Highlights of a visit to the Boston MFA

My husband and I had a few hours to kill in Boston on Monday, and decided that, since we'd be in the car for a few hours afterward, and since the weather was not great, we should spend the time visiting the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts).  I was particularly interested in the current exhibition "Class Distinctions - Dutch Paintings in the Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer".  Photos aren't allowed in this exhibit, but we both found it extremely interesting.  One complaint though: I knew that, since it is vacation week, it would be crowded.  But this exhibit was filled with people pushing strollers, and several very tall men (I would guess over 6'5") who stood close to the artworks, taking their time reading the labels that explained about the work.  While it wasn't a problem for my 6'1" husband, it was really frustrating for 4'11" me.  By the time I got to the final room of the exhibit, I simply gave up.  Please folks, be considerate of others!  Let short people in front of you, and re-consider bringing baby strollers in an exhibit like this, unless you have someone who can watch the stroller in the center of the gallery when you are getting up close and personal with the artwork!  Thank you!!

Other  parts of the museum weren't so crowded.  Our time was limited, so we picked certain areas to explore before we had to hit the road.  There was another current exhibition I wanted to see, though it did not interest my husband at all!!  The exhibit is called "Crafted: Objects in Flux", and a few pieces really caught my interest!!

The temporary site-specific ceramic installation "Poros", by Nathan Craven, pictured above and below, and also at the top of the post, is made from approximately 6000 fired clay elements, fitted to a window, with light pouring in from the outside.

Here's a few other pieces that intrigued me, from this exhibit. 

I'll admit, the MFA is NOT my favorite art museum, but there still is much to see.  We spent a bit of time exploring European painting, including works by Monet, Picasso, van Gogh, and more.  But it was a contemporary piece that totally grabbed me:  Endlessly Repeating Twentieth Century Modernism by Josiah McElheny, pictured below and at the top of the post.  This installation is made from hand-blown vessels of mirrored glass, and mirrors.  It was totally fascinating!

Pictured below is me!  I'm taking a photo of the mirrored installation, so you are seeing a reflection of me in the case that holds the blown glass display.  Confusing, I think?

To confuse me further, there was a piece of performance art ongoing:

All in all, visiting the MFA was a great way to spend some time before we hit the road!

Tis the season for Cookies and Books!

  Hello there, everyone! 

 

Just for fun, I thought I'd share my recent artsy cookie baking endeavors.  A week ago, I made and decorated these Hanukkah cookies below, for a Temple book club Hanukkah party.  (More about the book club and books in a little bit.)

Then, this week I baked my annual batch of gingerbread cookies, using my husband's family recipe.  I'm not a huge fan of gingerbread, but I do like making these every year.  (Though it took me way too long this year.  Maybe it's because I really don't know anything about cookie-decorating; I just make it up as I go along and hope it works.)  Anyhow, I made a wonderful big mess in the process, and I hope you like the results!   

So about the book club...  I'm actually in TWO book clubs; I've been in one for about 20 years, and joined the Temple group after I retired.  So I've read lots of books I might never have discovered or chosen on my own - some I've liked, and some... not so much.  And I've met some terrific women through both groups.  Both book clubs take a little reading hiatus in December, opting for food instead of books, and also take a meeting break in the summer.  I use that time to read books waiting by my bed that I've picked up along the way.  (Yup, I actually read actual books!  There's something tactile about books that I love.  I have no desire to use an e-reader.)

I want to mention a few books that have made big impressions on me in recent months.  In one group, we recently read West With the Night by Beryl Markham, and in the other group we are now reading (though I've already finished it) An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine.   I'm a big fan of books that are told with a unique voice; both of these books fit that description.  One is non-fiction, and the other is fiction, but I give highest recommendations to both.  They are non-typical, and really special.

Meanwhile, I've independently read a couple of those books on the night table that were NOT book club picks.  I was especially intrigued by The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman.  A little dark and creepy, but I'm a fan of Hoffman's magic realism, and I enjoy books that are a little bizarre!   And this is definitely on that list...  

 A few others from recent months that I really enjoyed reading for my clubs:  The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh,  The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, and Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt.  And has anyone else read A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka? It was a fun little book that I picked up at a book sale. 

 Have you read any of these books?  Did you enjoy?  

Do you have any other fun book recommendations to pass along?  

Happy Reading, Happy Baking, & Happy Holidays!!