Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

As you exit the current exhibition George Segal: Street Scenes, you might notice a table with black construction paper and chalk. This is an opportunity for visitors to share their thoughts about the exhibition through drawings or notes.

I stopped on this one because the figures seem to be based on Japanese Couple against Brick Wall from the exhibition.

Something else that caught my eye was an inscription next to the drawing that read: "If only they could open their eyes and see the life they are living."

It is hard to tell if that is a positive comment or a negative one. I guess as is the same with art, it is subjective.

There are other ways to comment on your experience with Street Scenes. Check out our website to view photos that people have uploaded. You may be inspired to create your own.

We get a lot of requests to do photo shoots at the Nelson-Atkins. For commercial shoots or ones that require some assistance, we escort the photographers during their work.

They are usually pretty fun. We've had fashion models, ballerinas, companies doing their annual reports and other stuff like that. This week, we had a special photo shoot: a man and his car.

The car is a 1911 Stafford that was built by the Stafford Motor Car Co. of Kansas City, KS. It is being featured in the Art of the Car Concourse this weekend at the Kansas City Art Institute.

President Harry Truman owned a Stafford that he bought with $600 he borrowed from his mother-in-law. It turns out that the Museum has a resident Truman re-enactor. He donned his costume and was more than happy to take the car for a spin.

Photography Tom Strongman had some fun with the picture.

Click here for more photos and the rest of the story.

A group of volunteers from FRD Communications, Inc. helped apply wax to Standing Figures (Thirty Figures) one day last week. FRD Communications gives employees two days per year to volunteer and this work group choose to help the Nelson-Atkins.

First, they got their directions from Conservation Associate Joe Rogers and Sculpture Technician Anna Zimmerman.

Then they got to work applying wax to the figures with paintbrushes. The wax acts as a protective barrier from the elements and nature (especially human nature). Most of the sculptures in the Park receive a fresh coat of wax once a year.

I think it was definitely better than spending the afternoon at work.

If you have a group of colleagues or friends who would like to volunteer at the Nelson-Atkins, please contact our manager of volunteer services, Mary Beth Sloan, at volunteer@nelson-atkins.org or 816.751.1307.

Yesterday was my first day as a marketing intern at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Randy Attwood, the Museum’s Media Relations Officer, directed my co-intern Caitlin and myself in escorting 22 ballerinas from the Legacy Ballet Company for a photo shoot in Rozzelle Court and the Bloch Building.

The girls ranged in age from 11 to 18 years old. The photo shoot began in Rozzelle Court where all of the girls were giggling and talking while putting on their point shoes. Their shinning smiley faces told me how special it was they were being photographed in the Nelson-Atkins.

The photographer did a great job keeping the girls focused and on cue. Once the photographs were taken in Rozzelle Court, Caitlin and I escorted the girls over the Bloch Building. The contemporary setting was a great back drop for the pictures. All of the ballerinas were wearing purple leotards which contrasted fabulously with the white background of the walls of the Bloch Building.

The photographer lined up the ballerinas on the stairwell, which created a great angle for the pictures. The last pose was from one of their dances. I thought it looked like a piece of art. All of the ballerinas were intertwined into one cohesive photograph.

Overall I had a fantastic time working on the photo shoot and I cannot wait for another one.