Carolyn Swiszcz

South St. Paul Whale

carolyn — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 19:19:12 +0000

There’s a blue whale on streets of South St. Paul. You are most likely to see it at South City Motors on Concord Street. I was disappointed to learn it is not for sale. A chat with a gentleman at South City yielded more information: the whale used to be a promotional vehicle for WAYL, the twin cities “beautiful music station” which broadcasted from 1960 to 1988 (it’s now 93X). The South City Motors family rescued it from a junkyard in Newport, MN and restored it to its present glory. The support car underneath is an El Camino. The whale makes appearances at parades and events. You can friend the “Whale Car” on Facebook.

Red blazer and blue pickup krill.

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Bachelor Farm

carolyn — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:50:55 +0000

“Bachelor Farm” is the name of my friend D’s home in South St. Paul. It’s a workshop, music studio, garden, classic car garage, and a retreat for artful loafing. When our mutual friend J visits from North Carolina the two bachelors spend time on a variety of construction and recreational projects (which may or may not involve sling shots and tomatoes.) Their most recent collaboration was the transformation of an old tin shed into a Bachelor Farm banner of sorts. The letters were snipped and and fastened to a wire to create a sign worthy of mass distribution on Pinterest. A hand was also sliced in the process, though thankfully stitches were not required. There’s a casual order at Bachelor Farm, as though its owner has paid attention to the arrangement of things, but not so carefully as to get stressed out about it. Unlike the the domestic inadequacy that flipping through Better Homes and Gardens might beget, the Bachelor Farm reassures that a very small amount of money and whatever time you are inclined to spend will improve your surroundings.

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Bridget Beck

carolyn — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 15:43:36 +0000

As the mother of a young child I spend a lot of time in playgrounds. Most of them are uniformly unattractive: the sterile plastic Tupperware-like parts, the ditches of mulch worn away under the swings, the most vulnerable features often spoiled by vandals. Bridget Beck’s sculptures are an antidote to these aesthetically challenged play structures. Her recycled metal and wood constructions feature ladders, ramps, desks, benches, bird houses, caves, swings, and sliding poles. I imagine the word “whimsical” has been used to describe to Bridget’s work by well-meaning folks. The brightly colored doo-dads and the spaceship quality of the pieces overall certainly inspire whimsy, but a touch of chaos gives this work an added edge – perhaps literally. Because these things were not made by a safety committee there is an element of risk: there are places to trip and the slide might land you a little faster than expected. If you have the good fortune to enjoy one of her play structures with a child you might notice an interesting leveling effect – children will be challenged to do some serious imaginative work and and adults will shed responsibilities and get back a piece of childhood. You might also be inspired to reconsider your own cast-offs and have some transformative fun with them.

The sculpture below, “Poetry Studio,” was completed in June 2012 at Franconia Sculpture Park.

My daughter’s drawing of “Poetry Studio.”

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Walker Open Field

carolyn — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 05:26:28 +0000

My art group recently hosted the Drawing Club, which meets on Thursdays at the Walker Art Center’s Open Field. Michon Weeks, one of our members, landed this gig and presented the idea: drawing with tape on the exterior of the museum and parking ramp. Here’s what we made…

“My” corner turned into a patio with plants, weeds, and a clothesline. Elaine Rutherford, Monica Reede, and my very helpful child are pictured.

X’s by Mary Bergs

My daughter’s plant.

Hot Dog by Michon Weeks.

Many talented people (mostly children) joined in.

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COD GOR…?

carolyn — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:42:47 +0000

This is in West St. Paul near the Post Office “annex.” Maybe you’ve seen it if you’ve been down there to pay some overdue postage.

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Mall Map #10 – Southdale Mall, 2012

carolyn — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:55:02 +0000

Drawing by Andrew, age 8. One of my favorites – and it’s just how this place really looks.

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Mall Map #9 – “Equal Distribution”

carolyn — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:29:13 +0000

From what I understand of Brandon’s mall map, his plan would be to arrange stores in one long strip on a single floor, beginning with Bath and Body. I guess it would make it harder to miss a store, but you might want to have your shopping list in order – it’s a long walk to the other end if you forget something. I am not sure what it is that is being evenly distributed in his plan.

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Mall Map #8 – “A Dream Mall”

carolyn — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:09:11 +0000

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1964 World’s Fair Model

carolyn — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:41:14 +0000

This wonderful model of the 1964 World’s Fair in Queens, NY can be found on an elevator in the Queens Museum of Art. The last close-up shows the flag for the Minnesota pavilion. I just finished reading an article by Adam Hjorthen in the current issue of Minnesota History magazine regarding the Minnesota pavilion’s lackluster debut. Unfortunately the article is not on line but here is a quote: “…the quality of the pavilion’s exhibits was harshly criticized, in particular by the Twin Cities press. The Minneapolis Tribune headlined its front page on June 4, 1964, ‘Fair Pavilion Embarasses Minnesotans,’ and went on to describe the exhibit as ‘inadequate, inappropriate, chaotic, cheap, filthy, and…embarrassing.’” Hjorthen’s article details the subsequent efforts made to spruce up the place with the Kensington Runestone and some questionable interpretation of history. Anyway, I wish this model were in my home.

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New York Sign #2

carolyn — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:05:39 +0000

This is the alarm panel at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, which I had time to study while waiting in the long line. I was very impressed by the “audible silence” feature, as well as the hot fudge.

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