The Evolving Nature of Art and the Environment

I previously wrote about the grand opening of The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park in Indianapolis. This park made its introduction a couple of weeks ago as an extension of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This is the second article in the series.

Since the grand opening of this Art and Nature Park, many of us have started to think more about the relationship of nature and art. As an art lover I have also been a lover of nature. My favorite past time years ago was photographing nature. I, like many others, have been delighted to be able to capture nature on film. Water was one of the most fascinating things I enjoyed photographing. The new Art and Nature Park has a 35-acre lake, known as “Hidden Lake”.

One of the eight inaugural installations is the Stratum Pier, a structure by female artists Kendall Buser that overlooks the Park’s 35-acre lake. This beautiful pier appears to drift over the shoreline, creating a layered look. You can even fish at the Hidden Lake. Stratum Pier reflects the artist’s interest in the merging of the natural and the man-made environment.

This new park is a wonderful example of horticulturist and artists working together. As we become more concerned with our environment, I look forward to seeing more art work that blends well with nature.

www.nellasbooksandcollectibles.ecrater.com

Art and Nature

• This begins a series of articles about the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. The grand opening celebration for the art and nature park was this past weekend in Indianapolis. As a volunteer for the Indianapolis Museum of Art, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in this historic celebration. The weather was unusually hot and muggy but most in attendance were excited and enjoyed this new contemporary environment.
  
  The Indianapolis Museum of Art, the 5th largest museum in the country, is now home of one of the largest museum art parks.
  
  Artists have spent several years working closely with the museum to develop projects for the park. The park is located near a river that runs close to the museum’s 52-acre campus.
  
  The following artists and works of art installations made an inaugural appearance at the grand opening.
  
  Free Basket, Los Carpinteros
  Team Building (Align), Type A
  Park of Laments, Alfredo Jaar
  Funky Bones, Atelier Van Lieshout
  Stratum Pier, Kendall Buster
  Eden 2, Tea Makipaa
  Indianapolis Island, Andrea Zittel
  Bench Around the Lake, Jeppe Hein
  
  
  Future articles will discuss the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park and the evolving nature of art and nature as well as the prospect of a new model for sculpture parks for the 21st century.
  
  
  www.nellasbooksandcollectibles.ecrater.com

Carefully Stealing Porcelain

I just read where there are a group of thieves stealing very high priced porcelain from homes in England. It seems there have been 21 cases in the last three years.

It is amazing what people will steal. I have a hard time figuring out how a thief can be successful in stealing very fragile objects. According to the authorities, these robbers are very professional. I assume they are well prepared to carry off the loot in safe containers. It would be a disaster if one would go through all the effort of planning and stealing the loot and dropping and damaging it before they get to their destination.

When I attend local antique auctions, I have observed individuals with large sturdy containers (boxes, bags) and bubble wrap, newspapers, cloths . I assume they intend to purchase something very fragile like porcelain. I’m sure the thought of transporting the valuables safely has to be a top consideration of the porcelain robbers.

One of the objects recently stolen was a Meissen teapot in the form of a monkey.
According to the investigators the art pieces stolen are disposed of quickly. Sometimes these pieces show up on internet auctions for sale. It might be interesting to find out what has recently been stolen and then search the online auction sites to see if anything familiar shows up. Perhaps a porcelain monkey might be up for grabs.


www.nellasbooksandcollectibles.ecrater.com