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Chi-town at Christmas

December 18, 2014 by Virginia Parker Leave a Comment

The day after Christmas we depart for Glen Ellyn, a charming suburb just outside of Chicago. I go to visit my bio-dad, a man of great aplomb and consequence. This is my fifth consecutive year for this trip, so it didn’t occur to me to write it up in Chasing Paint until the other day, but my special treat is a day in the Chicago Institute of Art. Robert drops me off at the entrance and we meet for lunch at the  museum’s restaurant, Terzo Piano. Last year, I scored with Lobster Nachos (lobster in hollandaise over fries). Divine!

Not much prep required since I always go just around Christmas. The suitcase contents stay the same, and I can confidently predict the Lions outside the Chicago Institute of Art will be wearing wreaths and standing on Christmas present wrapped plinths. Today I’ll look up the special exhibitions at the CIA, and consider where I’d like to focus. It will be hard to top last year’s show ‘Art & Appetite’ – a still life artist’s dream exhibit.  One twist is my curiosity about small scale sculpture. More on than anon.

va chicagoBack to baking, decorating, wrapping and otherwise making spirits bright.

Filed Under: Chicago, Short Trips Tagged With: Art Institute of Chicago, museum, preparation, restaurant, Terzo Piano

Chicago Museums x 2

January 3, 2015 by Virginia Parker Leave a Comment

Back from Chicago with two museum visits. First, a Sunday trip to the Museum of Science + Industry. I didn’t pre-book my tickets online, my usual MO, and the line to buy tickets from personnel at counters was jammed with a wait of 45-60 minutes, winding through the ubiquitous post stanchions and retractable belt barriers. I noticed a bank of automatic ticket dispensers directly across the main hall. Despite museum aides beckoning to visitors, that line held fewer than a dozen people and I had my tickets in hand in five minutes. The ticket machines were touchscreen, simple to operate, easy to understand and, dare I say it, foolproof. I’ll keep an eye out for that alternative in other museums.

Christmas holiday plus kid-centric museum equals massive squealing crowds, but they go where they are pointed. I used one of my favorite strategies, starting on the third floor and working my way down. Bypassing the obvious entry point bought us a good two hours of relatively uncrowded museum-going pleasure. Suspended at the third floor eye level, aircraft – from the Wright Flyer, to a German Stuka, to a United 727 – celebrated the audacity of humans taking to the air. Displays of vintage scientific instruments were captivating; gleaming, elegant, and sleek.

IMG_441478445My favorite exhibition was 80 at 80. http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/80-at-80/ I was mesmerized by the quirky video installation: Maarten Baas’ “Sweepers Clock” that shows men keeping time by sweeping garbage laid out in the shape of clock hands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXNT4T56EmM

The best (cleanest, functioning, and no lines) women’s restroom was just off the submarine exhibit. The worst (crowded, dirty, many out-of-order stalls) was on the main floor off the food court. Avoiding the Disney ‘exhibit’ and touring the submarine U-boat was another useful strategy. The U-boat, also a designated war memorial, was well presented with sound/light enhancements and an excellent guide. Fascinating.

I sadly underestimated how long I’d want to gaze at the treasure trove that is the Art Institute of Chicago. Five hours went by in a blink. A single exhibit of Italian drawings kept me enthralled for the first two hours. http://www.artic.edu/exhibition/strokes-genius-italian-drawings-goldman-collection

Met Robert for our traditional Terzo Piano lunch, then sprinted back, aware of time running out. I dashed through European paintings and sculpture, keeping an eye out for boxes, reliquaries, and anything made of terracotta  and porcelain, in every room I ventured through.

IMG_2033

IMG_2055If I am honest, I was offended by the artist using stock news photos of people falling to their death, indifferent to the focus: Lucy McKenzie, and wished there was more to the Ethel Stein, Master Weaver exhibit.

I lost track of time in the glory that is Roman and Greek statuary.IMG_2080

Back to the drawings, where I spent my remaining time sketching a kneeling slave, a bearded saint, and this enchanting boy, the son of the artist.

IMG_2021All this is good practice for the upcoming Madrid/Lisbon trip.  Start at the top, work your way down, take all the time you possibly can. It won’t be enough.

 

Filed Under: Chicago, Short Trips Tagged With: Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Science + Industry, Terzo Piano

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