On the web this week..."Goth-egg Parody and Story Telling"

An American Gothic Egg Parody won third prize and $300 (sound familiar) at the Iowa Egg Council's annual contest last year. Read the story and see a picture of the parody on the Dennison, Iowa News site. The egg is on display in the Dennison Library for the month of March.

"The idea initially came to her, Wietzel said, as a play on words “gothic” to “goth-egg.”"

This next piece has a bit of story telling to it about "American Gothic" and another famous American painting. If you were to tell the American Gothic story, how would you tell it?

"As the artist tells it he was in the chair braced with a few shots of whiskey waiting for the Novacain to do its numbing, studying Doc McKeeby’s face. He remembers thinking how his dentist must stare into teeth all day the way his neighbors stare down rows of corn all behaving themselves. Folks do a lot of staring here in Iowa. Byron McKeeby says to relax, then yanks out the misbehaving tooth."

Don't forget this Saturday's Spring Cleaning Sale! If you have any "American Gothic" gifts to buy, Saturday is the day to do it!

Upcoming events:

• Saturday, March 20 - Spring Cleaning Sale at the American Gothic House Center


• Thursday, March 25 - "When Tillage Begins: The Stone City Art Colony" lecture presented by Kristy Raine at the Eldon Library Hall at 7 pm


• Saturday, April 24 - Grant Wood Bus Trip to Cedar Rapids, Anamosa and Stone City sites


• Friday, May 28 - New Grant Wood Exhibit Opening at the American Gothic House Center


• Friday-Sunday, June 11-13 - Gothic Days
  
  
  
  • American Gothic House Art Contest
  
  
  • 5K Walk / Run
  
  
  • Bike Ride
  
  
  • and much more!

On the web this week..."One goodbye is anothers hello"

If you haven't heard yet, the big American Gothic sculpture called "God Bless America" by J. Seward Johnson that were once in Key West, have left Chicago and are being installed in Mesa, AZ! Mesa seems very excited to have the sculpture. On their website you will find a short video of them installing it. You can also find out just how much it cost to bring it to town. The following quote is from the artist.

""I want to invite us all to look back at these images and discover what we've learned since they first became icons to us, and how our understanding or point of view may have shifted since then," Johnson was quoted as saying in a DMA press release. "Would they be embraced in the same way if they came to us today? Would we view them with more cynicism or can we still see purity at this stage of our social maturity?""

Folks from Chicago seem a bit sad to see it go. The first link has a video clip of people visiting the sculpture in Chicago and anther vido clip about the painting. The second link has a neat photo of the sculpture head and sholder pieces.

"Sadly, the American Gothic statues that graced Pioneer Court next to Tribune Tower for lo these many months has been dismantled and sent on its way. It was one of the best things Chicago has had going for it in the way of public art since the cows - even if some art critics bristled (at both)."

"All that's left of one of the Chicago's top public art attractions this morning is a bare platform."