Foot In The Door 5 at MIA - AKA My Mom's Museum Debut!

I could not be more thrilled to announce the opening of my Mom's first museum showing in the Foot In The Door 5 exhibit held every ten years at the Minneapolis Institute of Art! The idea is that once a decade, MIA opens its doors to artists from the area, with the only criteria being that their work must fit within one square foot. This year's extravaganza of paintings, photography, drawings, prints, mixed media, sculpture, and textiles has to be held virtually due to Covid, which is a big drag, but super cool nonetheless that my Mom is in her first museum show at age 80! 

To know Marilyn Gronner is to love her, and no one knows her or loves her better than me. This is because yes, she's my Mom, but also because I have seen her work so hard and sacrifice her entire life - always with grace, always with an eye toward helping others, and always with a smile on her face. She was a music and art double major at Augsburg College (our whole family's alma mater), and was (is!) a beautiful painter and musician (trumpet, piano, and pipe organ!). She met my Dad, got married, had three kids, and figured she'd raise us and work on her art and that would be her perfectly happy life. 

The world doesn't always work out for you like you think it's going to, sadly. My Dad died of cancer at 33, and left Mom alone with three kids to raise. Painting and music were pushed to the back burners, as Mom focused her full attention on us, doing any and all creative jobs she could to keep us fed, clothed in what all the other kids were wearing, and with a happy enough childhood to not really notice it was different from most of our friends' families. But best believe that our graceful swan of a Mother was scrambling her legs hard and fast under the surface to make sure we all stayed afloat. And we always have.

Years passed, I moved away, always encouraging Mom to pick up her paints again, but never really seeing it happen. Last year I came back home to help Mom after she tragically lost one of her scrambling legs due to a vicious infection. She moved into an assisted living facility, where we thought she could finally return to her passion for painting. That didn't happen, because their big activities were like Bingo and junk like that, and Mom was miserable in there. That was not going to be the rest of her life on my watch. 

We got Mom out of the awful home just in time, about a month before the world began to lock down for Covid, and we would not have even been able to visit her! Once home, I was going to make sure that Mom's life was happy and creative again, and we went out and got her some tiny canvases to get to work on, thinking that the smaller sizes would be less intimidating for her to complete. I had never even heard of the Foot In The Door exhibits at MIA in the past, and then I saw an announcement for it in City Pages one day (RIP, City Pages!). The art had to be fit within one square foot, and here Mom was working in exactly that size and smaller!

I secretly submitted my favorite of Mom's new pieces, Peace of Wood Lake, because Wood Lake means so much to me, she had painted it as as gift to me for springing her from the dreadful prison of a nursing home, and because I thought it was the best of her recent work. I waited about a month, and then received the happy news that Mom's work had been accepted, and she would be in her first museum show at 80 years old! I literally jumped up and down all over the house when I heard, and Mom just laughed at me, not really getting the big deal of it, but happy to see me so happy for her. 

I could not be prouder of this lady, truly. Her attitude on life has always been so positive ... but this is the woman who told the doctors that she'd like to walk into her surgery to remove her leg on her own two feet one last time - and she did. The strength that took (and the pain she must have felt!) has been an inspiration not just to her kids, who adore her unconditionally, but to people the world over. This is the woman who did not want to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair watching daytime t.v. - she wanted to return to her creative life, and be better than she ever had been before. She has a new enthusiasm for her work, which had been dormant for decades, and this has been rewarded by having her first new piece of art accepted into a show at an internationally renowned museum, that also happens to be one of my favorites anywhere (especially this last year with their groundbreaking show like Hearts Of Our People and When Home Won't Let You Stay, plus Ai Wei Wei's awesome installation last winter!). My Mom is in MIA!!! How extra cool is that?!?!

Please attend Foot In The Door 5 online, and don't forget to click on the little heart next to my Mom's work as one that you love, as we continue to encourage her to keep it all up! I wish we could really see it on the walls of the actual museum ... but we're going to aim for Foot In The Door 6 for that! Thank you to all involved for giving my Mom the recognition and encouragement she has earned through her lifetime, and for giving her the opportunity to show her work. This proves that you are never too old to be doing something you love, and that doors will always open to you when you follow your heart and your deepest passions. She would also like you to know that she's accepting commissions! That's right.

Congratulations on your Museum debut, dear Mom! Wow. 

Foot In The Door 5 is virtually on display now through January 10, 2021 HERE! 

 

Clogtown: The 4th Annual Hendrickson Foundation Hockey Festival - Hockey Changes Lives!

I finally got to attend my first Hendrickson Foundation Hockey Festival last weekend, and WOW. Some events have an extra dash of magic dust over them, and this one certainly sparkled with it the entire time. Founded by Larry Hendrickson (the late father of my family of dearest friends), the Hendrickson Foundation was created to support hockey players with disabilities, and to get them back out on the ice. Minnesota Wild Sled (Adult and Youth) Hockey, Special Hockey, Blind Hockey, and the Minnesota Warriors (hockey for disabled veterans) are the hockey programs now supported by the HF, with 54 teams and 1,000 players from 11 states and two countries (so far!) all there to compete in the Festival tournament this weekend. Though Larry is no longer physically with us, his spirit was deeply felt, and I know he was there.

You could tell this event was something special from the moment you walked through the parking lot at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota. Yes, there were a lot of wheelchairs and people that needed assistance with their mobility, but you very quickly forgot about that and focused on the wide smiles on all of the faces. Parents supporting their kids, kids supporting their parents, delighted friends and family cheering on their teams, knowing that each goal scored was so much more than a point ... it was a celebration of bravery, determination, strength, and the pure joy that comes with any goal scored in hockey - only much more so because you knew what it took to get it. I had chills the entire weekend (and not because it was cold, the whole weekend was weirdly in the 40's!).

It takes an absolute village to put on a massive FREE event like this, and an army of volunteers made the whole operation run smoothly and happily. I was kind of a floater volunteer, doing whatever was needed in any moment, so I got to see a lot of the action.

The Blind Hockey was especially cool to watch, as the players use a larger puck that makes noise, making it possible to follow. The goalies are totally blind (!) and positions are given by sight, like the forwards are able to see a little bit, the defense less. Just getting on skates on ice at all when you're blind is great enough (remember Ice Castles!?!), but these teams were scoring! You really wouldn't know that anyone was blind aside from the special puck, but you could sure tell how happy they were when that puck went into the net! More chills.

The merch table was a busy headquarters all weekend (conveniently located next to the bar), with throngs of hockey fans lining up to get the shirts, hats, blankets, etc... that showed off that you had been at this special weekend.

My bestie, Christine Hendrickson Krsnik, was not able to attend this year (so bummed!) because she was home recovering from a ruptured Achilles (!) injury, but her daughters and husband were representing her well, manning and womanning all of that HF merch.

There is so much happening on so many rinks, that it's kind of hard to get to it all, but everyone packed in together for the Celebrity Game on Saturday afternoon. Minnesota hockey legends and pals came out for a friendly game, with a lot of former Wild and Gopher (and Richfield Spartans - home of the Hendys!) giving the crowd a thrill.

The team introductions were hilarious, and the whole game was in good fun. Christine's daughter, Jane, sang the National Anthem for the game and yep, more chills.

American flags had been handed out to everyone and there was a buzz going around about a special surprise (beautifully choreographed by Julie Hendrickson Oss!). There was an opening face-off to the game, and a stick was broken. The announcer called for a new stick, and out came Army Sergeant Acree, striding across the ice to deliver the stick to Wild player Matt Dumba and his sons (one a sled hockey player), after not seeing them for over two years! The place went crazy, and it was a heartwarming moment for everyone in the building. The chills just kept on coming ... !

It was a high scoring Celeb game, but everyone won just be being there. It was super fun to see my old schoolmates back out on the ice, and some that I had never had the chance to see play in person before (like Mr. Assist Larry Olimb!). There were so many Hendricksons running around that Darby's jersey just said "Darby" on the back of his bright Festival jersey. Awesome.

Halftime featured a Celebrity Sled Hockey game, with folks like the Wild's reporter, Audra Martin, Miss Chain of Lakes, and Sergeant Acree strapping themselves on to sleds to race down the ice. This was when you realized how really hard Sled Hockey is, after seeing all the real players make it look so easy. Several gamers could not stay upright, tipping over the moment they took off. Miss Chain of Lakes, however, was the clear champion, flying across the ice with no one even close. There were lots of cheers, but even more laughter, as I think we all got how much skill it takes, and how little these good sports had acquired thus far! Good times.

After the Celebrity Game, everyone headed over to the Banquet Hall on the same campus, where now you understood just how big this event really is. After being spread out among all of the rinks all day, now everyone was in one place, and the venue was shoulder to shoulder as participants lined up for drinks and the donated Jimmy John's grub. This was the party, and everyone was in the mood to do just that.

A really good silent auction kept the donations coming while the party was happening, and then it was time for the speeches and thanks.

HF Executive Director, Danny Hendrickson (son of Larry), thanked the legions that make this exceptional event happen, from sponsors (Yontz Valor! Stickney Hill Dairy! Milk Specialties! Hydrite Chemical! Hendrickson Homes! Jimmy John's! Sota Stick! Etc!) to volunteers. Checks and awards were given out, and everyone was enthusiastically applauded for bringing another fantastic Festival to vibrant, wonderful life.

The party then really got going ... but not too hard, as the championship games still had to happen on Sunday, along with the awarding of the very cool team trophies that kind of look like golden Spartans - Right on. Again, I know there's bragging rights (and sweet trophies) to winning the tournament, but there is no way anyone left this weekend feeling like anything but an absolute victor.

With all of the running around I was doing as a volunteer, I didn't really get a chance to hear the individual stories of the players, of which there are so many, each more touching than the last. There was one girl that took a shine to me, and every time we passed each other, she would yell, "There's my buddy!" and I felt so happy that we had made this connection, and that her happy face got even happier when she would see me. There were so many individual triumphs among the teams, and frankly, it's a huge triumph just to be there at all, whatever your abilities. The feeling that you get from helping someone else find their happiness IS the triumph, and this was happening all weekend.

The 4th Annual Hendrickson Foundation Festival is now in the books, and I can't wait to see and share the video that is being made of the weekend, because it really is one of those things you have to experience to feel how tangible the joy really is. I feel so honored to have been able to be a little tiny part of it all, and encourage any and everyone to get involved yourselves ... because it's true - Hockey really does change lives!

Thank you, Hendrickson Foundation!

Farewell Madame Varda!

I was sad to hear the news today of the passing of Agnes Varda, widely known as the mother of French New Wave Cinema. She was one of a kind.

I've written stories about her projects in the past, as I found them so moving. First, The Beaches of Agnes, which is filmed partially in Venice, and couldn't be more lovely.

More recently, I was charmed out of my socks by the wonderful Faces/Places ... and I bet you will be too.

Varda saw the humanity in all of us everywhere, and made the viewer feel it too. I hope to touch people even just a little bit as much as she did one day, and thank this legend for her inspiration always. 90 is a great run, but the loss of this marvelous woman is still a tough one. She will be missed by the entire world. 

Vive Varda!

Be You!

There is a long mural stretching down Lincoln by the Venice Boys and Girls Club, and it's great.

Be Love. Be Beautiful. Be Kindness. Be Life. Be YOU (that part got cut off, but it's there in real life). What a lovely reminder as you're sitting in traffic. Think about it. Practice it.

BE it. Think how much better this place will be when people can follow these very basic principles.

Thank you, Boys and Girls!

Leaning Into The Wind - The Art Of Andy Goldsworthy

If the world has been wearing you down, and you need something that is pure loveliness to watch, do check out Leaning Into The Wind, a documentary about the art of Andy Goldsworthy.

Goldsworthy sees our world in a completely unique and beautiful way. His work is always about our relationship with nature, whether out in a forest or right in the middle of a city (where I'm fully going to do the Goldsworthy trick of laying down on the pavement to leave your shape behind, if it ever rains again in Los Angeles!).

I had just been to the concert for Pathway To Paris the night before I saw this wonderful doc, so the environment and its endangerment were stuck in my frontal lobe as I sat down to watch. Patti Smith read a poem about our connection to this planet, and ended it by saying, "Nature gives us everything." Watching Leaning Into The Wind put an exclamation point on that statement, in an unforgettable way.

Some people just have a different way of viewing life, and Goldsworthy is one of them. He poses the question of why do we take the road, when we could go through the hedge? The flow of people through a city is like a river, and you can feel our past and present - and future - unite, if only you take the time to stop and think, and truly FEEL.

This film was a beautiful escape from what we think of as the "real world", into what truly IS real - Nature. Check it out. Let's talk. Let's feel. Let's save this beautiful Earth.

Leaning Into The Wind (2018) is available now on ITunes.

Honoring Dr. King Fifty Years Later

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the day the world lost Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his legacy is as special and important to our country as it has ever been. In fact, MORE special and important, because in today's world, Dr. King's message is needed more than ever. I was on a hike the other day in Kenneth Hahn Park, and at the very top of the trail was a brand new MLK Memorial looking out over the entire city of Los Angeles.

It was a pleasant surprise, and also a little time travel feeling, as the plaque marks today as the date it was commemorated, but today was two days away. I read that a big crowd made the hike to the top together a few days ago to have a ceremony marking the place and honoring the legendary American hero.

There are fresh trees planted, and as you walk up to the obelisk itself, several rocks are engraved with famous MLK quotes - truly words to live by.

Today's world needs an emphasis on social justice more than ever, and I find myself cringing when I think of what King would feel about all the madness happening in these current times. How sad he would be to know that we are still struggling to make his wonderful dream come true. I remember how happy I thought he would be to know that we had President Obama - and we all thought major progress - but now how crestfallen he would be to know that those eight years of grace and dignity were followed by the worst Administration the United States have ever known.

That's why it is so important to have monuments and memories to the greatness we're capable of, and the inspiration to walk on in those epic footprints forged before us. Standing at the top of this mountain, thinking about the "I've Been To The Mountaintop" speech King gave the night before he was assassinated in Memphis, I had a similar feeling to when I stood in the spot that King gave his "I Have A Dream" speech on the Washington Mall. That the ground where I stood was now sacred. That we have failed him. That we have the potential to be so much better. That the dream is still alive, even if he is not. That we can make it a reality by always remembering to focus on the love and social justice that King did.

I've been to the King Memorial on the Kenneth Hahn mountaintop ... and I looked over.

I've seen the Promised Land.
I may not get there with you.
But I want you to know today, that we, as a People, will get to the Promised Land!
And so I'm happy, today.
I'm not worried about anything.
I'm not fearing any man!
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!

Thank you, Dr. King. Your dream will never be forgotten.

Go Fwd!

Sometimes in life you get little messages from just paying attention, and sometimes they're perfectly timed. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I feel like a lot of times things feel real hopeless lately. Two halves of the country are fighting with each other. A new natural disaster seems to happen almost every day ... to the point where my little 8 year old friend commented on how there sure does seem to be a lot of awful things happening in the world, "like storms and stuff." And he's right.  It can all feel like an awful lot, and never mind even bringing your own stuff into it all - which can also be a lot. So, when you catch a license plate telling you to "GO FWD", you stop. You think about it ...

... and off you go. Forward. Thanks, Landrover in Venice. I will. As we all will. To better days ahead. I just know it.

Paint In Public!

There's something I've always loved about chancing upon people set up in public with an easel, painting what's in front of them. I just love how it suggests a freedom, a pride, a non-conformist kind of attitude like, "I'm gonna paint and I don't know care who sees!" It's pretty brave, while at the same time so calm and peaceful feeling. I passed by this guy this morning, capturing the Venice sign and its surroundings.

People that paint in public ("plein air" for fancy people) just seem happy to be there, in the moment. I'm not a visual artist, so I've always extra admired those that are, especially when they're chill like this. In public, letting you in on their creative process, usually more than happy to chat with you about it. You know what, I'm just going to go do this one of these days, even if it sucks, just because. Look for me out there ... I'll probably even throw on a beret.

Thanks to this guy for the morning inspiration!

Journal On A Dress

Today is the kind of day that just makes you want to YELL all day long about how beautiful it is outside. My friend Jenny said, "Venice is in HD today", and she is correct. The rain during the nights this weekend made the days so crisp and clear, it actually kind of hurts to look at. The jasmine is bursting out and each deep breath inward is rewarded with a perfumed sigh back out. It makes you want to just write your feelings down the front of yourself ... with a Sharpie.


I had taken this photo a while back in the window of the thrifty shop on Abbot Kinney that is sometimes open and sometimes not. I want to know the person that wrote about myth and love and art down the front of their pink satin dress. And then I want to create my own journal dress. Inspiration is everywhere ... and inspiration MEANS "breathing in". What will you come up with today when breathing it all in?

February Focus

So I'm just cruising down Speedway, tripping out in my head about what I'm doing and where I belong ... you know, the usual stuff ... and I stop to say hello to a friend. While I'm waiting for them to come to the door, I turn my head, and there is the same answer to all of my questions, staring me in the face. Again.



Thank you, Venice, for always answering.