Last weekend I went to my heaven in the form of a pumpkin farm. I think it was two months ago when I first started planning my fall activities.  I have been called Halloween addict and I admit it proudly.  So, I racked google’s brain for a good pumpkin farm and when I saw that Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm had the url www.pumpkinfarm.com I felt like it was a sign that I needed to be there and soon.  I mean really, isn’t that a very prestigious url?  Doing more research on the site I found out they had a pumpkin launcher and the best thing of all PIG RACING!
 
I was excited that my buds Alana and Abbey were on board to go as well.  We saddled up and drove (forever) to Homer Glen, IL (where?).  We might have wondered what this town we never heard of had to offer to us but when we saw the line of cars heading toward the farm we realized that this was serious business.  Bengton’s is a fine tuned machine, cranking out Halloween enjoyment, and we were in for some serious farm time.  Walking in it was almost as a light shown down from the sky and to me it seemed like everything from the dancing skeleton’s to the haunted barn we glowing this immaculate light.  It was an Oprah ‘Ah ha’ moment for real.
 
They had everything there and we did it all. We ate some good eats. We got lost in the corn maze. We rode the hay ride and saw the pumpkin launcher.  We watched a pig race with some of the biggest pigs I have ever seen (my pig won).  And finally we picked out our swag. I got two pumpkins, four gourds, and some Carmel corn.  It was all a pretty good time and took me back to when I was a kid.  All I need in life is good friends, good eats, and a pumpkin farm.  Thanks Bengton’s.

Earlier this month I attended ArtPrize, an open art contest that hands out the world’s largest prize: $250,000 to the grand-prize winner. ArtPrize is held once a year in Grand Rapids, MI. This may seem like a surprising place for such an event, but Grand Rapids is a community centered around art—from public sculptures and murals to numerous top-notch museums. Just to give you an idea of how enormous ArtPrize is, their website boasts 164 venues this year with 1582 artists participating. Its near impossible to see everything—and while I didn’t care for this year’s winner—I did have some favorites of my own:

Artist: Ghost of a Dream
Title: Dream Home
Venue: UICA

This “dream home” is made entirely out of lottery tickets! Its easy to get gimmicky with this kind of thing but the artists handled it well, the patterns the tickets create are so interesting. Above the home, which also reminds me a bit of a shrine, the words “Maybe Next Time” were spelled out in huge letters (I’m a sucker for typography!).

Artist: Jonathan Brilliant
Title: Have Sticks Will Travel
Venue: Kendall College of Art and Design

Another installation of something made out of something else, this piece is made entirely of woven coffee stirrer sticks and only held together by tension. The combination of the shear size of this thing and its fragility made me hold my breath as children ran through the room!

Artist: Tony Orrico
Title: Penwald: 4: unison symmetry standing
Venue: GRAM

This piece was really interesting because at first it looks like brains drawn directly onto the wall. But when you watch the video playing next to the piece you realize it was also a performance. The artist drew exactly the same thing with both hands at the same time. Its interesting to watch his methods of achieving this on video.

Artist: Mimi Kato
Title: One Ordinary Day of an Ordinary Town
Venue: Kendall College of Art and Design

This was my absolute favorite of the whole event. I love the over-all effect of this 7 paneled piece but the details are what is really great. What you see here is just one person (the artist) photographed in many different roles (from an old lady with a shopping cart to a bunny hiding in the bushes). The scenes are hilarious and bring a theatrical element to a printed artwork. I love the flat gradations of color that forms the scenery, and it was fun explaining Photoshop and Illustrator to an elderly couple who must have been able to tell I was in the know. Mimi Kato’s artist profile explains this piece more and its worth reading!