On Friday my friends and I set out on an adventure to see the Andy Warhol exhibit at Wilkes University. The day before we were told that we would be going on Worlds AIDS day which was a coincidence but seemed fitting. A good way to honor an admirable artist.

The iconic pieces of Warhol’s were showcased in the show such as his Campbell’s Soup Cans and his Marilyn Monroe Series prints. I was particularly intrigued and impressed by the statements on the wall going with pieces of the collection. My favorite one went with the wall The Flowers prints titles, In Response to Mortality. The statement discussed the relation of The Flowers to Warhol’s Death and Disaster series: “Warhol’s longtime assistant Ronnie Cutrone has said, ‘when Warhol and that whole scene made Flowers, it reflected the urban, dark, death side of the whole (flower power) movement. And as decorative art, it’s pretty dense. There is a lot of depth there.'” I like the simplicity of the flowers; they’re almost deceiving in a sense because they look so beautiful and innocent but really they’re more than that.

After going to the gallery we checked out Canteen 900, a restaurant close by. I was told that it was made by a group of artists that bought an abandoned warehouse, fixed it up, and now rents out shops within. The food was amazing but what was even better was the art within. It has a street style to the art as well as a found object feeling to it; it’s all very organic. There were even chairs made from slabs of tree and rope. It was like a secret cove, a hidden gem. Warhol’s show, as well as Canteen 900, are worth a trip to see. The exhibition will be on display through December 20, 2017. For more information, visit http://www.wilkes.edu/SordoniArtGallery