Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. This was Mattie's first trip to NYC. Unfortunately his trip was for the purpose of consulting with Memorial Sloan Kettering about his cancer diagnosis. Yet in between doctor visits and testing, we tried to do fun things with Mattie. As you can see Mattie went to FAO Schwarz and came away with some toys. The BIG apple behind Mattie was actually on display on the pediatric outpatient floor of the hospital. 






Quote of the day: Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. ~ Benjamin Franklin

We visited the Katonah Art Museum today. It was about thirty minutes away from where we are staying in NY. None of us have ever journeyed to this museum before, but I would have to say it is more like visiting a private gallery than a museum. Though I am biased as in Washington, DC our museums are enormous. We saw an exhibit entitled, Outrageous Ornament. In a nutshell the exhibit features the provocative work by internationally renowned artists that expand the boundaries and understanding of personal adornment.

This large sculpture greets you on the outside. It is entitled, Open Mind by Lawrence McGarvey. I happened to like this aluminum piece. The cloud cut out for a brain is supposed to inspire the viewer to see the changing world through this cleverly placed negative space. 

Another noteworthy sculpture sat in the gardens.... it is entitled, Rust Angel by Mark di Suvero. He is known for transforming industrial material in order to create works that highlight their setting.  





I have to admit that this exhibit does not resonate with me, as I am not a modern or avant garde lover of art. I am more of a traditionalist. Yet despite that, I still found aspects of this exhibit stimulating, engaging, and definitely worthy of conversation. 

This is Spring over the line by Marjorie Schick. This is considered a body ornament. Though I can't imagine anyone truly wearing anything we saw today, it does make you pause and converse. We had a wonderful dialogue with a docent at the museum, which helped to bring some of these pieces alive for us. 

To me this reminded me of a butterfly's wings!

This is Green Cicada by Marta Mattsson, and YES it is made out of real cicada wings. Mattie would have had a field day with this! The artist says she makes ordinary and familiar objects seem extraordinary!  

This is Salt Necklace by Naama Bergman. Basically this is a steel wire soaked with salt. Again, very innovative and creative, but certainly not practical as an object to wear. 

This is Encroachment, 2013 by Jennifer Trask. This is almost like a three dimensional diorama composed of bone, antler, calcium carbonate and let's not forget TEETH. The flower blossoms had teeth inside.  

No one should leave home without an antler necklace, right? This is entitled, Volute by Jennifer Trask. 

This piece may look colorful and captivating but it has a dark story behind it. It is entitled Sneak by Joyce Scott. Through bead work the artist took on the difficult subject matter of domestic violence. The attacker is in yellow and the woman is down on the right. The three little characters at the top, seem to be pulling the attacker away. We debated who the one on the left in blue was.... perhaps police?

This pink strand of pearls.... is made out of bowling bowls. It is entitled, Bowling Balls by Kathleen Ryan. As we know bowling balls are heavy and yet they seem to be lying weightless on the wall. 

My favorite piece was this one. It is entitled the Yellow Giraffe. It is supposed to be a bracelet but it is truly whimsical. It was created by Robert Baines who was a traditional goldsmith. Yet here he seems to break all the rules by incorporating toys into this piece!