The Solace Project #24
OfficialWaje
Description
Dear Friends,<br/><br/>Will you all mind terribly if this week I talk about swimming instead of art.  Or maybe the art of swimming? As I prepare for the <a href="https://crystalbridges.org/reports-and-research/tyson-scholars/tyson-think-tank/">Tyson Think Tank</a> this August at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, I’m reading critical theory, audience response theory, approaches to anti-racism, and had a totally inspiring session with the Crystal Bridges summer interns on museums as welcoming environments (or not).  I’ll digest all of it, and then add more, which is the point of the intensive study that will engage me for all of August and beyond, as this work is never done, never completely right, always worth exploring.  <br/><br/>It’s a lot and the way I know to calm my mind, create that space of solace, sort through jumbled thoughts, get less anxious about it all, is to walk or, for me, even better, is to swim.  <br/><br/>Because it’s summer and I’m on <a href="https://dlacassopolis.org/about-diamond-lake/">Diamond Lake in Michigan</a> (check out last week’s post on that), I’ve been swimming almost every day.  Yesterday I swam in the local triathlon, a total blast that had me in the water earlier than usual, 7:30am for a 500 yard swim.  I loved swimming with people, and hadn't thought about how solitary swimming is most days. Until I was standing there with a few hundred other early bird athletes waiting our turn to dive into the lake and follow a short course marked by giant orange buoys.  So many triathletes have fear of the water, it’s the hardest part.  I’ve been reading <a href="https://www.bonnietsui.com/books-1">Why We Swim</a><a href="https://www.bonnietsui.com/books-1"> by Bonnie Tsui</a>, described by the author as “stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein’s palace pool, modern‑day Japanese samurai swimmers, even an Icelandic fisherman who imp
Creators
serenaM
Creator