Balboa Park and Mingei

Hi all,
I am hoping everybody is having a nice weekend. Mine was spiced up with an urgent care visit after I slammed the car door to my thumb... Ouch. Fortunately, I did not break it but for few days my right hand usage is very limited.... Not the best timing before Xmas fairs...... :(

But I want to write more about my today's visit to Balboa Park!:) After I dropped my husband at the airport I've decided to go to one of my fav museum at the park - the Mingei. They always have amazing exhibitions from around the world. This time was no different. On the first floor there was the Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman, Masters of Mid Century California Modernism exhibition. I knew a little about them, but to see this rich collection from their early works till today.....just blew my mind away:))....The couple worked with many different media......textile, carved wood, enamels, mosaic....unbelievable talent! It was really interesting that I seemed to recognize few old Hungarian folk tale motives in Evelyn's work. :) Please read more about them here

The other amazing exhibition was on the second floor : Sonobai - Another Way of Seeing. Self-taught artist Sonabai Rajawar lived in enforced isolation for 15 years in a remote village in central India, creating her own joyous sculptural environment. Through the necessity of expressing her own vision in the face of tremendous adversity, Sonabai developed her innovative art form, which she later taught to other artists. Today in the remote rural villages of her central Indian state, many other artists practice Sonabai’s art in painted clay.

Maybe it is a professional myopic view ( I did "museum studies” course in college) but I am always interested how the exhibition is put together - and this one was outstanding! The way they represents Sonabai's art just took you to her village Puhputra, Central India. The see through photo screens, the poster size pictures with vivid colors – cooperated very well with her art.
This show rocks!!! More here







And last but not least ......there was an exhibition between the two floors!!! How about that???:)) Sea creatures of Arline Fisch

There were life-sized medusas and other deep-sea creatures hanging from the ceiling created from colorful copper wire....they were swimming - living!! I felt I was in another planet in this museum today! :)

Have a great week everyone!