Works of Art

Last week we had some artful experiences. Some of our own making, and some that we appreciated at the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
Neil and the boys invested in some balsa wood and made these bridges. Mark and Jeff made their own designs on paper first and then worked hard to bring their creations to life.

Thursday afternoon we ventured to the Hirshorn to try to appreciate the modern art there. But first we stopped at the Smithsonian Castle to see the loot pile from the movie "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." We watched that movie last week on an Imax in the Natural History Museum--it was pretty fun.

A curator at the Hirshorn tried to help us appreciate the artwork. She said "It doesn't matter what it 'means' to the artist. It is the effect the art has on you that matters." When she saw the kids posing she said, "Now they have become sculpture and part of the art." Hee, hee!

So, here is Mara . . . or is it a sculpture? We liked the bright, colorful art the best. Some of the other art definitely had an "effect" on us, but it wasn't all positive. Confusing, shocking, head scratching all might be better descriptors.

For instance, we just didn't quite "get" the bronze sugar beet pile with faces carved in them. The Big Man was quite shocking too. If you want to see him, you'll have to check out the Smithsonian website. I wanted to keep the blog family friendly. :) We did come away with a better appreciation of contemporary art though. It won't be our last visit to an art museum!