A Visit to the Phoenix Art Museum, Part One

When you have cabin fever but the weather isn't exactly cooperating, you start looking for indoor places to explore. That's how Denis and I came to visit the Phoenix Art Museum. When you become members of places like the Desert Botanical Garden or the Phoenix Zoo, every other place in town starts sending you temptations via USPS. When Denis received one from the Phoenix Art Museum, we decided to book a trip on Dial-a-Ride and check the place out.

Denis had never been there, and the last time I'd visited had been in the early 1980s when a fantastic exhibit of world famous Impressionist art came to town. At that time, there were two buildings on site: the museum and the main branch of the Phoenix Public Library. The library moved to a brand-new (and much larger) building further south on Central Avenue, so the Phoenix Art Museum could then take over the site and expand. And expand it did! 

On that long-ago visit of mine, there were only two things the museum had that grabbed my attention, the fabulous Thorne Rooms and a portrait painted by one of my favorites, 18th-century French portraitist, Élizabeth Vigée LeBrun. Now the museum is on three different levels and has a lot more to offer, so much in fact, that Denis and I couldn't get to all of it in one visit. (You know what that means.)

Let me start you on a virtual tour of the museum. I hope you enjoy it.

Denis zipping past the Museum Shop. Somehow, both of us managed to stay out of there; however, I won't be responsible for what happens on future visits!

Denis and I didn't have time to check out this particular exhibit. Another reason for us to come back.

from The World Stage: Brazil Series, "Marechal Floriano Peixote". (2009) Artist: Kehinde Wiley. This one was so dynamic that it seemed to jump off the wall and smack me in the face.

"Another Sioux Chief" (1979) Artist: Fritz Scholder.

"Roma". Glazed earthenware. (1984) Artist: Betty Woodman.

Shoes and buckles c. 1775, Great Britain. Silk brocade with silk edging; cut steele beads.

Closeup of buckle. This reminds me that I also want to go back to wander through the fashion design wing.

I was so pleased to see two paintings by Élizabeth Vigée LeBrun. This is her "Portrait of Madame Victoire"

"In Order to Forget" (1996) Artist: Kcho. "Explores the plight of the balseros, or those who departed on makeshift rafts to seek political asylum in the US. Here, a homemade kayak shaped from fiberglass balances precariously on a sea of beer bottles. The surface of the boat's shell resembles human skin that has been parched by the sun. The beer bottles suggest that inebriation at home might offer an alternate form of survival to risking passage across the Atlantic Ocean."

A selection from the display of cameos.

Posters from artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and Mucha.

The lighting was horrible here. "Defend Yourself, Cabrón" (1995) Artist: Michael Cajero. Made from gift wrap and aluminum wire.

 

 

I'll end here. In the weeks to follow, I'll share the Thorne Miniature Rooms as well as exhibit of art from India and Western American art. I hope you've enjoyed this first part of the tour!

New Mexico Road Trip: Museum of International Folk Art, Final Chapter

Since today is the final chapter of our visit to Santa Fe's wonderful Museum of International Folk Art, I feel as though now I really am saying goodbye. I would love to go back again someday, but we'll just have to see what happens.

This post is all about their exhibit called "No Idle Hands: The Myths & Meanings of Tramp Art."  Tramp art is a style of craftsmanship that uses discarded things to make all sorts of items-- recycling before recycling was cool. (Something our forebears did all the time.) Let's take a look at the items that caught my eye. If you'd like to see any of the photos in greater detail, just click on one, and a new window will automatically open.
 

This quote is on the front of the museum as well as here in the entrance.

One of the display cases showing a wide variety of items.

Bank with applied wood horse, anchor, birds & hearts. USA ca. 1880s-1907

Cigar-silk pillowcase. USA, late 19th-early 20th century

Detail of pillowcase

Satchel made of wood, leather & metal. France, late 19th century

Detail of satchel

Miniature dresser with acorn from Mark Twain's home. Possibly Missouri, late 19th-early 20th century

Wooden Marriage Bench. France, late 19th-early 20th century

Crown of thorns frame with photographs of actresses from the London stage. Brenton Reef Lightship, Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, 1890s

Detail of crown of thorns frame and photograph

"In God We Trust" hinge-topped keepsake box with glass bead details and applied wood rondelles, hearts & birds. USA, 1935

"Valencia" by Freeland Tanner, 2016

Another piece of art from Freeland Tanner, this time with a secret drawer. 2016

"Hermosas Flores" by Freeland Tanner, 2016

Those of you who have been reading Kittling: Books for a while know that I love Dia de los Muertos art. Although I do love it, I've never purchased any for myself, partly because I wanted it to be special when I did. Well, after spending so many amazing hours at the Museum of International Folk Art, I could think of nothing better than visiting their gift shop on the way out and purchasing my Dia de los Muertos art there!
 

This is called the "Skully Love Retablo" (altarpiece) made in Peru in 2016 by Alcidez Quisper.

No artist's name was given for this hand-painted and carved wooden skull, but I love how the photo turned out!

My tour of Santa Fe's Museum of International Folk Art is now concluded. I hope you enjoyed it!


 

New Mexico Road Trip: Museum of International Folk Art, Part Two

As I said in my first post about Santa Fe's Museum of International Folk Art, it was the highlight of our week in New Mexico and the cause of both Denis and me wearing out our camera batteries. I took so many photos there that I've split my final choices into three separate posts. This is the second one which will take you from the main exhibition hall of the first post and into the Hispanic Heritage Wing for the Flamenco exhibit. My mother loved flamenco music, and I grew up listening to it on Mom's hi-fi. Thanks to Youtube, I'm listening to a wonderful flamenco guitar as I share these photos with you. Enjoy.

Wonderful carved doors leading to another section of the museum.

Native American art of the Pacific Northwest. Gorgeous!

When we entered the Hispanic Heritage wing, I was thrilled to see that most of the exhibit showcased wonderful needlework. Some of the work like the shawl in the photo below shone so brightly in the lights that it was only when you got up close and personal that you could see the stitching and the hours and hours of work it took with delicate materials like silk thread to make the shawl.  ¡Fantastico!

 

A Manila Shawl from China or Spain, 1900-1930

Detail of the shawl.

Bullfighter's Entrance Cape, Madrid, Spain, ca. 1955

Detail of the bullfighter's cape. ¡Ole!

Another section of the Hispanic Heritage Wing.

Detail of the stitching on the bullfighter's cape from the photo above.

Detail from the bullfighter's jacket.

Denis wearing out his camera battery.

Manila Shawl, China, 19th century

Detail of the shawl.

The Spirit of Flamenco by Roland van Loon, 2015

You can also see this painting in the photo I took of Denis, and that angle is the best because it seems to catch fire in that lighting. The artist really captured the heart of flamenco. 

Next week, I'll conclude my visit to the Museum of International Folk Art with a visit to the Tramp Art exhibit. See you then!

 

New Mexico Road Trip: the Museum of International Folk Art

~~~Part One~~~

As much as Denis and I enjoyed being outdoors and visiting places like Las Vegas and Taos, I think the Museum of International Folk Art on Museum Hill in Santa Fe was the highlight of our trip to New Mexico. 

The second I read about it having the largest collection of international folk art in the world, I knew I was going to enjoy my visit, but I wasn't so sure about Denis. I shouldn't have worried. Denis loved it, and we both almost wore out our cameras. 

Our visit is going to be broken up into three segments simply because of all the photos I took.  The sheer numbers of them that I'll be posting will probably shock you, but-- trust me-- there are at least two hundred that I'm not sharing! If you'd like to take a look at any of the photos in their original sizes so you can see more detail, just click on one of them. A new window will automatically open, and you'll be able to take a good look at them all.

I'm not going to do a lot of talking-- just a lot of showing-- so I'm only going to say one more thing before I get started. The largest exhibit space only had numbers by each item that corresponded to a spiral-bound book that had to be returned at the end of our visit; therefore, I can't tell you much about the art in the photos. It's a shame, but I think you'll find that many of them speak for themselves, especially if you look at the photos in their original sizes.

Other folks enjoying the museum.

So much work went into making these!

Detail of one of the panels.

This shone like a beacon in the spotlights.

Loved this vignette because of the couple in the upper right window.

With my love of Dia de los Muertos art, I loved exhibits like this!

Chinese folk art

Closeup of part of the Chinese folk art display.

There are days I think they'd throw me off this railroad car!

Handwoven rug depicting the Four Corners area.

My favorite diorama depicting a celebration in a pueblo.

Mothers & babies enjoying the sunshine & the celebration.

More people coming to the celebration.

Something close to my heart: a wall of hand-stitched samplers.

One of the samplers.

All the art on this church is wonderful!

A hand-woven rug from Russia.

Folk art from India.

Indian folk art.

More Indian folk art.

All right-- you can rest your eyes now! One of the things that kept going through my mind as I (very) slowly worked my way through the museum was the wall of samplers. I stitched a sampler of my own when I was eight years old. For generations the women of my family have had an affinity for needle arts. For example, I have a huge crocheted tablecloth made by my great-great-grandmother. I'll never have a table large enough to put it on, but I'm not about to get rid of it. Will some of my own needlepoint, some of my knitting, survive through the generations? It's doubtful... but nice to think about!

I hope you've enjoyed the tour through part of the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Next Wednesday, I'll show you another gallery.