6.09.2008

Oh what fun!

Since summer is here my schedule has opened tremendously! Yay for being a teacher! I had the pleasure of watching my niece for the day and because her long awaited play date with her bff was canceled at the last minute, I had to get creative! So after a quick lunch, we made our way down to one of the local museums in my hometown. I was able to see a couple of great exhibits in addition to the newly renovated children's portion of the museum where it's all about fun AND education. Loves it.

The first exhibit I saw was that of Native American artist, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith. I loved her layers, collaging and drippings. It gave me a lot to look at and study. My favorite piece was an oversized painting of the United States with the labeling of the many tribes that once existed. It was amazing to see what we so foolishly lost. I love obscure little surprises in art work, so finding quirky but meaningful portions like the one below made me want to return to better pay attention. I had a certain seven year old with me that wouldn't allow it!



Click here to learn more about Jaune and to see more of her work! Pay special attention to the lithographs, they're great.

The next exhibit I saw was one full of emotion. Photographer Dan Burkholder visited New Orleans after the Katrina tragedy to create "The Color of Loss" series. At first the photographs are easily mistaken for an etching or a highly detailed painting. Burkholder uses a technique where the details, shadows and lights are super intensified. This High Dynamic Range technique is almost like the Blue Ray or HD version for photography, It truly captured the intensity of the Hurricane Katrina on the homes.




Click here for more of his work on this series.

After being pulled away from the grown up exhibits it was time for fun with the midget. Do I have a condensed version of the story?? Of course. Glad you asked.
There were displays about the human body, how tornados are formed, and an incredible sound wall that was made of multiple pieces of wood that each made a unique sound when rubbed. There. There's the scoop.







Afterwards I took her to a place to paint some pottery. It wasn't what I expected so much, but inspired me to invest in some art classes for my niece, The shop owner took my niece in as her own little apprentice and taught her how to dry brush a piece as well as highlight and darken.




At the end of the day, all my niece could talk about was the museum and painting pots! I was thrilled to have given her an experience that will keep her interested in things other than video games and television. I was quite impressed, with her interest and the things this little West Texas town had to offer.


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