Tag: Art Institute of Chicago

The Giant Bean

August 20, 2022 / Conal

Fe, fi, fo, fum.

In front me was a giant bean… with no giant nor a beanstalk in sight.

The bean was silver, highly polished, and 33 feet tall. It was surrounded by thousands of paving stones covered in hundreds of human beings gazing at it. Further afield, there were towering skyscrapers overlooking it from the west and north.

A month earlier, I had given my artist wife an annual membership to the Art Institute of Chicago for our 10th anniversary.

Of course, living in a western Canadian suburb rendered this gift utterly useless without a trip to the Windy City, which I had previously — and conveniently — booked.

The Art Institute

October 16, 2021 / Conal

I thought I’d never see my artist wife again.

While I was walking out of the Art Institute of Chicago, this particular hallway struck me as fairly plain for an art museum.

Tucked into the quiet lower level, it had calm, white walls flanking a diagonally laid hardwood floor. To its left, an open-air courtyard nestled up against it, visible only through the windows. Straight ahead was a staircase to the main level. And, to the right, was a wall with a work of art on it. Which piece? I don’t remember. I was concerned mostly with what was behind me.

As I glanced back, worry, apprehension, and fear rushed toward me.