Road to Recovery

I finally got off my duff Saturday and made my way to Reading, PA to see the Haring Exhibit at the Reading Public Museum. I thought about going last weekend, but then I wasn't feeling well and decided against it. Instead, I spent last weekend at home, feeling forlorn. So, this past weekend, I decided to head up, and I'm SO glad I did (despite the cold I've had all week that got so bad I lost my voice).

I forgot how much I love driving/road trips--the sun in my face, warming my body and the wind whipping by. Heading to Reading was literally a road to recovery. I woke up before dawn, made myself a new mixed CD (entitled "Folk for my Broken Heart" featuring songs by Brianna Lane, Edie Carey, Dar Williams, Kris Delmhorst, Cowboy Junkies, Disappear Fear, and Dido), quickly printed out driving directions, packed some cold medicine, my journal, and headed out the door.

After a quick stop at Starbucks (of course) I was on the road in time for sunrise. AMAZING. It's my favorite time of day. Ironically, I'm usually up (for work) before sunrise, but hardly ever get to just watch it break the horizon and climb into the sky. I felt so alive--recharged.

Getting to Reading was easy enough...I did end up wandering a bit around town first though (which ended up fortuitous because I found my way to the outlet stores and really good deals on some much needed clothing items). When I was done shopping, I found myself on just the road I needed to be on to follow my printed directions. Then it was into the Haring exhibit.

The exhibit took up six rooms, spanning through most of the second floor. It was just the right size--not too big so as to be overwhelming, but definitely big enough to make for a satisfying visit.

There were a lot more lithographs and silkscreens, but less tarpaulin paintings in the Reading show than in the one other Haring show I saw in San Francisco years ago. While that San Francisco show was great for the huge scale I got to experience, this Reading show was great for the intimacy it allowed. Another thing that made this Reading exhibit special was that a lot of the pieces were from Haring's family and friends, complete with their stories of their time with Haring. For example, there were a good number of things on exhibit that Haring had made for the kids of his friends that were on loan from those now-grown kids. The other treat was that they had two different videos of Haring at work on two separate mural projects (in Milwaukee and Chicago, respectively), complete with selected sections of those actual murals.

My two favorite pieces were a skateboard deck that he had painted and Nina's box of little things.

I can't believe that it took me this long to see the exhibit--I definitely want to make it the first, and not the last time I see it.