Currier Museum of Art: Grand Reopening

As I blogged earlier this week, today is the grand reopening of the Currier Museum of Art. The museum has been closed for over a year and a half due to its expansion and renovation efforts. (You can also read more about it here in the Hippo Press.)
I attended with my sister and brother-in-law. We arrived just in time to see the last several minutes of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. I took a few pictures and thought I'd give you a sneak peek into my day:

This was the view from one of the side streets leading up to the museum. The first thing you can see is sculpture piece newly acquired by the museum. It's titled "Origins"; the artist is Mark di Suvero. That statue stands in the Currier's new plaza area. (There's now parking in front as well.)

Closer...

...closest! This was taken at the base of the sculpture.

Some of the media covering the ribbon cutting.

A few of the costumed musicians playing for the ribbon cutting. Within the museum, there were even a few actors dressed up in period costume as the artists of the time. One was even strolling around complete with brush and palate!

This is the new Winter Garden Cafe. Previously, this area was the front of the museum. I remember seeing, from the street, those lovely 1930's mosaic murals and the columns flanking the doors. Now they are enclosed within a lovely glassed in area with galleries on either side. I have to say, I'm rather glad the murals are protected from the weather now. I'm not sure how well you can see them in my picture, but you can get a feel for the new cafe.

In fact, here's a map of the new layout. It was in the little booklets the museum staff handed to us as we entered.

Here is one of the many activities going on over there today. These gals had a table where they were making balloon sculptures based on the Mark di Suvarno piece I posted above. Cute, non? And a great way to get the children involved.

There were quite a few families at the grand opening today. In the European art gallery, I heard an adult ask a little girl (who couldn't have been much older than 6 or 7) which painting was her favorite. She pointed to "A Knock at the Door" by Laura Alma-Tadema(1897). "What do you like about it?" the adult asked. "I like her dress. I think she hears somebody knocking." said the little girl. Awww! What a great way to get kids interested and involved with art. I hope I can do the same someday when I have children.

I didn't take any photos of the 2D artwork within the museum. I have a few reasons for this. First and foremost, flash photography is not allowed. It's very damaging to paintings, drawings, printmaking pieces etc. Think about how old some of these works of art are. They're being protected by particular museum lighting and climate. The only way I can explain it is - think about what happens to a bumper sticker stuck in the back window of your car all summer. Eventually over time, it gets bleached. Repetitive flash photography can aid in the disintegration of some of the pigments in these works. I cringe every time I see a big flash in a museum.

It is fine however, to take personal non-flash photographs, but I choose not to do that either. My argument is this - you're at the museum to see art "in person". If you wanted to see a photo of it, there are art photographers who have done a much better job than you at documenting the work. Why bother going to the museum at all? Just buy a book or find a picture on the web. (Personally, I like to find little postcards in the giftshop on the way out).

Hang on a second while I climb back down off my soapbox. Ah. That's better.

That said, I am gung-ho for bringing your sketchbook. As an artist, there's so much to learn from sketching master works. One of these days, I'm going to pick a quiet evening to hang out, wander around, and draw. I would encourage anyone interested in art to do the same...even if you don't think you're much of an artist! You might be happily surprised. Inspiration can come from a wide variety of sources. I had a great time today and felt like I'd recharged my creative batteries a little.

If you live in the area, you should definitely take a trip to see all the new changes in the museum - especially since this first week is free admission. Woo-hoo!

Illustration Friday: Homage

This is yet another previously created illustration that I felt was appropriate for this week's topic. (I swear, someday I'll do it properly and create a new illustration specifically for the topic du jour). In the meantime, there's this. The little boy is painting a portion of Picasso's "Woman Seated in a Chair" which is in the collection at The Currier Museum of Art. This was my sneaky little homage to the first Picasso painting I ever saw. I blogged about it and the museum this past week. Enjoy!

P.S. This is my 50th post!!! *does a little dance*

Culture at the Currier

This was the first Picasso I ever saw. It's in the collection at the The Currier Museum of Art.

That museum has been a huge influence in my life. For 10 years (through my childhood and teens), I took art classes at the Currier Art Center. At the end of each year, we would have an art show and display our best pieces. Every other year, the museum would let the children exhibit in one of their galleries. I remember dressing up to go to those shows with my parents. (Those years are probably the only time in my life I'll ever see my work hanging in a real museum!) In a room adjacent to Sargents and Picassos, my sister and I would proudly point out our little watercolors and crude ceramics to our parents. It was a big deal.
As a teen, I became interested in pursuing art as my career path. There is a landmark in the area - a home created by Frank Lloyd Wright. It's called the Zimmerman House and though formerly a real lived-in home, it now belongs to the museum. Even though everyone knows the Zimmerman house is here, it's tucked back on a residential street. It seems that the address isn't generally given out, so as to not bother the other homeowners on the street with the traffic of curious drive-bys. However, the Currier offers tours to the house. My friends and I happily spent a weekend afternoon walking around that house with our shoes off and protective booties on our feet, listening to a tour guide.
It was also the Currier that offered a day-trip to New York City to see the big museums. They even provided the busing. I begged my parents to let me go. They relented, and my friends and I were off on an adventure. We visited the Guggenheim and The Met. It was the first time I'd been in the city. I was so happy to be that overwhelmed with art. I'll never forget it.
The following year, I took a portfolio class with Elaine P. at the Currier Art Center. I had decided I wanted to go a fine arts college after I graduated from high school. Elaine helped me choose the pieces that would become the slides in my portfolio, she allowed me to work on the required drawings for one of my applications in her class, and then even wrote me a shining recommendation. I not only got into every school I applied to, but I got into my #1 top choice school...RISD. My high school art teachers had dismissed the thought of me even applying. (After all, if they couldn't get in, why would I?) Their tune changed after I got that fat envelope in the mail. RISD was one of the best experiences of my life. I will be forever grateful to the Currier (and to Elaine) for not only believing in me, but helping me get there. I owe them a lot.
Over the last few years, the museum has undergone several big changes. The first being the name. It's a small museum, and for the majority of my life, it's been "The Currier Art Gallery". They're now "The Currier Museum of Art". I can't remember the details of how when or why the name changed occurred, just that it was several years ago now. The most recent change the museum has undergone has been their big expansion project. The Currier has remained closed since the summer of 2006 as it underwent all the construction for their renovation. The grand re-opening is scheduled for this Sunday, March 30th. Even though it's been years since I've regularly attended the museum, I feel it's necessary I be there. I'll even get all dressed up. Only this time, instead of my own lopsided ceramic pinch-pot, I can proudly point to all the work our local art museum has accomplished.