Art Review: Happy! at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale

If you know me, you know I am always ready to bliss out, but sometimes that is harder to do than other times. Sometimes I just want everything to be cute. I want cute so much sometimes that I don’t know what to do! So when I was looking for current exhibits to review, Happy! at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale caught my eye with its bold, iconic, smiling cloud. Cute! I’m in.

I

And yet, before I even entered the exhibit, I starting thinking. In this world that appears to be self-destructing, when and how can we practice happiness? What makes us happy? What makes us escape? Do we need sadness in order to have happiness?

I placed a wish on the Wish Tree by favorite artist Yoko Ono, and walked inside. 

Three big, happy clouds greeted me as I ascended the stairs.

Little Cloud

Then I saw a big pile of candy! CANDY!!

Felix Gonzalez-Torres 

"Untitled" (Portrait of Dad), 1991

White candies individually wrapped in cellophane, endless supply

And a big stack of paper! PAPER!!

Felix Gonzalez-Torres 

"Untitled", 1989/1990

Print on paper, endless copies

The museum guard told me I could take a paper. I took one of each. I’ll be making art with those papers later. 

Such divine curation. I’ve seen similar exhibits at MoMA and the Guggenheim. 

And I got to walk underneath a rainbow!

And all of these bows remind us that the December holidays are right around the corner!

Kathryn Andrews 

Gift, 2011

Serigraphs

And. I saw. This.

Keith Haring

Untitled (Pink Smiling Face), 1981

Baked enamel on metal

It’s Keith Haring. KEITH HARING. In Fort Lauderdale. Yes, seriously. These are seriously impressive gets. I was floored and it was just beginning. 

More Haring.

Keith Haring

Untitled (For Salvatore), 1984

Acrylic on glass

Remember when Target ripped this guy off a few years ago? I saw the balloon animals of Jeff Koons in person, baby!

Jeff Koons

Balloon Monkey (Blue), 2017

Balloon Rabbit (Red), 2017

Balloon Swan (Yellow), 2017

And the ultimate picture wall.

What did I think? 

Alma Thomas

Night Sky Mysteries, 1973

Acrylic on canvas

This exhibit is so rich and complete. There is absolutely no way I could cover it in just one blog post. And there is so. much. more. to see and experience in this exhibit. If you are anywhere near South Florida before it closes on July 5, 2020 - GO!!

I am incredibly thankful for an enriching visit to the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. I loved it so much, I bought a membership! I will definitely want to go back to this exhibit over and over again. It doesn’t close until July 5, 2020. That’s a lot of months to enjoy this amazing exhibit. See you on Instagram! 

If you are interested in learning more about the thriving art scene in South Florida and also learning and making stuff, please join my mailing list. As always, thanks for reading the blog! Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below & find your bliss wheresoever it is!

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Gratitude Craft: Sweet, Paper Succulent with Inspirational Quote DIY

I recently had a birthday and I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love I got from my coworkers. I didn't expect anything, really, but I knew that some departments really do up the birthdays. Therefore, when I got into work and saw my workspace decorated with streamers and balloons, I almost cried. But it didn't end there. At lunchtime, my coworkers brought me a tres leches cake with cherries on top! My sweet coworker also gave me a card. I just felt so appreciated and I was really very touched.

Since I started my new job it's been a bit of an adjustment. I don't have lots of time to blog or craft. To add to that scarcity, I also moved to a new apartment and that process has cut into my crafting groove. But I am the type of person who gets cranky when she's not creating regularly, so I decided to just craft slowly, step by step. And now I'm blogging about it to boot! Perhaps we're ushering a new era of Art, Like Bread.

Two of my sweet, paper succulents made with love for my coworkers.

Supplies
2 1/4" by 3 1/4" Card printed on one side
Glitter Thickers
Black Pen
Paper Succulent Flowers
Double sided tape
Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Optional: Pencil and ruler

Procedure

1. Personalize the front of your card with your recipient's name. I used a glitter thicker for the first letter of each name, and wrote out the rest in black pen.

2. Choose a quote that would be meaningful to your recipient. I used the website "Brainy Quote" and read through a lot of quotes until I found quotes that reminded me of what makes my coworkers special. Write the quote on the back of your card with attribution. (My cards had pre-printed lines, but you can draw lines on the back of your card with a pencil and ruler.)

3. Arrange each mini peanut butter cup so that the larger part is facing up.

4. Using double sided tape, affix each paper succulent flower to each mini peanut butter cup. You have made a sweet, paper succulent.

5. Using double sided tape, affix each sweet, paper succulent to the front of a card.

Your gift is ready to give!

The recipient can either leave the succulent as is, or eat the candy and then affix the succulent to the card as a keepsake!

Art Review: 140 Unlimited at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum

It was a privilege and an absolute pleasure to view 140 Unlimited: Recent Acquistions in Honor of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum's 140th Anniversary during its final days.  

View of the Caroline R. Hill Gallery, 2016

Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, Massachusetts

Photograph Laura Shea

The exhibit, which was on view from September 2016 until May 2017, was conceived in celebration of the Museum's long and storied history.  The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (MHCAM) is one of only a handful of collegiate art museums with such longevity.  The hallmark of the MHCAM is the fact that its collection is uniquely comprehensive, spanning from antiquity to the present.  As a top teaching museum at one of the nation's finest institutions of higher learning, students can interact with art to gain deeper understanding of chemistry, biology, literature, film, physics, and art history.  The museum staff is collaborative, open, and education-focused, working to foster visual literacy and other important skills such as close observation, conceptual linking, creative response, formal analysis, and primary research.  (source)

While Mount Holyoke students are privileged to have the museum right on campus, the surrounding community is welcome to enjoy and learn from the rich collection housed within the museum.  While I was on campus for my college reunion, I was delighted to view the newest acquisitions.  The collection was impressive, inspiring a fresh, personal emotional response to each piece.  Sadly, I only had a few moments to take it all in, but I was thrilled that these pieces have a home in the permanent collection at my alma mater.

What follows are images of two objects from the 140 Unlimited exhibit.  To read a collection of insightful essays about different pieces in the exhibit, please check out the museum's newsletter 140th Anniversary Special Edition, and open the pdf.

Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), 960-1368 (Song Dynasty or Yuan Dynasty)
Chinese Wood with traces of gesso, paint, and gilding
Gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, Massachusetts
Photograph Laura Shea
MH 2012.40.2

Faith Ringgold (American, b. 1930)

Somebody Stole My Broken Heart, 2007

Ink on paper; screen print, edition 27/60

Partial gift of the Experimental Printmaking Institute, Lafayette College and purchase with the Susan and Bernard Schilling (Susan Eisenhart, Class of 1932) Fund

Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, Massachusetts

Photograph Laura Shea

MH 2016.2.9

Bonus:  You can search the MHCAM and the Five College collections here.  If you would like more art reviews, please let me know by leaving a comment or contacting me at artlikebread (at) gmail (dot) com.  As always, thanks for reading the blog!  Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below.  If you liked this post, please share this post with a friend through social media & share the art & education love!

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The Great Spring Crochet Destash! My Latest #Crochet Writing

This is my latest blog post for Crochet Spot! Read the whole article on crochetspot.com

It is hard to believe that one quarter of 2017 is already behind us! For readers in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to gear up for warmer weather and sunshine, and shed all of the extraneous yarn and supplies that kept you warm all winter long. But regardless of your location, now is a great time to make a commitment to destash! Read this post and make a plan to get rid of the supplies that have long plagued you and get your space ready for creativity.

Before we begin, let’s take a moment to reflect on why we need to destash this spring in the first place. Years ago, I asked What’s in Your Stash? and you answered. Ask yourself that question now. For some of us, it could mean a lot. And, yes. A crochet stash could be too large: case in point. Yet, we can stash down! And here’s a foolproof plan to do so.

Sometimes it can be hard to part with the luscious yarn, so luckily I’ve rounded up a bunch of patterns designed to eat up yarn. You can always use up yarn more quickly by doubling it all up! Don’t forget you can share with friends and arrange a crochet giving circle.

When you’ve finally gotten all of the extraneous supplies taken care of, you can give your space a good scrub down with these spring cleaning crochet tips. And then, to maintain your new, clearer space, use these tips to organize your crochet stash.

So what about you, my friends? What are you looking to destash this spring? How are you planning to do it? Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below.

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Book Review & Giveaway: Melissa Leapman’s Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters My Latest #Crochet Writing

This is my latest blog post for Crochet Spot! Read the whole article on crochetspot.com

Melissa Leapman is fiber arts royalty as a prolific and celebrated designer. Known for knitting as well as crochet, Leapman has built a robust career with over 1000 published patterns in print. Her wealth of design experience serves as a foundation for her beautiful, new reference book, Melissa Leapman’s Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters. Read on to find out a bit about the book, and to see how you can win a copy!

In this 176-page book, we are introduced to a comprehensive collection of crochet stitch patterns divided in to six categories: Simple Solid Patterns, Shell and Fan Stitch Patterns, Openwork and Lace Patterns, Textured Patterns, Colorwork Patterns, and Edgings. There is also a useful resource guide in the back of the book with information about reading symbols, basic stitches, and abbreviations. These features combined with Leapman’s introduction with useful tips about how to use the stitch patterns make this not only a useful, but also a fun addition to your crochet library.

I have seen (and I own) a great deal of crochet stitch dictionaries. I can say from experience that this is a very high quality reference to have on hand. There are beautiful color photos of each example, along with crochet symbol charts and written directions. The stitches move from simple to complex, so it’s a good learn-as-you-go type of book.

If you’ve pledged to increase your crochet skills in 2017, then why not let this book be your guide? If you crochet a swatch of each pattern you’ll have a huge skill boost and a collection of pretty squares to join!

In order to win your copy, enter by commenting on this post until January 31, 2016. I’ll contact the winner via email afterwords.

What about this book sounds best to you? Is there a certain type of crochet stitch you’d like to explore? Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment section below.

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