Madison's Art on the Square Fair: "Art is a form of communication"

[I wrote most of this in July 2015 but didn't post it.]

Last weekend was the annual Art on the Square in Madison, with booths lining both sides of the streets that form the capitol square. If I'm in Madison during the fair, I nearly always go but nearly always leave feeling somewhat unfulfilled. The main exception and what's almost always my favorite stop is the high school ceramics booth, which is part of the Wisconsin-focused Art Fair Off the Square along Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, the street extending from the square to the Monona Terrace.

 “Art is a form of communication and when you have customers responding to your art, that’s what it’s all about,” said Phi Lyons, ceramics teacher at West, quoted in "Students' Clay Coalition Get Supportive Audience" Wisconsin State Journal July 20, 2015

Many of the students were there to talk with customers. At least a couple of them described to me the psychological benefits of pottery, that it could have a relaxing, meditative effect to help them deal with, for example, trauma or depression. One of the units in my intro sociology and contemporary American society classes includes the sociology of art because of those two reasons along with others. See the "Art in Cyberspace" website for links to various kinds of resources on the sociology of art.

Baltimore--Part I

During recent months I've been reading up on Baltimore to prepare for moving there, such as Not in My Neighborhood: How Bigotry Shaped a Great American City, The Hero's Fight: African Americans in West Baltimore and the Shadow of the State, and Coming of Age in the Other America. For too long I've neglected the city in favor of DC, but the teaching opportunities seem to fit me better in Baltimore, and, although the cost of living isn't cheap there, at least it's not as expensive as DC. For instance, a large studio apartment that I rented in 1996 near the Rosslyn Metro station in Arlington, VA, for under $450/month now costs over $1,300/month.

My parents met in DC when my mom was in nursing school and my father at a trade school. Even though my mom's side of my family in the Salisbury area has tended to focus on Baltimore--the male sailors seemed to have often laid over from the 1800s through the mid-1900s--until recently I'd spent little time there, mainly stopping over before my mom's cousin or brother drove us to the Eastern Shore. At least I did have the chance to eat at Haussner's Restaurant, famous for the art that covered its walls. Because of the tourist spots, federal government, National Mall, Metro, etc., DC seemed much more attractive to me.

Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens in Druid Hill Park, opened in 1888. The architectural style of this time period, such as the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building (opened in 1881), is among my favorites.

In some ways Baltimore reminds me of some Chinese cities of the 1990s--lots of problems, though not necessarily the same, but many nice people.

George Peabody Library, part of the Johns Hopkins University

Too common sight in West Baltimore (See "A Tale of Two Cities" Baltimore Magazine, April 2016) In the future I should post a photo that portrays a more positive side.

Dane County Farmers' Market (Madison, WI)

Dane County Farmers' Market along Mifflin Street (It's usually much more crowded than this. Some vendors are missing.)

During warm weather the Dane County Farmers' Market is held on the sidewalks surrounding the state capitol and is the largest producer-only farmers' market in the US. On Saturdays from early morning until about 1 to 2 pm, when the vendors must be gone, the sidewalks are often packed during good weather. Prices seem to be better than at a typical farmers' market and even sometimes cheaper than at a grocery store. This past Saturday I bought a large bag of spinach for $2, and the seller gave me a bunch of lettuce for free. I tried to offer some money for the lettuce but she refused.

Lettuce and spinach

Pink Pearl apple

My favorite vendors are Weston's Antique Apples (because of the uncommon apples, such as ones that are red inside, sold late summer through fall), Green Barn Farm Market (because of the reasonable prices for basic vegetables), and Marsden's Pure Honey (because he sells honey from specific flowers). At least a couple of the cheese vendors have won prizes in international cheese competitions, and maybe all of them offer samples.



Why people might visit this site and commenting

I sometimes look at the visitor counters for this site to see where visitors live and what they've searched for. Among the more common searches are for something about Madison, textbooks, stereoviews, a rare vegetable, Frank Lloyd Wright, or the Aldo Leopold shack. My name appears, too, and maybe many of those are students or someone looking for another Chuck Ditzler. The web visit counters aren't so good--often not recording well the cities or lacking an indication of how the visitor ended up here.

It can feel somewhat invasive or concerning to know that someone might be searching about me. But I'd feel fine and possibly happy if it were simply out of curiosity about me or something I've said. If you are visiting here for those reasons, please don't hesitate to comment or mention to me what you've read.