Situated on Lake Michigan's shoreline there are things to walk around and see outside, or you can see them from the inside thanks to the unique architectural design of the building.
The museum is undergoing some remodeling and when we got there we were told the visiting exhibit of Italian painters was the only gallery open besides some sculptures out in the lobby area. We took the free tour of the lobby and saved $14 each.
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| Wayne likes real women, not skinny supermodels |
I loved the sculpture Standing Woman by Gaston Lachaise on display. She exudes such power yet seems so peaceful at the same time. He was born in France but married an American who influenced his work and his depiction of women in his sculpture. When I looked him up it said he was trying to portray the women as vigorous yet serene so I guess either I know something about art after all...or maybe he's just that good at getting his message across because I read it loud and clear.
If that wasn't enough, imagine my surprise when we came around a corner and saw a large Chihuly piece!
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| Isola di San Giacomo in Palude Chandelier II , 2000 |
Love, love, love Chihuly! In my opinion this piece needed to be placed somewhere where the light could play with it some more. When I viewed the pieces on display in OshKosh last year they were perfectly lit and I can still see them if I close my eyes. The ones in St. Louis at the botanical gardens had such depth too, even on a cold and cloudy day.
The bigger surprise was that the UW Eau Claire Singing Statemen were performing! Katrina has friends in the ensemble, she couldn't believe we ran across them so randomly. We have the best luck with that kind of stuff when we're traveling.
We paid $5 to park in their heated garage and the rest was free. Not bad for a short but cool city experience.
There are some Chihuly pieces here at the Phoenix botanical gardens. I'm afraid I don't share your enthusiasm for them. Happy thanksgiving to you and 'poor' Wayne.
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