Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

You have asked what's next for the Museum so...whether you want to hear about the latest in the European Galleries, wondering what's new with our American Indian Collection or just about anything else housed in the Nelson-Atkins Building... this is your stop. This new blog category will be dedicated to sharing the latest insights on happenings with the collections housed in our beloved 1933 building and the building itself. There's always something new to enjoy, so check back often and tell us what you want to know. Blog on.

If you’ve ever wondered how to move over 150,000 books and periodicals from one location to another, here’s your answer!

Earlier this week, the Museum’s library staff began supervising the move of the Spencer Art Reference Library from the existing building to the new Bloch Building. The move is being handled by professionals from National Library Relocation Inc.

Before the books move from one space to the other, they get a special cleaning with a tank vacuum to remove dust and dirt. Everything is put on book carts and taken by hand into the Bloch Building.

There, they are re-shelved according to the magical library classification system that keeps all the books tidy and easy to find. The new library will be open to the public on June 9.

Before the ice and snow hit Kansas City this week, I was able to spend some time out in the Kansas City Sculpture Park. This woman and her canine companions were enjoying the view from the south steps of the Nelson-Atkins Building. Always a great spot to sit and relax.

Remember when I was talking about the installation of the Isamu Noguchi Sculpture Court? Well, it is finished, and it is incredible.

The space holds seven sculptures by the Japanese-American artist who "struggled to see, alter, and recreate his natural surroundings. His gardens and foutains were transformations meant to bring out the beauty their locations had always possessed. His large abstract stone sculptures were both majestic and personal. He believed that through sculpture and architecture, one could better understand the struggle with nature. It is that search for understanding which brings together his many and varied works." (American Masters, PBS)

The Nelson-Atkins Museum exhibits the largest number of Noguchi sculptures in a public setting outside the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Museum in New York and Japan.

Light is an important component of the Bloch Building. The very structure of the building uses both exterior and interior light to create a pleasant glow on both the inside and outside. According to our lighting specialist extraordinaire, there are three main types of light in the Bloch galleries.

The first is daylight. With the majority of the building underground, the glass lenses allow daylight to flow down into the galleries below. Depending on the time of day and the weather, the effect is strikingly different.

The second and third types of light are artificial. There are 1,971 track fixtures that will hold tungsten-halogen lamps to illuminate both the space and the art. Every one of these track fixtures will have an ultraviolet filter installed, to protect the art.

The other type of artificial light is fluorescent lamps that are hidden in the ceiling coves and that light up the lenses. At night, over 900 fluorescent lamps create a gorgeous glow. The lights are turned on from time to time so if you drive by some evening, you might get to see a little magic.

A flurry of activity occurred above the Nelson-Atkins on a recent freezing, gray day. A helicopter was used to move several large pieces of heating and cooling equipment from the ground to the roof of the Nelson-Atkins Building. (Since the area on the north side of the Museum is on top of the underground parking lot, a helicopter had to be used instead of a crane.)

The work began around 10:30 in the morning and was done before noon but the public definitely noticed. I saw vehicles parked along the side roads or slowing down to watch the proceedings. Cell phones were stuck out of car windows to capture the event. A few people asked what was going on but my favorite question was if it was President Bush making a visit (he was scheduled to be in town later that week).