tiny newsletter #34: my new favorite mini golf course
hello hello!
i can't stop thinking about the putt putt course i went to at the cranbrook art museum when i was home last month. cranbrook (aka ck) is where i went to middle and high school, and it's also an institution that includes museums, gardens, and a grad level art academy.
the way i see the world is deeply influenced by my time there, and i was completely charmed to get to play an impressively accurate ck-themed round of mini golf. let's take a tiny tour!
⛲ hole #1: gateway. this tee is inscribed with ck founder george booth's famous quote "a life without beauty is only half lived" plus mini replicates of two gates and the high school quad fountain.
💡 hole #2: lightside up. there's an auditorium at ck with a ceiling that's a grid of shallow domes, each with a light inside. based on it, this tee gives you 12 chances to get a hole in 1!
🎵 hole #3: bertoia bronze. ck art school grad harry bertoia is known for his bronze sound sculptures. on this tee, the ramp and hole refracted pitched, musical sounds as the ball traveled through the course.
🧶 hole #4: warped weft. as a former weaving student, i esp loved this tee! it's inspired by rug no. 2, a rug woven by loja saarinen, the textile designer who founded ck's weaving department.
🌳 hole #5: sunken garden. there's a lovely garden at the ck house on campus, and it was recreated in miniature for this tee. they even included the blue side door!
🏺 hole #6: at the wheel. to play this tee, you rotate the top of a vase to set your ball's direction. the vessels are inspired by the work of maija grotell, the first head of ceramics at the ck art school.
🪑 hole #7: slum of legs. eero saarinen designed the iconic tulip chair and his dad eliel designed ck! for this tee, your team sits on the chairs and becomes obstacles for your route.
🦕 hole #8: steggy's escape. a stegosaurus sculpture greets visitors at the ck science museum. at this tee, the dino was painted with ck art school grad ruth adler schnee's strata pattern.
🏛️ hole #9: peristyle playthrough. there's a massive covered walkway that connects the ck art museum and art library called the peristyle. i was there for 7 yrs and never knew it had a name lol.
🐋 hole #10: triton poolsball. this final tee reimagined ck's triton pool fountain as a combo of foosball and putt putt. your teammates can slide the rails to block your shot, genius!
all in all, a magical installation inspired by and made for a magical place. michigan friends, it's open til sep 25th, book your tix and go!!
💌 and that's the tiny letter! thank you for reading, xo aud