
The Crocker Art Museum, the oldest public art museum west of the Mississippi, offers special exhibitions and programs to complement its collections which include Californian art, European and Asian art, and African and Oceanic art.
Three overlapping exhibits are currently on loan at the Crocker Art Museum:
- Little Dreams in Glass and Metal: Enameling in America 1920-Present (through September 11)
- Glass for the New Millennium: Masterworks from the Kaplan-Ostergaard Collection (through October 2)
- The Luster of Ages: Ancient Glass from the Marcy Friedman Collection (through October 16)
I recently spent several enjoyable hours working my way through these three exhibits.
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The Enameling in America exhibit includes 121 works by 90 artists of modern and contemporary enamels. A large range of objects are featured including jewelry, vessels, sculptures and large wall panels. It is amazing how the artists are able to create such beautiful works – fusing glass to metal through a high temperature firing process.
The varied works of art in the Kaplan-Ostergaard Collection were very impressive. The works ranged from vibrant colors and bold forms to works both delicate and intricate. A number of the works were quite large. I was quite taken with the detail of a human-sized work depicting a kimono (sans human head/hands/feet).
As someone who has always been interested in ancient history, I also enjoyed the Marcy Friedman Collection. The collection consists largely of ancient vessels. Most of the vessels are quite small and delicate looking – it is amazing that they survived all these ages intact. I very much appreciated the accompanying descriptions of each item along with information on the methods used by the craftsmen who created them.
The taking of photos of works of art loaned and not owned by the Crocker is prohibited, so you will have to go and see these collections for yourself!
After making the rounds I decided to have lunch at the Crocker Café before heading home. The Café offers a good variety of choices (pizza, salads, soups, BLT’s, cheeseburgers, etc.) There is also a children’s menu. I enjoyed a very tasty BLT (Applewood smoked bacon, tomato, romaine, avocado coulis on walnut-wheat sourdough).
The cost of admission to the Crocker Art Museum is minimal – and free for members and children 6 and under. Tip: Every third Sunday is “Pay What You Wish Sunday”.
Comments on the current three exhibits at the Crocker Art Museum?
If you have had the opportunity to view these three exhibits: What collection was your favorite? Was there a particular work that stood out for you?
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