Niki in the Garden

An exhibit currently at the Garfield Park Conservatory just west of the city, Kristen and I have had this on our list to do before Baby J arrived. Partnered with our friend Emily and her two kids - Campbell and Taggart (Kristen's godson) - we explored the exhibit and the grounds of the conservatory today.

Couldn't have asked for a better day! Sunny, temperate, and lacking the typical Chicago humidity. I guess summer truly does end with Labor Day!

A little information about the exhibit...Niki in the Garden features more than 30 extraordinarily colorful and whimsical outdoor sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle. French-born, New York-raised Niki (1930–2002), a passionately imaginative and self-taught artist, gained international fame in the 1960s as a New Realist artist. In 2000, de Saint Phalle was awarded the acclaimed 12th Premium Imperial Prize in sculpture.

Her imagination is clearly evident by the beauty, artistry, and truly whimsical sculptures. Bejeweled with mosaics, stones, glass, mirrors and semi-precious materials, the pieces displayed include animals, mythical figures, sports and music heroes, and of course, Nanas.

Okay, back to the adventure...

The sculptures are dispersed throughout the conservatory. Some melded with the existing plant life while many others placed outside in the park's large outdoor space. The excursion was as much for the kids as it was for Emily and Kristen to talk about pregnancy topics, impending motherhood, and for me to do what I do best...act like a kid and entertain Taggart!

Not much more to report other than the day was fun and culminated with a small picnic afterwards. A few hours later we'd thoroughly exhausted Taggart, enjoyed each others company and still had most of the day to spend...shopping for a new sofa. I'm tingling all over from that adventure, but I'll spare you the gory details!