Victor Luftig
@vl1959
he/him. English professor, Democrat (but I can't bear the DCCC), Mets fan. Views expressed are my own and not those of my employer or David Stearns, Steve Cohen, or the late M. Donald Grant. "'We’ll see if it is,' said Rivera."
Alison Krauss and Union Station were splendid tonight in Charlottesville: a delicateness I associate with classical music. I found it very moving.
I greatly recommend the museum, and there’s a pleasant place to get a bit nearby (“Magnolia Foods”) and also Riverview Park, with a fine view of the James River. maiermuseum.org
I liked John Sloan’s comment on this one, about his “strong emotional response to this city woman”: “This is a try at handing it on.” Something I could say about everything I assign in a course.
They’ve got strong works by Hopper, O’Keeffe, Kehinde Wiley, Hudson River folks, Gilbert Stuart, Cassatt, plus great contemporary stuff (Gowin, Sally Mann, others), and, at present, this interesting and apt traveling exhibit.
Benny Andrews (this is his “The English Teacher,” a combination of oil and collage) is new to me.
Thomas Hart Benton’s “The Bill,” which, like the Lawrence, is part of the permanent collection, feels disgustingly familiar.
In 25+ years of living around Cville, I don’t think anyone has ever mentioned to me the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College. I had a really rewarding visit: this Jacob Lawrence alone (John Brown’s Arsenal) would have been worth the trip. 🧵
Waynesboro, VA, in the Shenandoah Valley, as seen this morning from Rockfish Gap. Monacan Indian land. The decline of Port Republic, the thriving Black neighborhood, coincided with the expansion in the 1950s of the DuPont plant 1/2
Any basis for celebrating 250 this weekend is undone by the Slaughter and anti-trans athlete rulings, the narrowness of the birthright one, and US aggression at home and abroad. I like fireworks, but they go off when sports teams win meaningless games; this weekend's will signify no more than that.
Given that the Orioles are paying Pete Alonso $30 million/year, I think his using “Money For Nothing” as his walkup music takes some chutzpah.
I get that I'm not the target audience for the TV ads I find baffling. But I need to remind myself when I'm frustrated by NYT's op-eds and their NYC and US military coverage that I'm not _their_ target audience either--not because I've aged out but because I have assembled insufficient wealth.
For future reference, I can't recommend enough the annual Home Rule Festival in DC, at the old Walter Reed campus. We went up to see the Sun Ra Arkestra, who were amazing, and stuck around to see Master Gee of the Sugar Hill Gang induct Brand Nubian into the National Hip-Hop Museum. All great.
Don’t recall having seen this before. Outside a UVA HR bldg. Maybe someone had a really bad interview?
