Eye Contact

Every two years, Sacred Threads presents a group of beautiful and thought provoking quilts. This time, a special exhibit added another dimension. The call went out for small quilts in a specific size portraying eyes. Viewed together, they are a lesson in how a gathering of similar items emphasizes their differences. Like so many of us, I am acutely aware of the masses of humans around me looking at their phones. We are not engaging in those fleeting meetings of our eyes that were once the connecting fiber of daily life. As the exhibit's curator, Barbara Hollinger writes, "Lift up your head, gaze into someone’s eyes and make a connection."

Bubble Boys

Two little boys played on the patio one level below me. Each was armed with one of those "bubble guns" that holds a full container of bubble liquid. They ran back and forth, trailing streams of transparent spheres that would have made Lawrence Welk proud. They took great delight in sending them off into the trees, watching them pop as they met a leaf or branch. A few caught the breeze and drifted up to me, rainbow colors swirling on their fragile surfaces. So simple, so fascinating, no matter what your age.

Dog At the Butcher

If you are a dog on a hot day, where would you choose to stop for a rest? In the doorway of the butcher shop, of course. After a ramble around the farmers market, this guy headed straight to the door and flopped down. His humans just laughed and waited for a while. They said that this is his favorite spot. Dogs don't need to read the sign on the door. The cool tiles and delicious scents speak for themselves. Customers came and went, while he enjoyed the moment.

Installation At the Arts Center

The Arlington Arts Center is wrapped in fabric until July 21, 2019. Pieced like a very long quilt top, the red brick walls of the old Maury Elementary School are a counterpoint to the draped fabric, which billows slightly in the breeze. Brooklyn artist Amanda Browder creates large scale installations. She sets out to engage the community, asking for fabric donations and help with the sewing. The monumental scale of her art extinguishes the traditional assumptions that anything made from fabric is craft rather than art. There is also a more than a bit of whimsy. How can you not smile at the sight of this?