Category Archives: Art

Perspective

Greetings from the belly of the beast!

Art immersion.

Art immersion.

I went exploring with The Kiddo and some friends the other day. We came across a couple of elephant statues left over from a sculptures-on-parade event that took place years ago. They seem sort of forgotten now, ‘tho they still add some visual interest to the street where they’ve been put out to pasture.

When they first came out, I remember wanting to get out to see all of the animal statues. There was a map to follow and you could tick off each site in a nice, neat organized fashion. I efficiently made the rounds, and as I recall, put a pretty good dent in the list. But I’d be hard-pressed to remember much of the artistic experience I had.

Anyway, the other day, we were all gathered around the elephant statues, taking them in. The Kiddo and his friend, who were a little lower to the ground than us grown folks, examined one of the beasts and exclaimed “there’s a hole under here!”

And before we knew it, the kids had gotten all swallowed up in the art.

Visions

Wind me up!

Get on the bus!

Get on the bus!

The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore could be just about the coolest museum I’ve ever visited. They have so many unusual pieces — there’s a surprise around every corner. The art shown here is all “produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself,” according to their website. If you’re looking for a little creative inspiration, this place is a must-see.

Here are some of the items that were on display during my visit:

A 10-foot-tall sculpture of Divine.

  • A school bus covered in mirror mosaic.
  • A room full of delightful automata (warning: sound at the link).
  • A hand-worked crochet horse dress.
  • A huge mandala made of colorful paper plates.

The whole museum is full of wonders, plus there is an awesome gift shop. I only wish I lived nearer so I could visit more often.

I got to thinking about the museum again because I have been working on a paper automata sculpture that turns out to have been created by one of the artists featured in the automata exhibit. I had given Paul Spooner’s “Museum of the Mind: Build Your Own Thinking Machine from 192 Pieces of Paper” a go some years back, but didn’t quite finish it up. I’ll keep you posted on my progress this time around.

Tagged , , ,
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.