Museums and Galleries

The art viewing experience was definitely different for all the venues we visited. We started with the museums, and the AIC was a bit overwhelming at first. There wasn’t going to be enough time to see everything at the AIC, so picking which exhibitions we were going to visit was important. Some of the galleries within the museum were packed with people, and sometimes it was hard to get close to what you wanted to see. Where it was crowded, I felt bad looking at something for a long time with others waiting behind me. The Cultural Center wasn’t crowded at all, so we could spend as much time as we wanted looking at the beautiful structure of the building.

            It was such a beautiful day, so walking around Millennium Park was a great experience. The Bean is always an interesting and fun site to visit; I like watching people take crazy pictures in the reflection of the sculpture. There were a few other outdoor installations there as well.

            I liked visiting the galleries because I could spend a lot more time looking at the work and reading about the artists. Each gallery had a different atmosphere, but they were all generally quiet inside. There was one that we visited where I definitely did not feel welcome. Even though we were quiet and appreciative of the artwork, the woman working there did not seem pleased to have college kids in her gallery. Despite that, visiting the galleries was a good experience overall.

I wish that there had been more time in the day to go to more places. Next time I go to Chicago, I want to see the Museum of Contemporary Art and spend more time at the Art Institute.

People were gathering to go on a segway tour in front of the Art Institute. 

What a fun way to see the city!

These suits of armor were featured in the AIC's Arms and Armor exhibition. The designs in the metal were incredibly intricate, and they looked so heavy! I'm amazed people used to walk around in these things. 

Goofing around on the massive spiral staircase in the Art Institute.

I liked the face on this little dragon sculpture, and how the artist used curved lines in all parts of the sculpture.

 I forgot to record the title of this piece, but the color and symmetry got my attention. It isn't a very large work, but the details are incredible. The shading in the folds of the clothing is nearly perfect.

Again, I don't have the artist information for this one, but it stood out as soon as I walked in the room. It's size alone is impressive. 

  We spent a lot of time in this section of the AIC. There were a lot of very old sculptures about this size in a big room. I can't imagine how much time it would've taken the artists to carve such intricate figures. Lizzie and Holly demonstrate some of the poses from the sculptures. 

In the Prints and Drawings section of the AIC was an exhibition featuring illustrations created during or about war and combat. The high contrast in the face on this one got my attention.

Claude Monet Water Lilies, 1906

Sarah on the staircases in the Cultural Center.

All of the arches, ceilings, floors and walls in the Cultural Center had inlaid designs on them.

I tried to get a better shot of the detail in the ceiling, but this picture doesn't do it justice.

This piece must have been installed relatively recently because I had never seen it before. You could see the giant Marilyn from a good distance away.

This piece is by Jaume Plensa, and it was featured at the Richard Gray Gallery. I learned there that he also designed the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.

Someone was nice enough to take a picture of all of us by Plensa's sculpture.

Philip Pearlstein Models with a Wooden Airplane, 2005

The Valerie Carberry Gallery featured work by Philip Pearlstein and Ellen Lanyon. 

This is the KM Fine Arts Gallery. I loved the work in this gallery, we spent a longer time here than in the other galleries. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the artwork, but you can see it if you visit their site. 
http://www.kmfinearts.com/html/information.asp

This piece was in Millennium Park. The face would change its expression periodically. A few minutes after  I took this picture the woman was smiling.

The beautiful day at the park is reflected in the Bean.

Lizzie, Holly and I reflected in the Bean.

The view from the inside of the sculpture.

This picture was taken through tinted glass, so Millennium Park has a bit of a dreamy quality to it here.

Sarah on the bull sculpture outside of the Cultural Center.

I really like this picture of all our feet surrounding a compass that was in the sidewalk. There was art everywhere outside, even under our feet.

The view from the 54th floor of the John Hancock Center.

Our last stop was Utrecht. I wanted to buy everything in the store!