Hooray for Summer Fridays!!

I lucked out last Friday - one of my dear gal pals was free and decided to join me for Summer Friday at a Museum!  Hooray!  She's an ace photographer and, like me (though I'm not an ace photographer), she'd wanted to go to the museum at the International Center of Photography for years and couldn't find anyone to go with her!  Yet again, she and I were made for each other!

At first, we thought it was too nice a day to be inside at a museum, but then the clouds started to roll in and we figured what the heck.  So, off we went.  We started out in the museum store, which has some terrific stuff.  I may have to go back when I'm more flush.  They have a book there that is the PERFECT birthday gift for another pal!  Something to think on...

Yet again, it's annoying that you can't take pictures in the galleries, only in the lobby.  Sigh.  But I guess it makes sense.  That doesn't mean I have to like it.  The largest gallery is on the top floor; the current exhibit there is called A Short History of Photography.  They've taken photos from their permanent collection, along with some that have been donated from the Time Life collection.  The curator of the museum is retiring, so they've taken some of his favorite images and put them on display.  Not only are the photographs amazing, but they also showcase some really interesting techniques.  There are photographs from the 1800s, contemporary digital images and some iconic photographs - my breath stopped when I saw the image of Mary Ann Veccchio keening over the body of Jeffrey Miller at Kent State on May 4, 1970.  I've seen the photo online and in books a million times before, but never right in front of me.   So powerful.  There was also a meditation on that photo by another artist, which I found interesting, but nowhere near as moving.  There are works by Cindy Sherman, Margaret Bourke-White, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Walker Evans, plus many other wonderful artists I had never heard of before.  This was a very enjoyable exhibit.

Downstairs, there are several exhibits.  The largest focuses on Weegee, the crime photographer of the 1930s and 1940s, called Weegee: Murder Is My Business.  This was an interesting and fun look at a guy who certainly was impressed with himself.  There was a whole section of self-portraits, along with photos he insisted the cops take of him inside the crime scenes.  There were copies of his manuscripts, and original proof sheets with his crop marks.  It was interesting how he rarely focused on the dead body at the crime scene, but on the reactions of the onlookers.  And, boy, did most of those onlookers have great faces.  Why did faces seem so much more interesting then?  Less botox?  Anyway, I was glad there weren't any really graphic photos of dead bodies, though a couple of the crime scenes were pretty gruesome.  Another good exhibit.

The exhibit I was most interested in was President in Petticoats: Civil War Propaganda in Photographs.  In reading the text before the photos, I learned something about American history I never learned in school, or in any of the many books I've read over the years: when Jefferson Davis was captured at the end of the Civil War, he attempted to flee his captors.  As he was running, instead of his own cloak, he grabbed his wife's.  After that, he was perpetually portrayed by the press as a coward, purposefully dressing in women's clothes to get away.  Northern artists and caricaturists created many images of Davis, dressed in women's clothes, including photographs of women with Davis' head superimposed on top.  So, there were dozens of images from the 1860s, depicting a piece of American history that was completely unknown to me.  I went in because I enjoy art about that period and ended up learning something.  Yay - it was great!

The last exhibit was fascinating - Les Amies de Place Blanche, which were a set of photographs, never before exhibited in the U.S., by Swedish photographer Christer Stromholm.  They depicted the period in his life when he lived in Paris, in Le Place Blanche (near the Moulin Rouge), and got to know many transsexuals.  He photographed quite a few of them, as they worked the streets, trying to make money to be able to live as women full time.  These photos were stunning - they're a very powerful set of images of people secure in their life choices.  Plus, they're almost glamour shots; some of the subjects looked completely ready for Hollywood.  He documented several of the ladies over a few years and it was amazing to see how they changed and adapted their look for the times.

We spent a good two hours in the museum and were then starving for lunch.  I believe I mentioned earlier the limited funds, so we skipped heading to the Lamb's Club, though I'll get there eventually.  We decided to go to Le Pain Quotidien so we could walk near Bryant Park.  To get a little green in our day.  :)  I was exhausted by this time, so I ordered a delicious iced cappuccino.  I don't go to Le Pain Quotidien enough.  I always love their food. 

I couldn't decide what I wanted, but finally settled on the tartine with avocado, chickpeas, cucumber and spicy tahini.  I've been jonesing for avocado recently.  Jeepers, it was delicious.  I probably could've eaten another one.  I will say, though, that I might have preferred the bread be toasted, for another texture.  Everything was pretty soft.  I enjoyed picking up some of the leftover toppings on a crunchy crouton from my gal pal's salad plate.  :)

We thought about going to the movies after lunch, but we were both beat.  It was a lonnnnng week.  On the way to the subway, we passed a food truck selling cupcakes.  And, yes, they featured a lemon cupcake.  Of course, I had to get one.  It was lemon and white chocolate.  YUMMY!  The perfect end to a perfect Summer Friday!  It was so tasty, in fact, that it had to be immortalized via Hipstamatic.  Until the next Summer Friday adventure...