world. Where do you put a stake in the ground? I look forward to diving more into individual pieces. If you are in New York in the next few months (through August), I recommend checking the exhibit out. It is much stronger than two years ago and breathe of fresh air in this inconsistent world. And for those on the West Coast, do not miss Biennial participant Eddie Rodolfo’s first museum solo show at MOCA LA. And for the Midwest, Delcy Morales’ Interwoven is on view now at the Pulitzer in St. Louis.
During the equinox, the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. This year, the alignment happened on March 19 at 11:06 pm Eastern Daylight Time. While you were sleeping, spring began again.