\u201cA Conversation with Ariel Schlesinger\u201d<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRob Franciosi<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cApril is the cruelest month,\u201d <\/b>T.S. Eliot famously wrote, a line that came to me on a cold and rainy Friday when I walked the site where Ariel Schlesinger\u2019s Ways to Say Goodbye<\/em> is to be situated. The achingly slow Michigan spring presented a landscape that was muddy and colorless, which seemed appropriate to the disaster that Ways to Say Goodbye <\/em>would commemorate.<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jhwmi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/06.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThese morose thoughts, however, soon yielded to others fueled by the still-lingering warmth of my encounter with the artist. Clad in a bright crimson coat\u2014far too thin<\/b>, I thought, for tromping the site at Meijer Gardens, I thought\u2014Ariel Schlesinger at first glance seemed the typical New York artist.\u00a0 He had even just moved to Brooklyn, to live among all the other artists and writers, which I told him seemed like requiring new college students to live on campus.\u00a0 These surface impressions soon gave way, revealing a man who was both engaging and gentle, interested in talking about his work, yes, but not in a way that sucks all the oxygen out of the room.<\/b><\/p>
I so enjoyed our conversation that it seemed worthwhile to continue it in another form.\u00a0<\/b><\/span> We started out doing a back-and-forth e-mail exchange, but finally settled on a Zoom discussion. What follows is an amalgamation of the two exchanges and, I hope, an interesting prelude to the upcoming dedication of\u00a0<\/span>Ways to Say Goodbye<\/em>\u00a0on the last day of this month.<\/span><\/p>
Rob Franciosi<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\u201cApril is the cruelest month,\u201d <\/b>T.S. Eliot famously wrote, a line that came to me on a cold and rainy Friday when I walked the site where Ariel Schlesinger\u2019s Ways to Say Goodbye<\/em> is to be situated. The achingly slow Michigan spring presented a landscape that was muddy and colorless, which seemed appropriate to the disaster that Ways to Say Goodbye <\/em>would commemorate.<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t These morose thoughts, however, soon yielded to others fueled by the still-lingering warmth of my encounter with the artist. Clad in a bright crimson coat\u2014far too thin<\/b>, I thought, for tromping the site at Meijer Gardens, I thought\u2014Ariel Schlesinger at first glance seemed the typical New York artist.\u00a0 He had even just moved to Brooklyn, to live among all the other artists and writers, which I told him seemed like requiring new college students to live on campus.\u00a0 These surface impressions soon gave way, revealing a man who was both engaging and gentle, interested in talking about his work, yes, but not in a way that sucks all the oxygen out of the room.<\/b><\/p> I so enjoyed our conversation that it seemed worthwhile to continue it in another form.\u00a0<\/b><\/span> We started out doing a back-and-forth e-mail exchange, but finally settled on a Zoom discussion. What follows is an amalgamation of the two exchanges and, I hope, an interesting prelude to the upcoming dedication of\u00a0<\/span>Ways to Say Goodbye<\/em>\u00a0on the last day of this month.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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