Bytes from the Bean by Joe Manning 8-2-9912:00AM / Monday, August 02, 1999
Imagine all of the historic working-class neighborhoods in North Adams. Imagine all of the old tenements and multi-family houses with historic markers on them showing the date they were built and the name of the original owner. Imagine a brief written history of each dwelling and a list of the names of every family and single occupant who resided in those dwellings. Imagine having all of this information in a pamphlet at the library, the North Adams Historical Society, and all North Adams school libraries. Imagine a tenement museum in North Adams where visitors can explore individual rooms and apartments that were typical of North Adams working-class dwellings during the early part of the century, when most of the European immigrants came to this city. Imagine learning about some of those immigrant families, where they came from, where they worked, where their children went to school, and who their living descendants are. Imagine celebrating these people, right here in North Adams!
That's what I talked about at Papyri Books on Thursday, the 22nd. Many members of the audience had excellent suggestions on how to turn these ideas into reality. Over the next few months, I will be working with some community and school programs to find a way to get this off the ground. I will keep you informed. Meanwhile, as I did in my previous column, I recommend that you visit the Lower East Side Tenement Museum Website at http://www.wnet.org/archive/tenement/. I also urge you to see my notebook of information about this subject at Papyri Books, 49 Main Street. Included in the notebook are some of my photographs of several historic and unique tenements in North Adams.
I also urge you to get down to Heritage State Park to see the diversity exhibition by students at the Greylock School. This wonderful display shows how young people can use their creativity in ways that energize them and foster understanding of differences in racial, religious, and ethnic heritage. Thanks to Kathy Gwozdz and the teachers and students at Greylock School for entertaining and enlightening all of us. Don't miss it!
Comment by a visitor overheard at MASS MoCA: "This place looks a lot like a factory."
My wife and I spent the whole day Saturday, the 31st, at MASS MoCA and it's little sister, the Williams College Museum of Art. When we arrived at MoCA about 9:45, the parking lot was nearly full. The temperature was already a sweltering 88 degrees, so we headed quickly for the air-conditioned comfort of the museum buildings, a luxury that the former Arnold and Sprague workers wouldn't have even dreamed about. In the new small theater on the third floor above the lobby, we watched a colorful and funny full-length feature cartoon called, "Cat's Don't Dance." Donuts and juice were provided as well as crayons and drawing boards for the children. The movie sported music and songs by Randy Newman, a favorite of mine, and a lot of clever satirical jokes about Hollywood that only adults would catch.
After lunch at The Bean, we drove over to Williamstown to see the Tony Oursler exhibition at the Williams College Museum of Art. Some of his work is at MASS MoCA. In one large room, there were a lot of mannequins and dolls in various poses. Each had a blank round cushion for a head on which was projected a moving video image of a real person's talking head. All of the "heads" acted and spoke like deranged or manic people. One tall man with a gruesome mouth and eyes rattled on complaint after complaint in a tiresome and annoying voice. A doll with a big, sad-looking face, lay pinned under a mattress, and spewed out obscene paranoid insults to all onlookers. I got down on the floor and answered back, "How dare you talk to me like that!" It glared at me and shouted, "Get the (expletive) out of here, you (expletive)!" Another tiny doll chanted meaningless sentences in a multitude of child-like voices.
Visitors were invited to operate the joystick of a video camera that monitored the museum entrance. A speaker was concealed above the entrance. Next to the camera was a switch that turned on a microphone. Thus, willing participants were able to playfully shout out comments or orders from a hidden corner of the room, much to the surprise of unsuspecting guests. A sign on the microphone said, "Be respectful." I tried it, but I couldn't think of anything clever to say, so we went down to the entrance and listened.
What does it all mean? The accompanying artist's written explanation is surprisingly clear and logical. Standing in the middle of the room and listening to the odd voices chattering on reminds one of being trapped in an asylum. I will not forget it, and I recommend it to anyone who thinks they've seen everything.
Back to MoCA at 5:00 for a symposium on "Ghostcatching," the animated dance film that shows continuously at the museum. Bill T. Jones, the celebrated dancer who is the subject in the film, and the two film makers, Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar, talked about and demonstrated on the movie screen how the film was created and made. The event was sold out. Good thing we had reservations.
Finally, we went to the Salsa Dance Party in the courtyard behind the outdoor café. There must have been 400 or more people. There was Puerto Rican food served and a great Latin band on the stage. Despite the hazy evening, there were plenty of energetic dancers of all ages, most of whom seemed to know the steps. While this was going on, the musical, "Quark Victory," was presented in the Hunter Center before a large crowd. In North Adams, Saturday night is no longer the loneliest night of the week.
Tired and sweaty, we dropped by What's The Scoop on Marshall Street for some blueberry sorbet, and then we headed back on Route 9, fully prepared to dodge a 1000 pound moose at every turn.
Visit Joe's website at: www.sevensteeples.com.
Email Joe at: manningfamily@rcn.com.
|
