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Italo Calvino Invisible Cities by Toy Atlas Theater

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What a treat. A Chicago-level show in our tiny hamlet (in fact well outside the hamlet way up on the mountain). Danny Hobert and his partner in crime, performing as the Toy Atlas Theater, put on a magical captivating multi-media extravaganza—twice. (This entry combines photos and videos from both shows. To keep you on your toes, the interleaving is imperfect and a bit faded around the edges.)

Clark Hansbarger and I opened for the first show with a bit of Bitter Liberals music. Which of course requires actual Liberals.

The scene. A barn on the blue ridge converted into a portal to other dimensions.

The audience was captivated.

This kind of magical experience is all too rare in modern American adulthood.  Calvino’s work is an excellent vehicle for considering the contradiction and confusion of modern life, exposing its inner absurdity from a view at the sharpest edge of a very small razor.

The Art Institute of Chicago Remains Incredible

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More art in Chicago, according to plan. The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the best art museums in the world.

The Chagall stained glass is, alone, worth the price of admission.

America, what has become of you?

But there’s lots more.

Chicago, Chicago, It’s my kind of town.

Champagne at Tiffany (no not that one, the one in Chicago)

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It wasn’t really the plan, but it did get one of the items scratched off the list! An afternoon at the MCA was topped only by a visit to Tiffany on the way back to the hotel to check out their wedding rings. Yeah, we got some.

Yeah, they are beautiful.

After art

Champagne

MCA Chicago: Our Favorite Stairway

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We came to Chicago for art, and so art it was. On Sunday after arrival we had an excellent brunch at Marisol and then headed up to steep in the collection at the MCA.

No visit to the MCA is complete without a visit to the best stairway on the planet.

Is Chicago Is Not Chicago (cross post from NPS)

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A man drives a plane
Into the Chrysler building
A man drives a plane
Into the Chrysler building

Saskatoon is in the room
Poulsbo is in the room
Bennetsville is in the room
Palmyra is in the room

Is Chicago
Is not Chicago
Is Chicago
Is not Chicago

A man cuts in half
Just like he snaps a pencil
A man cuts in half
Just like he snaps a pencil

Khartoum is in the room
Phnom Penh is in the room
Pyongyang is in the room
Cairo is in the room

Is Chicago
Is not Chicago
Is Chicago
Is not Chicago

A man drives a plane
Into the Chrysler building
A man drives a plane
Into the Chrysler building
Into the, into the, into the, into the

Mailbox in Virginia

Mailbox in Virginia

Art at the MCA

Art at the MCA

MCA afternoon

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Architecture for a game

up

up

down

down

Mostly we were here for the astounding Eighth Blackbird. Sometimes when I perform my body has the same emotional response. But never when I watch. This is the future.

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This is the future.

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Excellent birds.

Art Institute of Chicago

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Snow got you stuck in Chicago? No worries, there is art to be pondered at the Art Institute.

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Take a Walk.

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On to modern.

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Up to contemporary.

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