Monthly Conversations

Interviews with Social Artists, Uncommon Heroes

Apr 13, 2020

From the Editor

Richard Whittaker
The "Jungle of Montini" is back for a second time, but who's counting? Not me. I'm laughing again. So why not, I thought, look through the archives for a few pieces that might bring some smiles?

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The Jungle of Montini

Have you ever had to struggle between one part that says, "Yes, I want that" and another part that says, "But what will people think of me?" If so, you will appreciate this finely wrought account of one such inner psychodrama.

A Selection from Kathleen White's Collection of Vases

How did she get these? Well, with Vase #5, Mint Bowl, it's because she was driving in Maine "where one can never escape the distraction of the infinity of garage and yard sales that line all the roads." With Vase #4, Rejection Krater, she was at a fund-raising bazaar for unemployed art historians.

The Pleasures of Tchotchkes

Karen Haas and Tom Leddy thought about this. They did some research. One person reported having 4 mechanical cows, a small rubber walrus, two plastic lobsters and a small, plastic toaster that, when wound, marched across one's desk waving slices of toast and rolling its eyes. And that was just a beginning...

Song of Life

One cool morning, Bob Scher walked outside and sat on a bench in San Francisco's Mission District. It was an experiment in just watching. How often does one do something so crazy? It's remarkable, though, what can be seen just by stopping and looking on purpose.