Museum Musings: how did John Lennon show up during this quiet week?

“Name-tag of an 11-year-old student from Beijing”

The Museum’s awfully quiet, October isn’t a popular time of the year for people to travel.

“Is the museum always so busy?” a tourist asked me last Thursday. I didn’t know what to say…

A few days ago a volunteer overheard me trying to explain to a French-speaking couple –  in my school-girl French – how to get to the cafeteria, and she commented that she hadn’t heard anyone speak English all day. Some days feel like that.

Last Sunday morning in the childrens’ Store I was swamped by about fifty, eleven-year-old students from Beijing many of them wearing their Mickey Mouse paraphernalia from Disneyland, and intent on shopping in my store.    Even though they were from China and still in elementary school, they were able to converse with me in English, understood that tax would be extra, and paid me without any adult supervision.  It was a pleasure to serve them.

Unfortunately not all American elementary school children understand that tax isn’t included in the price, and many of them cannot count out the change.

On Wednesday afternoon, I served another group of eleven-year-olds from China. This was their name tag:

Name-tags worn by another group of Chinese students

11 year-old dancers from China

I think these kids were ballet dancers who had come to L.A. to dance. Unfortunately our language barrier prevented a proper explanation of whether they were dancing in a competition, or a show.

I wished them luck, and good dancing. I hope they understood me.

On Thursday I served a group of high school students from Japan who only bought art books and art supplies.   When I asked them whether they were all artists, they didn’t understand me. I wondered why they were buying English art books.

Karla K from L.A. resting her weary feet

A few of the people I met recently:

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  Karla‘s a local L.A. artist

“late modernism meets California expressionism”

is what it says on her website.

I enjoyed chatting with her. She also likes hiking, and has hiked all over the States.

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Bea Aaronson from San Miguel de Allende (on the right) and her friend Elizabeth T.

Bea Aaronson (on the right) bought several art books, “to take back with me to Mexico,” she said.

“Which town?” I asked. I don’t know why I asked, because I don’t know Mexico.

“San Miguel de Allende.” she told me.

I’ve wanted to go there ever since my friends Helen and Angelo spent a winter at the artist’s colony there, over thirty years ago. “I’ve been thinking of going to a writer’s conference, and I hear good things of their International Writers’ Conference,” I said.

“I’m one of the teachers at the conference,” she said. “You must come. San Miguel is a spiritual place, you’ll love it,”

She gave me her card:  la casa verde, un oasis de arte.  It looks wonderful.

Another meaningful coincidence?

Carol F

This is Carol F from Washington State.

Her name is almost the same as my friend Carol F from San Francisco.

Katy only needed one guess to tell me where I’m from.

Claire from Albuquerque

Gail, Mary Sue and Ray

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Claire is an artist and a potter from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She does art with soldiers at the Veterans Hospital there.

“It’s very sobering. Those kids are coming home so mentally damaged they’re like little kids,” she said.

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Gail is from Crystal City, Missouri, and Mary Sue and Ray are from San Pedro, CA. They wanted to know where I’m from.  I told them to guess. After trying eleven countries including France, East Germany, Scotland, Gail said “I am totally baffled!”

It was Ray who finally guessed correctly. I should’ve given him a prize! Sorry Ray!

It’s funny how the conversation at my cash register can move from art and the lovely weather in L.A, to where I’m from, to peace and how it’s time to bring our young men and women home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  When Gail, Mary Sue and Ray finished going through the list of countries a man with the peace sign hanging on a chain around his neck joined in the conversation. He said it all made him think of John Lennon’s song “Give peace a chance,”.

“Give Peace a Chance” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, became an anthem of the American anti-war movement in 1969.

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

(C’mon)
Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout
Minister, Sinister, Banisters and Canisters,
Bishops, Fishops, Rabbis, and Pop Eyes, Bye bye, Bye byes
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

(Let me tell you now)
Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout
Revolution, Evolution, Masturbation, Flagellation, Regulation,
Integrations, mediations, United Nations, congratulations
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ’bout
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary,
Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper,
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna
Hare Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

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Last week when I saw four women named Frances in less than two hours, I didn’t explain that I knew it meant I should contact my friend Frances, who lives in Italy.

Her mother passed away on Sunday.

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