Akron Art Museum

I know it sounds crazy, but I still get homesick for Cleveland.  However, there are a few pluses to living in Akron.  One of the biggies is that I get to spend more time with my nephews.  This is a good thing because they are growing up so fast!  On a recent outing my nephews and I went to the Akron Art Museum.  It's a wonderful museum and here's a few pics from that day.

A big pink sculpture by Claes Oldenberg greets you in the lobby.  I love large installation pieces taken out of context.

Another shot of the lobby.  With a mountain of milk tin lids, by El Anatsui.

Even the polyurethane furniture in the lobby is art!  I'd love to have this furniture for my balcony.

These may look like mountains, but they are actually bags made completely of newspapers.  They are very tall, I think the tallest one was about 8 feet high.  I love the irony!   Mountains of newspapers.  If you ever get a chance to see an exhibit of Anatsui's work, you simply must.  It's incredible!  He turns detritus into large shimmering pieces of art.  There were areas of the museum where photographs were allowed, and areas where it wasn't.  Anatsui allowed photography of his exhibit, but I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted.  My nephews were getting embarrassed.  :)

Here is a pic I took on the down low.  It is, of course, a Mark Rothko.  Rothko's work seen in real life is almost too much for me to bear.  It gives me heart palpitations.  The combinations of color, the simplicity!  Swoon.  I wish I had painted this!

Here is an interesting Mermaid sculpture in the permanent collection.  I think she's cool.  My nephews weren't as impressed and told me to put my camera away before we got kicked out.  It was a great day!  Two of my favorite things:  my nephews and art.  It doesn't get any better than that.

Seattle - Public Art

Seattle is a treat for artists and art lovers.  There's art everywhere.   I've written about my love of public art on this blog many times (see previous posts here).  It is my belief that art elevates the consciousness of a city.  The vigor of Seattle is a testament to this belief.  Here are but a few of the examples of public art we saw.

It becomes evident quickly that Seattle is committed to public art. You're greeted by an installation of suitcases at the Seattle airport.

 This is hammering man at the Seattle Museum of Art.  He's huge and hardworking, he never stops dropping and lifting that hammer.  Designed by Jonathan Borofsky.

 These are two of the Colossal Heads designed by Claudia Fitch.  (We saw these at Quest Stadium on Friday.  On Monday the Quest logo had come down and the CenturyLink Logos were going up.)  They are mounted high so they are looking down on you and they are huge.  I'm not sure why, but I dig 'em.

Also by the stadium is Peter Shelton's Rock Shadow.  Before I learned the name of the piece, I thought maybe this was a big thumb print, or maybe a peanut shell.  No matter, I love a giant object totally taken out of context.

Amazing and ambitious mosaic garden seen on one of our walks.  The scope of this installation boggles my mind.

Even the bus stops boasted art.

As did the construction walls.  They're a necessary evil.  Might as well hang art on them.

I love this idea for decorating windows.  Behind the glass is cut paper, and the front of the glass is painted.

We actually had the privilege of seeing a piece installed!

These sculptures are near the news building.  I took this shot from the Space Needle.

This is a shot taken from a Duck Tour of Gas Works Park.

Of course Starbucks is on nearly every corner.  Here's a very fine mural at one of the locations downtown.  I've barely scratched the surface here.  I already have public art sites lined  up that I want to see on my next trip to Seattle!

 All images by Peggy

Seattle - Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square is one of my favorite spots in the city.  Easy going people.  Lots of art.  My cup of tea.

 

 

Yarn bombing!  Artist Suzanne Tidwell was selected by the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation for this site-specific piece in Pioneer Park.  Almost everything is yarn bombed in bright summer colors, and it is striking.

 

What a great place to eat lunch or have a coffee break!  I found the people in Seattle to be very congenial.  Across the street, I spied this:

I like to take pictures of alleys.  Not sure why.  Then I saw this, and nearly had a heart attack.

I couldn't get over there fast enough.  Fortunately, my sister-in-law is also afflicted with the pottery sickness.  Laguna Pottery is a slice of heaven.  The kind owner is named Michael.  He was very patient with me as we discussed different glazes and makers, I learned a lot.  Here are some of the lovelies we saw:

These are Franciscan by Gladding-McBean.  Too steep for my budget, but isn't that color fab?

He has an extensive collection of Heath Ceramics.  I got very excited because I had only seen these beauties online.  It was great to touch them.  As you know, pottery is a very tactile art form.  These are perfect.  The glazes exquisite.  I was, once again, astounded by the difference in artisan and mass produced pieces.  Artisan pieces are far superior.  I'm excited that I bought my first piece of Heath!  I'm sure this will start another obsession.  Laguna has an online business, I think I'm going to order this vase.  Here's what I bought:

 

A Heath bud vase and a Franciscan bowl.  I was so excited about this store in this lovely area of town, that I asked Michael if I could have a job.  I would love to dust the pottery, arrange the pottery, take care of the website, go on buying trips, etc.  I'd love to move to Seattle.  I think he thought I was crazy, but I meant it. Cleveland seems so drab now.

 

Here's some amazing street art we saw as we left Pioneer Square.

All images by Peggy

Millennium Park, Part Two

Millennium Park in Chicago boasts another fascinating sculpture. Cloud Gate, also known as The Bean, by Anish Kapoor. This amazing structure weighs 110 tons, and is another example of public art at its best.

It is endlessly entertaining to watch people interact with it. Engaging the people is what art is all about. It elevates the city.

Here is what it looks like underneath. Really cool. I think Cleveland could learn a lesson from Chicago.

All images by Peggy.

Chicago - Millennium Park

My favorite part of any city is its public art. Chicago definitely did not disappoint. Millennium Park is proof of the validity of public art programs. This is art at its best. Art that is experienced as a community. Art that is interactive. Art that uplifts. That is the genius of Millennium Park. The best part of the art is the smiles on all the faces.

The Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa is a marvel. It is made of glass blocks which project random faces inspired by the people of Chicago. Children squeal with delight when a face closes its eyes and water squirts from its mouth. It is endlessly entertaining to watch.

This smart young lady wore her raincoat. Below are sculptures from the show entitled "A Conversation with Chicago: Contemporary Sculpture from China," curated by Boeing Galleries.

This fascinating sculpture encompasses organic as well as satiric elements. It is entitled "Valiant Struggle No. 11, 2006" by the artist Chen Wenling. The stainless steel sculpture behind it is entitled "Jia Shan Shi No. 46, 2001" by the artist Zhan Wang.

"Windy City Dinosaur, 2009" by the artist Sui Jianguo.

All images by Peggy.