Dear ArtStyle,

I consider Reykjavik, Iceland and Chicago my two home towns. Children and babies are more visible here on the streets than they are in Chicago. Outside of coffee shops, a very common sight is a row of strollers with babies sleeping soundly in them while mothers are inside having coffee and chatting. This happens all year round, as on this island, it is considered healthy to let babies sleep outside to get them used to our harsh climate early in life.

Anna

Courtesy of Anna Joelsdottir

Dear ArtStyle,

I moved to Chicago from Iceland in 1992 and ever since then have missed having outdoor clothes lines to hang my laundry like I used to back home. Many people have dryers here in Iceland, and the dryers come in handy in the winter. I only recently learned that outdoor lines in the U.S. are associated with people from a lower economic status, and even banned in many communities. But now, the lines may regain their status as being “green” when that idea kicks in (if it ever does). Here, they are neither green nor do they have any sort of status, except that a person who has the facilities to use them is considered lucky.

Anna

Courtesy of Anna Joelsdottir

Technorati Tags: Chicago, Iceland, clothes lines

Dear ArtStyle,

I happened to be in Santa Cruz, CA, this past weekend. I went to visit the Boardwalk, the tourist epicenter of Santa Cruz. Entering the world of arcades, I was shocked to see people, especially kids, completely absorbed in activities that so blatantly encouraged brutality. Any wonder why we have so much violence in this country?

Jane

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hexogen paper dress. Courtesy of Ninna Thorarinsdottir.

Dear ArtStyle,

I have been here in Iceland a few days, mostly in the countryside, but today I headed into Reykjavik, the capital, to search for a different experience. Luck was with me, as the Reykjavik Art Museum had an opening of a new exhibit — MAGMA/KVIKA showing the best of Icelandic design. This exhibit is a part of The Reykjavik Arts Festival, filling this city with both international and Icelandic art (music, theater, and fine arts) for two weeks.
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Technorati Tags: Reykjavik, Reykjavik Arts Festival