Art Can Be Dangerous
Posted on November 30, 2007 - Filed Under News Flash, Real Art
As you know, we will interrupt this blog whenever we have to in order to bring you the latest news. Today is such a day. Gulp.
As many of you are aware, I am a big fan of my buddy, Heather Smith Jones’ art. She currently has a number of pieces on display at artstream gallery in Rochester, New Hampshire. TGH and I have been meaning to take a trip to visit her work and get to see it in person. Today TGH had taken off work to accompany me to a doctor appointment I had this morning and we planned to try to make the trip after that if everything went well. 
It turned out that my appointment was over with quickly, so we went back home for lunch and at around 1:00 p.m., I called artstream just to confirm that they would be open and that I had the hours correct for the day. The gentleman I spoke to sounded a little unsure, but he did indicate that they should be open until 6:00 p.m. I told him I didn’t plan on keeping him there until closing time but I did mean to get there in about 90 minutes to two hours’ time.
I guess all the excitement started just minutes after my phone call to artstream. TGH and I drove to Rochester and were only seconds away from the studio when a Channel 5 News truck passed us on its way to the scene, in the center of Rochester. Police had barricaded all the ins and outs of the triangle that is Rochester Center. TGH and I weren’t sure what exactly was going on but he has a compass in his head so we tried to get around by going a different route and found that blocked as well. Finally we stopped and TGH got out and talked to an officer. TGH explained that we were trying to get to the studio and the officer said that there was no way we were getting there because that was only doors away from the crime scene where a hostage situation was taking place. He said we could try calling the studio to see if our friends inside were still okay. I felt horrible of course because we had printed out the directions to the studio but I had never thought to copy down the phone number so I couldn’t call to see if Susan Schwake, one of the galley owners who I was hoping to meet, was okay (because why would I think to copy a phone number to take with me - things like this just don’t happen, right?).
TGH also asked the officer if he thought this was a situation that would resolve shortly because we didn’t know if we should stick around and try and wait it out. The officer seemed to think this situation was not going to cool down for quite some time. So TGH and I drove around a little more, shopped in one store, had dinner and then headed home. We caught all the excitement on the local radio station as we were driving home. It seemed a mentally disturbed man who claimed to have a bomb strapped to him had taken hostages at Hillary Clinton’s campaign offices only five doors away from the artstream gallery! Fortunately, the standoff wasn’t as long as it could have been and nobody, including the suspect, had been injured in the ordeal. This is a link to a local paper’s coverage of the situation where you can read more details.
When I got home, I was so relieved to have a message from Susan, telling me what had transpired. I’m so glad she and everyone who works at the gallery were unharmed.
I’m also happy that TGH and I are able to bring you this news without actually having become a PART of the news. That was a little close, if you know what I mean. 
Heather and Susan, I still want to get there and will maybe try again on a hopefully-not-so-eventful day in the future.
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23 Responses to “Art Can Be Dangerous”
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Interesting to get your sort of “first hand” report on this. We just read a news report about it.
Hopefully that is as close as I get for this type of reporting! LOL. It really was just freaky timing for me I guess. Anyway, thanks for stopping in and commenting at The Vaguetarian Tea Room, Mary Emma! Friendly faces are always welcome here so please feel free to stop in any time and join in anything fun that suits your fancy! I do try to get some fun activities going whenever I can.
[…] Original post by Local Breaking News, Headlines and News Stories - New York […]
Interesting. We heard about it on the radio on our way home from a day of shopping in Little Rock.
TGH and I actually started wondering if when we got home we would be getting questioned for something because of our eerie timing when I called the gallery right before this all went down. LOL. I can laugh about it now but I think it is more a nervous laughter than anything else.
Wow.That is quite an event.You ever been in a building where a hostage was though? Hehehe I have
Hope you get to see the aret sometime soon 
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Woah, talk about crazy! You certainly did have quite a day, huh? Admittedly, here are plenty of similarly disturbed people around Worcester, but they’re a quieter breed of crazy, so I sure hope that nothing bizarre like that happens when you visit tomorrow!
You said it, Hannah! I’ll try and leave the crazy at home for all of our sakes!
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[…] Read the rest of this great post here […]
[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptArt Can Be Dangerous November 30, 2007 by teeni As you know, we will interrupt this blog whenever we have to in order to bring you the latest news. Today is such a day. Gulp. As many of you are aware, I am a big fan of my buddy, Heather Smith Jones’ art. She currently has a number of pieces on display at artstream gallery in Rochester, New Hampshire. TGH and I have been meaning to take a trip to visit her work and get to see it in person. Today TGH had taken off work to accompany me to a d […]
[…] Original post by Local Breaking News, Headlines and News Stories - New York […]
Oh my goodness, Teeni!! Crazy happenings!! I’m glad that everybody was okay though.
Me too! I sure feel like I’ve been the center of some crazy activity lately.
Bummer teeni. What a crazy day, hope the doctors appointment went well.
Thanks, Lisa. The doctors’ appt. did go well. Whew!
Aww that’s too bad. I’m hoping you can get there soon. I’m glad everyone is ok.
We can always try again - TGH and I don’t mind taking little rides every so often. Sometimes he offers to take me on a little trip to calm my nerves and stuff. He’s a good guy like that.
So yes, the important thing is that everyone was okay.
Teeni- First of all I am so honored that you would drive that far to go see my work!! And that you would call ahead to make sure the gallery is open, etc.! I know you had said you were going to go see the show at some point and it would be a surprise but you are such a good friend Teeni, I appreciate you so much, I hope you know that.
Secondly, reading your first hand account, I pictured you and TGH in a movie scene, where the camera moves all shaky and there’s lots of activity. How relieving that the situation just fizzled out and noone was harmed, including you!! I hope your shopping was fun and your dinner nice. I’m sure that was a day unlike you had planned or imagined!
I think you must have a protective force field around you, wink wink.
I can feel how much you care in your words, Heather and I think that is why we get along so well! It certainly was a different day than I imagined and we did have a good time while we were out (just a little bit of worrying in the back of my mind for the people at the gallery that I had spoken on the phone with). That is a nice thought about the forcefield. I’m going to keep that one with me, just in case!
you know teeni - you just never know! rainer ( my husband, when he was talking to you, was looking out the window and saw some commotion, so that is why he seemed a little unsure…) then he copied your number down and tried to call you a dozen times moments later when he found out what was going on -
unilke ALL the other tenants on n.main, WE were not evacuated. he had to go out and ask what was going on.!!!!-
anywho- all is well, and it’s so sad you came all the way and we didn’t get to show you the exhibition!
anytime, anytime, just come again….
**elbows TGH in the stomach** See? I THOUGHT the man on the phone (your husband) might have been wondering what was going on when I was speaking to him and I said as much to TGH!!! I thought, hmm - you would think he’d be trying harder to encourage us to come up…strange, but oh well. I certainly cannot blame him for sounding unsure on the phone when all that was going on outside. They may not have been able to risk getting close enough to evacuate you so as not to make the hostage taker nervous. I really was concerned about you all and really regretted not taking the gallery’s phone number with me. That won’t happen again.
oh i should mention - every city has it’s crazies… this one was from the town over, and if you read the Boston Globe’s report, the poor man really needed help. It is incredibly sad.
my apologies again teeni!
Oh, yes, I agree with you Susan, every city has it’s crazies. And I really was happy that this man was not hurt either - maybe he can get the help he needs now.
goodness! I am so glad nobody was hurt!! People are just nuts. A few years ago, our neighbor up here tried to blow his house up. He soaked it with diesel and kerosene then rigged the front door to blow up when his wife came home. Luckily the police were tipped off and get up here first. but as it was we were evacuated and scared to death for a few days.
Anyway, I do hope you get to go see Heather’s work soon!
Yikes! That is incredibly scary. I always feel bad when hearing things like that though and wonder what could drive people to such desperate measures. I hope they get the help they need to realize how precious life is and to not throw the towel in so quickly.
Wow. I had seen the coverage on the TV but never thought our Teeni would be kinda sorta, but not really, involved! :]
Im just glad that noone was hurt, though it is a bummer that you didn’t get to the art gallery. Im sure there’ll be another!
LOL. You hit it right on the head - kinda sorta, but not really involved. And still it was too close for comfort. LOL. Thanks, Ms. Red, for the laugh and the relief that nobody was hurt. You are right - there will be another time for me to get to see the art. I don’t give up that easy, ya know!
That was quite an adventure. Glad everyone is ok.
Thanks, buddy. Me too!
Oh my gosh! Glad everyone is okay but what a tense situation it must have been for a bit.
Sorry for my absence, I have been so busy I had to avoid my bloglines to keep from getting distracted:-)
It’s okay Kami - I know how that can be. I’m always glad to have you whenever I can get ya!
CNN talked about the hostage situation all day long … I am glad that it turned out okay.
[…] 29, 2007 by teeni Remember the last time TGH tried to get to the ArtStream Gallery? We sort of ran into a few roadblocks. But you know I don’t give up easy and we tried it […]