Michael and Tess love art. They visit our local art center together several times a year. And because Michael remembered the Art Institute of Chicago as one of his favorite art museums on the planet, we started Day 3 there.
A lion on Day 1 and another lion on Day 3.
Tess in front of a Jackson Pollock original. I'm sure there's all kinds of creativity I'm missing, but isn't that pretty much paint splattering? "Here you go. That will be one million dollars."
We saw Van Goghs, O’Keefes, Pollocks and Warhols, but what Iowan can resist Grant Wood’s “American Gothic”? Not a single one. At least not the Meggisons.
Hmmm, these two look vaguely familiar....
Ahhh, yes. Now I see the resemblance.
Michael and Tess were in the zone, at one point joining a criticism group’s discussion in a gallery. Suffice to say, I didn’t usually understand the pieces, but one in particular spoke to me. It said, “I’m a white canvas painted gray.” Profound.
The criticism group Michael and Tess joined. I opted out for all of these people's sake.
She had something nice to say about every painting we saw. Bless.
We did see an installment of 800 lbs of potatoes hooked to wires producing 50 volts of electricity. You sure can’t see that in Des Moines, Iowa.
We loved the Miniature Rooms exhibit and once we’d oohed and ahhed our way through a gallery full of paperweights, we felt our work here was done. We spent nearly four hours in the museum all told and felt smarter for it.
Cool room, right? Keep in mind it's only 15 inches by 15 inches.
Unfortunately we must have left our brains in the Institute because we spent the next hour making every wrong turn possible in search for “the Bean.” When we ended up just a block from where we started 30 minutes prior, we jokingly called it “the long cut.” But, the weather was finally sunny, so there were no complaints.
Even your wrong turns in Chicago lead you somewhere interesting.
How cool is Cloud Gate or better known as “the Bean”? What a fun piece of art reflecting the Chicago skyline, clouds and you at every turn. We posed and selfied our way around the entire piece before it was time to move on.
Just the Meggisons, the Chicago skyline, and a few dozen strangers.
Unfortunately, Chicago lived up to its name and the Willis Tower’s Chicago Skydeck was closed due to high winds, so our sightseeing and Ten Year-Old Trip came to an end.
As close as we got to the Willis Tower and the Chicago Skydeck.
It seems like weeks passed since we ate Chicago-style hotdogs at Portillo’s on Day 1 and we had a fantastic time. Chicago was the perfect fit for Tess. She loved the ins & outs of public transportation, the sights & sounds of the theater district and the hustle & bustle on Michigan Avenue. She started each day and rounded each corner with anticipation of experiencing something new and wonderful.
We had some great conversations with her these past three days about getting older, navigating the teen years and how we can help her become who God has made her to be. I’m pretty sure if she approaches her life the way she approached Chicago, she’ll find her way just fine.