The Cowardly Lion Bows Out

This past [northern] summer for the first time in years I made it back to First Friday, a monthly event in Philadelphia's Olde City where the art galleries stay open long past normal closing time, inviting the after-work crowd to view the latest exhibitions well into the night.

My favourite to visit - as much for content as the circumstance under which I was introduced - is the Clay Studio. Besides the sheer pleasure of walking through the decoratively tiled hallway, they frequently host works from numerous "small time" artists getting their first start. The freshness shows and it feels good to help support burgeoning talent.

I would have loved to have taken a photo of a set of small statues which particularly made me smile, but refrained out of respect to the person trying to make a living from their work. The statues were of the classic characters from the Wizard of Oz, with the faces of current politicians. Dick Cheney was the Tin Man, Donald Rumsfeld was the Cowardly Lion, and of course good old "Dubya" the Scarecrow.

The memory of those little statues flashed back when I read the good news this evening. Finally some change in the air. Lets hope for the better.

(more photos here)