Monday, April 27, 2009

Best Strikes One and Two

In New York there is a museum, the Museum of Art and Design, and I have twice failed to get the most out of it.

When their new building opened on Columbus Circle last September they had free admission that first weekend, so I went to try to enjoy it freely. But so did everyone else in Manhattan. In the rain. So I observed the balloon people for a bit and called it quits.


The MAD has "pay what you want" on Thursday nights, and last week I finally got around to going to pay what you want night. I paid $3, went inside, and discovered only 3 of the museums 9 floors were open. I would have liked to have gotten two of my three dollars back.


The one thing that was neat was there was this ceramicist making his art on the 7th floor. His thing, he explained, is that he works 8 hour days in his suit, then puts what he makes in his briefcase...

And then slams it shut and takes it home.

Later on he takes these lumps out of the briefcase and fires and glazes them.

File the cloth where he pounds the clay under art as well.

The MAD has nice Columbus Circle and Central Park views. This is probably what I looked at the longest during the 40 minutes I was there.


The other things to see at the museum that day were: the permanent collection (during which I was told there was no photography allowed in the museum...just like there are no signs saying that there is no photography allowed in the museum allowed in the museum. I had to delete a few pictures off the camera for the security guard, these ones survive), an exhibit about radiators, and some jewerly.


Based on these two trips, I feel I'm in no position at all to comment on whether the MAD is a legitimate museum or not. Perhaps there will be a third trip, a well-planned third trip when the museum is bursting with things to see. Perhaps.

2 comments:

Side of Jeffrey said...

Wow, they only let you see the permanent collection on the pay what you want night? Or were they changing shows? The rest of the museum was much better than the permanent collection.

Brigham said...

No, I'm saying the museum only had exhibits total when I went...the other floors were closed for installing new stuff to show later.