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: Highpoint Editions - Decade One

The Highpoint Center for Printmaking currently has an exhibit on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Here's a sweet little video about Highpoint and the exhibition:

Resources: American Craft Council Library

The American Craft Council (ACC) moved their offices from New York to Minnesota in the last couple years. A loss for NYC but a big gain for the arts in Northeast Minneapolis. The ACC publishes my favorite magazine, American Craft, six times a year; they also put on several American Craft Council shows around the country, from California to Minnesota to Maryland.
But the best part about the ACC moving to Minneapolis is their library came with them. It's free and open to the public 10am - 5pm, Monday through Friday. I love browsing through all the art magazines, some of which I've never seen anywhere else. The library has over 6,400 books, 7,000 exhibition catalogs, 700 volumes of periodicals and a substantial collection of artist files (from letters to images of work to artist statements). Obviously the main focus of the library's holdings is American craft, with an emphasis on works after 1940.

I suggest browsing the Craft Council's very simple and easy to use website. It's probably one of the best website designs I've seen in a long time. They have a great list of links to art magazines, museums and art centers, other craft organizations and schools.

You can search their catalog online or talk to the librarian to help you find what you're looking for. You can call the library at (612) 206-2330 or send an email inquiry: library@craftcouncil.org.

The American Craft Council is located on the second floor of the historical Grain Belt Brewery at 1224 Marshall St NE, Suite 200, Minneapolis MN 55413. There's free parking in a lot right across the street.

(sidenote: there is a long running debate about the difference between "craft" and "art" in artistic circles. Everyone seems to have a different definition. Personally, when I define "craft" I think of something that historically is meant to be functional first and aesthetically pleasing second. When I think of something created to be "art" it seems to me that aesthetics are more considered than any function. Another way I define the two terms: craft = domestic, made for use in the home, whereas art = gallery, created to be viewed and not touched. For example, a hand crafted teapot has a practical use but is also beautiful to look at and can be displayed as a work of art. The traditional studio arts (painting, sculpture, drawing, etc) are made to be put on display, but don't have a functional purpose beyond bringing beauty into the viewer's life)

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).

Resources: Google Art Project

I just found out about an awesome new website from Google. It's called the Art Project and it's amazing. It's like Google Maps but instead of streets and buildings, you can digitally wander around some of the best art museums in the world. I'm really excited about this! Not only can you "walk" through the galleries, you can click on art works to see more detail, zooming in to see individual brush strokes on paintings.
You can search by museum or for a particular piece of art. You can also create your own collections of favorite art pieces that you can then share with others. And you can save close up views as well, if there's a particular part of a work you like or want to show someone else. It's a nice way to set up a lesson plan for your students or browse a museum's collection you might not otherwise be able to see. And please do take advantage of this resource -- some of the most famous works of art in the world are now easily viewable in high resolution for your viewing pleasure.
I found the site extremely easy to use. After watching the intro video and a few minutes playing around, I easily got the hang of browsing through the Art Project. You have to hand it to Google, they know how to design good websites. They've found another good use for their street view technology! The Art Project links to all the museums, so you can easily view more works and find further info on each institution's website as well.
Over 15 museums are currently on board, sharing their art and galleries, and information about the works; more museums will hopefully be added as time goes by. You can read more about the project and see instructional videos here. The Art Project also has a YouTube account that has more videos and links to the museums' videos as well.
Way to go, Google, way to go.

Field trip: Museum Adventure Pass Program

I'm a big fan of free things. Free food? Yes. Free clothes? Sure, why not! Free candy? Absolutely.
Free passes to local museums? Um, where do I sign up?

The Museum Adventure Pass is a program at Hennepin County Libraries where you can use your library card to "check out" free admission to various museums in the Twin Cities area. It's been around for a few years now, and is super popular. Each pass is good for two people (those of you with multiple kids, just have your children use their cards to get more passes). There are a limited number of passes available each week, so you should try to get them as soon as possible. Each pass is good for one week after you get it.
There are a lot of museums (and zoos) to choose from. As of this writing, there are 17 different institutions that take part in the program, from the Minnesota Zoo to the American Swedish Institute to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Some of the places listed are already free, but the passes might give you discounts at the gift shops or restaurants.
The Museum Adventure Pass could also be a cheap date for you and your spouse! You're probably paying for a babysitter, dinner, parking...why not take a stroll through the Walker or get a chance to look out from the Foshay Observation Deck for free?
The cool thing about this program is that it's funded by local companies. Without their support, this kind of thing just wouldn't be possible. Minnesota is a great place to live if you love the arts. There's so much support not just from individuals, but corporations as well. The fact that we have a major art museum with free general admission (I'm talking about the MIA) is just unheard of these days. The Chicago Art Institute's admission for one kid is $12! Take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts. I'm sure there's at least one place on the Adventure Pass list that your child would love to visit.

Resources: M.I.A. Youtube channel

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has its own Youtube channel with over 100 hundred videos uploaded so far. There's videos of specific pieces of art, previews of exhibitions, interviews with artists and museum staff, and much more. The videos can help you prepare for a field trip to the MIA or expand your knowledge of something you saw on your last visit.

This is a great resource for your audio-visual learners. It has that multimedia element that the Internet savvy child should enjoy. They're not wandering a "boring" art museum or paging through a mammoth art history tome, it engages them on another learning level.

Here's a video (part 1 of 2) about the period rooms in the museum's famous Asian art collection:

Field Trip: First Thursdays in NE Minneapolis

Northeast Minneapolis has become a major hub for the arts here in the Twin Cities. There are galleries, art centers, events, festivals, concerts, and more artist studios than you can count. Art-A-Whirl is the huge art crawl in May that attracts thousands to NE, where artists open their studios and sell their work, tons of events go on and it can be pretty overwhelming with all the crowds. I personally enjoy the people watching and wandering amongst the mass of humanity filling all the art buildings....but that's definitely not for everyone, especially if you have kids. It's not very fun trying to herd a pack of children through all the people to see some art and learn something along the way.

If you want to check out the studios and get a chance to talk some artists one-on-one in a more low key setting, I suggest going to NE Minneapolis the first Thursday night of the month. It's quieter, the artists are less stressed, and you can see all the art much easier (and find parking a lot quicker!). It can be a little intimidating to walk into a studio and strike up a conversation with a random artist, but most artists I've met are more than happy to talk. If your kids come with questions and a willingness to listen, they can learn a lot, maybe even see a demonstration of an art process.

This is not a good field trip for children who can't refrain from touching things--even the nicest artist can get upset when the art they've worked so hard on is manhandled by unruly tykes. Although, if you ask nicely and handle the objects gently, there are some who are willing to let kids touch their work. I personally don't mind viewers running their fingers across my paintings because it does feel pretty cool, but it's always a good policy to ask first.

The Casket Arts Building, the Northrup King Building, the Q.arma Building and the Thorp Building all have open studios on this evening. The Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association has a full list of all the buildings that participate, with their addresses, times that they're open and links to each building's website.

My favorite places to go are the Northrup and Q.arma Buildings. Q.arma has a handul of studios on the top floor and in the basement; Altered Esthetics Gallery (where I have had work shown in the past) is on the second level. It has a lot of award winning artists in residence, and you can walk through the whole building pretty quickly. The basement is my favorite floor, with comfy couches scattered around, lots of art on display, and on occasion, a couple of friendly dogs that love to be petted. This would be a good place to check out if you don't want to walk too far.

The Northrup King Building, on the other hand, is a massive, sprawling four stories, with over 200 artists. Not every single studio is open, but there's still a lot to look at. I sped through the whole building one Thursday night in under two hours, but it's more fun to take your time and maybe choose a floor or two to visit. There are maps available, and signs on every floor, because it can get a little confusing as to where you are and how to find the stairs. It's suggested to start on the top floor and work your way down, which I think is a pretty good idea. I enjoy the Northrup because there is so much to see and many artists to talk to.
If you want to check out Northrup and see all the studios, Art Attack in November is a great time to go. There's a lot of events and special exhibits to see that weekend, and artists tend to have more of their art out on display.

Field trip: Minneapolis Institute of Arts

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) is my favorite art museum to visit. I've grown up going there (it is only 15 minutes away from my house). I enjoy wandering the galleries, taking in the centuries of art history. I love visiting my favorite pieces every time I go--they're like old friends now, offering inspiration whenever I have artist's block.

For many people though, the MIA is not a familiar place, and is in fact a confusing one to visit. It can be overwhelming taking your kids there. What to see? How long should we stay? What's there to do? How do I keep the little ones engaged and not ready to leave within 15 minutes? I have a few suggestions for you, to make your visit to the MIA fun and informative.

The museum is always free, except for a couple galleries that have special exhibits. There's on street parking, and two parking lots that are free for museum visitors. I suggest not going on Fridays, as that is the day that usually has a lot of school groups visiting. It can be very noisy, crowded and distracting with all the kids passing through. Thursdays are a good time to visit--the MIA is open until 9pm, and they usually have some interactive art carts scattered around the museum. The information desk is always a great place to start--they have maps, suggestions of things to see, and free tours to take. The MIA's tours are really fun and interesting. They have different tours aimed at specific ages (they even have a tour for 3-5 year olds now).

I think the best way to experience the museum is to pick a particular floor or style of art to see. Don't try to see everything in one go--it just gets too overwhelming and mind numbing. I don't even try to see it all when I visit. An hour, maybe two, is a long enough time to see what you want to see, wander a little, and not be tired out.

For the young ones, a great way to get them excited to look at all the art is to have a scavenger hunt. My Mom came up with this idea--count all the dogs you can find in the art. You can also pick other animals, like horses (there are quite a few sculptures of those), or flowers, or boats...something that's not too difficult to find and will pop up a lot from gallery to gallery. Your kids will want to check each painting and sculpture to search for their chosen object. If you have multiple children, have each child pick a different thing to look for. The information desk also sometimes offers activity sheets to fill out, which can guide you through your visit.

The museum has a wonderful website: www.artsmia.org and I highly suggest checking it out before you visit. It's easy to browse, and there's just so much useful information. Upcoming events and exhibits, collection highlights, and educational resources. There's a whole section devoted to teachers, with pictures, lesson and field trip ideas. You can browse the MIA's entire collection online; it will tell you what gallery an object is in if it's on display, and you can see pieces that are currently in storage too. The museum only ever has about 10% of their total collection on display at any given time!

If you do just a little bit of research and preparation before you go, your visit to the MIA can be very rewarding and hassle free. Let the museum do the work for you--they want to share their knowledge with and pass a passion for art to the next generation. It doesn't have to be an intimidating place to visit.

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.