a unique museum experience

We had a very unique and memorable experience today at the Hammond Museum and Stroll Garden located in North Salem, NY.  This gem of a place is located in northern Westchester County and I have been fortunate to have visited the museum and garden once before to take in the art exhibits and walk in the garden.  The mission statement boasts that the Japanese Stroll Garden provides a place of natural beauty and tranquility, to delight the senses and refresh the spirit. It is a place where aspects of Eastern and Western culture can be appreciated through art exhibitions, concerts, special events and educational programs in order to promote global awareness and understanding.  Today the museum was holding a very special (free) event, their 46th Annual Blessing of the Animals and Land. Since we adopted our dog Mel in December, he has brought us nothing but joy and happiness every day.  We thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for him, to receive a blessing along with the land at the Japanese Stroll Garden.  In attendance were several Officiating Clergy providing an Interfaith Ceremony.

Mel taking a stroll in the Stroll Garden before the blessing began with my husband Tom

Posing for portraits by the waterfall

Animals and people being led into the garden at the start of the blessing

The officiants gathered in the center of the the pond at the start to welcome everyone with a Buddhist blessing...as you can see it was a beautiful spring day!

Pets and their owners gathered around the pond.  Many brought their dogs, but some had cats, birds, and even a pet hedgehog was present!

We found a nice place in the shade under a tree

It was very peaceful

Mel even participated in the guided meditation

After the group blessing, the officiants came around and met with owners and their pets to offer each pet an individual blessing.  

We are very grateful for having the opportunity to attending the blessing today with Mel and are so pleased the Hammond Museum provides such unique and diverse events for the community.  Please check out their website to see the upcoming events, exhibits and classes offered.  

spring sculpture series

Last summer when I was teaching a few photography classes at SUNY Purchase I posted photos I had taken on my i-phone of some of the sculptures that adorn the campus there.  When I was walking around Washington, DC this past weekend, my husband and I stumbled upon the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden and I was instantly reminded of the photos I took at Purchase.  Of course I always have my i-phone near by, even though I did have my "good" camera as well, I decided to take a series of photos of some of the sculptures using one of my most favorite apps...the Hipstamatic!

overlooking the garden...cherry blossoms line the upper walkway

King and Queen by Henry Moore

Lunar Bird by Joan Miro...I "heart" Miro's artwork

Tom looking at a de Kooning

Barry Flanagan's - The Drummer

I love how the sculpture starts to disappear into the background of this photo

self portrait ♥

sketchbook in the mail!

My sketchbook is finished and in the mail (delivered in fact...I just checked my shipping confirmation)!  It was a very exciting and exhausting project, but I am so happy I decided to enter and see it through.  I didn't use all the materials I thought I would to create my book (not really all that surprising).  As it was coming together, I actually felt less was more and liked the simplicity of the book and composition of each page as I was designing them.  The photo transfers each took on their own life and no two were the same.  The photos also changed as they became transfers on fabric...which I really love.  Tom helped me photograph the book before I shipped it away so I would have a record of my work since it is now part of the permanent collection of the The Brooklyn Art Library.  Here are a few shots of the book, more can be seen here or if you visit one of the shows when all the sketchbooks are on tour!

Tom shooting my final book!

Can't wait to see all the creative books everyone made on tour!  

Did you enter? Well...there's always next year...OR next up

A Million Photographs...I'm still deciding :) 

storm king art center

My husband and I recently made a visit to the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY.  Nestled within the beautiful Hudson Valley, Storm King is an outdoor sculpture museum that stretches over 500 acres of lawns, fields, meadows, and woodlands.  We had a beautiful day to visit.  It was a warm summer day with lingering clouds, but every once in a while a sweet breeze swept through.  Armed with the map (which was helpful, but could use a little bit of revising), Tom and I chose to walk the grounds to get what we felt was optimum viewing of the sculptures.  For those less adventurous, or when you get worn out (remember the grounds are vast!), Storm King does offer a tram service running through designated areas and also offers bike rentals.  Don't forget to pack a picnic lunch and take advantage of one of the many shaded picnic tables under the beautiful old trees on site (they also have a cafe if you forget your basket!)


I must admit, it was hard to keep "on course".  Everywhere I looked there are sculptures peeking out and beckoning me to come visit.  Some sculptures seemed to blend right in to the environment, some popped right out, and others had a unique balance between the two.  Looking back at my photos, about a month now since we visited, I am eagerly anticipating my next visit to Storm King.   I can't wait to view the sculptures again at a different time of day, with fresh light, and a changed season.  Exciting viewing opportunities await!

this tree/bark sculpture looks so real we were not even sure it was a sculpture at first!

andy goldsworthy, storm king wall

maria elena gonzalez, you & me, platforms are part of an interactive conceptual work

love this: roy lichtenstein's, mermaid

one of the newest sculptures just found a permanent home at storm king, it was actually still being installed and an opening ceremony is being planned for the fall.  zhang huan, three legged buddha

crumpled paper

neuberger museum of art elevator!

I took my class to the Neuberger Museum of Art the other day for a tour of the permanent collection given by one of their wonderful docents.  After, they were on their own to walk through the special exhibit titled Living with Art: Collecting Contemporary In Metro New York.  This exhibit is pretty cool because it is all works of art that are owned by people in the area where we live.  By giving us a glimpse of their personal collections, we almost become voyeurs as we look at what is usually displayed and viewed within the privacy of their own homes.

When we got back to the classroom, one of the students noted of a very contemporary piece, "we don't understand why crumpled paper is art".  This sparked a long, but good conversation with the students about "what and why art is art".  The art in question, was indeed a crumpled up piece of legal paper, inside a plexiglas box, on a white piece of wood.  I mentioned to my students that often times when I see work by an artist that I like, or creates curiosity, or causes me to question, or even arouses dislike, I often write the artist's name down, and later research the artist for more information.  Of course a photograph of the art would be helpful as well, but many museums, including the Neu, do not allow photo taking.  

Artist/Work I googled:
Martin Creed - British artist born 1968
Work of art on view art on view at the Neu - 
Work No. 652: A Sheet of paper crumpled into a ball, 2007

The MOMA has one that is very similar...That is where I got the image below.

work no. 301: a sheet of paper crumpled into a ball

For more information on Martin Creed, check out his website....He's a pretty cool guy, with lots going on.  Crumpled paper is just the start :)