First visit to the Ball State Museum of Art

Hey guys!

I've decided my next blog will be about the very first time I ever visited the Ball State Museum of art! I first went to the museum roughly 4 weeks ago. Before we went to the museum the class discussed previous experiences in the museum. We went around the classroom and shared our encounters with the museum. This proved to be the moment of truth: the moment when my fellow classmates, the client as well as my teacher would know that I've never actually been to the BSU museum. Of course, I was the only one.

I'm proud to say that I've broken that spell and I have some awesome comments to make about the museum!

First of all, the building is spectacular. Above, is a picture of the museum accompanied by my classmate, Maddy. When I first approached this building I was welcomed by the two staircases that led to the entrance. The entrance is large and welcoming and is accentuated by the entire structure of the building which drew my eyes toward the door. Even the open field, which leads to the entrance provokes me to enter. Although appealing and magnetic, the building is also daunting and has a scholarly vibe to it. If I were not a scholar, I might be too intimidated to further explore the museum.

When I entered the museum, I was welcomed by a large staircase and open sculpture gallery (seen in the picture above). The symmetry, openness and white color was pleasing to my eyes and put me at ease. The large painting at the top of the staircase is intriguing because it does not fit with the style of the grandiose room. It dared me to see what else the museum has to offer. In my mind it screams "Go ahead. See what's next."

A side note about the architecture: it was constantly leading me in a certain direction. It led me from the quad, up the stairs, through the doors, into the sculpture court and up the second set of stairs. I'm compelled to keep following the paintings. The line is never broken and I was never once distracted. The design kept leading me deeper and deeper into the depths of the museum. I was able to get lost in the art, which is a feeling I LOVE.

To continue with the "getting lost" theme, I was never distracted by people. It is somewhat of an unwritten behavior code that we need to be quiet in the art museum. For those of you who know me well, you know this creates somewhat of a problem. However, given the fact that we were exploring the museum independently, I was never told to "Ssh."

One aspect I did find distracting in the museum was the labels. Unfortunately, the labels are necessary because they contain information like the artist's name and dates and whatnot but I found myself searching for labels before discovering the piece of art itself. I also found it interesting that some labels included fun, little stories and some did not. Although the stories were distracting, they intrigued me and sparked my interested even further. I also enjoyed the labels because they tell me what materials were used to create the piece, which is fascinating to me. The materials used are often times extraordinary.

SO!

After FINALLY visiting the BSU museum of art, I was impressed. I've visited several European museums and this museum is comparable to those. Overall, I felt enriched and relaxed after walking through the museum. Not only did this art teach me about culture and history but it also taught me about religion. Walking around the museum inspired me to keep learning and intrigued me to study world cultures. I also felt like my creative juices were flowing after looking through the art. The variety of art at this museum shows me that I too can create art even though I have no training--all I have to do is stick 2 pieces of Plexiglas together, right? (For those of you who have never been to the museum, there is a piece of art that consists of two pieces of Plexiglas that were assembled after being shipped to the museum). It's hard to choose a favorite room. I really do love the museum in its entirety! The architecture and layout of the building is great as well as the variety of pieces on display.

Now that you've heard about the museum, stay tuned for more information about other immersion experiences! Later this week, I will write about my trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Dayton Art Institute AND our visit with the high school art teacher! I have some interesting sketches to include with the latter!

Toodles for now.