My main purpose for going was to see the debut of a new exhibit of Route 66 quilts. Pat Blair and Kelly Gallagher-Abbott curated this exhibit that will travel for three years. If it comes to your area don't miss it. The quilts are fun and nostalgic - as they should be! Pat Blair worked her airbrush and quilting magic to create several panels with a map of the entire Mother Road from Chicago, IL to the Santa Monica pier in California. The quilts are interspersed over the Route 66 panels. I took the photos below on my iPhone so they are not the best quality - and it was a whirlwind trip. I apologize that I don't have the names of the quilt makers except the Magnolia quilt. It was made by a quilter I know from Arroyo Grande, CA, Gigi Kandler.
My stereo was blasting Rachmaninov piano concertos performed by Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra all day. If you ever want to spend a day listening to heaven on earth, get the entire set of four concertos. The OMG parts for me are:
1. Concerto No 2, second movement (sheer heaven)
2. Concerto No 3. the last three minutes of the final movement - OMG - ecstasy.
3. The entire Rach 4 is a technical masterpiece.
Van Cliburn won Moscow's first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 which propelled him to international fame as the best pianist alive at the time by performing both the Rach 1 and the Rach 3 piano concertos. The contest was designed to demonstrate the Solviet's cultural superiority. It's worth reading the Van Cliburn link to understand the magnitude of what an American winning this prize in the Soviet Union during the cold war meant on a global cultural stage.
Speaking of sheer heaven, you can still sign up to go with me next summer on Route 66 - Click here! I'm just sayin'...
Comments
It was fun to find a picture of my Route 66 quilt on your BLOG this morning. Did you notice the fabric on the front wall and portico ceiling?
Hugs,
Binky
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