the great leslie

I went to the MoMA on Friday night, when it was free and very crowded. My first observation was that it was full of tourists. Non-English speaking, non-looking-where-they-are-going tourists. I guess I should have expected this, on free Friday, during the pouring rain.

I went to see a new design exhibit: "Design and the Elastic Mind." This kind of art does not always translate well to gallery spaces. Many of the works are the kinds of things one has to see in action to really appreciate. A videotape or a Web cast simply isn't enough. There were all these interesting things, but none of them were so striking or incredible to make me linger. Or even think about them after I left the gallery.

On the other hand, the "Focus on Calder" exhibit did make me linger. I think Alexander Calder was a very cool fellow. I love the Calder circus at the Whitney and the jewelry he designed for Georgia O'Keeffe. There were two mobiles in the one room devoted to the focus of Calder that I particularly loved. One called "Swizzle Sticks:" four long wooden rods weighted with lead and hanging in front of a red, cracked canvas. And also "Snow Flurry," a series of white circles on curved wires that spin around just like a flurry in front of a large gray backdrop. In fact, I saw it from across the room and thought "snow."

I love these pieces because they move with the movement of the museum. So even though they were created seventy or so years ago, they are made new every day, with every movement. These sculptures made me linger, in fact return to see them again. And still, three days later, they are on my mind.

That, and elbowing a tourist.