The Dude & The Precious: Feed Your Soul

Oh! Hello there! I didn't see you there. Don't mind me, I'm just sipping my extremely caffeinated beverage at my favorite Lawrence joint. I'm simply prepping for a fabulous girls' day out with my mother and big sis.

Fellow coffee and art lovers.

I craved this day out like I crave coffee. A lot. And I needed a day with art like I need air, because my soul longed for replenishment.

I've always been proud of Kansas City's love for the arts, and there is no finer example of that love than the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. This museum is stellar in every way and one of my favorite places to escape to in this world. Because it was built in the 1930's amidst the Great Depression, the Nelson was able to acquire an impressive collection of art with a relatively low budget. The result is a world-class museum in the heart of Kansas City.

Inscribed on the outside of the museum: "Art still has truth. Take refuge there." -Matthew Arnold

The outside of the Nelson is so cool that you could spend hours wandering through the sculptures alone. So we did. Sara and I lost our mother out there somewhere. We figured if she missed us, she would give us a call, so we decided to take photos of each other for a while.

I told Sara to sit down in my low loud voice, (just like old times), and she did. I've still got it.

Totally wish I lived next door.

Ferment by Roxy Paine, 2011

Storage by Judith Shea, 1999.

She wouldn't stop staring at me. I asked her what her problem was, but she ignored me. Sooo rude.

Once inside, seriously like over an hour later, we found our mother had gone done lost it again.

Do I always have to be the sane one in the family?

The real reason why we trekked to KC was to see the Bonjour Picasso! exhibit. Why? Because I love me some Pablo Picasso. While I was in college, I did a paper on Picasso for an art class, and in doing so, I sifted through biographies and artwork aplenty. What I came away with was this: Picasso is crazy brilliant.

Left: Woman in Mauve Hat by Pablo Ruiz y Picasso, 1939. Right: Photo of Picasso by Arnold Newman, 1954.

Grand Vase aux Femmes Nues by Picasso, 1950.

My mother loves visiting the courtyard inside the museum. It's a great place to chill with a diet coke.

Is it obvious that we're sisters?

Of course we couldn't leave the museum without checking out other masterpieces. I have found that every time I enter the museum, my old favorites are not my current favorites anymore. My taste in art flows with the tides of my life. It's a beautiful thing.

Clockwise from left: The Sun Trader (Portrait of Carl Ruggles) by Thomas Hart Benton, 1934, Women at Sunrise by Joan Miro, 1946, The Great Peak (Longs Peak), Birger Sandzen, 1938.

I couldn't leave the Nelson without getting closer to one of the famous shuttlecocks. In fact, I got right inside one. If no one saw me do the giggling happy dance inside the birdie, does that mean it didn't really happen?

Shuttlecocks by Claes Olderburg and Coojse van Bruggen, 1992.

Once our souls had been refueled, we needed our bodies to catch up. Off to D'Bronx we went, where we stuffed our faces silly with pizza pie! Or was it just pie? Or both? I can't remember. You can't prove anything.

Across the street from D'Bronx is this kind of insane bookstore. The owner clearly uses this place as his personal editorial bulletin board. Having said that, it's downright awesome, yet sketchy at the same time. Find a book? Nope. I spent most of my time reading all the newspaper clippings and posters the owner had hanging on the walls and bookshelves.