Walking in the 19th century..

 

 

Walking through Manitou, is a remarkably experience. To walk through this magnificent place with out any intention in mind is a hard task to do. Rather than Focus on art made by artist I focused on art made by locals that maybe most people wouldn’t consider art.

When First entering Manitou you are struck by a sense of wonder, of awe, of curiousness. This place has an overwhelming feeling to it. As I was strolling through I learned that there once was a tornado that touched down in the city, ripping apart several trees and buildings, local artist decided to build beauty through the chaos. I snapped a picture of a tree that was turned into a “tree house” of sorts. On the side of the tree the artist carved a face,as if it was the face of mother nature peering out from her masterpiece. Continuing on to walk I noticed the people of the town, they are strange in their own way. Most of them are friendly, some are scary and I am afraid to approach them, as I was wondering through the local park I noticed this hand print on the side of a building. To me it appears to be the work of a small child, who had dipped their hand into mud and plastered it on the side of the wall. To me this shows that the child is marking their spot, as if to say this is my playground.

Walking around Manitou, you see all sorts of different people, people in suits and ties, hippies smoking out of their pipes, peddlers playing guitars and blowing up balloon animals for the small children, as I was enjoying a quick smoke break before continuing my walk I stumbled upon the local teenagers idea of “art.” The local teenagers had plastered stickers on the side of an electrical box, expressing their opinions on their town.

The artist of the town are not the only ones who mark their territory with their beautiful art and sculptures, the local town thugs and hooligans feel the need as well. Upon walking through the beautiful arcade listening to the sounds of children’s laughter, I spotted a trash can. This trash can has been tagged and marked up, one saying stands out, “Cater the World,” maybe this band of hooligans are not hooligans after all.

As my walk through the little town comes to an end, I spot two things that catch my interest. There is a motorized bike, that has a sticker on it that says “Keep Manitou Weird,” not being from the town itself, I wonder what the town people are trying to express, a welcome sign for the strange individuals of the art world, or is it a warning message? Last and certainly not least, I see a beautiful sculpture of moon with a face in it, on a stick in the middle of the town square. The face is smiling, looking up towards the sky. It will have a lasting impression on me.