Tag Archives: Museums

Jul21

Creative Juice #51

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Your weekly dose of artistic inspiration:

Child photography.
I like to take a peek at quilt group meetings.
An intriguing reading list.
Less than eight months to go:
Nature illustrations by Kim Kurki.
This looks like a fun project.
Topiaries.
Where do creative ideas come from?
What to do with old mufflers.
A vicarious trip to Kauai.
Checking out art at the Whitney Museum, NYC.
Beautiful doors. If you want to see more, consider following Norm 2.0. He hosts a photography challenge called Thursday Doors that a lot of shutter bugs participate in.

Jun24

Phoenix Art Museum

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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This past Mother’s Day, my youngest daughter, Katie, spent the afternoon with me at the Phoenix Art Museum. Here is a sampling of what we saw–just a tiny bit of the museum.

Ballet Dancer by Everett Shinn

Birdie Serenade by Gregory West

Detail of above

The Golfer by Victor Vasarely

Nude Man by Viola Frey, glazed ceramic

When we were on the raised platform where the Nude Man sat, Katie looked across the way and asked about the view below, “Is that a hallway or another piece of art?”

Answer: it’s a hallway; but do you see why she thought it might be a large mural or something?

Below is the wooden facade from a house in Hue, Vietnam.

Upside Down, Inside Out by Anish Kapoor, sculpture made of resin and paint:

Below, Column Interminable by Betsabeé Romero: 17 “tires” inscribed with symbols from pre-conquest North, South, and Central America, the Aztecs, the Paracas people of Peru, and the ancient Hohokam people who lived in what is now Arizona. Romero’s themes are migration and borders.

The portrait below of Philip Glass looks photographic, no? It’s not. Viewed up close, you’d see it’s a jacquard tapestry woven of very fine colored fibers. I’m guessing technology was key in producing this. I can’t imagine it was woven by hand. Phil–State I by Chuck Close:

Fernando Bryce drew the collection of drawings below from advertisements and newspaper articles about Leni Riefenstahl, the German dancer and actress who directed Nazi propaganda films. His motivation for the work was to explore the tension of an artist working on behalf of an evil dictator.

Samurai Tree 2H by Gabriel Orozco

Message by Matthias Goeritz; gold painted perforated metal on painted wood

Detail of Message

Hopi Flute Player by Emry Kopta

Shift Change at the Magma by Lew Davis

Sphere Lit from the Top by Sol LeWitt

The remaining images are pieces of European art on loan from the Schorr Collection:

Portrait of Cardinal Domenico Grimani by Lorenzo Lotto

Portrait of Barbara Palmer by Peter Lely

Detail of Portrait of Barbara Palmer

Genoese Nobleman by Antony Van Dyck

Portrait of a Man, Probably Pieter de Graaf by Govaert Flinck

The following are woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer:

The Annunciation

Detail of The Annunciation

The Adoration of the Magi

Detail of Adoration of the Magi

Portrait of Baron Philippe François Didier Usquin by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson

Portrait of an Old Woman by Jan Anthonisz. van Ravesteyn

Bust of Julio Contarini by Alessandro Vittoria

Below, Moses Receiving the Tablets of the Law and Christ Blessing by Benjamin West.

It’s been ten years since I’ve been to the Phoenix Art Museum. I’m so grateful Katie wanted to go with me. Thanks, Katie!

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Jun16

Creative Juice #46

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Glimpses of beauty from eleven different sources.

What if you looked at tears under a microscope?
I love Ann Voskamp’s Multivitamin posts. (They’re not about vitamins; they’re a collection of good, uplifting, beautiful, and sometimes funny stuff.)
When you’re taking photographs, always take multiple shots.
If you’re going to be in New York City between now and September 17, 2017, you might want to check out the Rauchenberg exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art.
Insight from a six-year-old.
Take notes like Leonardo Da Vinci.
Creativity—the lies, and the truth.
Prize-winning illustrations.
I love a good caricature, don’t you?
Grafitti—vandalism or art form?
Biological classification charts.

May14

Art Reflections

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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My offerings for the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge.

My daughter Katie honored me today (Mother’s Day) by accompanying me to the Phoenix Art Museum. (More photos from our visit will appear in a future post.) I captured our reflections in two of the sculptures.

In front of Upside Down, Inside Out by Anish Kapoor:

Nine Slat Mirror by Thomas Glassford:

May6

MIM Again

Posted on May 6, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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In April, my daughter, Carly, visited from Brooklyn, New York. She mentioned she’d like to go to the MIM.

The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is one of my favorite places in the world. I’ve been there at least five times since in opened in 2010. I’ve written other posts about The MIM.

Here are some of the sights we saw on our visit (click on the smaller pictures to enlarge and reveal captions):

Satsuma-biwa (plucked lute) from Japan

Yangqin (struck zither) from China

Dramnyen (plucked lute)

Detail of head carving

The mariachi exhibit:

Guitarron

Mariachi harp

Charro outfits

Drums:

Rattlesnake-powered snare drum

Slit drums

Tlalpanhuehuetl, Aztec drum (this one made in the 20th century)

Costumes:

Shava (the deer), costume for Buddhist dance of the Mongol people

Kukeri costume, Bulgarian. Male dancers go house to house wearing these bell-adorned costumes, bringing good health and luck to their neighbors.

Carly admiring beautiful African costume

A tapa from Oceania, a textile made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree:

Grand piano made for Czar Nicholas I of Russia:

Baryton (bowed and plucked lute), Austria

Detail of head carving

Pretty cool, huh?

What about you? Have you been to MIM, or to another musical instrument museum? (I know there’s another in Paris, and maybe elsewhere.) Share in the comments below.

Apr21

Creative Juice #38

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Nine articles, mostly art-related.

I can’t believe these are oil paintings and not photographs.
I found this article about a documentary about a talented sculptor who likes to push boundaries so intriguing that I looked up the trailer.
Improve your life with minimalism.
Design tips for professionals and beginners.
You didn’t wash your truck? Yeah, now you never will.
The influence of Henri Matisse.
The fanciful illustrations of Valeria Docampo.
If you keep practicing, you’ll improve. (I’d be thrilled if I could draw the first versions of these.
The Russian Revolution at MOMA.

Mar24

Creative Juice #34

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Thirteen articles to inspire you.

I just love string quilts! Some tips for sewing them faster.
The illustrations of Tatjana Mai-Wyss.
What do people notice about you?
A whole new angle on animal photography.
All the elements of art in a comic.
I’m going to take a wild guess that the beautiful effect of this background is achieved with water on the paper, before or after applying the marker.
A sweet Easter tradition (and no calories!).
Take better photographs.
Your lack of talent is no barrier to creativity.
Which way is up? Trust the museum.
Pipe organ portfolio.
A drunkard’s path in progress.
I love my coffee, but maybe not this much.

Feb25

Cowboys and Indians

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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Residents of Arizona are familiar with the Basha grocery empire. But not all are aware of the Basha family’s cultural legacy.

At Basha corporate headquarters in Chandler, Arizona, resides a phenomenal museum of Western American art, the Selma Basha Salmeri Gallery, named after the aunt who inspired Eddie Basha’s lifelong love affair with art.

A small sampling of the extensive collection of over 3500 items:

El Encuentro by Paul Pletka

by Harrison Begay

Bowl, carved from wood and polished

Many panels of drawings of kachinas by Cecil Calnimptewa

A whole cabinet of fetishes, small animal carvings representing the spirits of the animals, and believed to have special powers.

by Bruce Green

Cowboy lighting his cigarette with a branding iron

Breaking Wild Horses by John Clymer

Devil’s Gate by John Clymer

The White Buffalo by John Clymer

The Peace Pipe by John Clymer

To get the full effect of this beautiful, detailed sculpture, it’s necessary to walk around it and view it from several angles.

Is it just me, or does the kachina on the left below resemble Rodin’s The Thinker?

And does the kachina on the left below resemble Rodin’s The Kiss?

I’ve enjoyed the Native American art at The Heard Museum in Phoenix, but I have a new appreciation for the cowboy artists as a result of seeing their work up close. If you’re ever in the area, make a point to stop and see the Eddie Basha Collection.