I took a trip heri oh, boy
To a place of classic anarchy
And though the site was rather brown
Remnants of past still lie

Yesterday I took a trip to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and have very mixed reactions to the site. My absolute first response was that everything was so brown. Part of that issue lies in that nature hasn't quite started to re-live yet, which seems abnormal for this time of year. But another part of the issue is that the building itself is in fact, brown. It's a very pretty building, a classic wood and glass structure, but everything seems so very formal and structured. I find a certain amount of irony in that the site lacks any of the vibrancy present in the event that it was built to honor and remember; order vs. chaos, vibrancy vs. subdued color. The museum exhibit itself was very colorful, interesting, and had some of the most wonderful vintage artifacts from the era. Particularly of interest to me were the personal radios, vinyl singles, record jackets, letters, notes, clothing, etc. There were also very interesting video segments interspersed and historical time lines. But still, an ordered and structured control of what was inherently chaotic. It wouldn't be a museum without the order, but...damn paradox.