NCMA: You are Here exhibition

North Carolina Museum of Arts "You Are Here" exhibit is maybe the coolest thing I've seen there in years, and it's only around for another week or so, so you need to take the kids. This is truly one of the reasons I feel so lucky to live in the triangle. YOH is filled with immersive exhibits over a whole floor of NCMA, many centering around the topic of light. My kids and I went on the free weekend and really enjoyed ourselves, so it's definitely kid friendly with some interactive installations. Since it's almost over the museum will be especially crowded on weekends so I recommend going on a weeknight and allotting a good amount of time. You should also buy tickets ahead of time online here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1006672/you-are-herelightcolorand-sound-experiences-raleigh-north-carolina-museum-of-artexhibitions

One of the installations in particular typically has a wait to visit since only a few people at a time can "witness" it so that part might be more challenging for younger visitors. Next weekend, the final weekend of You Are Here, the exhibition will be open extended hours, Friday and Saturday, July 20 and 21, from 10 am to 2 am with food and adult beverages for sale from 5 pm to 1:30 am. More on the exhibit from their website (https://ncartmuseum.org/exhibition/you_are_here_light_color_and_sound_experiences) below:

"Become part of the art. You Are Here: Light, Color, and Sound Experiences, open April 7 through July 22, 2018.

You Are Here features immersive art installations by 15 contemporary artists, including large-scale light works, sound installations, video works, mixed-media room-size environments, and site-specific projects. Some are delightfully low-tech, transforming ordinary materials into awe-inspiring visuals, while others make use of experimental new media, fusing art and technology in interactive works that change in response to the viewer. The artists in this exhibition employ a diversity of media to create intriguing experiences that engage the senses, activate the imagination, and provide connections between the viewer and the work of art.

You Are Here presents pioneering video, light, and sound installations by Bill Viola, James Turrell, Janet Cardiff, Olafur Eliasson, and Ragnar Kjartansson. Works by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Jim Campbell, and Theo Eshetu use experimental, cutting-edge technology; custom electronics; and digital media. Mixed-media installations by Anila Quayyum Agha, Soo Sunny Park, Mickalene Thomas, and Heather Gordon use low-tech, nontraditional materials. You Are Here also takes visitors outdoors in the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park to explore projects by Sam Falls and OMAi/Markus Dorninger.

The exhibition also includes the debut of the Museum's new acquisition of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's Light of Life, a mirrored hexagonal box measuring more than seven feet square and seven feet tall, with three portholes at varying heights to allow the viewer to look inside of the enclosed “infinity room.” The interior of the work is lined with mirrors and filled with LED lights that are programmed to change patterns and colors in a dazzling two-minute light show. Viewers see a kaleidoscopic play of color and light, along with multiple views of their own reflections and those of the other viewers looking through the portholes, all creating an illusion of infinite space and an extraordinary shared experience."

More details after photos. 

PRICES:
Adults $15
Children 7-18 $9
Children 6 and under FREE

North Carolina Museum of Art
2110 Blue Ridge Road 
Raleigh, NC 27607-6494 

HOURS
Tuesday–Thursday 10 am–5 pm
Friday 10 am–9 pm
Saturday–Sunday 10 am–5 pm

Monday Closed

Glowing Bunnies at NCMA!

Last night my family and I got to play with glowing giant bunny rabbits! Not every day you get to write that. It's true, and you can see them too at North Carolina Museum of Art's free public exhibition of Intrude that lasts through the 6th.

Australian artist Amanda Parer created these five giant (23 feet high the museum says) inflatable white rabbits, that are lit from within. It's a really special exhibit to witness, and an especially accessible way to introduce children to modern art. 

We got there after dark and while there were a lot of people there, they did have people directing parking and we were able to find a spot in the back. While parking wasn't bad for me, they do note: "Parking information: We're expecting large crowds at these hoppy hour. Once all parking spaces on the NCMA campus are filled, security staff will allow only cars with handicap parking and taxi/ride-share drop-offs. If the lots on our campus are full when you arrive, please use parking lots located along Reedy Creek Road across from the NCMA (right across Blue Ridge Road). There are available lots on either side of Reedy Creek. Please allow time to exit the grounds, and be mindful of pedestrians."
The walk is nice, and the new pathways around the extended parking area are very well done with hardy but manicured greenery. I would love to see it all in the light!

On the night we went they played classical music as an accompaniment, and Friday they will have Hip-hop I think? It's called "Trip-Hoppy Hour featuring SPCLGST" and there is also an artist meet and greet.

Did I mention there are food trucks and alcohol for purchase? The line for both the food trucks that were there when we went was longer than at most food truck rodeos, and for the weekend, they will have four instead of two, but the weekend will also be busier. Check the site for what food trucks on which night. Bringing your own food might be a good idea if you don't want to wait.

The kids had fun running around, and many people relaxed with blankets. I recommend getting there before dark, as the crowds are much smaller and there are lovely sights to behold as the sun sets (as this picture, credit Rock Piquet, shows). They allow dogs nearby but ask that they not go near the bunnies. One sharp paw could make a bunny... deflate!

Side note - why is the exhibit called Intrude? According to the exhibit page at NCMA's site, "In the artist’s "native Australia, rabbits are an out-of-control pest and have caused a great imbalance to the country’s endemic species. On the other hand, the rabbit also represents the fairytale animals from our childhood—a furry innocence, frolicking through idyllic fields. Intrude deliberately evokes this cutesy image with visual humor to lure visitors into the art, only to reveal the more serious environmental messages in the work." So engage older kiddos with these larger while there, because it truly is something to behold for people of all ages.

The outdoor exhibit culminates on November 6 with the NCMA Park Celebration. So see it now, before the bunnies hop away!

I absolutely love this video from the artist: https://vimeo.com/154838547

More on the exhibit: http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/13942

Public Facebook Event for the Exhibit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1064011233647378/

Where:
NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART, 2110 BLUE RIDGE ROAD, RALEIGH, NC 27607
(919) 839-6262

When: Until 8pm each night, through Nov 6th

Wee Arts

Stir Crazy guest blogger Megan Baldwin of onetwinmom.blogspot.com loves Wee Arts and shared her review!

With so many music classes in the Triangle area, it can be hard to pick just one. But your search can begin and end at Wee Arts, a small business owned by Chapel Hill mom Michelle Schooff. Her program offers Caregiver and Me classes for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers (you can pick to purchase a semester’s worth for a slight discount, or pay the drop-in rate) as well as drop-off camps for children beginning at age 3. 

I’ve attended multiple classes with my two-year-old twins, who can’t get enough of the experience and love going back each time. Each class begins in a similar way: the children are all invited to bang on drums while Michelle strums her guitar and sings the “Hello” song, greeting each child by name. The rest of the session is focused on casual learning through a wonderful assortment of both original and familiar songs and movement activities, typically loosely linked to a season-related theme: snowmen, flakes, and reindeer in December; bunnies, butterflies, and birds in April.

Michelle encourages children to learn about their body parts, singing original songs that help them to identify their nose, shoulders, bellies, and knees. She typically also incorporates an activity focused on counting, bringing out a glove adorned with animals or flowers and singing about how many there are based on the number of fingers she’s holding up. Often, she’ll hand out hand-crafted items to the children, like butterflies hanging from a stick, or a paper plate that doubles as a “steering wheel,” and allow them to play along as she sings happily about the object. In helping children to learn how to follow basic commands, she asks them to “copy me” and gently instructs them to  jump up and down, spin around, roll around on the ground, or walk in a circle. Occasionally, she uses a brightly colored parachute as a prop, pretending (for example) that the ripples on the surface are ocean waves, letting children run around and under it.

She also introduces her students to multiple musical instruments, getting down on her knees to let the children take turns plucking the strings of her guitar, violin, or ukulele. She has shakers, sticks, bells, and xylophones that she hands out to the kids each class, allowing them to take a turn making their own music. 

But even beyond all of the personal touches that make her class stand apart from (and hold its own against) any national program with local affiliates, Michelle has a unique ability to hold the attention of multiple children varying in age, and the patience, skill, and grace to lead a class despite any distractions. As an instructor, Michelle is gentle with her students, carefully reading the room to see what’s working and what isn’t. If the kids are rambunctious, for example, she leans in, playing hearty songs on the guitar and encouraging everyone to spin and dance. Michelle is loved by the families who attend her classes, with former students signing up again and again; there is a sense of friendliness and community among the parents and caregivers. 

The details: 

Wee Arts is running a short, Spring 2 Semester beginning Thursday, May 5: sign up here to attend either on Mondays at 10 AM or Thursdays at 2 PM (exact dates available through link; the Thursday 9:30 AM session is already full!). For new-to-the-program families who have twins or siblings who want to attend together, you’ll pay only for the first child, while the second can attend for free! There is a $10 registration fee. 

For more information, find Wee Arts on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/weeartsrocks/

About our Stir Crazy blogger:  “Megan Baldwin is a lawyer turned stay-at-home mom to twin girls in Durham, North Carolina. Follow their adventures at onetwinmom.blogspot.com.”

MC Escher exhibit at NCMA

MC Escher may be one of the best known artists because of his unique trademark style, but have your kids met him yet? Now is the time as the NCMA exhibit closes on January 24th!

I wanted to be one of the first to see the new MC Escher exhibit - "The Worlds of M. C. Escher: Nature, Science, and Imagination" - at Raleigh's North Carolina Museum of Art back in October (and avoiding the State Fair crowds was a big bonus). I went with fellow SoDu Parents Posse mom Leah and our kids and wow - was it impressive! Since it was opening weekend, they had a lot of amazing events to coincide which are not currently happening, but the exhibit is more than enough reason to go over there. 

The exhibit is the most comprehensive Escher exhibition ever presented in the United States, and includes 130 "woodcuts, lithographs, wood engravings, and mezzotints, as well as numerous drawings, watercolors, wood blocks, and lithographic stones never before exhibited." The exhibit has something from the Dutch graphic artist’s entire career, "from his earliest print to his final masterpiece... [and] ...highlights Escher’s explorations of nature, mathematics, science, and the realm of his imagination. Escher’s best-known prints are on view, as well as his lesser-known portraits and Italian landscapes." (from NCMA's website) 

One of the activities opening weekend had was make your own infinity style Mobius Strip, made famous in many of Escher's works. A mobius strip is created when you take a single strip of paper and giving one of the two ends a half twist, and then reattaching the two ends. We stamped and decorated ours and have them hanging from strings in our kitchen. Super easy to make at home and a great way of making the exhibit come alive for your kids.

They also had a pop up of a 3D printer, where you could have them create a lizard or other simple item, and a burner where they cut out paper versions of MC Escher's famous lizard tessellation branded with your name on them. They also had lizard stencils and brightly colored chalk and people were making them into patterns all over the sidewalk.

Although it was a beautiful fall day, we knew the great stuff was inside so downstairs we went and it was just amazing. I never realized how prolific he was in so many mediums, like woodballs that he carved with intricate patterns and delicate pen and ink portrayals of landscapes. I could have spent hours there because there was so much to take in. When we went the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit wasn't open yet, so I can't speak to it, but I'm sure it's wonderful too. Photography isn't allowed in the exhibit but it is okay in the area next to the gift store and in the lobby. (All photos here are either from the internet or in the lobby area.)


Another way of getting your kids immersed in the bizarre geometry of MC Escher afterwards is to download the beautiful and captivating interactive puzzle game Monument Valley - http://www.monumentvalleygame.com/ - available at the app store. The designer of the game actually came and spoke at a NCMA event in December to coincide with this exhibit. In the screenshot below you can see how they were inspired by Escher.

If you want to combine your visit with a special event, I've listed some below. Please double check dates, times, and cost before attending.

Events this weekend:

Cocktails, Craft, and Camaraderie: Perler Bead Geometry
JANUARY 8, 2016 | 6:30 PM
Hang out with friends and get down to some geometric crafting inspired by M. C. Escher’s works. Create a cool three-color illusion piece with Perler beads that you can hang up in your office. One Toasted Marshmallow Russian is included in the ticket price.
http://ncartmuseum.org/calendar/event/2016/01/08/cocktails_craft_and_camaraderie_perler_bead_geometry

Special Family Tour of The Worlds of M. C. Escher
**Four times!** SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, JANUARY 9TH AND 10TH, AT 1:30PM AND 2:30PM
EAST BUILDING
An free interactive 30-minute tour (with paid exhibition ticket) for families with children ages 6–12. Sign up that day; first come, first served.
Box Office | (919) 715-5923
http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/dual/escher_and_da_vinci (click on related events and scroll down to the bottom to see these)

Also (not MC Escher, but still fun):
Weekend Family-Friendly Tour: Hang on to Your Hats! (this happens throughout the month)
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, JANUARY 9TH AND 10TH at 10:30 AM 
WEST BUILDING INFORMATION DESK
January 15 is National Hat Day. Look for fancy hats, a decorative crown, and unusual headdresses in the collection. Half-hour tours for kids ages 5–11 and their adult companions. (This link is just for one of the times.) http://ncartmuseum.org/calendar/event/2016/01/09/weekend_family_friendly_tour_hang_on_to_your_hats/1030

The following weekend (last weekend the DaVinci exhibit is open): 

Family Fun Saturdays: Specimen Lab
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2016 | 10 AM and 1PM
EAST BUILDING, EDUCATION STUDIOS
M. C. Escher and Leonardo da Vinci were keen observers of the natural world. Hone your own powers of observation as you use art to explore and record the colors, patterns, textures, and  forms found in the natural world.
Gallery tour plus studio workshops for families. A different theme each time means there’s always something new to discover. 
Please note: All participants (children and adults) must have a ticket. These popular workshops sell out quickly, so reserve your spot early. This event does have fees.
Go here and scroll down, click on the time you want to buy tickets online: http://ncartmuseum.org/calendar/type/youth_families

An event on the last day of the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit:
Pop-Up Art: Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester. 
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2016 | NOON 
EAST BUILDING
Create a miniature journal inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester. 
Free. All ages; children must be accompanied by an adult
http://ncartmuseum.org/calendar/event/2016/01/17/pop_up_art3/1200

DETAILS ON EXHIBIT

What we liked: There is a lot to see and do for the price of admission, two exhibits for one! Plus you can see all the normal works as well, then enjoy the outside trail and sculptures. This might be your only chance to see Escher's works in person, and it's hard to pass up such an opportunity. 

What we would change: I can't think of a thing! Don't miss it!

Where:
NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART
2110 BLUE RIDGE ROAD, RALEIGH, NC 27607
(919) 839-6262
http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/dual/escher_and_da_vinci

Cost (The Worlds of M. C. Escher and Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester are ticketed together. Cost does not refer to special events above, those are separate and may be free or have a cost.):
Child 6 and under: free
Youth 7-18: $12.00
Adult 19+: $18.00

When:
The Worlds of M. C. Escher has been extended to January 24, 2016. During that time, the Museum will also offer extended hours. The Da Vinci exhibit ends on Jan 17th.
Extended Exhibition Hours, January 18–24:
Monday 10 am–5 pm  [West Building closed]
Tuesday–Thursday 10 am–5 pm
Friday–Saturday 10 am–9 pm
Sunday 10 am–5 pm