Riding the second wave of museum closures
Thank goodness art museums are reopening! Now I can see the new Barbara Earl Thomas exhibit — oh wait…
[bitter laugh] Just kidding. Coronavirus rates are spiking again and we’re under a second stay-home order until at least mid-December. When one door closes…
If you’re art-starved and longing for The Before Times, search my blog for posts tagged “museum,” including:
Parents’ Day Out with me (and without the kids)
“Double Exposure,” contrasting portrayals of indigenous people in the Northwest
In the meantime, I guess we put museum visits on the raincheck list of restricted activities. ‘Raincheck in Rain City’ thanks to the ‘Rona. Ha. We are not amused.
New work: What's another word for 'waiting?'
Hi, kids! Today, “When” is our Word Of The Day. When will we get a handle on the coronavirus infection rate? When will my kids be able to go back to school? It’s like being suspended.
Nobody’s done anything wrong, but the kids are essentially banished from school.
You could even say remote learning is supposed to cushion us from spikes in the COVID-19 infection rates, like a suspension system reduces the impact of outside shocks.
Now that we’ve settled into a “class time” routine, my kids are doing okay and I’ve carved out enough studio time for a new collage. At first, “Suspension” was going to show the teacher, students and the schoolhouse right-side-up.
Lisa Myers Bulmash, “Suspension,” collage on paper
But flipping the image captures the surreal nature of school in the Upside-Down more accurately. I’m still working on a way to visualize my kids’ isolation in a new way, though. I think they (and I) are getting out of the habit of being around people who don’t live with them. Which brings us back to the word of the day: When will they hang out with their friends again, without having to be pried out of our house?
Mothering in place
So where are you going for Mother’s Day brunch? [dies of bittersweet, mildly hysterical laughter]
This year, I’m redirecting my brunch money toward helping another artist, photographer Steven Miller. On the other side of this window, he made a photo of me as part of his Pandemic Portraits series, in which he shoots contact-free photos from an appropriate distance — communicating via cell phone. I know I’m not contributing make-or-break money to his bank account. But at least Steven is letting me help him, which is more than I can say for my eleven year-old when I try to help him with school work. Believe it or not, my teenager humors me more often.
He allowed me a little mother-son bonding time over deviled eggs the other day. Of course, he’s kinda stuck with me during quarantine. But I appreciate the chance to be a little more motherly and protective than usual during this uncertain time. When I’m not in the studio, of course.