Just Kids

Poet, musician, performer Patty Smith recently released a memoir about her formative years and her relationship with the late artist, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, titled Just Kids. Her story shows how she and Robert struggled to be artists in NYC and how they were really Just Kids. I had not known much personally about Patti Smith or Mapplethorpe, or even much about her work prior to reading the book. Smith vividly describes many of Mapplethorpe's early collage work in Just Kids. I had only seen his photos and didn't have a clue that he started off with making assemblages. I asked the fine folks at the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation if they could point me to a source on the web for these images since they did not come up easily in a google search. And here they are for those of you who might be curious too. I found the book to be an insightful one, written by a now successful, iconic artist and really the steps she and Robert took or stumbled on to get there. It was an inspiring journey, one that I think many of you might enjoy reading.

I found this Fresh Air podcast interview with Terry Gross to be a good supplement to the book. I agree with her when she describes, at the end of the interview, about being able to recognize joy in the midst of sorrow. As she did when her brother passed away, the moments she shared with her sister. It is an important feeling to hold when emotionally shaken. I recall a similar moment that I shared with my sister, in the middle of a Buddhist ceremony during the process of my father's funeral, where we burst out laughing. The Buddhist nun gave us an awful look, and scolded us, but we saw the humor in the situation and enjoyed being able to bond that way.

I also wanted to mention the documentary Black White + Gray which depicts the relationship between Robert Mapplethorpe and his lover, the curator, Sam Wagstaff. The film actually focuses more on Wagstaff than Mapplethorpe, and while some of the people interviewed were not so credible, I found it to be interesting background info on Mapplethorpe and Wagstaff.

It's too bad there isn't a place like Max's Kansas City for us younger artists!