Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

Sometimes I don't get to visit the Nelson-Atkins very often. I know that sounds strange since I work here but my office is located offsite and sometimes I don't have time to get away from my desk. I was lucky enough today to help with a project in the galleries. As I moved from place to place in the Bloch Building, I was greeted by all the amazing views that have become so familiar to me: the soaring ceilings, the continuous surprises as you move through the galleries and the spectacular views of the Kansas City Sculpture Park and Nelson-Atkins Building.

Then we moved into the Nelson-Atkins Building and climbed the stairs to the second floor where the Chinese collection is on display. Some people may feel restricted because the lighting is artificial and the floor plan is rigid but as soon as I entered the Chinese Temple gallery, I felt the rush of joy and excitement of being in the same room with exquisite works of art dating back thousands of years. The highlight for me is the Seated Gaunyin Bodhisattva . The Guanyin is magnificent on its own but the setting is truly breathtaking.

The large gallery is divided about two-thirds of the way by beautiful wooden gate panels from a temple dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Behind the gates you can see the Guanyin sitting serenely against the back wall; just behind it is a wall painting depicting the Paradise of Tejaprabha Buddha. There are additional statues of Gaunyins and bodhisattvas along the left and right-hand walls. There is a peaceful, meditative quality to the space.

I headed back to my office feeling renewed and remembering why I love the Museum so much.

Yesterday I wrote about what could possibly be my favorite work of art from the Museum's collection, the Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva.

I am very excited to announce that in a few short months, we will unveil an interactive feature about the Guanyin including art historical content as well as the findings from a current conservation project.

For an idea of what the online piece might look like, check out our first interactive feature on the Greek Lion.

If you find yourself drawn to the Impressionist exhibition, Manet to Matisse: Impressionist Masters from the Marion and Henry Bloch Collection, or if you simply want to expand your horizons, stop by this Thursday, August 9, for a Snapshot Talk.

Elizabeth Williams, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts, will present a 30-minute talk about Impressionist interiors. The program is held in the Ford Learning Center and begins at 7 p.m.

We have much planned at the museum this weekend, so be sure to stop by this Friday or Saturday (or both) as there will truly be something for everyone.

On Friday, be sure to cool off with Second Friday Happy Hour from 6 to 8 p.m.! Come drink and be merry with other art-minded professionals. DJ Murderbot will be working the turntables, and as always, there will be complimentary appetizers. The program is sponsored by Young Friends of Art, one of our special interest groups for members.

Add some mystery to your weekend on Saturday, August 11 with another installment of Shuttlecock Cinema. Once the heat of the day has died, join us at 8 p.m. on the museum lawn for a free showing of the science fiction film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Don’t forget a blanket or lawn chairs to help you relax in the gorgeous Kansas City Sculpture Park.

I have to admit that my favorite form of poetry is haiku. I am fascinated by how the simple 5-7-5 format can produce some incredibly profound results. To prove what a haiku nerd I am, sometimes my husband and I e-mail each other only in haiku form.

But I digress. My reason for this post today is to submit a request to readers for their best haiku about the Nelson-Atkins. Your haiku can be about anything in, at, on or around the Museum. Heck you can even "haiku" about the blog, if you like.

To get things started, here is my haiku about One Sun / 34 Moons by Walter De Maria, the site-specific sculpture on the Museum's Plaza.

Wind rippling water
One Sun shining brightly
34 Moons a glow

Happy Haikuing!

Just because the shiny new Bloch Building is complete and open doesn't mean we can rest on our laurels. There is still work going on to improve the facilities in the Nelson-Atkins Building. One spot that is nearing completion is the new objects conservation lab. The new space will be completely dedicated to the preservation and restoration of 3-D objects and sculptures in the collection. By the way, objects far outnumber the amount of paintings thanks to collections such as decorative arts which includes the Burnap Collection, British Silver and the Starr Miniatures. There is also the Modern & Contemporary collection and the Kansas City Sculpture Park which keeps the conservators busy year round with routine maintenance and presevation.

Future plans to increase conservation efforts include a special room for heavy-duty x-ray machines that can take images of the Museum's larger and denser pieces of sculpture. Learn more about conservation at the Nelson-Atkins.

This Thursday evening (Aug. 23), you will have a chance to listen to members of a conservation team as they prepare to launch a major project to analyize and study our 1,000-year-old Guanyin Bodhisattva. The program will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Gallery 230 and will be repeated at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

The sculpture is recognized internationally as a masterpiece, yet questions concerning its original appearance remain unsolved. Over a period of 4 days, a conservation scientist is assisting Museum conservation staff with a technical examination of the sculpture, followed by weeks of lab work.

The results of this study will be published as part duex of an interactive feature on the Museum's website. The first half of the feature will cover the art historical background on the sculpture and will appear later this year.

By the way, the Guanyin is one of my favorite works of art in the Museum. You can read more about it here, here and here.

Way back in February (an eternity in blog time) I posted an entry about the Giant Wall Case being constructed for the Folgers Silver Collection.

I finally got to take a closer look at the finished product and found it full of gleaming pieces of silver. The hallway is a little dark probably on purpose to accentuate the glorious glow of the pieces in the case.

The story of the Folgers Silver Collection is interesting too. It was presented to the Museum in 2000 by the Proctor & Gamble Company in the honor of the 150th anniversary of Folgers Coffee. The collection was assembled by Joseph S. Atha for the Kansas City-based Folgers Coffee Company of which he was the president. My favorite piece is the Epergne with its attached baskets and trays. Our curator calls it exotic but I think it looks futuristic and modern. Plus, its fun to say "epergne."

Stay tuned for what I found around the corner!

As I wrote previously, the Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva is undergoing analysis this week by New York conservation scientist John Twilley in conjuction with the Museum's conservation team.

A program at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Aug. 23) in Gallery 230 will explain about the process and what they hope to find. The program is repeated at 7:30 p.m. Admssion is free and no reservations are needed.

Manet to Matisse: Impressionist Masters from the Marion and Henry Bloch Collection closes on Sept. 9. Don’t miss your chance to see this amazing private collection before it leaves the Museum.

Enter the world of Edgar Degas and the Paris Opera with a performance by several dancers from the Kansas City Ballet on Thursday, Aug. 30. The dancers will explore different aspects of performance, from the studio to the stage in this lecture/demonstration. The performance will be repeated on Sept. 6.