The first dioramas were made in late 1700-1900’s. They were used for creating illusions in theatres. In the late 1800’s-1900’s, science museums started using dioramas to educate in science and nature. Dioramas are important today because environments are changing. Animals are losing their homes to habitat destruction, growing cities, highways, railroads, and suburban divisions. Scientists and museums are creating an awareness and appreciation for nature and wildlife by displaying dioramas. Diorama displays vanishing wildernesses and promotes conservation. It depicts an accurate exhibition of the animal’s environment and the different wildlife that lives in the habitat. The exhibits are works of art that show animal behaviors and is a good place for anyone to learn about animals and nature. The museum exhibits different types of animals, reptilians, and fishes that live in lakes, forests, and in different parts of the states. The Bell Museum also has a room where you can see living turtles, snakes, beetles, bones, and fossils.
The room “Behind the Diorama” has large pencil sketches, drawings, and models of what artists used to plan the dioramas. They have a display of the different types of tools taxidermists use to make the animals in the dioramas. In another display case, shows how the animal’s environment was made using dried leaves and reproduced vegetation. It’s neat how they show us how the dioramas were researched, planned, and then made.
The paintings in “Drawn to Nature” art exhibition are artist’s own inspirations for the natural world. There were paintings of animals such as elk, moose, and buffalos in their habitat. It’s like your looking out a window and watching the animals in their habitat.
The appreciation for nature’s beauty was painted in the bright colors of the skies, snowy stumps, and Lake Superior rock in water. The acrylic painting “Barnswallow on Nest” by the artist Kellie Rae Theiss was a painting of a mother barnswallow bird on the side of her nest of hungry babies. The three baby bird’s mouths were open wide waiting for the mother bird to put food in their mouths. It’s amazing how she depicted a mother bird in action feeding her young babies. There were photographs of Choppen waterfalls, Red Pine forests, and ocean waves catching nature’s beauty also. I liked the photo of the “Lotus Field” by Chris Faust. It is a photograph of the artist’s appreciation for nature’s beauty and it’s beautiful field of blossomed white lotus flowers.
The dioramas at the Bell Museum are scenes of animals in its habitat. The animal’s behaviors are amazingly realistic. The animal’s habitats are realistically well done and beautiful. There were fun activities for children to do in the halls of the dioramas such as the “Bog Walk” to get a feel of how walking on bogs feel like. The “Be a Bear” activity had two bear costumes and a bear den made of sticks and logs to get the feel of being a bear would feel like. It’s a fun atmosphere and very educational.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Pixel & Pen / Lucia Hwang: What's Up?
Pixel and Pen presents thirteen artists who use digital media into art using computers. The artworks are showing the importance of people in our society and the things that helped change the way we lived in technology, science, and law.
The artwork “Barack Obama” by the artist James O’Brien, is made using screenprint. It is a picture of President Barack Obama in a blue tie black suit. He is the first African American president in the United States and he brought change to the world.
The artwork “Madame Curie” by the artist Roman Verostko, is made ink on paper. There are writings on the bottom, and a pink cloth covering yellow orangish-green hair. Madame Curie is the first famous woman scientist.
The exhibition Lucia Hwang: What’s Up? is about arranging household objects and seeing them with material style. The artworks represent that material affects our emotional well-being. Seeing the outside of something does not mean that the inside is like the outside because we don’t always accept what we don’t see. When I first went inside the Gage Family Art Gallery exhibit, I saw red caution tapes circle around a girl shape drawn on the floor. It looks like a homicide drawing. The girl is holding a purse on one hand above her head. The girl shape was colored in with a designer purse design in colors brown and tan. In fact all four objects have the brown and tan designer purse design, except for the blue chicken. The second was the “Trash Can.” It is a trash can that looks like it was tipped over and fell on the floor spilling some trash out. The third was a wall of egg cartons colored brown and tan designs. Rows of white eggs sit in the decorated egg cartons. A blue chicken wearing black sunglasses and a brown tan designer purse around it’s neck. He sits in the middle of the wall looking cool standing on a board. The fourth is a white toilet surrounded by a bunch of toilet paper rolls. The paper wrapped around the toilet paper rolls were the brown tan design.
I liked both exhibitions. It’s cool how Lucia Hwang uses designer patterns to turn materials and objects to be viewed differently. Pixel and Pen is unique because it’s works shows the importance of change and how it could affect us.
The artwork “Barack Obama” by the artist James O’Brien, is made using screenprint. It is a picture of President Barack Obama in a blue tie black suit. He is the first African American president in the United States and he brought change to the world.
The artwork “Madame Curie” by the artist Roman Verostko, is made ink on paper. There are writings on the bottom, and a pink cloth covering yellow orangish-green hair. Madame Curie is the first famous woman scientist.
The exhibition Lucia Hwang: What’s Up? is about arranging household objects and seeing them with material style. The artworks represent that material affects our emotional well-being. Seeing the outside of something does not mean that the inside is like the outside because we don’t always accept what we don’t see. When I first went inside the Gage Family Art Gallery exhibit, I saw red caution tapes circle around a girl shape drawn on the floor. It looks like a homicide drawing. The girl is holding a purse on one hand above her head. The girl shape was colored in with a designer purse design in colors brown and tan. In fact all four objects have the brown and tan designer purse design, except for the blue chicken. The second was the “Trash Can.” It is a trash can that looks like it was tipped over and fell on the floor spilling some trash out. The third was a wall of egg cartons colored brown and tan designs. Rows of white eggs sit in the decorated egg cartons. A blue chicken wearing black sunglasses and a brown tan designer purse around it’s neck. He sits in the middle of the wall looking cool standing on a board. The fourth is a white toilet surrounded by a bunch of toilet paper rolls. The paper wrapped around the toilet paper rolls were the brown tan design.
I liked both exhibitions. It’s cool how Lucia Hwang uses designer patterns to turn materials and objects to be viewed differently. Pixel and Pen is unique because it’s works shows the importance of change and how it could affect us.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Hennepin County Library
The theme for The Precious Object gives the viewer a reaction of wonderment and at the same time delight with amazement. Charles Wilson Peale’s artworks at Peale’s Philadelphia museum inspired the art room at the Hennepin County Library. Charles Wilson Peale’s created his artworks to give his viewers contemplation, amazement, delight, and wonderment. Each of the artist’s artworks in the Cargill Hall was unique because they each made their artworks by hand. Some of the artworks are taxidermies of animals like the snake and duck. Others are paintings, collages, handmade items, and ranges in size from life size to small. Displaying these artworks at the Hennepin County Library is the perfect place because the library is a place where imagination and learning develops the mind. The artworks give new imagination to the viewers when they see an exhibit they never saw before. Each of the artist’s artworks in the Cargill Hall is unique.
The artwork “Mimicry” made by the artist Alison Hiltner is a mixed media of artificial flowers. The flowers are ball shaped with pink to red petals and all sizes from big to small. The flowers have green spider leg vines that are arranged so that they look like they are growing on the floor and on the column in the room. I like the artwork because the artist has a creative imagination. She can bring life to beautiful flowers by making them look alive and real.
Alison Hiltner’s artworks can be found at the URL below:
http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=243301#
The artwork “Painting Painting with Van Der Weyden” made by the artist Margaret Wall-Romana is oil on wood panel. Rogier van der Weyden’s art painting “Deposition From the Cross” inspired this artist’s artwork. Rogier’s painting has Christ brought down from the cross. The artist Margaret sees Christ in van der Weyden’s painting in her own unique creative way. The artist paints a nature landscape to portray Christ’s death and rebirth from Persephone’s dream. The artwork has vines, four leaf clover, budding flowers, butterfly, and dry leaves. She uses colors of dark brown for vines, green plants, white veil or cave, yellow butterfly, a purple and orange flower. All the plants and vines look like they are inside a white cave. Looking through the white cave you see a landscape view of green mountains. I like that the artist has a creative eye, she gives her painting a personal meaning of an inspirational figure and paints it from her own perspective.
Margaret Wall-Romana’s artworks can be found at the URL below:
http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=243324#
www.mwallromana.com
The artwork “54847” by the artist Ginny Maki is made of felt material, thread, and wire. The felt material is white and gray thread is used to sew the material into houses and buildings. There is no roof on them so you can see right through the houses and buildings. Windows and doors are sewn on the felt with gray thread to make them more realistic. There are loose and clumped up gray thread hanging from the felt. The artist hangs the houses and buildings to make them look like they are floating in the air. Each house and building is hung differently. Some twisted, some on their side, and others look broken apart. The artist takes a memory of a place or location and makes a contrast of how the places were conceived and experienced. I like this artist because she thinks creatively. She expresses personal behavior through the homes and buildings.
Ginny Maki’s artworks can be found at the URL below:
http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=243312#
www.mnartists.org/Ginny_Maki
The artwork “Blinded by words” is by the artist Beth Barron. She hand stitched the words on white cotton cloth with white cotton thread. White color dog hair surrounds the rectangular cloth on the sides and bottom. There is a magnifying glass pinned next to the artwork so the viewers can get a closer look or read the white sewn words. There are some brown spots on the cloth to make it look like it was used. The artist is portraying that incoherent words can be blinding. I like this artist because she has a really creative idea portraying the blindness of words.
Beth Barron’s artworks can be found at the URL below:
http://www.mnartists.org/article.do?rid=243306#
http://www.mnartists.org/Beth_Barron
Cesar Pelli is a creative architect. The architecture of the Hennepin Library is in the shape of a rectangle but when you go inside, it is a triangle. You can reach each floor by elevator, escalator, or stairs. When you get to each floor you can see the outside traffic and people. There are hallways or bridges on every floor that you can take to reach the other side. The Hennepin Library is the perfect place for studying, reading and to put an art exhibit that can let the viewer use their imagination and at the same time create wonderment.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a three floor building that holds all kinds of fine artworks from all over the world. The museum shows historical artworks from Africa, Asia, Egypt, Rome, Greek, Pacific Islands, America, and Europe. The museum displays jewelry, weapons, paintings, sculptures, furniture, and many more objects from all different cultures and places.
One of the five objects I chose is from Egypt. I find the “Cartonnage of Lady Tashat” dated 1085-710 B.C interesting. I chose it because the hieroglyphs inside the coffin and outside the cartonnage were colorful and has symbolic meanings. The hieroglyph on the wooden coffin tells us that the mummy’s name is Teshat. She is the daughter of the treasures of the temple of Amon at Thebes. She died in her late teens. The cartonnage is painted to represent Teshat’s face. The coffin is made of polychromed pine. The cartonnage is varnished linen and painted. I learned that ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife. The body of the deceased was preserved using the process of embalming or mummification. They wrap the body with linen bandages and use the cartonnage to enclose the body. They use plaster and linen to mold the body and it gets painted. This process ensures the survival of Ka and the body is preserved as the Ka’s eternal dwelling.
The second object I chose is from Africa. It is the Palm Wine Cup from the 19-20th century. It is a wooden cup that has a carved head where wine can be poured in and a carved foot on the bottom of the cup so it could stand up when set down. I liked it because the cup could stand up on one foot. I learned that palm wine is a popular festive drink in Central Africa. People like to use beautiful carved wooden cups to drink their palm wine especially important people.
The third object I chose is from Islam. It is a gold Lion Statuette made by the artist Hispano-Moorish from the 11-12th century. It is a beautifully decorated small golden lion that caught my attention. It is decorated with filigree and fine gold granulation. I learned that Islamic gold objects are rare and are made in the homes of taifa aristocrats.
The fourth object I chose is from China. It is an incense burner made of green jadeite from 18th century. It is in the form of a Ting vessel. I liked it because the green jadeite is beautifully carved with floral designs and dragons. I learned that the floral designs means longevity and the bats are for good fortune and happiness.
The fifth object I chose is from Japan. They are three painted scrolls during the Kamakura period. It paints three deities Futen, Bonten, and Nichiten in colored ink on silk. I like it because it is colorfully painted and each scroll has its own symbolic meaning. I learned the deities are celestial beings that originated from Hindu gods. China introduced them to Japan and it was adopted into Buddhist pantheon to serve as guardians for the heavens, earth, sun, and moon. The scrolls are used in rituals for New Years or displayed on walls of the Imperial Chapel.
The Dia de los Muertos ofrendas were made by students from El Colegio urban based magnet school in Minneapolis. The purpose for making ofrendas altars are to honor those who have died. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition that is celebrated every year because they believe that their deceased families return to visit the living relatives. The altars are a form of artistic expression because each student makes their ofrendas differently and they have their own artistic reason to what their ofrendas is for. Some students make the ofrendas for deceased family members and friends. Other students make the ofrendas to represent death as part of the Mexican tradition and culture. I like that one student made her ofrendas to respect all the women who have been abused. Students offer the deceased things like food, mementos, music, and pictures. Skulls are used to symbolize that death is a natural part of the life cycle.
The exhibition “From Towers to Teakettles: Michael Graves Architecture and Design” are works from the artist Michael Graves. He is a world known artist, designer, and architect. He designs kitchenware for Target and he design part of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He started his works in the 1960’s when he was a student at the American Academy in Rome. The teakettles, chess game, toaster, and many more objects are made in classical and modern art using color and shape to make them interesting to look at. His architectural designs are humanism. He uses a variety of shapes in his architectural designs such as squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles. Michael likes Renaissance art and architecture and he uses columns, porticos, rotundas in his architectural designs as well.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is beautiful with its large wishing fountains and elegant art pieces. The second and third floor of the museum is big and the first floor is smaller. Each exhibit is organized separated by rooms. Some exhibits take up more rooms than others because the artworks are bigger and there are more. I like the artworks that were displayed at the museum. It amazed me how artistic artists were in how they could use natural resources to make beautiful art like the Egyptian hieroglyphs walls, weapons, and jadeite sculptures. I enjoyed going to M. I. A. and I would go there again.
One of the five objects I chose is from Egypt. I find the “Cartonnage of Lady Tashat” dated 1085-710 B.C interesting. I chose it because the hieroglyphs inside the coffin and outside the cartonnage were colorful and has symbolic meanings. The hieroglyph on the wooden coffin tells us that the mummy’s name is Teshat. She is the daughter of the treasures of the temple of Amon at Thebes. She died in her late teens. The cartonnage is painted to represent Teshat’s face. The coffin is made of polychromed pine. The cartonnage is varnished linen and painted. I learned that ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife. The body of the deceased was preserved using the process of embalming or mummification. They wrap the body with linen bandages and use the cartonnage to enclose the body. They use plaster and linen to mold the body and it gets painted. This process ensures the survival of Ka and the body is preserved as the Ka’s eternal dwelling.
The second object I chose is from Africa. It is the Palm Wine Cup from the 19-20th century. It is a wooden cup that has a carved head where wine can be poured in and a carved foot on the bottom of the cup so it could stand up when set down. I liked it because the cup could stand up on one foot. I learned that palm wine is a popular festive drink in Central Africa. People like to use beautiful carved wooden cups to drink their palm wine especially important people.
The third object I chose is from Islam. It is a gold Lion Statuette made by the artist Hispano-Moorish from the 11-12th century. It is a beautifully decorated small golden lion that caught my attention. It is decorated with filigree and fine gold granulation. I learned that Islamic gold objects are rare and are made in the homes of taifa aristocrats.
The fourth object I chose is from China. It is an incense burner made of green jadeite from 18th century. It is in the form of a Ting vessel. I liked it because the green jadeite is beautifully carved with floral designs and dragons. I learned that the floral designs means longevity and the bats are for good fortune and happiness.
The fifth object I chose is from Japan. They are three painted scrolls during the Kamakura period. It paints three deities Futen, Bonten, and Nichiten in colored ink on silk. I like it because it is colorfully painted and each scroll has its own symbolic meaning. I learned the deities are celestial beings that originated from Hindu gods. China introduced them to Japan and it was adopted into Buddhist pantheon to serve as guardians for the heavens, earth, sun, and moon. The scrolls are used in rituals for New Years or displayed on walls of the Imperial Chapel.
The Dia de los Muertos ofrendas were made by students from El Colegio urban based magnet school in Minneapolis. The purpose for making ofrendas altars are to honor those who have died. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition that is celebrated every year because they believe that their deceased families return to visit the living relatives. The altars are a form of artistic expression because each student makes their ofrendas differently and they have their own artistic reason to what their ofrendas is for. Some students make the ofrendas for deceased family members and friends. Other students make the ofrendas to represent death as part of the Mexican tradition and culture. I like that one student made her ofrendas to respect all the women who have been abused. Students offer the deceased things like food, mementos, music, and pictures. Skulls are used to symbolize that death is a natural part of the life cycle.
The exhibition “From Towers to Teakettles: Michael Graves Architecture and Design” are works from the artist Michael Graves. He is a world known artist, designer, and architect. He designs kitchenware for Target and he design part of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He started his works in the 1960’s when he was a student at the American Academy in Rome. The teakettles, chess game, toaster, and many more objects are made in classical and modern art using color and shape to make them interesting to look at. His architectural designs are humanism. He uses a variety of shapes in his architectural designs such as squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles. Michael likes Renaissance art and architecture and he uses columns, porticos, rotundas in his architectural designs as well.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is beautiful with its large wishing fountains and elegant art pieces. The second and third floor of the museum is big and the first floor is smaller. Each exhibit is organized separated by rooms. Some exhibits take up more rooms than others because the artworks are bigger and there are more. I like the artworks that were displayed at the museum. It amazed me how artistic artists were in how they could use natural resources to make beautiful art like the Egyptian hieroglyphs walls, weapons, and jadeite sculptures. I enjoyed going to M. I. A. and I would go there again.
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