Even though I forgot to save my visit on the pen, we saw some interesting things and I liked some of the color and pattern displays especially.
We both thought the most successful exhibit of objects within the museum was the Maira Kalman Selects room. I did not know who Maira was before this, but upon looking her up - she is an illustrator, artist, writer and designer.
This room. It could have simply been a room filled with old objects- like in all museums. I could have walked through and surveyed the objects in a half sweeping manner, looking to find things - to mine imagery, texture, pattern concepts- that suited my fancy of the moment. What would work within my own art? Yes, no, judge, check off list. That is how I often function when viewing objects -- unless something really grabs me!
This time, I didn't skim over the objects. I looked at them with consideration, humor, maybe even love.
How did this happen? Because I actually read her introduction on the wall upon entering the room. She set us up with a tone, a purpose, a kind of story. Mark called it a story. At first, I didn't recognize the story but then saw it as a loose non-narrative - or fill in with your own narrative... To me, it was simply her voice, her guidance, something in her style of writing- the pace. Where she chose to put a one word sentence or break a line.
Here is her introduction:
Maira Kalman Selects
Welcome.
This room contains objects I chose from Cooper Hewitt's collection and several from the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, along with my own sprinkled in.
What is this room about?
Very loosely, it is about life and death.
But isn't everything?
It is about falling in love with a group of objects. About the ephemera of history with bits of information about how people lived. It is a room that recognizes that many of the most important memories in your life will be populated by the most seemingly unimportant objects. A chair. A bowl.
It about the preciousness of time. Elusive. Fragile. The unpredictability of it all. The comfort derived within the unpredictability. The joy derived from the comfort. These objects are brave and beautiful. They have survived and are here to tell you something.
What should you do here?
If you are plagued with doubts or troubles, or are in need of a respite, just sit there and stare into space and listen to the silence. That is more than enough.
Or maybe someone will come into the room and sing a song about a spoon. Any songs you hear, about spoons or otherwise, are composed by the brilliant Nico Muhly. You never know. This was, in fact, once the music room in the mansion, when people lived here and had arguments in the kitchen (perhaps about overcooked peas).
If you are curious, have a look at the objects.
To wander about in a room in a museum and to have the fluttery feeling of discovery and potential. A quickening of the pulse. That is a great feeling. Excitement! Inspiration!
But my advice is not to think too much.
Unless it pleases you.
And a walk in Central Park might be the perfect finale to a day in a museum.
-Maira Kalman
I copied her introduction here in order to analyze it. What is this magic she brought us that allowed me to view these objects in such a fresh and light fashion?
First she set up that there was a story to the objects- to Mark's point - in saying it is about life and death. We can all identify with life and death but we also always forget about it (death- on a conscious level anyway) - and not separately -life -as a journey and its own entity instead of our striving, goal-oriented mindsets).
She then tells us why the objects are special. Because of life, silly billy! Because they are part of that life that we drive mindlessly through and forget to pay attention to. And they are old! And they have survived! Yes, they are special. Why am I taking this museum and these old objects without wonder?
Then she makes sure that you are not pressured and that you are comfortable - as any good hostess would. Please come in and take off your shoes. Make yourself at home. You don't need to worry, just flow as you will. My house is your house with a real smile.
A song about a spoon- how light and humorous! I will walk through these objects and revere them - but without too much pressure or weight - and maybe a silly, trivial (if anything is?!) song may come along. That feels good. How charming.
She then gives us advice, but then again, lets you have your own will - your own journey - 'unless it pleases you'. No pressure. Just a suggestion.
This introduction to a room of objects is stunning! It is so well done! I am enthralled.
Now to go into the exhibit for a second. I'm not replaying it all out in this post. But there is a jewel I'd like to put here.
This jewel:
Square (Egypt), 5th–7th century Medium: wool Technique: plain weave with discontinuous wefts (slit tapestry)
Yes. Look at HIM. Look at his expressive, modern!, expression. Yet look at his age. He is AMAZING. 5th Century! What?!
That's not all!
And then she (Maira) did this:
With her human hand, her human touch- she wrote right on the non-white pedestal. A personal non-museum thing to do that takes you out of the typical museum mindset and into her personal story/space.
And then there is this on the side of the pedestal:
Well, I have to keep walking around to see where this might go...
Oh my. I love this. This quote. That I was guided to walk around the pedestal. Her squiggly hand writing.
But I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody and everything. One lives only to make blunders.
- Charles Darwin
Mr. Darwin. I looked it up. These two sentences are from a letter he wrote to Charles Lyells on October 1, 1861. How beautifully human! And how connected to this old Egyptian man's facial expression! haha!
It is also an interesting sentence in context with Darwin's famed work. The blunder part, I mean. We are all happy accidents in dna replication coupled with what survives / develops over time and what doesn't. Any new development in a species or when we slowly- over millions of years -develop into other species is reproduction, survival and dna replication 'blunders'. The dna miscopies create change! And to our benefit ... at the moment anyway...
That is just one of the objects that Maira showed us in a new light.
There were many other charming quotes and objects that I didn't put in this post - but here is one more quote I noticed upon leaving the exhibit:
Remember. Remember to not rush through your life and not even see it flowing all around you. This is such a difficult thing to do. But Maira reminded me to do that in this exhibit. What a gift she gave us with this exhibit.
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