Photo By Janecze Wright | The Blanton Museum of Art plans to host Second Saturdays, special events with live...... read more read more
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AUSTIN, Texas — Nothing makes me feel more cultured than visiting a museum. I love seeing the various representations of art and learning about their history.
So, when I discovered the Blanton Museum of Art here, my friend and I decided to check it out.
Walking up to the entrance, I was struck by the beauty of the tall sculptures that tower over the front portion of courtyard.
After a bit of research, I discovered that the three-story petal-shaped art installations, designed by Snohetta, are a recent addition to the museum to help revamp its curb appeal.
The “Petals,” as they are affectionately called, were added as part of the museum’s revitalization project, which includes the new Moody Patio — a sprawling event plaza shaded by a dozen of the towering art features.
The outside was so impressive, I couldn’t wait to see the inside. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the Blue Star Museums program provides free visits to museums all summer long for service members and their families.
Walking into the gallery, I was equally impressed with its beauty. The walls were an opulent blue ombre and a beautiful large sculpture, “Siphonophora” by Thomas Glassford, hung from the ceiling.
The museum has two floors that house several genres of art to include modern, contemporary, European and Latino, and holds the largest public collection in Central Texas with more than 21,000 objects.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t see them all, but I was drawn to a large mural that depicted a historical figure that transcended the early 20th century. “Madame C.J. Walker,” by Sonya Clark, depicted a 10-foot portrait of Walker, the first female self-made millionaire, made entirely of plastic hair combs. It was one of my favorite pieces in the musuem.
I was equally intrigued by Cildo Meireles’ “Missao/Missoes [Mission/Missions] (How to Build Cathedrals).” The work is constructed of 600,000 coins, 800 communion wafers, 2,000 cattle bones, 80 paving stones and black cloth draped around the entire structure. To see it is to appreciate it.
The Blanton Museum has so many intriguing pieces, multiple trips may be needed to see them all.
Thankfully, the Blue Star Museums program makes it possible for military families to visit museums nationwide, as many times as they like now through Sept. 4.
This summer, the Blanton will introduce Second Saturdays, special events with live DJ sets, live music, local food and drinks and poetry from 3 to 8 p.m. every second Saturday.
I’m already planning a second trip.
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.01.2023 11:29 |
| Story ID: | 447856 |
| Location: | AUSTIN, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Blanton proves much more than a museum, by Janecze Wright, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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