Growing up just one generation removed from the 60s, I’ve always had an odd relationship to that era—a connection to something that isn’t there, like sensations in a phantom limb. The period was a formative influence in the lives of my parents and therefore had a transitive effect on the shape of my own. I grew up listening to my parents’ music, watching their films, absorbing pieces of politics and culture forged in the crucible of a very different time. That time is a part of me—an important part, one that went a long way in determining the person I am today. But I can’t reach back and touch it. My only connection to the 60s is to people who were alive then. My entire understanding of the time comes through them.
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Schenkel’s work was at the forefront of album cover art, which became a celebrated genre unto itself, and the work brought him into contact with some of the most famous names of the day. One of the myriad anecdotes he told me ended with, “So I opened the door and it was Grace Slick.”
Through 8/17
Firecat Projects
2124 N. Damen
773-342-5381
firecatprojects.org
