Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

Kansas City's fashionistas were out in force on Saturday night for Party Arty | Bloch on the Rocks. The annual bash is hosted by the Young Friends of Art as a fundraiser for the Museum.

The evening was very stylish with a red carpet, a cool fashion show and the sleek Hall's VIP Lounge sponsored by Hall's department store.

The fashion show was hosted by the International Interior Design Association Mid America Chapter. The designs were one of a kind haute couture creations made of various textile materials including carpet, tile, wall coverings and more. The materials were donated by local vendors.

A rockin' peformance by the Nadas got the dance floor hopping. Playboy magazine called them the "best college band you've never heard of" and they certainly earned that honor. They kept the crowd energized with their upbeat songs, strong guitar and jamming bass lines. My favorite part was their "snipit montage" which included songs by Michael Jackson and AC/DC.

Thanks to NightlifeKC.com for their photos. To see them all, check out their website here.

Rowland Hall, a pivotal gallery in the new American wing, is now complete, with a scheduled opening in April 2009. With its exquisite vaulted ceilings, luminous skylights, richly colored walls and walnut flooring (some protective floor covering remains in place), it is a stunning showplace for the Museum’s collection of American works dating from 1700 to 1830.

Positioned in the center of the gallery is a freestanding wall that serves as a backdrop for American decorative arts and furniture. Shown here in a paper cutout is Chest-on-Chest, ca. 1760, attributed to Nathaniel Gould, the leading cabinetmaker of Salem, Massachusetts, in the third quarter of the eighteenth century.

...or, to put it more accurately, the galleries. Art in the Age of Steam: Europe, America and the Railway, 1830-1960 comes to a close on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. Kansas City is the only U.S. stop for this impressive exhibition, and it may be the last time some of these beautiful paintings will be on view this side of the Atlantic. It originated in England at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

Age of Steam has garnered numerous accolades from art critics far and wide. However, I often find the most rewarding compliments come from our visitors. A fellow co-worker struck up a conversation with one gentleman who had come to see Age of Steam via Amtrak from Philadelphia. It was his first time in Kansas City and he called his arrival at Union State, stay at Crown Center and the exhibition “absolutely fantastic.”

He also met a couple who made their way to our fair city from San Antonio, TX after reading about Age of Steam in a train-related magazine. They, too, had never been to Kansas City and exclaimed, “We had no idea you had such a museum. We’re coming back tomorrow to see the rest.”

Visit soon and leave your own parting thoughts on the exhibition message board. Hurry though—it won’t be long before Age of Steam, like the locomotives it celebrates, is only a memory.

The magic of working in a large general museum is that you can wander into almost any gallery and discover a new object that you have never seen before or may have not been on view for a very long time. Most of the collections rotate works on a regular basis for a variety of reasons.

Works on paper are probably the most often rotated objects in the collection because of their sensitivity to light. Currently, we have two galleries that display works on paper that are rotated about every six months. One of those galleries contains a case that displays works from the Museum's Starr Miniature Collection. The collection contains more than 300 examples of European and American miniature portraits from the late-16th to 19th centuries.

Currently, 14 miniatures are on view in Gallery P27. The theme is The Image and the Object which focuses not only on the portraits but on their armature as well. The display includes several of the typical locket-type portrait. There are also three rings, three cases and even a bracelet. Two of the rings contain images of a woman's eyes. They are very curious but at the same time mesmerizing.

The most interesting part of the display are the small mirrors underneath a few of the objects that allow you to see the decoration on the back of the object. Many of them are decorated with precious gems, gold, pearls, inlaid initials and even human hair.

Miniatures held portraits of people who were important to the owner whether through personal relationships or perhaps public admiration. It is obvious that these small treasures were very precious. I have to say, though, the hair is a bit creepy.

Here is the front of Portrait of a Lady by John Smart from 1785.

The back of the object shows the decorative elements. A detail follows.