This weekend, we celebrated my cousin Carly’s college graduation. When she was a baby, I’d carry her around my grandparents’ house in a laundry basket, just for fun. As a school girl, we’d find her jumping up and down, screaming at the top of her lungs, “I love homework!” And, now, she’s interviewing for teaching jobs. I’m so excited for her next step.

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The women in our family are decidedly Type A.  There’s Carly, with her passion for homework and to-do lists, and her mom/my aunt who’s an immigration lawyer in Washington D.C.  Plus, my mom, who exhibits great style and endless perfectionism when it comes to her job, home design and the curation of our holiday dinner menus.

And me: what I lacked in basic math skills, athleticism derived from my DNA and a high school sweetheart, I’ve more than made up for in after-hours tutoring, torturous high school track practice and many JDates over the years.  The flip side of this, something that we all share, is a fierce loyalty that you just can’t find in other family and friends.  I believe that loving others well is an art form.

And, speaking of art, I also experienced Kara Walker’s “A Subtlety” at Domino in Williamsburg, in partnership with Creative Time.

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We were inspired by the height of the sugar factory’s ceilings and the way that its walls of concrete and steel are caked with sugar and peeling from the heat.

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And, the sculpture itself: 75 1/2′ tall by 35 1/2′ wide, constructed from blocks of polyester foam and 40 tons of sugar, exploring “power, race, bodies, women, sexuality, slavery, sugar refining, sugar consumption, wealth inequity, and industrial might that uses the human body to get what it needs no matter the cost to life and limb.”  Read the curatorial statement here.

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This exhibition, which runs through July 6, is a bittersweet must-see.

What’s inspiring you?

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12 thoughts on “Girl Power

  • May 27, 2014 at 9:09 PM
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    Lovely post. Thank you for the blending of art and family.

    Reply
  • May 27, 2014 at 9:37 PM
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    Congratulations to Carly. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and success!!

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  • May 28, 2014 at 7:59 AM
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    Interesting and great… Mazel Tov Carly.

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  • May 28, 2014 at 2:19 PM
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    Here’s to the girls everywhere who do such great things!!!!

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  • June 2, 2014 at 11:13 PM
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    So beautifully written rb loved it.

    Ps strange question but Kara walker is too familiar… Was she at the Whitney? In w? I feel like we studied her sillouettes?
    Xx

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    • June 3, 2014 at 9:56 AM
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      Thank you. You have an amazing memory! She was, in 2007–piece written by Julie Belcove. :)

      Reply
  • July 14, 2014 at 12:53 PM
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    CARLY is already hired!! Wow…..she is good…and that was a great hire for the school system…She is SO dedicated!!
    Good Luck Carly!! Success and happiness…..love you…love Rachel for writing this up too…..

    Reply

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