The Unconventional

I had an opportunity last week to view a new contemporary art installation at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I was not prepared for this visually exciting piece of work. It looked like a giant colorful loom extended from the ceiling. Artists Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues who work with unconventional materials have set up a large-scale installation,Gravity’s Loom, at the main entrance to the museum.

I entered the museum early Saturday morning and this was my very first opportunity to get a glimpse of the new installation. It was a cloudy day and the sun had not made it’s appearance for the day. The glass walls that surround the pavillion allow a great deal of light into the main pavilion. The colored strings of this exhibit seem to be more saturated due to the lighting.

Because it was my first visit, I am not certain what effect the bright sunlight would have on this art work. I have been told, however, that the view is magnificent at night. I think I will make several trips to catch a glimpse of this unusual piece of art work at various times of the day. As I continue my journey to learn more about contemporary art, I am finding more things to admire and appreciate.


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A True Patron of the Arts

I have often wondered how great museums and art galleries are created. I know that here in American wealthy families would collect artwork and they would subsequently build museums to display their collections. In the early years, however, the system of patronage usually excluded American artists. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a unique patron of the arts, played a major role in the advancement of American art.

Mrs. Whitney dared to be original in an era where art needed to be aesthetically acceptable. American art was ignored by many wealthy individuals who preferred artwork purchased from Europe. She had a passion for art and supported exhibitions of work by American artists of all backgrounds.

The Whitney Museum began when Mrs. Whitney opened the Whitney Studio in 1914 and allowed work to be submitted as long as it was sincere. This included American contemporary art. In 1918 the Whitney Studio Club was created and in 1928 The Whitney Studio Galleries. By this time Mrs. Whitney’s had acquired a huge collection. She offered to donate her twentieth-century American art to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum declined her offer so she created her own museum. The Whitney Museum of American Art opened in 1931.

Mrs. Whitney was a risk taker, a true patron of the arts who searched for quality in American Art. Because she stood by her beliefs, today we can still enjoy wonderful and unique works of art at the first institution devoted to American art, the Whitney Museum.


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