MERCHANDISE MART

Yesterday a friend and I went to the Merchandise Mart, an easy walk from the train stations, on the north side of the river at Orleans St. Apart from what's in it, this is quite the impressive Art Deco building. Just to stroll its immenseness, to take in the ceilings, the exquisite bronze work on the doors and elevators, to walk the beautifully patterned floors, is a tour all by itself. It is in wonderful shape.

But we went for two things there now, the Buckminster Fuller exhibit, and the Dream Home rooms, both free. The Fuller exhibit is right inside the south door; you can't miss it. In case you don't know who Buckminster Fuller is, he was the man who designed all those geodesic domes as houses. My friend even knew of one in a Minneapolis suburb.

This one Fuller called "Fly's Eye Dome" because it does indeed resemble the compound lenses of a fly's eyes, as you can see. This is synthetic, stands 24 feet tall, made of 50 fiberglass sections, weighs 3,500 pounds, and is held together by about 1,050 stainless steel bolts, very visible. White outside, dark blue on the interior. These were supposed to be affordable, prefab homes, but I can't imagine living in one, although my friend said the one she knew was much larger. The huge holes are supposed to be filled with fiberglass windows. I suppose in a very private rural setting it might work.

But you can simply take it in for what it is here, a piece of sculpture. And walk inside if you want. Architecture and art.

As for the Dream Home rooms, the idea that anybody in their right mind would actually consider living in any one of these I find absurd. Over the top is an understatement. Although the bathroom was not toooo bad, I guess. All black and beige and ecru and bland, blah blah. Not to my taste at all. But like I said, it's free, and if you go, the woman at the door will give you a pass to many of the upper showroom floors, so you can browse them too. One floor was all it took for us, same-o, same-o. Although one item did catch our eye, a magnificent desk for the artist, architect, designer, to the tune of $14,000.

I can recommend Blue Fin, the restaurant right across the lobby from those rooms. We lingered there for some hours. Great food.

PUBLIC ART IN CHICAGO # 10 - CERES 1930

Now we enter the 30s and Art Deco. This statue, atop the Chicago Board of Trade Building is of the goddess Ceres, the goddess of the harvest, of grains, of wheat. It too is rather quintessential Chicago, but darn if I know why it was put way up there where, really, nobody can see it.

It was created by John Storrs.

To quote Mr. Artner: "A treatment in aluminum of the Roman goddess of grain holding a bag of corn in her right hand and sheaf of wheat in her left; her blank face and classical gown show the ultimate degree in Art Moderne streamlining."












These two horrible pictures are the best I can do with my equally horrrible cheap digital. I do own a magnificent Nikon with all kinds of lenses, including a good zoom, but of course I cannot upload that. And no pedestrian on LaSalle can begin to see the features that Mr. Artner describes. The Chicago Board of Trade, by the way, is at 141 West Jackson Boulevard; LaSalle Street dead-ends there from the north, then takes a zigzig behind to continue south of that building. Perhaps we should all go around Chicago with a pair of binoculars. Some great stuff is way up high.
As to Ceres, you can perhaps, if you look hard, see that her face is blank, but no way you would ever suspect she is of aluminum, or what she is holding.
I move she be relocated to the lobby, or at least a copy, so we can all enjoy her.

January 16, 2009.

Well, wonder of wonders, there are indeed copies. I stumbled across one in the Art Institute before Christmas, sans camera, alas. So three days ago I went back and took some pictures. It is in Gallery 271, just inside the door, in a glass case, about three feet high. It seems, according to the info I read there, that Storrs, seeing how popular the Ceres was, did make smaller copies for private investors, and this one was donated to the Art Institute in 1981. It is copper alloy plated with nickel and then chrome. What she is holding is a grain bag in one hand ( I thought it was a bag full of money, which seems appropriate, given what the Board of Trade does, but then I guess goddesses are above such crass concerns), and in the other a sheaf of wheat. Further info says that the fluting on the gown echoes the vertical stripes on the roof of said Board of Trade, but of course, nobody can see that from street level.



















Here you can indeed see that her face is blank.