Category: travels

my review: killers of the flower moon

last night we watched ‘killers of the flower moon’ by martin scorsese at images cinema, a wonderful independent film theater in williamstown, massachusetts. it’s an important film about a piece of history that has been deliberately erased. it shows how european settler colonialism comes sheathed in duplicity and death and how indigenous peoples are constantly harmed and betrayed by the very systems they are asked to accept and integrate into. i couldn’t help but think of palestine and the genocidal bombing and starvation of its native population. the violence, pathological lies, greed and treachery we see in the film become an apt metaphor for colonialism itself. a powerful film, a nasty bit of american history. lily gladstone, who plays an osage woman in the film, is stunning.

women are powerful

today i had lunch with the brilliant karen whose work i got to see in her new studio. even got a beautiful piece of art i cannot wait to frame. then high tea and catching up with dear noor. finally dinner with the gorgeous obaida – superwoman who cooked all this delicious food even though she had a full day of work today. women are incredible. women are powerful <3

akimbo opening and a dholki

akimbo bookshop’s soft opening at 714 university ave (its new location) today. so proud of my dear friend rachel and the spaces and connections she creates in our community. just amazing! went to the opening with my lovely friend roberta. later in the evening, was delighted to attend a dholki for a beautiful young lady. congrats dear mariam, fazeelah, uncle akram and aunty bushra. how i love being in rochester <3

russell’s memorial service

a wonderful memorial service at the university of rochester’s interfaith chapel today, for the larger-than-life professor and human extraordinaire, russell peck. a fitting tribute with reminiscences from his children and colleagues and wonderful music and readings by his grandchildren. meant so much to me to see ruth again after many years and meet some of their family. russell’s love for literature, scholarship, innovation, performance, gardening, nature, and the outdoors, emanated from the beauty and music inside of him, everyone said. he fell in love with ruth and married her in paris, where she was studying at the sorbonne, after he saw her play rachmaninoff. what could be more beautiful. one of his students said, “he saw me.” i think that’s how i feel too. as i sat quietly in their living room waiting for my kids to finish their piano lessons with ruth, year after year, he saw me. he would discuss plays with me. he insisted i join them for their theatre in london course. he also urged me to put a book together with all of my artwork. that thought is still with me. as many said, he knew what u were meant to do, before u knew it yourself. an astounding legacy. thank u russell <3