Musings at the Museum

There’s nothing like getting away for a little bit and enjoying well-deserved R&R with your loved ones. And the holidays are the perfect excuse. It’s one of the times a year that people get the chance to take a few days off from work and actually get out of town. In our case, this year we headed to my husband’s hometown in beautiful Kansas City. And boy did we get our fair share of treats!

I’ve always had a lot of love and appreciation for art of all kinds; I guess that’s where my fondness of fashion comes in! There’s just something about art that appeals to me. So it should be no surprise, then, that we just so happened to stumble upon a stunning sculpture park on the grounds of Kansas City’s famed Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. And let me tell ya, it was a ‘larger than life’ experience… literally. So we decided to take a closer look.

And I’m so happy we did!

Among the many large-scale sculptures scattered across the museum grounds was a very unusual exhibit. Created by contemporary artist and filmmaker Philip Haas, the exhibit titled The Four Seasons had stoic features that I just had to know more about. Upon further investigation, the installation’s 15-foot sculptures are 3D interpretations of the “Four Seasons” paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who was of the Italian Renaissance period. Each sculpted bust features characters comprised of flowers, fruits, vegetables, limbs, bark, and trees, respectively related to Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter as the ‘four’ cycles of nature. It’s such a fascinating concept that you can’t blame Haas for taking the idea into his own hands (literally!).

Many great artist’s use one another’s work for inspiration and as a result produce fresh perspectives. Much like what Haas did with Arcimboldo’s concept, I also took my artistic liberty in conducting an impromptu photoshoot alongside these wondrous works of art. After all… You should never miss a picture perfect photo op! 😉

I also took a look at the soaring 56-foot stainless steel sculpture by Roxy Paine. Titled Ferment, this silvery tree celebrates the power of human imagination and technological innovation. Branching out in a mixture of mayhem and melody, Ferment is equally intriguing as it is marvelous.

It was so wonderful to do some unexpected exploring at this artistic site, even while visiting my husband’s hometown for the holidays. It just goes to show that no matter where you are or where you go, your passions will find you!

Hey, if you are visiting Kansas City, you should stop by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and check out some of the uh-mazing works on the grounds. You never know what will inspire you. 😉