The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in Como

Leigh Rothke perfectly describes the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory as “The Jewel of Como”; I felt like I was walking in a diamond gem. The essesnce of the place gave me a fairy tale feeling as like Cinderella’s glass slipper. In the garden room, even though it was a rainy day, the brightness from outside beamed in the “crystal” windows that surrouded me. The chandaliers looked like intrinsically cut gems. Even walking on the beautilful stone cut paths made it feel like I was in a palace. Easily said the most beautiful green house I have ever been in.

After spending 5 minutes outside in the cold, wet, fat rain, as the woman tried to find the right key to unlock the conservatory door, it was sure nice to walk into the warm palm room. I immediately felt I was in the tropics; which is a nice place for Minnesotans to come get away from our harsh weather reality. The trees stretch up to the talled peak, the dome, of the building. The large palm leaves stretch out across the glass ceilings so the room is a little darker then the other rooms; they feel to be a big blanket holding in the nice warm moist air.

I liked the spice room the most for the education I took away from it. If someone said spices to me I think of my nice spinning spice rack in my kitchen of 5-year-old spices. I forget the exotic places that they come from and what nature provides for us such as food and healing powers. When soaked in water the Annatto plant’s leave help to treat diarrhea, rashes, and swelling while the sees can used for dye in lipstick and flavors.

And of course the sunken flower garden room is spectacular. From the sights to the smell of rich flower aromas. It is an immediate feeling of elegance when walking in the room, no wonder so many people want their wedding here. I like how the room is sunken, it allows the person to walkin and immediately everywhere in the room and the layout of flowers. The bright yellow, fuscia, pink, and lime green flowers immediately brightend up my dreery rainy attitiude. Each color next to the other complements the partners. Two benches were taken by two older couples, just sitting and enjoying the garden- the part I most like about the garden. I could love a beautiful painting, but would not spend 20 minutes staring at it. But here I could easily spend 20 mintues to sit and enjoy the view. It’s artwork that has actual life to it and that you can walk through and under.

Frederick Nussbaumer started a little controversy of creating the mosiaculture gardens (flowers in designed layouts). Some people thought in the early 1900s that flowers should be more natural, not man placed in designs. Today mosiaculture is a big thing. People go to college to master it, enter competitions, and it used throughout cities as decorations. I would much rather see the Rosedale spelt out in colorful flowers than on a fluorescent sign.

The statues add the feeling/theme of elegance, romance, and playfulness to the conservatory. They appear to be enjoying the sights and smells of the building as much as the visitiors. I especially liked Play Days by Harriet F. Frushmouth in 1925. The woman is every so slightly tiping her toe forward, as not to disrupt the fish below here in the calm fountain waters.

References:
Roethke, L & Blodgett, B. Jewel of como: The Marjorie McNeely conservatory. Afton, MN: Afton Historical Society Press.

Lyndale Steet

First I went to go see Momma Said Knock U Out at Intermedia Arts. The exhibit's pieces are from 28 women artists. It focuses around woman power in the hip-hop industry. Its mission is let everybody see a creative message for equal representation. The artists use diverse media including: videos, photography, sculptures, paintings, drawings, etc.





One of art pieces I liked is "Brooklyn Superheros" by Lichiban in 2009. She used mixed media on wood. One shows a fierce woman with blue hair, cat ears, war paint under her eyes, and a sash across her chest that looks like bullets; she stands against an Asian-style background. The second one shows another strong-willed woman, shown by her piercing eyes through big black framed glasses. She is wearing a large white cone shaped hat with a serpent coming out of the front. She is holding a TV with a person wearing a Brooklyn hat in the screen. What attracted me to this was the media used. I like the bright blue and red paints used against a natural wood that is shown through. The women in the artwork caught my eye. I like this artists portrayal of a superhero, two strong woman.


The other piece of artwork is an illustration on a poster hung up with 4 very over-sized push pins. It is called "Colored Fountain" by Chanel Kennebrew in 2008. What attratcted me to this artwork was the powerful message. The title is to resemble the 60s during segregation when fountains where labeled for use. But the illustration shows what a true colored fountain is rainbow colors spilling out of the spout; colors all mixing together. It is a beautiful illustration with a strong message for equal representation.







I really liked the murals all around the Intermedia Arts building. I am in awe of every detail done. Inside a video shows a mural being done. It seems very difficult to draw a portion, step 7 feet down the ladder, move it two feet then crawl back up to finish another section. I liked the colors and the messages that the mural gave. It made me feel like I was walking into an art building. I think it is an important part of the community because it give you a feel of the community style. It lets the community to help and appreciate their daily scenery. It's much more thought-provoking then seen brick buildings everywhere.

Next I went to SOOVAC. They presented the art in a little different way then at the Intermedia Arts. Intermedia arts had three different areas to view art in, although all part of a large room. Artwork was sort of in a layout of different pieces on top of each other. When seeing Greg Gossels Broken:New Works exhibit, every art piece was evenly spaced in one large room.

I really liked Greg Gossels comic book style art. I liked the painting "Runaway" done with mixed media on canvas in 2009. I liked the colors used is it, the black and white mixed with different paint patterns all around. A house is in the background. The woman in the front looks in distress, like the title explaining running away. She is dressed like a homemaker. I like the painting because I can understand this homemaker woman running away from this nice house that probably feels like a jail to her. And a black man is peering over the house, not sure what to take from that, except she always feels watched.

For the exhibit by Amy Rice Don't Worry, I have a map: New Works I liked the painting on wood "Future Cafe". I like this painting just because of the small personal things in my life, and thought it would be cute in my house. I like ducks, so I like the duck on top of the camper. I used to go camping in a similar looking camper when I was younger. Again, I like the look of natural wood that the artwork is on. And I liked the saying on the chalkboard, "Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower". It seems many people dread Fall because of winter to come, but this makes someone to think to stop to enjoy fall. (Image from www.soovac.org)

The Museum of Russian Art

Photographer to the Tsar: Revealing the Silk Road
In the basement of The Museum of Russian Art are photographs by Sergei M. Prokudin-Gorskii. The photographs caught me by surprise, they were in color! Yes, these photographs from the late 1800s-early 1900s were in color, which I don't think I have ever seen before. Another surprising feature was that the photographs were illuminated from behind. The color in the photographs and the lighting behind them enhanced my experience at the museum. I would have not looked at a picture the same way if it were in black and white, plus the lighting made the colors so vivid. The colors help to understand the Russian scenery, clothing styles, and building architecture. The colors make the details pop out in the photographs that would otherwise blend in with the grays.Such as in the "Fabric Merchant" a Russian man is sitting in front of his store of vibrant colored fabrics. Color allows the viewer to see the brightly colored and detailed buildings or simply seeing that the sky is clear and blue or white on a cold winter day. In "Baiga", thousands of people are coming down a tall sandy hill. The color helps to spot all the people present to emphasize how many people are really there. While I do like black and white photography. These colored prints helped to capture important aspects of Russian culture and life.


I enjoyed all the rest of the artwork in The Museum for Russian Art. I liked that the viewer can understand what the artists are trying to portray. They show everyday life such as a sailor on his boat, a man just finished plowing with a smile on his face, a woman carrying her child down a busy street, and a child playing with a new toy. My first favorite painting is "First of May Celebration" done with oil on canvas by Yuri Pimenov in 1950. The picture signifies the importance of the International Workers Day and symbol of Moscow's growth. Red flags were are hung in the major cities in celebration (TMORA didactic).It struck me because it is a large painting displayed on its own wall. It features two women in overalls standing on the side of a building high above the bustling streets below to hang a bright red flag. The painting is displayed so it almost feels as if I were standing on the same ledge as them. I like the blending of grays and blues then my eye is drawn to red flag blowing high above.

The second painting I liked is "Unmade Bed" done in 1986 with oil on canvas by Mai Volfovich Dantsg. Again the large size of the painting caught my eye, almost covering a wall. The painting appears to be the room of a bachelor. A gray unmade bed with a phone on a stool next to it. The center of the painting is done in deep red and oranges. Outside is black and midnight blues. In the close left corner of the painting is an unorganized desk with a cigarette still burning in the ash tray. The desk chair has a suit coat hung on the back. The window is open, the wind blowing the curtains, outside is the patio (leading me to believe its above a busy metropolitan street). I liked the modern feel to this painting. The use of cools blues and grays to hot reds and oranges. I could see this painting hanging in a modern males apartment loft in Minneapolis. I wonder where character in the painting is, I imagine he is just about to return due to the open window and still burning cigarette.


I also really enjoyed "Milkmaids" by Niloalai Baskakov done in 1962 with oil on canvas. It has a midwestern feel to it. It caught my eye because it immediately put a smile on my face. It features three milkmaids on their break relaxing on the grass next to a wooden shed and fence. One milkmaid has a large grin across her face, the other two are laughing so hard they probably have tears in the eyes. Cows are grazing in the background. I wish I had a cow decorated kitchen and a smaller version of this painting to hang in it.


The TMORA Building


The Museum of Russian Art was once a church building. The layout of the building is beautiful. I liked the wooden loft ceilings and the arches in the doorway. Voices echo throughout the building. I could envision singing choirs echoing all throughout the chambers. The glass railings add to the overall openess feeling. Downstairs, with the dark blue walls and dim lighting, was perfectly fitting for the illuminated photographs to flash the vibrant colors right in your eye. The artwork in the museum is so beautifully done, it feels only right that it would be placed in a beautiful building to suit it.

The Northern Clay Center

Patti Warashina


One of the featured artists at the Northern Clay Center is Patti Warishina. Patti is a Japanese-American born in 1940. As a young child she lived through the discrimination of being from Japanese descent during WWII. She was not brought up to create art, is was not a functional occupation, but she went to college mastering in arts and jewelery. The gallery featured about 11 of ceramic figurines she created. The beautiful figures perfectly crafted with smooth curves and lines. All of them are partially colored with black and a primary color, with straight lines in geometrical shapes. Warashina liked primary colors and used color to express thoughts in her head (Warashina, 2005).Most of the figures gave a happy vibe to me and I thought were cute. Such as the one titled, "Is this yours?". Showing a girl asking a bird if the egg she is holding is hers. Another playful one is of a girl playing ball with a dog titled, "Dog with Two Balls".

Some other pieces may reflect a tougher time of when she was growing up. The gallery features four drawings by Warishina. "Marine Dream" Features people underwater, planes in the sky, and red lillypads (perhaps representing blood). One girl has her head above water and is holding onto a flower in her right hand. The ceramic figurine "Bottom Feeder" appears to be the girl with her head above water. A blue fish is at her feet. Black painted lines on the girl represent the water going up to her neck. And in her left hand is the similar flower. During the 40s many Japanese Americans tried to forget their ancestry to become "Americanized" but Warashina did not suppress her heritage.

Ron Meyers
Ron Meyers is also featured at the Northern Clay center. He created more functional pieces such as mugs, platters, kettles, and jars. The form of his ceramics looks more rigid. Lines are not straight and sides are not symmetrical; appearing as if an amateur designed them. The painting designs on the ceramics are done in earlthy colors and are mostly of teethy woodland creatures. The paintings/drawings on the pieces look quickly done in freehand; perfectly matching the form design of the pieces. While the art first appears unfinished, it has a rustic charm. A darker side to the Disney woodland creatures.

College Bowl II/09
This exhibit was really interesting to see. It featured creations from college students across Minnesota. I particularly liked "Sugar Suite" by Krista Erickson. It is of a candy decorated gingerbread house about two feet high and one foot long on each side. While the design looks good enough to eat, it amazed me how the artist made such a massive piece without it falling apart. I also liked "Stacked" by Nichole Roberts Hoiland. It features 8 pillars about 8 inches high to look like stacks of newspapers with twine tied around each pile. What I particuliary liked it that when I looked closely at the pieces, the clay was imprinted with real news articles. Such as when sticking silly putty to the comics and seeing the print on the putty.

References
Warashina, P. (2005, September 8). Oral history interview with Patti Warashina. Retrieved October 4th from http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/warash05.htm