“We Tear Down Our Coliseums” Is a Baseball Multimedia Exhibit Worth Your Time

Here at The Hardball Times, we try our hardest to find something unique to say about baseball. Baseball has been around awhile, as you know, so this isn’t exactly an easy goal to achieve. One of the people who most consistently meets that bar here or anywhere else in the baseball community is Adam Dorhauer. Nearly everything Adam puts forth for THT is something I wish I had thought of myself, which is essentially the highest compliment I can pay another writer. Adam is especially adept at breathing new life into baseball’s storied history, and his latest project looks like it will do this in spades.

His new project isn’t a story though, it’s a work of art. Adam, together with his brother John — who is a composer and band leader — has developed “We Tear Down Our Coliseums.” The exhibit melds painting and music in a way that is sure to please the eye, ear and soul. As you may have guessed from the title, the exhibit is about ballparks that have been torn down in the name of “progress.” Adam created the visual art, and John wrote the music — it is rooted in big band jazz but promises to transcend labels. Here is a sample:

Sounds pretty interesting, right? Here is some more detail from the exhibit’s site:

Coliseums is a vital artistic creation because it presents unique perspectives on a culturally vibrant and relevant topic, it unites art and sport in a way that will appeal to fans of both, it challenges conventions of what a big band can do, and it allows two adventurous artists to pursue their crafts and take creative risks related to a strong passion of theirs.”

If you’re in the Chicago area on April 1, you can experience this in person. The brothers will be performing/displaying their multimedia creation at Elmhurst College’s Mill Theater, which is just west of Chicago. The nine ballparks featured are:

• Elysian Fields
• Busch Memorial Stadium
• Forbes Field
• Polo Grounds
• Kingdome
• Palace of the Fans
• Meuhleback Park
• Tiger Stadium
• Yankee Stadium

What better way to celebrate baseball on the eve of the season than at this exhibit? I can’t think of one. If you’re in the Chicago area on April 1, don’t miss this one-of-a-kind event. You can purchase your tickets here.

On the off-chance you’re not convinced yet, please enjoy these four promotional images made from the artwork that will be on display.