Maybe you recall the "specials" that I blogged about last spring (the first in the series is Mammalogy Lessons, from March 2020). This was when my two children and I did various projects and went on various adventures during the time when they were remote schooling and I was working from home because of the COVID pandemic.
Well it's months later, and our circumstances are much the same. Both kids are still going to school remotely, and I'm still working from home. And we still do some specials! Here is an exciting one we did recently. We put on our facemasks and went out for a socially distanced trip to the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. I loved it, even though it seemed that I was dragged through at high speed by my children who wanted to get home again as soon as possible. (Not because of virus concerns, but because they get to have screentime at 3pm and apparently did not want to risk missing one moment.)
Here's a little bit of what we saw. If you're interested and live nearby, the shows are up for a few more weeks. (They vary, so do check online. Also you can see the shows virtually if you do NOT live nearby--just visit the link above and start clicking. You do need a certain type of browser like Safari or Chrome.)
Ice Shanties: Fishing, People & Culture by Federico Pardo
The Vermont Folklife Center also interviewed members of the fishing community that gathers here. Each shanty photo has an information sheet that includes excerpts from the interview. You can dial a phone number to hear even more audio. (We think this feature might be due to social distancing--you don't want to have communal headphones during a pandemic.)
Ice Visions by Erik Hoffner
Photographer Erik Hoffner noticed that when fishing holes start to ice over, it creates interesting designs, and he has been documenting this phenomenon for 20 years.
In the exhibit program Hoffner writes that he sees these as eyes, galaxies, stars, cells... what do you see? He has also noticed a difference in the way the ice has been forming recently (it has bubbles, like the photos above), perhaps related to climate change.
Overboard by Andy Yoder
Hair Portraits by Rachel Portesi
Through tintypes and other techiques, Rachel Portesi explores identity, commemoration, and mourning through hair. I was interested in her reference to the practice of keeping locks of hair as mementoes, particularly during the Victorian era. Most of the exhibit were much larger tintypes than these, but I was drawn to these little album-type images.
Our Storied Landscape: Revealing the Brattleboro Words Trail by Cynthia Parker-Houghton
Did you know that Brattleboro has a rich literary history? We have an annual literary festival, yes. Maybe you've heard that Rudyard Kipling lived here for a few years. But there is much more! A book has just came out called "Print Town" about the legacy of this place in both writing and physically producing literature. (Did you know the first American edition of Harry Potter was printed in Brattleboro? I just learned that!) You can visit the Brattleboro Words website for information about the book, about local writers and spots of interest, and for an audio tour of the area.
There's also a brochure-type map that you can pick up at various spots downtown, and it is not any ordinary map--it is photographs of a map carved and fired in clay by local artist Cynthia Parker-Houghton. She uses a sgraffito technique that has the look of a woodblock print. It is very cool! In addition to the maps, she created portraits of some famous Brattleboro writers, including Kipling as well as Tasha Tudor, Saul Bellow, and others.
Figuration Never Died: New York Painterly Painting, 1950-1970
Finally, the large gallery that is the front hall of the museum was dedicated to Figuration and Painterly Painting, a New York movement through the 50s and 60s that was a reaction to or evolution from Abstract Expressionism. Artists like Robert De Niro Sr, Wolf Kahn, and Lois Dodd painted actual people, scenes, and objects, which was seen as a departure (or throwback) at the time.
This painting is by Lois Dodd. I was attracted by the "caca d'oie" green color. You can watch a video of her recorded this month in connection with the exhibit: A Conversation with Lois Dodd.
Honestly I had no idea there would be such a wealth of interesting stuff at the museum itself, and online in relation to the work (not to mention the ability to tour the museum virtually if you wish). It seems that the museums and artists are getting better at taking advantage of multimedia experiences, and I like it!
Have you been to a museum lately? If it's a virtual one, will you leave us the link below?
