Featuring cherita!


October 19, 2018

Poetry Friday--A Visit to the Currier

The Currier Museum of Art, in Manchester, NH is a gem of a museum. It is small, but it has grown considerably in the past two decades. One of the reasons I like it is because it is do-able in an afternoon, unlike the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which, with it size, and its crowds, I find to be overwhelming.

Last Saturday I attended a symposium that opened the current exhibit, "Myth and Faith in Renaissance Florence: The Sculpture of Giovan Angelo Montorsoli and His Circle." The exhibit is built around Montosoli's "John the Baptist," a terracotta statue of the saint.



I'll share a few more photos I took at the museum--indoors and out, and, ekphrastic cherita to go along with two of them.

Outside, despite the rain, it was colorful due to "The Blue Trees."
The Currier Museum of Art commissioned artist Konstantin Dimopoulos to create an environmental community art installation, The Blue Trees. With the help of community volunteers, artist Konstantin Dimopoulos temporarily transformed nearly 100 trees at the Currier and in nearby Manchester parks by coloring them with an environmentally safe pigment in a beautiful shade of blue. The Blue Trees installation helps to promote awareness of global deforestation, while enlivening the city with this dynamic community-wide art work. The Blue Trees will slowly return to their natural color over several months.
By time I left the museum, the sun had come out and I was able to snap these:



Cherita © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. "Dancers" by Fernando Botero.

Text:

weekend away

inhibitions forgotten
she danced barefoot

it was as if the earth
had sucked the blues
right out her soles


Another featured exhibit is "Ethan Murrow: Hauling."



"Woman Seated in a Chair" by Pablo Picasso and "Spindrift" by Andrew Wyeth:





Now here's a practical piece of art: "Nude Looking Back" by Dan Dailey. It's just a wee bit large for my bedside table, but I wouldn't turn it down if someone offered it to me!


Cherita © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

pile of books to be read

all the scary ones
remain at the bottom

she'll readily admit
that her funky art piece
is really a nightlight


I will probably revisit the Currier soon. I'm looking forward to being inspired!

Please stop by Friendly Fair Tales where Brenda is hosting today's Round-Up.

25 comments:

  1. Since the Currier is too far from me to visit, I so appreciate the time I got to spend there through your blog post. Thank you. I love taking photos of art and art as writing prompt. Your time at the Currier seems like the perfect way to spend and afternoon. And, that first cherita....the blues sucked out of the soles of her shoes...brilliant.

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    1. I'm sure you have a do-able museum near you! I'm surprised at how many little museums still exist.

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  2. Love the glimpse at the exhibition and your poetic responses. I think blue trees would me forget my inhibitions, too!

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    1. The blue trees certainly grab one's attention!

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  3. When my husband and I visit a museum or gallery, he asks, "What would you steal?" I would steal that nightlight. Thanks for the virtual trip to the gallery and your cherita stories to go with it.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your art museum visit with us! Going to an art museum is one of my very favorite things to do. I love those blue trees, and the boat, and the nightlight, and the poems...

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    1. Aside from actually visiting an art museum, I can always kill a few hours browsing through The Athenaeum.

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  5. Wonderful to see all this from your special museum, Diane. Oh, those blue trees are magical. Wonder what people think if they don't know about the installation & simply come across them on a walk? I love that cherita: "it was as if the earth/had sucked the blues/right out her soles". We have some Botero sculptures outside our performing arts complex & I never tire of seeing them. Thanks for every bit.

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    1. I can't wait to see the blue trees after the leaves have all fallen off. And, with a little snowfall they'll probably be stunning.

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  6. Those blue trees! And the blues being sucked right out.. that's the power of art. LOVE. Thank you! xo

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    1. Here's a great quote: "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." ~ Pablo Picassso

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  7. How fun to see some of the Currier exhibits. Love those blue trees (another reminder to vote blue). :) Cool cheritas, Diane.

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    1. Great connection to voting blue, Jama! Thanks!

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  8. There's nothing quite like a trip to a museum to get the creative juices flowing!

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    1. Art inspires more art--it's a great cycle to get caught up in!

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  9. I must be due for a trip to a museum--how inspiring! I love the blue trees and "the earth / had sucked the blues / right out her soles."

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    1. We often forget to take advantage what's in our own backyard, while always seeming to manage a trip to the big city museum when we're passing through.

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  10. Those blue trees are very cool--and how great to include the blues in your poem (both photographically and in your intriguing line.)

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    1. There are a few trees in the neighborhood that had red berries and the contrast with the blue was great!

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  11. Lovely post Diane, thanks for this virtual visit to the Currier Museum. Love both of these light hearted cheritas, especially the first one–the trees are magical too, and I'm glad they will return to their natural color.

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    1. I wonder if there will be remnants of blue on the bark for years to come?

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  12. Sounds like a great visit!
    John the Baptist looks like he means business.
    I was very moved by the dancers and your poem, Diane. And I can relate to the reader in your other poem. *shiver*

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  13. Love that you made art from your trip to see art!

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  14. I enjoyed seeing glimpses of the art from your visit. I love those blue trees. As always, your cherita are delightful and make me think.

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