Steven Beatty’s blog

Living Room Lectures

Look what Laurel and I are doing on her blog.

Today is 4/9, we have been here since 4/2.5. Seven days in the ever changing, never changing wonderland of items collected, stacked and manipulated. I have done some art things here that have made me happy (I will post some pics soon). Laurel and I have seen much of Greensboro, and we went out drinking for the first time last night. Laurel's ankle is getting better slowly, she twisted it up, and now it is purple and yellow. I am excited about the projects that we have plans for, but also feel a little stymied by all the stuff here. As usual, I do not have much interest in all the bolts of fabric, and other relics that have collected here, but I find myself drawn to the ephemera and support materials that go unseen (i.e., cardboard tubing, packaging, etc.). I want to find beauty amidst the mountains of disorderedness, but everywhere that I look, everything seems perfectly out of place and arranged untouchable. I have begun putting things together, and this is truly entertaining. I walk by items placed for their relationship to other things, and laugh out loud for a brief second. There will be the spark of realization when museum patrons come upon small visual quirks that I have interacted with. The people here are all curious characters that have found this place, perfect for them for this place in time. I should go work, walk, think and seek inspiration before the day is lost. I want to leave something with this place that is signature SB. I think that I am thinking too much about the big game winning touchdown.( I never use sports analogies, I don't even watch sports.) Please visit soon for photos. 

April,2, 2009, Laurel and I woke up at 4:00 am to catch the plane to Greensboro, NC form Portland, OR. After some time in the sky and some of the worst turbulence that I had ever experienced, I arrived at Elsewhere with Laurel Kurtz. I had no real idea what it would  be like at the museum. I read the description and formed some imaginary place with stacks of stuff collected by an elderly women over almost 60 years. My imagination served me well, but I was still overwhelmed by the massive amount of stuff that is barely contained by the museum walls. Think of a place, it could be any place, but now imagine that a depression era women, with depression era saving and collection habits was allowed to store and stash anything and everything that she could get her hands on in this place. Every nook, every crevice, from floor to ceiling filled with stuff. Toys, cloths, fabric, suitcases, buttons, puzzles, signs, dice, light-bulbs, jars, wires, papers, keys, zippers, records, books, paintings, dishes, mugs, ties, silverware, maps, televisions, radios, pianos, guitar cases, guitars, sunglasses, Rx glasses,blankets, sheets, bags, string, yarn, sewing machines, stuffed animals, photos, chandeliers, pots, pans, shoes, boots, boats, jewelry, balls, tennis rackets, army surplus, speakers, telephones, computers, christmas ornaments, decorations, notebooks, wood, plumbing, saws, hammers, hand-tools, refrigerator  magnets, refrigerators, chairs, theater seats, twist ties, tins, cookbooks, throw rugs, back-packs, car parts, picture frames, movie projectors, movie screens, vhs tapes, vide games, electronics, kitchen aids, plastic packaging, rolls of tape, shoe strings, slide projectors, slides, scissors, file cabinets, sale tags, storage boxes, bells, birds, windows, doorknobs, board games, curtains, paper cups, election propaganda, magazines, bike parts, flower pots, dog toys, baby cribs, tables, couches, pillows, flashlights, canteens, shovels, buckets, wind chimes, puppets, chains,lamps, feathers, typewriters, cloths pins, vases, dolls, hubcaps, beads, cash registers, gloves, chalk boards, coat hangers, wigs, purses, wax fruit, serving trays, mask, paintings, manequins, shuttlecocks, letter blocks, salt and pepper shakers, doll houses, piggy banks, scales, and much, much more, all covered with dust from the years.