art museum

On Wednesday, the children were off school and I took a vacation day, and we went on a rainy-day adventure to the Portland Art Museum. It was an unexpectedly great visit - unexpected because the morning began with grouchiness and tantrums and also because previous forays have been marked with a good deal of whining. I gave each child a digital camera and permission to take as many photos as they liked, of whatever they liked, with the goal of remembering their favorite pieces and possibly re-creating them at home later.

We saw a special exhibit on Andy Warhol first, and then spent smaller amounts of time looking at exhibits of Japanese kimonos, Pacific Northwest native art and then contemporary art, some contemporary light/sound/digital installations, and a few impressionist works. We were there for two hours and had a really good time talking about the pieces, comparing them, selecting favorites, looking at the paint and brushstrokes and paper, discussing why art is expensive and why some art is in museums, etc.

These were Sebastian's photos:

 

These are Liesl's photos: 

This was the Warhol piece that Liesl decided to reproduce at home later on - her efforts can be seen in the drawing below. I like how she tried to capture the green grass.

After the museum, we went to the library, and then out to lunch, and then made it back home for an hour before Liesl had gymnastics practice. It was a good day together.