REDISCOVERING THE JOY OF TRAVEL: GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

Image: Georgia O'keefe's house in Abiquiu

By Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine

On another trip, I visited the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe with my son in July. I connected with many old friends and the event was fun, but not unexpected. During the trip we drove out into the desert and visited Georgia O'keeffe's house in Abiquiu. The adobe architecture and surrounding landscape were inspiring, and gave a real insight into her work, as was the sneak peek I got into her wardrobe. But what I found surprising was that her pantry was preserved as she had left it, with its yogurt making machine (she had grown up on a farm in Wisconsin).

Image: Herb Lotz, Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiu House, The Pantry, 2007. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (RC.2009.002.030). Image courtesy of Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

She began to lose her sight in later life and the pantry was arranged for ease of use rather than aesthetics, but the arrangement for serve ware and spices were inspiring to me. I got a real sense of her life there. The selection and arrangement of personal objects can spark an empathy for a life lived with courage and vision.


Image: Georgia O'Keeffe. Image courtesy of Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

She once said ‘I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do’.

If you have rediscovered the joy of travel, please share your unforgettable experience (blog@selvedge.org).