We always knew about the giant Alexander Calder
sculpture dominating downtown Grand Rapids in Michigan, but hunting for a
nearby geocache caused us to take a closer look at this impressive structure.
We found the micro-sized cache and the small-scale
model of the larger sculpture, Calder’s 1969 creation, the 43-foot tall La
Grande Vitesse. We visited on an extremely hot and humid Sunday morning, so we
had time to take a few photos of Calder’s work on the deserted plaza before
retreating to a nearby coffee shop to enjoy some ice tea and cool off in
air-conditioned comfort!
People may best know the Pennsylvania-born Calder for
inventing the mobile. You can read about this fascinating artist at the Calder
Foundation site dedicated to his life and innovative work.
Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for
creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts
across the Web.
© Dominique King 2009
Very cool! I've always been intrigued by geocaching, but I've never tried it.
For your readers in NYC, there is currently an exhibit of Calder's smaller works of art -- his jewelry. The exhibit is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through March 1.
Here's a link:
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={2447333C-4D1D-4C74-9EED-62134307C209}&HomePageLink=special_c2a
Posted by: Angela Nickerson | February 06, 2009 at 12:32 PM
Thanks for the info on Calder's jewelry, Angela! It's funny how many architects/sculptors also do a lot of jewelry (Frank Gehry's line of stuff for Tiffany springs to mind right now).
Geocaching is a lot of fun. It's a great way to get out of the house and cachers often have a way of taking out to see something a little unusual. A few of the places I've used for Photo Fridays are places we found or visited while caching.
Posted by: Dominique | February 06, 2009 at 01:37 PM
Great shots!
There used to be (and maybe still is) a great photo on display @ the guggenheim of Peggy Guggenheim wearing an enormous pair of Calder earrings.
Posted by: Deliciousbaby | February 06, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Awesome, I just clicked over for a bit of a history lesson. Had no idea about Calder, or how all those mobiles came about.
And, cool pictures.
Posted by: Carolina | February 07, 2009 at 09:07 AM
I love the abstract design feel in the top photo. We keep saying we are going to do some geocaching on our world tour, but haven't done it yet. Maybe this summer! Sounds like fun and great learning for kids and adults!
Posted by: soultravelers3 | February 08, 2009 at 02:54 PM
Debbie--I'll need to check the book have about Peggy Guggenheim to see if I can find a photo of her wearing some Calder jewelry!
Carolina--I didn't know about the mobiles, either. That was an interesting site, wasn't it?
Soul3-That was one of the shots I liked, too. I loved the brilliant colors in it.
You should definitely try geocaching. I've read about a lot of homeschooling parents who build lesson plans around geocaching--things like map reading and math for younger kids and topics like more advanced stats for older students. But it's really just plain fun and a great way to get outdoors and explore!
Posted by: Dominique | February 09, 2009 at 04:08 PM