This afternoon we left my mother sitting in front of her new computer and wandered off to see Wynwood Walls in Miami. It is a series of art galleries with rotating collections and outdoor murals. The surrounding area has also become a haven for graffiti murals on what seems to be every building or wall.

 

I think I missed the memo about bringing your dog with you everywhere you go. Our local grocery store has a sign that you can’t bring your pet in, unless it is a service animal. Really? You want to bring your dog to the grocery store? Will they be helping you pick out which shape pasta to buy? Today, we saw a large number of people with their dogs in the art galleries. It just seems odd to bring them, but even odder to us were the people posing their dogs in front of the art and taking a picture of them.

There is something else that I always find surprising when I visit art installations, be they museums or galleries. I don’t understand people who take pictures of themselves or their companions in front of the pieces. If the artist had intended for part of the piece to be covered by your body, then he/she/they would have left a blank space where you could stand, and not interrupt the rest of the picture. When these people go home, do they show those photos to their friends and say oh…”Yes, I know Da Vinci wanted the ENTIRE Mona Lisa to be seen….but isn’t it so much better with my wife Mildred’s pudgy and blotchy face covering the bottom left third of her? There, I feel better now, I have got that off my chest. The other thing to remember is that we are not typical tourists: We don’t particularly enjoy wandering in and out of shops, so while we liked the art, it certainly wasn’t a full day trip for us.

After walking through the galleries and gardens, we wandered off through the neighborhood, which has murals everywhere. It is really pretty wonderful to see so much public art. The neighborhood itself is moving up-market pretty rapidly, which is both good (nice shops, food and interesting things to look at), but it must also will soon be pricing out the artists who made the place so interesting–the benefits and costs of gentrification.

Final point..to quote Douglas Adams….