Stark Museum of Art

My visit to the Nelson-Atkins museum was unlike any of my other visits to museums. First of all, I had a solid purpose for going and found myself paying much more attention to the intricacies of pieces I was viewing. Secondly, due to its sheer size, this museum had a wide variety of art from many different cultures and time periods, giving each hallway and room a different feel. Lastly, I felt much more educated about what I was viewing, when compared to previous experiences. I waited until the…

obviously religious objects out of a ritualized context, just like how Fineup-Riordan wrote that at the Seattle Art Museum, they “did not make the traditional distinction between art and culture but presented [the Yup’ik] masks simultaneously in context and lighted as works of great art.” Ultimately, as Crispin Paine would argue, these objects became “sacralised” as they entered the museum space, acquiring “a new meaning, a new value, a new personality.” In the ROM, these items have…

of New York City. She attended the School of Visual Arts, New York, in 1987-88, but it wasn 't until 1991 when she received her BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, Washington, DC. Eight years later, Donavan went back and earned her Masters of fine arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her first show at Hemphill Fine Arts, in Washington, DC was a huge success and inspired her to quit her bartending job and solely focus on art. Donavan has been represented…

Contextualizing Egyptian funerary rituals at the Nasher Art Museum Although the Egyptian empire lasted over 3000 years (3150 B.C-30 B.C), archaeologists often study the region and culture of the New Kingdom (1549–1069 BC) due to its relative prosperity, mythological intricacies, and ideological innovation. During this period, the Egyptian dynasty was at its zenith, spreading from present day Syria to the eastern edges of present day Eritrea with heavy population densities near the Mediterranean…

States on September 11, 2001, destroying the twin towers in New York and killing over three thousand people and threatening the American homeland as it has never been threatened before. On April 27, 2006, construction of the Freedom Tower and the museum began. “By laying this magnificent cornerstone of hope, we are sending a message to the people around the world that freedom will always prevail” (Reyes 28). “Symbols help us make sense of the world” (Townsend N.P.). The Freedom tower is a…

The San Diego Museum of Art has a fascinating and eclectic selection from around the globe. On my tour, a number of pieces caught my eye and really resonated with me. The Coney Island exhibit captured the ambience of America’s playground, bringing observers back to its heyday in the first half of the 20th century. Among the artwork, I took particular note of Wonderland Circus Sideshow, by Edward J. Kelty, owned by Ken Harck. This 1929 film photograph illustrates the bustling scene on the…

of the eagle and the cactus, pointing to the surface hybridity. Curator Katzew attests to the hybridity that goes beyond what meets the eyes, “The technique, which is inspired by Asian decorative arts, imparts a brilliant luminosity to the works due to the iridescence of the shell fragments.” Mexican art was shaped by adopting and later adapting foreign work, either in an attempt to get a close version of the original or to create a new style, completely their own. Mexican artists were inspired…

choice. The short art history based study abroad trip became not only about my quest to visit as many museums as humanly possible but to also find, in my opinion, the perfect Flat White. Coffee shop hopping was the best way for me to spend my weekends and allowed me to genuinely experience London. I didn’t confine my coffee quest to the weekends, however, every day of the week I had at least three cups of coffee from different locations. Visiting the countless galleries and museums within London…

the more complete Holocaust. Museums thus struggle with the issue of trying to decide how to represent the Holocaust and encounter the dilemma of trying to decide what information to include and what to omit. Los Angeles is a prime example of this struggle because they have two Holocaust museums, only a few miles apart, which have completely different backgrounds and motives, therefore leading them to represent the Holocaust in very different ways. The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust,…

It can be perceived that empathy to the environment and people can be related to buildings or a city. One of the examples that can be considered as key embodiment of such empathy is in downtown Los Angeles architected by Frank O. Gehry, i.e., the Walt Disney Concert Hall. An intelligent strategy of inclusiveness and hybridization is led by the micro and macro design of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. With its skyscrapers stretching to the side and with the central business district, on the edge…