Heartbreak Across the World and Two Contrasting Cultures

About 24 hours ago in the early cool hours of Friday morning October 7 in Albury our beautiful, loyal and wonderful English Springer Spaniel Mischief died at 13 years 6 months. When I left on Tuesday September 20 I had a feeling which I suppressed that I may not ever see him again. He went downhill pretty quickly, had his last walk on Sunday October 2 with my family along the nature corridor between the Monument and Nail Can Hill. He loved all the smells and being spring a nice time to be out in it. Animals know when they are going to die. For several night he wanted to stay burrowed in the soil of the garden but was gently carried up into the warmth of his bed. On the last evening which was Thursday night he stayed in the garden under two jumpers. He found a spot way down the end of the yard which was rather inaccessible for humans. But he had company until very near the end which came sometime between 2-5am.
Of course in the context of our huge troubled world the death of one animal doesn't rate and the grief could be judged as middle class sentimentality. But such a judgement would come from a base of mean-spiritedness. I know that to be able to shed tears over the small poignant episodes of our day to day lives is what it is to be human. It's the flip side of the happiness that comes from seeing a beautiful flower or enjoying the sun. When one becomes so jaded or so judgemental that one has to be guided by an unwritten code of what is worthy or is not worthy to grieve about - that is just sad in itself. People who would judge others as self indulgent need to look at themselves.
Yesterday I went to two museums a block apart on 5th Avenue which runs north to south along the western edge of Central Park. The Museum of the City of New York is on W103rd Street and El Museo del Barrio is up the road between 104th and 105th Streets.
What a contrast. The first museum is in a stately Colonial Revival building and is very elegant. I enjoyed 'The American Style : Colonial Revival and the Modern Metropolis' and the film 'Timescapes' about the growth and development of New York. One of the loveliest pieces in the Colonial Revival show is the very colourful tufted wool rug upon which sits a reproduction of George Washington's writing desk.

The highlight for me in this museum is the amazing Stettheimer Dollhouse. This extensively detailed dollhouse was started by Carrie Stettheimer in 1916 who worked on it until 1935. Her sister donated it to the museum in 1947 where the last two rooms were completed. The most amazing aspect of this house is the miniature art work done by artist friends of the sisters. Marcel Duchamp drew a mini 'Nude Descending the Staircase' which is incredible. There is alot of information about this piece on the internet.

 The Linen Room

 The Dining Room

 The Chintz bedroom and bathroom

 The utilities room

 The entrance porch  looking into the ballroom/gallery

Upper terrace

Bird's eye view

 The stairs

On the next block is El Museo del Barrio. This museum is dedicated to the culture of Latin Americans in New York and people from Latin American countries. It was established as one of the positive outcomes of the civil unrest of the 1960's at the grassroots level. It has undergone much change over 50 years which has been controversial. The museum's web site provides a really terrific detailed history of the institution which has always known controversy and has struggled to get sustainable funding. 

The contrast between the two museums a block apart couldn't be greater really. The Museum of the City of New York is really a celebration of the founding and development of New York and it's growth into the world's most celebrated city. It houses a wonderful photographic archive of each section of the greater city of New York. But the museum's flavour is Anglo Saxon and establishment.

In contrast currently El Museo del Barrio is celebrating the culture of the street and of young artists from many Latino countries. There are 75 artists from places that include local Queens and Harlem, El Salvador, puerto Rico, Guatemala, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, he Dominican Republic, Peru and elsewhere. Installations and artworks are made from found objects, street refuse, recycled inner tubes, rubber from truck tyres. There are terrific photos, paintings and performances on videos. 

One work has a video about the conditions for the drivers of the non-yellow taxis - the ones that frequent the poorer areas such as the Bronx where there are no crosstown public transport. These drivers don't take home much money after tax and other overheads. There have been over 700 murdered over the past 10 years or so. It's a hairy job and the majority of drivers are recent arrivals many of whom come from other careers but because of no certification end up driving these taxis. The worst aspect of this situation is that these drivers aren't allowed to pick up fares on the street, they can take only booked fares. They are checked and face heavy fines if apprehended by the watchdog. In connection with the videos of interviews there are two loud speakers mounted on a car roof on the floor in the gallery with the actual real-time taxi radio callouts in Spanish blasting into the space. It's a really moving work if you take the time to listen s you realise it's all political and the chips are really stacked against these drivers.

Another imposing piece is a huge black structure like a room in the corner of the gallery made out of black tissue napkins - serviettes we would say at home. It is based on the police surveillance units that prowl around the streets of certain areas with a camera checking for trouble.

The names of the artists are on the net - unfortunately photos were not allowed and so I can't show you some really great things.