i ♥ john waters, don't you?

Today Allie and I made another trip to Orange County to visit our friend Merle. She happens to be a docent at the Orange County Museum of Art, which I must say, is one fabulous art museum. Who knew that such a frightening conservative land could cradle such art or even welcome traveling exhibits by John Waters of all people?! One piece is titled "12 Assholes and a Dirty Foot." Yes, it's exactly what the title suggests. I've been to the museum a few times and I always enjoy it (the sexy "security" guys don't hurt either...they're local artists). I have to admit I feel a bit deprived away from the National Building Museum, the Hirshhorn, and the National Gallery of Art. I just haven't been impressed with L.A., though the Hammer was worth the visit.

At any rate, John Waters is one brilliant man. His work is shallow, yet profound. It really is just what you see, and the power is in his concepts and the stories surrounding them. One of the best pieces in the exhibit was a series of "Hit Your Mark" that illustrates the only thing viewers never see in movies: the marks that actors stand on. What is so marvelous about the exhibit is the accompanying iPod* tour that features Waters's commentary on several of the works. You can download it via the website linked above, so even if you can't see the work, you can think about it. He's just a fabulous storyteller, which I've seen in many ways.


*I have a comment on how iPods work. That round scroll thing is annoy-ing. My Creative player has a real scroll that functions more appropriately, thank you.