A Year of Blogging: May 18, 2011

May 18 was International Museum Day. I have been to all kinds of museums, all over the world. As a child, we often went to the NY State Museum in Albany on field trips. There was also the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, home of Amy the Armadillo. I always thought it was funny that the Armadillo and I shared a name. I am not a person to go to Modern Art museums. I prefer more traditional art. I also don't often go back to the same museum, unless they have rotating exhibits. While I can appreciate a nice painting, I do not look at it and dissect it. Once I've seen it, it's time to move on. We went to several museums on our trip to Spain and France, but the only one I remember is the Louvre. I am sure the museums in Madrid were lovely. I just remember visiting the Louvre. I also remember seeing perhaps the most famous painting in the world- The Mona Lisa. For my sister, this was the highlight of her trip. She had been looking forward to it since we planned the trip. I appreciated it, because it is something not everyone gets to see. Sure, we've all seen the painting. But not everyone gets to stand face to face with it. There are a couple of very nice museums close to me in Cincinnati or Dayton. They have some great exhibits, and I like to go see those. I went to Cincinnati to see an exhibit of papal artifacts. I dragged Erich along. I found it fascinating; he wasn't so amused. Five years ago, the Dayton Art Institute hosted the Princess Diana exhibit. My mom was here while the exhibit ran, so she and I went one day. We were able to see many of her gowns and tiaras, a lot of photos, and of course- the wedding dress. It was breathtaking to see all of it. My favorite museum would have to be The Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. It was only about half an hour from my house. We went there often with Mom and our Aunt Vera. It has a lot of local history, not just Vermont artifacts. The area played an important role in the Revolutionary War. The museum has a nice colonial feel to it. It's not as colonial as say, Williamsburg, but it is a good mix. The outside of the museum is just as much of a gem as the collections housed inside. It is a massive stone structure with large white columns. It sits on top of a hill as you drive into downtown Bennington. The woods kind of wrap around it, providing a beautiful backdrop in the fall. My favorite part of the Bennington Museum is the Grandma Moses collection. Anna Mary Robertson Moses, aka Grandma Moses, started painting very late in her life. Her paintings have a primitive look to them, and depict scenes of rural life. Grandma Moses lived in Rensselaer County, NY- where I grew up. In fact, she lived most of her life less than an hour up the road from my hometown. There is a farm stand on her old farm that sells fresh produce. It is still referred to as 'Grandma Moses' ' When I was growing up, they had the best melons. The melons were huge, juicy, and flavorful. We went to the farm stand several times a summer. Her paintings have always spoken to me in a special way. I look at her paintings and I see what life was like for my grandparents when they were kids, or for my great-grandparents. They are familiar and comforting. I would love to own a painting of hers, or even a reproduction to hang in my living room. The Bennington Museum hosts the largest Grandma Moses collection. I never tire of seeing it. The museum has an additional 'primitive' style exhibit starting June 30. My first thought was that I would miss it. Then I remembered I'll be going home briefly for a weekend in August, and I'm going to take an extra day to visit the museum. Maybe I'll take Sydney. She already loves the NY State Museum. Maybe she'll love the Bennington Museum too!