Spring has come to Winnipeg’s Exchange District and I’ve tried to capture that in my photos below.
Monthly Archives: May 2013
Spring in Winnipeg’s Exchange District
Two Movies- Once Upon A Time and Happily Ever After?
We saw two movies on the May long weekend 42- The Jackie Robinson Story and The Great Gatsby. They made me think of fairy tales.
You might have started both films with the words ‘once upon a time’ because each movie takes place in the past and tells a story about a period in history that it is hard to believe existed.
A racist and discriminatory time in American history is depicted in the movie 42. It is difficult to understand how people in a supposedly Christian nation could ever have behaved in such an uncharitable and inhumane way. The cruelty with which Jackie Robinson was treated when he became the first black man to play major league baseball is difficult to watch. Yet if anything I think the movie down played the severity of the persecution he experienced.
Jackie Robinson is a real fairy tale like hero as is his supportive and determined wife. Movie viewers cannot help but be on their side and root for them to succeed. They have our sympathy.
The Great Gatsby depicts a time in history when the members of America’s upper class were excessively wealthy and their lives consumed with the pursuit of pleasure. It is difficult to understand how in country which espoused equal opportunities for all, some people could have behaved in such an elitist, selfish and corrupt way.
The protagonists of The Great Gatsby were not fairy tale like heroes. I certainly had no affection for its male hero Jay Gatsby even though he’d had a fairy tale like ascension to wealth and privilege. I felt no sympathy for the shallow female protagonist Daisy who could so easily toss love aside in favor of self-preservation.
You couldn’t have ended either movie with happily ever after, because the issues raised in both movies haven’t really been resolved.
There is still a great deal of discrimination in the sports arena. Most female athletes do not have equal opportunities or equal pay with male athletes and it is only recently that the first professional gay athlete has been open about his sexuality. Most still live in fear of the repercussions of such honesty. Times are different then they were in 1947 when Jackie Robinson played his first major league ball game, but not so different.
There are still wide gaps between the rich and poor. Data from the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Department of Commerce indicates the inequality between rich and poor in the United States is greater than it has been in more than 30 years. The graph above shows that the present situation is much like that of the 1920’s- the time period of the Great Gatsby.
Both The Great Gatsby and 42 have some fairy tale like qualities but they are not fairy tales. They depict real life situations that do not resolve themselves the way a fairy tale would.
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Mothers at the Met
Mrs. Mayer and Daughter by Ammi Phillips 1835
When we visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York I was overwhelmed! I knew I couldn’t possibly see or study everything in the short time we’d be there. I needed a theme! It didn’t take long before I realized I was being drawn to all the intriguing representations of motherhood. I decided to take photos of any piece of art that depicted motherhood in some way. Here is a selection of my favourites.
Mothers nourish their children.
Mother and Child- Bamama People- Mali- 15th Century
Mothers teach their children
Jungle Tales by James Jebusa Shannon 1895
Mothers are role models for their children.
The Way They Live by Thomas Anschutz 1879
Mothers carry their children till they can walk on their own.
Mrs Brindley Sheridan and Her Son- by John Hoppner 1797
Mothers create a home for their children.
Just Moved by Henry Mosler 1870
Mothers make their children feel beautiful.
La Coiffure by Picasso 1916
Mothers risk their lives for their children.
On To Liberty by Theodor Kaufmann- 1867
Mothers care tenderly for their children.
Mother and Child by Mary Cassatt 1899
Mothers share their delight in their children with their partner.
Conversation Piece by Lilly Martin Spencer 1851
Mothers encourage their children.
Madonna and Child by Filippino Lippi 1483
Mothers are their children’s protectors.
Latona and Her Children Diana and Apollo by William Rinehart 1870
Mothers work to provide for their children.
The Lacemaker by Nicolaes Maes 1655
Mothers establish meaningful rituals in their children’s lives.
Story of Golden Locks by Seymour Joseph Guy 1870
Mothers can do many things at once for their children.
Two Hands by Claudette Schreuders 2010
Mothers comfort their children.
A Young Mother by Bessie Potter Vonnoh 1896
Mothers have enough love for all their children.
Chloe Burrall Smith and Her Five Children by Ralph Earl 1798
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What Artwork Reminds You of Home?
Being Relevant
“The most important thing for a human being is to be relevant,” says Henry Winkler the actor perhaps best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970’s television series Happy Days. The 67- year old Winkler made an appearance on the NBC Today Show in November. He was discussing a Broadway play in which he has a starring role. The interviewer asked him why at an age when many people slow down he was still working so hard. Mr. Winkler replied he loved every minute of his busy life and reflected on how important it is for human beings to continue to feel relevant no matter how old they get.
After our professional careers are over it is important to find avenues that will allow us to continue contributing to our communities as volunteers or part time workers so we continue to feel relevant. If we are lucky like Henry Winkler we may be able to find new opportunities to use our career gifts. I know I went through some struggles and detours after I retired, till I found opportunities to put my teaching skills to good use in places other than a public school classroom. Now I give tours to kids at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, mentor university students studying to be teachers, and I’m trying my hand at writing books for young people. It’s a good fit and makes me feel like I’m still a relevant educator.
I’m aware that as I grow older it may be more difficult to continue to feel relevant and it will require initiative and effort on my part to make relevance a reality, particularly if health problems complicate my life.
Patty Randall a Canadian writer and speaker with a popular website about aging says that doing something relevant is the key to a life that continues to be filled with passion and purpose.
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Filed under Reflections, Retirement
Learning to Cook
Dave and I took a cooking class last night! Read all about it on my Destination Winnipeg site.
Filed under Food, Italy, Restaurants, Winnipeg
Walking for Connie 2013
Just finished the 2013 MS Walk. You can read all about it on my Destination Winnipeg site.
Selling Winnipeg
Just found out this photo I took from the roof of the Arts Space building last May will be used by Tourism Winnipeg in a promotional brochure to lure travel writers to the city. I featured it in a blog post called Roof With a View on my Destination Winnipeg site.
Filed under Winnipeg
What Next? 