South Florida in March is nice, warm. But rainy and humid, which I wasn't ready for. But I did get to stick my toes in the sand and the ocean, and so it was perfect. Particularly since my friend is so much fun spend time with. We walked and laughed, talked and ate, played with the dog, and hung out with a bunch of her friends too. Great girls' weekend!
Now, if I can just make this my motto.....
Toronto in April is nice too, especially if you don't mind a bit of cool and a bit of late snow. The snow really only stuck to the trees and lawns and was beautiful. Needless to say, that was just fine with me. The couple I was visiting is truly lovely, and I'm so glad I've been able to get to know them. We had lots of bonding time, and lots of museum time! Despite work and home, I seldom do much just now so this was a real treat.
First up, the new Aga Khan Museum. Based on the collection of Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, it's the first museum in North America dedicated to Muslim art.
No photos were allowed in the temporary exhibitions--one of which was a stunning hall of Mughal paintings from India--but the permanent collection is open. And beautiful.
This inscribed shell is gorgeous.
I don't know much about this art, so I don't know if there are big holes in the collection. But I enjoyed it. I also loved the light and space, the display, the text. We all had a wonderful time and were impressed.
Next, some of us went to the Royal Ontario Museum. It's fabulous, but was disappointing. They have, in my opinion, a tough mission, one that blends lots of different things together. And they have a new space which is architecturally challenging. I suspect they also have pressure to display many things. All that leads to cramped and crowded displays where I couldn't quite figure out the sense, why things were next to each other, why some in this room and others in the next, etc. Too bad.
Next day was the Art Gallery of Ontario, where I spied one of our museum's books in the shops, from a show we recently did with them. They had a special show on for the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the New York street artist who died young of a drug overdose. I'd heard of him but didn't really know his work. I liked the show though, particularly the collaborations he'd done with Andy Warhol. It was a tough show, like New York in the 80s.
We had a wonderful lunch there in their amazing members' restaurant, and then some time exploring the Group of Seven and other parts of the gallery. It's a wonderful museum, and I succumbed to buying a new and fabulous agate ring, which is so large it can probably double as a weapon. We then tried to visit the Textile Museum around the corner. Told they were open until 5, they actually were not. It was Easter Sunday, but closing when you tell people you'll be open, without any signs? Not nice. We didn't go back.
I had half a day on Monday before my flight, so I went to the Bata Shoe Museum. Fascinating! Some is kitschy--celebrity shoes--and it's not very big, but I loved learning about the history of shoes from across the world, and how shoes are made in different parts of the world. I also was impressed by the gallery of Native American shoes from across North America.
Fun case with many different specialized styles of shoes, from space boots to snowshoes, and from ice cleats to basketball sneakers.
These are for cows that have been injured. Seriously.
In the Victorian section, talking about how shoes went from being hand-made to mass-produced. Exquisite needlework.
I really liked how they had this gallery broken by the different regions of North America and talked about the different materials, influences, patterns, and uses. If there had been a book I probably would have bought it for our activity centers.
Boot making in Mongolia was one of the focus points for the small gallery on making footwear. Really fascinating little place!
Then my friend collected me so that we could see the Gardiner Museum of ceramics. Another small museum but lovely! They had a special exhibition from the Smithsonian about the Newcomb Pottery Enterprise which was a story completely unknown to me about women's roles in pottery development in the U.S. in the early 20th-century.
Contemporary pottery award winners from the recent competition. Powerful.
And it's always a bit of a busman's holiday for me. These pots are pre-Columbian from cultures that pre-date the Inka. The left is a stingray!
And this little owl is Moche. I was impressed with their early American collections, particularly the good shape the pieces on display were in.
And now I'm back, and getting ready for the big push. The Canadian community project meeting, scheduled for early May in Montreal, has been postponed, so I think that's the end of my travel before the summer, except for a stop to see the family. But spring is glorious in Washington, so there will be no shortage of things to do, assuming I can stay out of the office! Although I was in yesterday (Saturday), I walked in so as to take advantage of the beautiful day and catch some cherry trees. They are peak bloom now, and are all over the city, so while the Tidal Basin is the iconic viewing point, and indeed is spectacular, one doesn't have to fight the crowds to see the trees, and I seldom do. Odds are they will be gone by mid-week, so I'm glad I had the chance this weekend.
With luck, I'll catch a walk one day and try to find the Tulip Library; they should be coming out in force next week and be around for a week or two. I'll also start to think about catching a real break once the big work projects settle.
No comments:
Post a Comment