(PHX) Phoenix Art Museum

Phoenix Art Museum

Phoenix Art Museum Website

my Photos of The Phoenix Art Museum

My travels take me next to Phoenix.  I know that there is art everywhere I go, and I am glad to seek it out.  This museum was very easy to find and accessible by public transportation from the airport.  It is a small museum, however it does display some great works of art that should not be missed.

Canyon Country ~ Georgia O'Keefe 1965

"Desert Rain God" 

What is always fun about going to a new museum is seeing their current exhibitions.  It is always an adventure and I love to see the creativity of what is displayed and how they introduce the works of art.

The Cape:

"I saw the whole man slowly emerging from the window and begin to craw down the castle wall over the dreadful abyss, face down in his cloak spreading out him like great wings..." 

Dracula, Brahm Stoker 1897

Read My Pins

"Before long, and with out intending, I found that jewelry had become part of my diplomatic arsenal.  Former President GHW Bush had been known for saying, 

"Read my lips".  I began urging colleagues and reporters to "Read my Pins" 

~ Madeline Albright

I was looking to see western art and I was not disappointed.

Last, but not least I came across the very interesting sculpture.  I studied it from many angles, and was intrigued at the amount of emotion others displayed when they were looking at the work of art.  Many people walked by and looked at it with curiosity not knowing what to make of it.  One child that was with a school group asked if the rest of his body is in the white box.  That is what art is all about, making us think and ponder the "where is that, or what is that" question because the answer is different every time to the onlooker. 

(SJU) Museo De Arte De Puerto Rico

After the past few weeks of wintery snowy freezing cold weather, I thought long and hard to where my next stop would be on my quest to visit art museums...it did not take me too long to decide that I wanted to go somewhere warm and sunny.  A book and a beach was my quest.  When I did some research on San Juan, I was excited to see that they did have an art museum of their own, and then the quest was to make the necessary plans to make it so.

With my employment at Southwest Airlines I am able to fly on different carriers on a space available basis.  Southwest does fly to San Juan, however currently there is not a non-stop flight from Boston.  I therefore chose to fly JetBlue, which conveniently had a midnight flight to San Juan.  This worked with my schedule as I was able to get on a plane after working a 16 hour day.

The Museo De Arte De Puerto Rico was about a 15 min walk from my hotel.  Lucky for me on Wednesdays the museum is free and open until 8:00pm.

My photos from the Museuo

Interconnections.

I did not see any Monet's or Van Gogh's in Puerto Rico, instead I saw works of art that depicted the history and culture of the island.  Presently the museum has organized its collection not by artist or timeline, but instead by theme.  Works of art are intermingled that range from current to back to the 1700's.  It is a small museum that packs a punch with minimal galleries.  

"The Battle of Algiers" ~ Antonio Martorell ~ Silkscreen on paper

This is a striking print that caught my eye.   I was drawn to this piece of art because of the emotion in this womans face.  The vivid green contrasting with the black and white pops off of the page and grabs the viewers attention.

Wood Carving for Printing

One of my favorite techniques is woodcarving for printmaking.  Like the German Master Albrecht Durer ( albrecht-durer.org ), a story is told by the carving out of the wood and then transposed onto paper with ink.  It is an art where the image is crafted backwards so as to print forwards.  It is all about the details and the intricate strokes of the cutting tool.  Side by side they are amazing.  On the left is the wood carving, on the right the print on paper.

"En San Juan" ~ Dennis Mario Riveria ~ Self Portrait

Plena

A huge mural made up of 20 masonite panels overtakes the center stage of the 4th floor gallery.  There is so much going on in this piece of art that looking at if for only a short period does not give it justice.  I sat in awe and absorbed as much as I could at first glance.  There is a "map" for interpretation on the side so you can get more out of the meaning of the painting....

"Plena" mural~ gallery

                                      

"Plena" and map of art work

What is Plena?

Between 2 distances

"...the concept of distance and movement, or travel, as unavoidable conditions with the globalized information society..."

Lastly, a sculpture that has whimsy and function that is actually a "working" piece of art was in the basement of the museum.  The display has the bicycles and there is a video of how they came to the museum that is playing next to the sculpture.  Well worth the watch as you will be amazed how well this works!

"Assemblage with 6 bicycles and a wheelchair" Jorge Cordero

Video snap shot

If you get the chance to visit San Juan, take the time to enjoy the art of the island and visit this museum.  It is well worth your time and you will enjoy what you see and hear!