World-Class Art

Art: such a vague word, yet one that stirs such emotion in so many.We surround ourselves with its imagery and learn the names of all the greats. We create it. We debate it. We search for it in unexpected places. We find that one piece that so perfectly wraps up what we're feeling, who we are, and attach ourselves wholeheartedly to its aesthetics and meanings. A three letter word with such power...

Tornado Over Kansas by John Steuart Curry

Recently, a friend and I were having a long-winded debate about art, not an unusual occurrence, when the conversation shifted to his time spent studying in Italy. He was wandering through a museum one day when he came across a chaotic piece depicting a family's race to safety from the twisting funnel in the background. The sign next to it read:

John Steuart Curry 
Tornado Over Kansas
Oil on canvas, 1929
Muskegon Museum of Art

Muskegon! Here he was, a West Michigan resident, wandering the globe to define art, only to discover the treasures from his own backyard. After his shock subsided, pride swelled.

New York Restaurant by Edward Hopper

Impressive is the word that comes to mind when I think of the Muskegon Museum of Art. Their permanent collection is home to world-class pieces by the likes of Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, and Dale Chihuly. Their programming is so well planned and well rounded that each time I see the newest line-up, I'm speechless. For each exhibit, they have a dozen or so separate events including films, children's activities, lectures and performances. The calendar is just as dizzying as the twister in their most famous painting!

The newest exhibit is no different. WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball, Original Paintings by Kadir Nelson opened on January 13. Award-winning artist and author Kadir Nelson gave a decade of his life to the study of the history of Negro League baseball, ultimately producing 33 paintings for his book which became a New York Times bestseller and received the Coretta Scott King Author Award. This nationally touring exhibition highlights these paintings and the 13 preliminary sketches that "speak to the Negro League’s overwhelming success despite the daunting odds against it".

Josh Gibson by Kadir Nelson

From the MMA website:

We Are the Ship tells the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the 20th century. Most of all, it is a story of the hundreds of unsung heroes of the Negro Leagues who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved most: play ball.

This Week's Giveaway!

We want you to experience this amazing exhibit and museum, that's why this week, we're giving away an awesome Muskegon Museum of Art prize pack which includes:

• Two admission tickets to MMA
• $20 gift certificate to the Museum's gift store
• A copy of WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
  

 To enter, simply tell us what your favorite artist or artwork, and we'll draw the winner on Friday, January 21. Good luck!

High five,

-Shannon