Fun: Lifelike Redux

I recently wrote about an exhibit that's currently at the Walker, and how much fun it was to see. One little girl took it a step further and recreated some of the pieces when she got home. The Walker got wind of it and posted on their blog about her project.

The recreation....

...and the original

How cool is that? This is what happens when we let kids embrace their creativity and have fun! You just know that she'll remember going to the art museum and seeing this particular exhibit for a long time, because she got to have so much fun.

Project: Compare and Contrast

Hefty 2-Ply

Veiled Lady

Take a moment to look at these two images.

Seem pretty different at first glance, don't they? What if I told you these two pieces actually have a lot in common? Don't believe me do you? You're probably thinking, "Elisabeth, what on earth does a trash bag have to do with one of the most beloved sculptures at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts? The one is a beautiful marble carving, and the other is literally full of garbage." 

Appearances can be deceiving: that trash bag is actually carved out of marble too, and is currently on display at the Walker as part of the Lifelike exhibit. They may have been created almost 100 years apart, but both of these sculptures have similar techniques and ideas behind them. I didn't even realize this until a friend of mine pointed it out to me. In both works, the artists are showing off their skill by fooling your eye. They're both pushing the limits of the medium, making your brain think it's another material. The Veiled Lady looks like her head covering might flutter in the slightest breeze; Hefty 2-Ply seems as if it's about to fall over or burst at the seams. They're both very much products of their day, created out of the trends and fads of their respective time periods.

And yet these two pieces are also quite different as well. The Veiled Lady was created around 1860 by an Italian sculptor, Raffaelo Monti, known for his delicately carved work. The Veiled Lady seems like she might float away on a strong breeze. Monti's sculpture is romantic and alluring, showcasing the beauty of a woman with a veil over her face and flowers in her hair. His work is part of the Romanticism movement. 

In 1979, the Walker commissioned the American artist Jud Nelson to create a piece for their permanent collection. He decided to recreate a garbage bag filled with trash and spent the next two years carving it out of marble. Nelson is known for making hyper realistic sculptures of mundane things. He makes people see every day objects in a new light. I think his work relates to the ideas in the Pop Art movement.

At first, these two sculptures might not seem like they have anything in common, being created almost a century apart and as part of different art movements. And yet there are many ways in which they relate to each other, not just because they're made from the same material, but also by playing with viewers' perception of what's real.

Okay, so what I just did is known as Compare and Contrast. It's one of the most basic and commonly assigned essays any art student has to write. I did a very pared down version for you, but it's basically the same format whether someone is writing one page or ten pages:

Introduce the two pieces. 

Say what's different about them. 

Now how are they similar? (or vice versa) 

Conclusion. 

Each of those sentences could be a paragraph or a page, it's really based on how much detail you want/need to go into. And you don't have to get fancy or do a lot of research either. I looked up both of these sculptures starting with Google, then moved on to their respective museum websites. I could have gotten pretty much the same information by partaking in tours at the Walker and Minneapolis Art Institute as well. 

The reason I classified this post under the Project heading is because it's easy to replicate and is just as important to art education as creating work. Doing this exercise helps refine thinking and observation skills. It's also helpful for students to reflect on what they know by not just repeating facts. I always found in school that something stuck better when I wrote or talked about it rather than simply studying for a test. 

And this assignment can be adjusted for any grade level and doesn't have to be about ART per say. A kindergartner can say what the similarities and differences are between oranges and apples. Elementary students can paste images on a poster and write a list. Junior and senior high students can do research and write essays of varying depth. From personal experience, college students write 12 page term papers utilizing this same basic idea. 

Your kids could pick two comic book or video game characters, images from an art history textbook, clothing by two different fashion designers, pieces on display in a museum, etc. I think you get the idea. In a nutshell, it's what two things have in common and what they don't and providing some proof to back it up. 

Exhibit: Lifelike

My Mom, my younger brother, Andrew, and I went to the Walker tonight to see the current exhibit, Lifelike. On Thursdays after 5pm, admission is free, so all we paid for was parking (which was only a couple bucks). It's fun to walk through the museum when there's so many families there--it's a lot more fun to hear the kids' reactions to things and to have other people to enjoy the art with.

Lifelike is a perfect exhibit to take your children to. I know the Walker can have "weird" art sometimes and some of their shows aren't appropriate for young kids, but this current one is awesome. It's all about playing with our brains.



A comb leaning against the wall....that's five feet tall. A trash bag...carved out of marble. A perfect replica of a milk carton...seven feet tall.

My favorite piece are the giant folding chairs and table:

Doesn't look that big  in this picture, right? Well, watch this 2 minute video to see how many people it took to get this piece into the museum!



This is a great family friendly exhibition that is really neat to see. Don't just settle for looking at the art in the video, it's way more awesome to experience it in person. It's fun trying to figure out what things are made out of, how the artists were able to create their pieces to look so realistic.

Lifelike runs through May 27, 2012. To plan your visit, find directions, and other information check out the Walker's website: www.walkerart.org

Video: Graphic Design - Now In Production

Here's a video overview of the current exhibition about graphic design at the Walker here in Minneapolis:

Video: Daniel Eatock's Felt-tip Prints

This installation is currently on view at the Walker Art Center through January 22, 2012. I thought it was such an interesting way to make a "drawing." Your kids might like to try to recreate it on a smaller scale.

Field Trip: Walker Open Field

The Walker inaugurated Open Field last summer, and it was a huge hit. Unfortunately I never let you, my lovely reader, know about it until it was pretty much over. This year I thought I'd give you a little heads up so you can work Open Field into your summer plans. It's free, it's fun and there's something for everyone.
I wrote about one of the Open Field activities last August. I'm not sure if they'll be doing the Scavenger Hunt again this year, but I hope so. 

My favorite event was the weekly Drawing Club, held right outside the Walker's doors:
"Come doodle, sketch, or paint during weekly sessions hosted by local artists to add to a pool of collectively created artworks. Art supplies are provided on large tables in shaded areas of the outdoor Open Lounge. Start a new drawing or select one in progress from the table. Slide it back into the pool, pass it around, and alter, edit or amend it until the group declares it complete. All ages, abilities, and aesthetics welcome."
I tried to go as often as I could, because I had so much fun. They provide all the materials--you provide the artwork. All kinds of people show up, you're outside enjoying the sunshine, you get to take part in a community art project, and you might make a few friends along the way. It was cool to go back every week and see drawings I'd worked on before be changed and transformed by others' ideas. At the end of the summer, they put all the completed pictures into books and those are now in the Walker's permanent collection.
So you could make a day of it: Have a picnic on the hill overlooking the Sculpture Garden, followed by some artsy fun with Drawing Club, then cool off from the summer sun afterward as you wander a few galleries. All for the price of parking for a few hours in the Walker parking ramp, which is quite reasonable (bonus: it's a short walk back to your vehicle at the end of the day, and your car doesn't sit and bake in the sun all afternoon).

This year, they've changed Drawing Club to Thursdays 2pm-7pm, which is nice, because the Walker is free after 5pm on that day. The rest of the week you do have to pay to see the galleries (which can get a bit pricey when you have multiple kids in tow).

Field Trip: Sculpture Garden Scavenger Hunt

I love the Sculpture Garden in downtown Minneapolis. It's so much fun to wander and people watch, especially on a beautiful summer day. The Spoon and Cherry is one of the most photographed landmarks in all of Minnesota. If you do it right, you can take a picture where it looks like you're licking/eating/holding the cherry. Of course, it looks pretty silly to passersby as you contort yourself to get that perfect shot...but at the end, you have a great picture and fun memories! The art in the Sculpture Garden is cool enough on its own, but you can also take part in tours of it offered by the Walker Art Center, located right across the street. A new activity to try this summer is the Sculpture Garden Scavenger Hunt. I'll just let the press release from the Walker tell you about it:

"This summer, the Walker Art Center offers a new way to enjoy the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden with a text message-based Digital Scavenger Hunt. Using a cell phone or smart phone, participants text LETSPLAY to 22771 to receive their first clue based on a Garden artwork. The scavenger hunt is part of the Walker’s summerlong Open Field initiative, an open call to people of all ages to come together to experience the Walker, the outdoors, and culture in new and unique ways. Scavenger Hunt players who successfully answer all seven clues will receive a free treat from the Open Field Bar & Grill by Wolfgang Puck. 

Participants do not need to be in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden to begin their scavenger hunt, however, once the sculpture is identified, the response to the clue is a unique code located on the artwork’s label. Each new clue is sent upon successful identification of the previous sculpture. Clues may be hints as to what a sculpture looks like or the materials used in its creation. The Digital Scavenger Hunt is designed for the novice art lover making it an appealing activity for families with children of all ages. The hunt can be completed in a single visit to the Garden—usually in 30 minutes—but can also be played over several days by continuing the game from a previous visit. The hunt runs through September 5, 2010, when Open Field concludes. 

The Walker’s Digital Scavenger Hunt is free; standard text messaging rates apply."

A picnic in the park would be a perfect addition to your scavenger hunt. I recommend the green hillside right behind the Walker. You get a great view of the Minneapolis skyline, and your kids can have fun rolling down the hill.

I would also suggest going on a Thursday afternoon this summer, then you can take part in the free activities offered at the Walker. I go to their Drawing Club every week and it's a lot of fun. They also have a cabinet that you can check out games and umbrellas from for free! Every week there are different activities you can take part in. It's a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.

The Sculpture Garden is free, but you do have to pay to visit the exhibits at the Walker. There's some street parking by the Sculpture Garden, but Monday-Friday you're only allowed to park there for an hour during the day. I prefer to just pay the few dollars and utilize the Walker's parking ramp. Four dollars isn't a bad trade off for an afternoon of free activities. I don't have to feel rushed and can take my time strolling through the park or finishing my artwork at Drawing Club.


Edit 8/12/10:
My younger brother, Andrew, and I tried the scavenger hunt today. It took us a little less than half an hour, and that was walking slow. There were eight sculptures we had to find, and the clues were pretty easy for us to figure out because we're familiar with the sculpture garden. I suggest exploring the park a little bit before doing the scavenger hunt, although the clues do tell you what direction to go in. Not only do you have to find each sculpture, you also have to find the little plaques that have the code you text to get the next clue. That was the only thing that was hard to find sometimes--the plaques sometimes are right next to the art, but they can also be mounted on a nearby wall with bushes hanging over it. After completing the scavenger hunt, we each got a free lemonade or can of pop from the cafe in the Walker (which was wonderful on a hot, humid day like today!). It was a fun and quick activity to do.