At the Museum

Carnegie Museum of Art this afternoon with my sister Mary.

This huge sculpture was just inside the museum, opposite the entrance doors

Palettes of Ambition by El Anatsui
Close up
Cropped image to show the bottle caps

Trolls in the Woods -a guest blog

Blog follower and friend Kristin F wrote today sending photos of these giant Trolls sculptures in the North Carolina woods.

The artist is Thomas Dambo from Denmark.

…Large Outdoor park(Dorothea Dix• Park Raleigh North Carolina ) with wooden sculptures made with repurposed wood meant to fade with the passage of time.”

Kristin F. Says “I wanted to comment…they weren’t scary at all…on the contrary, they were all quite calming…especially finding them in the woods.”

*“Dorothea Lynde Dix was a 19th century reformer and advocate for the mentally ill and imprisoned. Her tireless efforts to expose inhumane conditions and champion humane standards led to the establishment of over 30 hospitals in the US and Europe.”

Mother Strong Tail
Dux
Daddy Bird Eye
Dax

Wordful Wednesday

Sign in a gallery at the
Carnegie Museum of Art

Edit April 23

Blog follower dc did the research and shared this info in a comment but I thought it should be in the body of the post

The 4 women artists featured in the Carnegie International are:

Maya Lin: Known for her environmental works and memorials, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Miriam Cahn: A Swiss artist recognized for her powerful paintings and drawings that address themes of gender and violence.
Mona Hatoum: A Palestinian-British artist whose work often explores themes of displacement and identity through various media.
Maja Bajević: A Bosnian artist whose installations and performances reflect on cultural identity and social issues.
This representation highlights ongoing discussions about gender equality in the art world, as noted by the Guerrilla Girls, who pointed out the historical underrepresentation of women artists in major exhibitions.

Steel Town Girl Mural in Braddock

Artist Ashley Hodder painted this amazing mural. It’s on the building across the street from A.Boss Opticians. I was picking up my daughter-in law’s glasses Monday morning.

Cocktails with a Curator Guest Blog

Art Education, Cocktails, and COVID

From my friend Joanne in Florida

Hi  Ruth! 

I received a wonderful book from your sister Mary which reminded me of the creative way the Frick Museum NYC stayed connected to the public during their shut down due to the long pandemic. 

First, the back story. 

During 2020-21, Mary shared a link to a video series that the Frick Museum posted to YouTube.  It was one of their ways to offer a virtual means of communication and keep the museum present and engaged.  They offered sixty-five episodes of a series called “Cocktails with a Curator.”  Each new episode (Friday nights) featured a piece of art from the Frick Collection, paired with a cocktail that “matched” the art.  They provided the recipe, the curator would be online with his/her drink, and spend a half hour providing commentary on the selected masterpiece.  Wonderful way to spend Friday night happy hour, and you can still enjoy all episodes of this award winning series at this link:   Cocktails with a Curator™ – YouTube

Best of Cocktails highlights 15 of the 66 episodes

Audiences under 21 are encouraged to join with a non-alcoholic drink” so Mocktails it might be


And now about the book.  Based on the popularity of the video series, the Frick has produced a volume that presents histories of works of art paired with creatively inspired drinks.  For example, Holbein’s painting of Thomas More, who famously clashed with Henry VIII, is combined with a Bloody Mary (named after Henry’s eldest daughter).  You can find the book here:   

Cocktails with a Curator – The Frick Collection Shop

Thank you Mary, for introducing me to the video series, and for sending me this lovely book.  Cheers to you!

About The Frick Collection

Here’s the book’s cover
Book by Aimee Ng, Giulio Dalvit, and Xavier Salomon
Joanne concocted this classic cocktail

We especially enjoyed the episodes hosted by Xavier Salomon who is now “new Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, Portugal.”

The Eyes Have It

Eye sculptures!

We were downtown in the Cultural District on Wednesday night, thanks to a generous friend who shared tickets they were unable to use. And there we were, right by the eye benches and fountain. We’d just come out of the Theater Square Garage. We photographed the Eye Benches, sculpted by artist Louise Bourgeois.

Kindergarten Interpretation

Responding to Apples. A Guest Blog

Ruth, your recent blog featuring apples made me think of my friend Mary Ann – a wonderful watercolor artist here in Florida.  She is headed to Washington DC in April to accept an award from the National League of American Pen Women, Inc, for her art submission representing the topic of “Apples”.

Founded in 1897, the National League of American Pen Women, Inc. (NLAPW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports and promotes professional women in arts, letters, music, and allied professions. For more information go to National League of American Pen Women, Inc. – NATIONAL LEAGUE OF AMERICAN PEN WOMEN, INC. — Linking creative women since 1897  

Mary Ann Miller is active in the local (Jacksonville) league and created quite an original take on the topic.  She painted “Joie des Pommes” (Joy of Apples) –four scenes influenced by 4 famous artists (Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Cezanne).  An apple hides somewhere in each scene …. pretty clever take on the subject. The scenes are created in 3D and framed in a shadowbox … lots of beautiful little details.

2025 Vinnie Ream Medal Winners – National League of American Pen Women, Inc.

Toyosaurus Sculpture at Children’s Hospital

The colorful sculpture Toyosaurus created by pop artist Renee Dupree caught our attention.

Located at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Toyosaurus: Height 72″, Length 108″, Width 36″, Weight without base 140 lbs., Weight with concrete pad base 440 lbs.
Close up of the toys

The artist says “ describe myself as a POP artist. I chose pop art probably as a result of my retail store in Pittsburgh’s South Side, called GROOVY Pop Culture Emporium. For the past nine years I have been selling collectibles, mostly toys. I have acquired a warehouse of art supplies as a result of many years of collecting and doing business. Most often I use toys in my artwork, and so naturally I would love to construct a toy-covered dinosaur!”

Garage Door Decor

Mural in Lawrenceville by Monstermarblez AKA Chad Parker known for his glass marble creations.

Here’s one article about his artwork and another about his niche of making glass marbles

I was the passenger in my friend’s car. As she popped into the post office, this monster caught my eye