Rachel E. Watson

"Wheelbarrows and Shovels" is a 3-D installation at Grand Rapids Public Museum that was in the Top 25 but didn't make the Top 10 cut. I appreciated artist Cal Lane's method of using plasma cut lace patterns in construction site objects to illustrate the clash between masculinity and femininity. It's a beautiful piece done with exquisite skill and attention to detail.



This pointillist painting hanging in an upstairs corridor in DeVos Place reminded me of home. It's a quiet lane with the sun shining through the trees -- simple, beautiful and peaceful. I didn't catch the name of the artist, but whoever you are, thanks for helping me feel at home in a conference center, if only just for a moment.



If the last piece made me feel at home, then this work (found at the Women's City Club on Fulton Street) caused the opposite sensation. I can't imagine anyone feeling at home in a subway station. It screams chaos, busyness, movement, change. Just the fact that this piece was created using duct tape, something we use as a temporary fix, then throw away, speaks to the scene's impermanence and fluidity.