Shift, City.
Transitioning from off-grid permaculture farm to Chicago was a big shift. The immediate change in small and big ways of being in the world highlighted the vast range which humans exist in the world and how important it is to approach one another with openness.
While in the Windy City we played tourist. We started out the day on a architectural tour of the city via the river. The main takeaway is that the dominant culture of this country has been terrible at planning for the future and taking responsibility for choices made. Back when the Chicago river was literally a toxic cess pool, due to all the dumping of all of the industrial waste of the entire city, rather than change course of action and stop polluting, the city planners changed the direction the river flowed. That’s how important business as usual, and profit above all else was, and would still be if it weren’t for environmental laws. Now biodiversity is on the rise in the river and it may be clean enough to swim in by 2030.
The word Chicago like many other city names in the United States is of indigenous origin. As language shifts and morphs, the true identity of this word has been lost. A prevailing theory is that it is derived from a word that roughly translates to ‘smelly onion”, or a garlic like plant that used to grow prominently in the area. Today the Potowatomi, the Keepers of the Fire, like many indigenous groups are fighting for visibility and recognition that is long overdue.
While in Chicago, we filled ourselves to the brim with art. This wasn’t difficult at all, as Chicago streets themselves are overflowing with art. We had a long lunch with Seth Sexton, an amazing artist friend who moved from Seattle to Chicago for school and is well into establishing his career as an amazing artist. We also spent an afternoon at the Chicago Art Institute, where fabric artist Bisa Butler had her quilts on display. Seeing these vibrant quilts and how she is changing the narrative of the black community is inspiring and emotional. Of course we visited the Cloud Gate, then meandered over to the Pilsen district for tacos and Spent some time at the National Museum of Mexican Art. This museum was impressive and vibrant in it’s own rite. The care taken to explain the cultural and historical context of each piece of art was a true gift and very educational.
It was a whirlwind tour, barely enough to get a taste- but enough flavor to know you want more.
Our next stop was another city. One we expected to skim through but left us wanting more…Cleveland. In one of many serendipitous events, out tour around the country coincided with a tango event called the Cleveland Bowling Tango Marathon (as it is hosted in a bowling alley and had the option to bowl or dance) hosted by Cleveland Tango. Our artistic visionary friend, Pooja, whom used to live in Seattle and Johanna knows through tango dancing, was also visiting Cleveland from Austin and was willing to put us up. We were originally going to stay for two nights. But the company, food and city were so engaging that we stayed for four.
Cleveland has a farmers market that makes Seattle’s Pike Place Market seem small and basic. The culinary scene was invigorating and once again, art everywhere. The city we expected to breeze through definitely is beckoning us back to stay for awhile.
