Thai Food & Guerilla Public Art
by Sara on September 25th, 2008
Hi!
Today for class we visited Forecast Public Art in St. Paul. We learned about the various initiatives/projects that Forecast is involved with (including The UnConvention, an “artistic response to the Republican National Convention). It was VERY interesting; I could totally see myself working on behalf of artists who use public places to express themselves and inspire social change.
Our assignment was this: Create public art of our own by going out into a community and using a public space to create social change.
Our tools: Excerpts from the Guerilla Art Kit, a book of ideas and prompts to get you thinking.
Kim, a good friend from class, and I teamed up for the excursion into the community.
But first, we had to get some food.
I have never had Thai food before, and it’s one of Kim’s favorite types of food to get, so we decided to find us a Thai place to eat lunch. We ended up at Taste of Thailand Restaurant, which was this quaint little restaurant in St. Paul. It was lunchtime, around 12:45 when we got there, so it was full of working class people getting their grub on.
We started out with chicken sateys, which were AMAZING. Think of long, slender pieces of chicken fastened on skewers and dipped in a sweet, nutty peanut sauce. You eat them with cucumbers…totally delicious.
For our meal, Kim and I split an order of Red Curry, which is steamed veggies in a sweet yet spicy coconut milk sauce, and Pad Thai, a noodle dish with chicken and crushed nuts. I’m telling you, Thai food is my new favorite type of food. YUM.
After that, Kim and I went to Super Target in St. Paul to get markers and a pair of scissors for our project. We then went to her car, and used one of the prompts for our guerilla art project. We each had sheets of paper that have little strips at the bottom. You know, like if you’re selling your furniture, you write your phone number on the bottom of the page so people can rip one off and take one? We had sheets that looked like that. So we wrote little challenges on them. For instance, I wrote “Let go of a stereotype today,” a lesson I have become passionate about while being here. It was great :)
I plan to hang mine in the Sunshine Foods store this weekend when I go home.
It was a great day :) I really enjoyed getting to know Kim better; she’s been a great friend. And I love trying new things!!
Soccer Baller.
by Sara on September 24th, 2008
This is a photo of my brother’s ballerness.
Yes, I am biased.
But he’s a stud.
My Next Few Weeks…
by Sara on September 24th, 2008
Hi all!!
I apologize for the lack in posts so far this week; I’m swamped with homework.
Here’s my schedule for the next few weeks:
September 26-28: Home to Brandon for the weekend! (Soccer game on Saturday, cuddle with Josie kitty, see Jordan and my fam!)
October 2-5: Jordan visits me in the Twin Cities!
October 9-12: HOPEFULLY State Soccer in Aberdeen *We MUST make it!* or various internship events all weekend
October 16-19: HECUA Fall Break! (Dentist appt, relaxation!)
So, as you can see, my next four weekends are chock full of stuff! Consequently, I’m working ahead like a mad woman for my HECUA class. I’m reading THREE books between now and Sunday, and reading one the following week, and one the following week. Whew!
Best wishes to all of you who are swimming in literature like I am :)
“Fences” by August Wilson
by Sara on September 21st, 2008
Today, my HECUA class and I had the privilege of attending a performance of “Fences” at the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, MN. August Wilson writes of the life as a black American living in Pittsburgh in 1957 in his play, “Fences”. To put it lightly, the production blew me away.
The play centers around Troy Maxon, a former baseball player who reached his prime before Jackie Robinson tore down the barriers of race in America’s pastime. He now works as a garbage man, “picking up after the white man”. His wife, Rose, is devoted to a tee, cooking meals, cleaning their meager home, doing her best to ignore Troy’s shortcomings. Troy has a child from a previous relationship, Lyons, who is an aspiring musician and slight freeloader. Rose and Troy have a son, Cory, who aspires to play professional football. The play spans at least a decade, covering Troy’s promotion from a garbage collector to a garbage truck driver, Cory’s transition into a man, Troy’s ultimate betrayal and Rose’s compassion.
The actors in the performance, all decorated with awards and honors in their own right, were completely convincing, grabbing my heartstrings and pulling emotion from my soul. The chemistry between Troy and Rose, and between Troy and his best friend Bono, was palpable and full of life and love. James A. Williams’ portrayal of Troy brought the audience to feel compassion for a character of such darkness and complexity.
The Penumbra Theatre Company has all of August Wilson’s plays on its schedule for the next six years, vowing to perform all of them in memory of Wilson, who passed in 2005, and because his plays illustrate a truth about living as a black American throughout our nation’s complex history.
The performance was transcendent, powerful, and evocative.
A “Unique” Experience
by Sara on September 21st, 2008
Hi!
Yesterday, Deb (the woman I live with) and I went on an excursion to the Unique Thrift Store in New Hope, MN.
I’ve been in a few thrift stores in my life, but let me tell you this: I’ve never come home with so many amazing purchases! I bought FIVE pairs of shoes, including one pair of boots; a fleece zip-up reversible jacket; TWO sweaters; and a VELVET blazer…all for $80!! The shoes were like new, and I swear that the pair of brown pointy-toed pumps I bought have never been worn. AMAZING!
Then, Deb and I went to El Loro’s, an authentic Mexican restaurant in Crystal. YUMMY!! The margaritas were like frozen happiness, and I had my first plate of fajitas (delicious). The company made the night, though :)
It was a perfect Saturday night. :)
Land of the “Free”
by Sara on September 20th, 2008
Hello all.
I just finished reading the material assigned for class on Monday. Our readings included poetry by Langston Hughes, and the “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. We recently completed our readings on the intersection of family history and identity in Native culture. Now, we are on to reading about the importance of family history, and history itself, to black Americans.
These readings have me wondering if our nation has made any progress at all in abolishing the oppression of the Native people and of black Americans. If the wounds still ache, have they healed? If the bleeding has stopped, do the wounds not matter anymore? If we still experience racism and injustice in this country, have we accomplished anything?
Some would say that we have a lot to be proud of in America. We have a democratic society that frees us to act as we please, with a few regulations to keep us “in line”. But what if we had regulations to keep us from perpetuating injustice? What if we were penalized for having feelings of racism, or feelings of hostility toward our sisters and brothers in America? Sure, we are penalized if we act on them in a fashion that breaks the law, like abuse or murder. But what about pure thought?
Is the freedom to think and to speak worth the pain that our thoughts and our words cause others? Is speaking unjustly worth the fact that we as Americans are perpetuating injustice?
I’m not proposing that we take away the freedom to speak in this country. I’m simply remarking on the fact that with freedom of speech comes the responsibility to speak with compassion and understanding.
We do have a lot to be proud of in America. But I would argue that we have just as much to be ashamed of. We are entrenched within our history, and until we recognize that our history is full of injustice and work each day to change it, pride in our country will always be tainted.
In Case You Were Wondering…
by Sara on September 19th, 2008
I am…
Against changing the drinking age to 18, because I believe that kids’ lives are too important, and their confidence levels too shaky at this age, to be mature enough to make educated decisions about alcohol intake.
Voting for Barack Obama, because he is the man that will bring change to this country by working to provide health care for all, especially children; because he has an aggressive energy policy that includes ethanol; because he believes in equal wages for women and men; and because he gives me hope.
Struggling with my stance on abortion. I support the very concept of freedom that this country was founded upon, yet struggle to understand how to some, an unwanted pregnancy = abortion.
In full support of adoption, and want to adopt a child myself someday.
Obsessed with the concept of civic engagement, and would love to devote my life to helping others to be more civically engaged and passionate about creating change in their communities by voicing their concerns.
Terribly, terribly happy in the Twin Cities, and while this excites me more than a shopping spree at H&M would, I know that my future may not necessarily be here.
Extremely anxious to figure out God’s plan for me, and, sometimes, I wish I could read His mind.
Motivated to make something of myself. I want to go to graduate school, I want a fulfilling life, and I’ll do anything to get it.
In love. I love my boyfriend, my family, and my kitty. I love the way I feel each morning that I wake up here. I love the new quirks of the Cities that I discover each day. I love the University of Minnesota campus, and the way that I feel when I step foot on it each day. I love dogs, parks, treadmills and gummy bears. I love my extraordinary HECUA experience.
Me.
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