Passing my Exams, Dia: Beacon, Boston MFA, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Lubbock, TX, Beacon, NY, & Boston, MA

I'm sorry that it has been so long since my last post, but it feels like my life has been either consumed with studying or speeding by.

From the middle of February through the beginning of March I have been preparing for my comprehensive exams and internship presentation in Lubbock. My week of academic hazing (as one of my professors puts it lol) consists of three days of writing essays in response to questions posed by my graduate committee members, a presentation and question and answer session about my internship experience, and an oral defense of my essays with my graduate committee. It was a long and nerve racking week, but I am extremely happy to report that I passed and will be receiving my Master of Arts in Museum Science in May :)

Now that my exams are over I have time for more adventures. This past weekend I was able to visit three of the places on my list: Dia: Beacon, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Dia; Beacon

If you like art from the 1960s-present Dia: Beacon is the place for you! The Riggio Galleries are housed in a former Nabisco printing factory in Beacon, New York. The building is almost entirely lit from natural light coming through the numerous north windows originally designed for the factory. My favorite pieces were John Chamberlain's sculptures, made from crushed automobile parts, and Richard Serra's torqued ellipses. As you enter Serra's Double Torqued Ellipse you are filled with an unnerving energy as it feels as if the steel walls hovering over you might cave in on you. However, as you make your way through the spiral there is a great sense of relief when you finally make it to the inner opening of the ellipse.

Dia: Beacon

John Chamberlain sculptures

Richard Serra's Torqued Ellipses

Inside view of a torqued ellipse

Below is a link to a video of Serra's installation at MoMA. It does not show one of Serra's spiral ellipses, which I think are more dramatic, but it will give you a better idea of what the experience is like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilWo7eWY73M

During my day in Boston I visited the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The MFA is huge and has some absolutely incredible artworks! They have an entire gallery of paintings by John Singer Sargent, including The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit from 1882. The museum is absolutely massive and it would probably take a week to see everything. Therefore, I limited myself to the American, European, and Contemporary galleries but I saw some really cool art.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

"Behind the Scenes" interactive section

"Behind the Scenes" section exploring painting restoration

Edouard Manet, Study for Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers,
1864, brown ink and brown wash over graphite

Souper Dress, 1967, printed on cellulose and
cotton non-woven fabric (paper dress)

Kara Walker, The Rich Soil Down There,
2002, cut paper and adhesive on painted wall

Chuck Close, Paul IV, 2001, oil on canvas

Pierre Auguste Renoir, Grand Canal, Venice, 1881, oil on canvas

Claude Monet, Rouen Cathedral Facade and
Tour d'Albane (Mourning Effect), 1894, oil on canvas

Jan Jansz, Breakfast Still Life, cira 1637-39, oil on panel

Medieval stained glass window

John Singer Sargent Gallery

John Singer Sargent, detail of The Daughters of
Edward Dareley Boit, 1882, oil on canvas

Thomas Sully, The Torn Hat, 1820

The Isabella Stewart Garner Museum is very unique. Mrs. Gardner designed the building and arranged all of the artworks and objects in the museum herself. In her will, she stipulated that absolutely none of the artworks or furnishings were to be moved in the museum...ever. This museum provides a very interesting experience because it feels more like a home than a museum albeit a very very nice home. There are no labels on the walls, no track lighting, and most of the paintings and prints are not at eye level. The aspect that frustrated me the most during my visit was that in many rooms you could not intimately examine the artworks because there was furniture in front of the pieces, they were hung high on the wall, and/or there was poor lighting. I like to figuratively press my nose up against the artwork to better admire and investigate the piece, but this is not possible at this museum. Regardless, there are some absolutely incredible artworks such as John Singer Sargent's El Jaleo, 1882, Rembrandt's Self Portrait, Aged 23, 1629, and Titian's Europa circa 1560-62 to name a few. This museum is a must-see if you are ever visiting Boston!