wednesday thoughts: trying new things

Ann Hamilton's "event of a thread"
at the Park Avenue Armory

I rode a horse this morning. OK, it was basically a pony (named Doodles, no less), and we stayed inside a ring, and an instructor walked beside me for most of the time. But we did trot for a few minutes (so fun), and I hadn't ridden a horse in more than ten years, and I'd wanted to do it for ages. Most important, it was just me. I have plenty of new experiences, but they're usually shared with my family—and as great as that is, this time the experience wasn't filtered through my children.

It's the same with art: Once in a while, you should get out of your comfort zone. I don't know if I'll make it to New York to see this show, in which viewers become participants by swinging. I love that it makes you question what art is, and what your role as a viewer is—or you could just swing and not worry about any of it. Closer to home, it's all good for me to scout and recommend pretty, sweet, accessible art prints like I do here most days. But in the spirit of trying new things, today I'm sending out a few stranger, maybe not-so-sweet images that I love just as much. (All images from Pinterest. Or just Google the artists and have a look.)

Ryan McGinley

Ai Weiwei

Chris Ware
(honestly, he gives me a headache)

Helen Levitt