Pet Friendly: no
Cost: Generally, $0/person, but they request small donations... we put in $2
Total Budget: $33/$50
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!!!!! Yep. That would be the alarm I set off tonight at the museum. More on that later.
I had to work a bit later tonight to wrap up some work, so I thought that I'd have to toss the idea of the museum out the window. But, as it turns out, things worked out beautifully. I left work around 5:30, and Addie and I were on the road by 6:00. We arrived at the museum around 6:30, which gave us an hour and a half 'til closing time. Considering that both Addie and I are known for our short attention spans, that was a perfect amount of time.
We started off on the main floor where there was an exhibit of children's art. Apparently, kids of all ages could take art classes there, and then have their art work displayed in a gallery setting. I would have loved that as a kid, and would like to further look into that for Addie. I think it could be a real boost to a kid's esteem as they pursue the world of art.
We continued up to the second floor where the areas were divided into artwork from different regions around the world. We began with Greece, then moved over to the Far East section, and eventually made it to the 'Americas' exhibit. Addie really enjoyed the Japanese scroll work and was impressed by the width of some of the paintings. She and I were also in awe by the age of some of the artifacts... some miniature sculptures from Egypt dating back to 3,000 BC!!
We then headed up to the European paintings (not sure the official name of the exhibit). We walked into a particular room where Addie immediately tried distracting me from a specific painting... "Daddy, don't look over there..." I knew there had to be a nude painting in the room. Sure enough, "Nude on a Couch," by Gustave Caillebotte was there hanging on the wall. So, the artist in me and the parent in me collided, and I felt I needed to show Addie a bit about the 'beauty of the human figure.' So, I brought her over to the painting and in an attempt to break that 'shame' barrier, I began to point out all the color and brush strokes that Caillebotte used to paint a small section of the woman's foot. And, of course, how could I do that without pointing to the area only two inches away from the painting... After all, I needed to be specific about the detail I was referring to. And in that second... I became a criminal.
The area that led to my criminal status:
So, I'm not sure how many of you know Addie that well, but she's a rule follower to say the least. If she gets it in her head that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things, watch out. The loud alarm being set off was bad enough, but the security guard who quickly confronted me, and then followed me with his eyes for the next ten minutes didn't help my case. For the remainder of our visit, Addie was sure to keep me at least five feet away from any piece of art work... relentlessly.
We continued to view additional exhibits... modern art, prairie America, etc., but nothing really measured up to the incident of the crime. 8:00 rolled around, and it was time to go. Addie made a final comment about how she enjoyed the large glass sun in the entry way, and then by her recommendation, we raced each other to the car in the frigid wind... always a good time. After all, the museum was nice, but she was REALLY looking forward to watching the next episode of the animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" on Netflix. Ah,... my little art connoisseur!
Dale Chihuly, "Sunburst"
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