Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar

The new Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar was deigned by I.M. Pei. He has also designed the pyramid at the Louvre, the East wing of the National Gallery of Art in D.C. and many other museum spaces. The Museum opened in late November of 2008. The museum houses an encyclopedic collection of Islamic art. The Museum of Islamic Art is dedicated to being the foremost museum of Islamic art in the world, and as well a centre of education and information in the field of the arts of the Islamic world.

The building’s austere, almost primitive forms and the dazzling collections it houses underscore the seriousness of the country’s cultural ambition.

Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth

This past weekend I was finally able to make it to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. During my visit I explored the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth.


This exhibit provides visitors with a view of Earth outside of our daily experiences. It does this by providing up close looks at rocks, ice, and other natural objects that one wouldn't typically be able to see. These objects are used to explore and answer five core questions:

1) How Has The Earth Evolved?
2) Why Are There Ocean Basins, Continents, And Mountains?
3) How Do We Read The Rocks?
4) What Causes Climate And Climate Change?
5) Why Is Earth Habitable?

My favorite part of the exhibit was the Earthquake monitoring System. This area provides real time seismic data information from Alaska, Arizona, and Japan. It was interesting to see what these seismic graphs look like. I didn't realize that not only is the earth's crust constantly changing, but it the plates seem to move in a sequence. The charts show a slightly higher vibration occurring at regular intervals at all three locations represented.

I also enjoyed the sections on Rocks and the formation of the earth. The large example of Iron Ore offered at the start of the exhibit was as large as a person. This visualization helps visitors make a connection with the object. They learn that metal not only come from the earth in rock-like form, but they can be quite large. visitors also get to see how the iron looks on the inside.

Unfortunately, the section of the exhibit that focused on climate change was having technical difficulties when I visited. Without the video there wasn't much left for visual learners to take in, as the exhibit relies primarily on written explanations.

The Art of Kathleen Earthrowl

Expressionist Kathleen Earthrowl has been painting about color, movement, texture, line and a sublime serenity throughout her career. Kathleen had her first exhibit in 1996 at the Art League of Houston. Kathleen is now in her 70's and she is still painting daily. She currently has pieces in the Harris Gallery of Houston and The Allen Sheppard Gallery in Chelsea, New York City. She uses color to invoke a sense of healing and calm. People have described her painting as spiritual and vibrant.


To see more of Kathleen's work visit her site, The Art of Kathleen Earthrowl.

Taking Shape: Ceramics on Southeast Asia

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery has an excellent exhibit outlining the process used in Southeast Asia to make ceramic pieces from cooking pots and storage jars.

"Taking Shape presents ceramics made over a span of 4,000 years by women and men living in the region that today comprises Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Burma."

Taking Shape houses approximately 200 ceramic pieces. While this is a very interesting exhibit, one which I would suggest to anyone interested in organized communities and/or ceramics, the most interesting part of the exhibit was how the materials are presented.

The Sackler Gallery is now primarily as an art museum. It focuses on Asian cultures, but as an art museum, as opposed to a cultural museum. Most exhibits are arranged in a similar fashion as any major art museum, which would focus on the visitor seeing the object, while ignoring the other senses. Taking Shape stands out in this crowd of exhibits because it tries to follow the theory of learning through discovery. This theory believes that people will absorb more if they are active participants in the "lesson".

In this case the "lesson" is the information in the exhibit. The exhibit designers ask the visitor to participate in the exhibit by watching and listening to a video showing the actual creation of the ceramics they are standing among. The visitor is then encouraged to touch various ceramic pieces so that they can experience the difference between earthenware and stoneware. Including materials that involve the sense of touch is a pleasant surprise in the middle of the exhibit. It helps to reignite the curiosity that originally brought the visitor into the exhibit. In addition to the use of touch and sound the visitor is given a pamphlet that asks them to "find" specific objects and information in the exhibit.
I personally believe in the learning by discovery theory. Thinking about my own learning style I can't help but see how having multiple senses involved in education has helped me remember various information. To experience an exhibit that follows this theory please visit Taking Shape. The exhibit will be available to the public until 2010.

Recognize!

The National Portrait Gallery is hosting the exhibit "Recognize! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture". The exhibit includes large-scale paintings by Kehinde Wiley, photographs by David Scheinaum, self portrait videos by Jefferson Pinder graffiti murals by Tim Conlon and Dave Hupp, an art instillation by Shinique Smith and poetry by Nikki Giovanni.

"Since its inception in the late 1970s, hip hop has become hugely influential in America. While images of hip hop performers are as pervasive in our culture as the music itself, some visual artists have created powerful images that both celebrate and explore the complexity of this creative form. The six artists and one poet whose work is included in RECOGNIZE! have approached hip hop culture through the lens of portraiture, and, in combination, their contributions highlight its vitality and beauty." Official introduction to the exhibit.

Each artist depicts hip hop from their own unique prospectives. After growing up in the 1960's Scheinaum was inspired by the unity of the hip hop community. Wiley wanted to show that hip hop was more than just entertainment, as it has often been represented. Hip hop is a culture, and a valuable part of American heritage. Wiley shows this by painting portraits of hip hop artists in positions that are reminiscent of Renaissance artists.


The exhibit has been in the National Portrait Gallery since February 8, 2008 and will be available to visitors until October 26, 2008.

The Magic of the Pyramids

For 5,000 years the Great Pyramids of Giza have stood over the desert. They have been symbols of mysticism, power, and prosperity. These great marks of the ancient world have withstood the test of time and have been recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world.


The Pyramids have always drawn the rich and curious to their bases. As a result tourism is one of the largest sources of income for locals. Today, visitors are confronted by peddlers offering everything from trinkets to camel rides. To try to increase the amount of tourists and the enjoyment of their visit the Egyptian government has undergone a $26 million project to modernize the area. This project includes limiting the amount of peddlers in the area, a 12-mile chain-link fence, and organized visits on golf carts.

When commenting on the renovations Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief archaeologist said "It was a zoo. Now we are protecting both the tourists and the ancient monuments."

The project is intended to protect the tourists as well as the pyramids. Visitors were allowed to climb upon the Pyramids from the 19th century through the 1970's. Today visitors are unable to climb on the Pyramids, but they are still able to wander freely through the area. The modernization will help control where visitors are able to go and help preserve the site.

We are giving back the magic of the Pyramids. ~ Zahi Hawass

Recent bombings in Sinai and the surrounding area has raised security concerns for the Pyramids. The modernization project will include security upgrades, such as motion detectors, alarms and cameras around the site.

Museum of Cycladic Art

Located in Athens, Greece the Museum of Cycladic Art is one of, if not the largest single collection of Cycladic artifacts. When planning my trip to Athens it was the third place to see, falling behind the National History Museum and the Acropolis.

The museum was founded in 1968 to house ancient Greek and Cycladic art. During my visit a portion of the Greek exhibit was closed and on tour elsewhere, however the Cycladic exhibit was open. I did have a little scare that I would not be able to see the exhibit because the Museum was keeping odd hours the day I went. It opened at 6pm. This change of hours occurred because the Museum was giving away free books to registered archaeologists; a practice that I fully support. On a side note it was very interesting to see that the majority of the archaeologists were women.

The artifacts at the museum were in excellent condition. The exhibit was well organized and provided you with a very good sense of the values of the people being represented.



Marble Cycladic figurines come from 3,200 to 2,000 bc and are the main type of artifact preserved from this time. The height of these figures varies significantly. Some are a few centimeters high while others are 4 feet tall. The standard figurine would be lying down on their back with their knees bent and arms crossed over the stomach. The majority of figures did not have many individual features, such as eyes or mouth, but they all had a prominent nose and sometimes ears. Their style reminds me of modern sculpture.