So in the midst of Friday's romantic meltdown, there actually was bit of culture (and well later there was copius amounts whiskey at Kaseys with my favorite library folks) but earlier there was a trip to the Art Institute since I had yet, despite a couple years since completion, been inside the Modern Wing. I knew they had moved the Cornell boxes, so we went in search of them, and I was sad to see how they wound up, all locked behind a glass case that not only didn't allow you to get that close, but also didn't allow the sort of one on one experience the previous display strategy had. It was like they lost something by all being grouped together, like the eyes couldn't focus on them individually anymore. I remember my first encounter about 10 years ago, coming upon the tabletop boxes, wandering into the blue room, the separate boxes wall mounted in a brighter room. Each box it's own little room. This case felt chaotic and dark and dissappointing. Overall, I found myself eager to leave the modern wing and go see the impressionists and all the vivid colors of the older paintings and the furniture galleries...which is where I usually end up on most visits...
