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Post by htmb on Sept 11, 2012 23:49:55 GMT
Residents of North Central Florida are very fortunate to have access to a first class art museum in Gainesville. The Harn Museum of Art is located on the University of Florida cultural plaza next to the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Performing Arts Center.    The Samuel P. Harn Museum opened in 1990, dedicated to promoting the power of the arts to inspire and educate people and enrich their lives. More than 8,000 works are represented in the museum’s various collections, which include photography and Asian, African, modern and contemporary art. The museum also displays numerous traveling exhibitions throughout the year. As an accredited museum, the Harn has been recognized as a leader in its field by the American Association of Museums. The museum is located at 3259 Hull Road in Gainesville, Florida, and is part of the University of Florida Cultural Plaza.
One of the largest university-affiliated art museums in the United States, the Harn Museum has an 86,800-square-foot facility, which includes 32,800 square feet of exhibition space, a 250-seat auditorium, study center, museum store, café, spacious areas for art storage and staff offices for work and research. In 2012, the museum opened the David A. Cofrin Asian Art Wing, a new 26,000-square-foot addition, which is dedicated to the exhibition, storage and conservation of the museum’s extensive collection of Asian art.From the Harn website Photographs are not permitted in certain areas of the museum, particularly the traveling exhibits, so the following photos represent only a portion of what I saw on a recent visit. There was a fabulous exhibit of photographs by Anne Nogle which explored female vitality, aging and beauty. Of particular interest to me were photos of many of the first female pilots from around the globe. The Harn has an outstanding docent program and offers educational tours on a regular basis, as well as providing tours for school groups. Admission to the museum is free.  Part of an Ethiopian Virgin and Child Triptych Second half of seventeenth and early eighteenth century       Claude Monet Champ d'avoine (Oat Field) 1890, Oil on Canvas  The most recent addition to the museum was the Asian wing which opened in the spring of 2012.     China Head of Luohan Liao Dynasty (970 - 1175) Ceramic (and was probably a part of a complete figure)    Krishna and his older half-brother, Balarama, standing under a tree      Outside the Asian wing is a delightful water garden; a quiet space for contemplation when the weather is nice.    As I left the museum to head home I got a surprise when I encountered these beautiful pups and their handlers arriving for a training session inside the museum. The dogs are raised by volunteers who take them into their homes and begin the preliminary training that will eventually enable them to become service animals.    |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 12, 2012 3:26:38 GMT
What an exceptional space and collection!
The area for the Asian art is breathtaking -- so serene and beautiful.
The way of grouping those smaller pieces is different (not sure I approve).
What are those first, very old ceramic pieces you show? Also, who did the naive art? I truly love that Krishna picture (batik?)
Gosh, the water garden would be worth a visit all by itself.
How lovely of you to include the dogs in training -- so unexpected & interesting.
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Post by nycgirl on Sept 12, 2012 5:16:28 GMT
Very nice. I'm always pleased to see places like this available to the public for free.
The Asian wing, with its handsome wood paneling, is very well done, and the works are impressive. That garden is just lovely.
I would have been so delighted to run into that group of service pups on their way to the museum. They're so cute and well-behaved. Of course, they're not allowed to goof off on the job, so I would have had to resist the urge to pet them.
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Post by htmb on Sept 12, 2012 12:05:16 GMT
Bixa, were you referring to the picture of the three pots? I'm not sure, but believe they are from the Americas. I just don't remember where. They really are incredibly beautiful. I will try to check the next time I visit.
This was my first trip since the opening of the Asian wing and I was a bit disoriented. It felt like many of the old standards had been moved, but I think I was just a bit turned around.
The dogs were a complete surprise. They were all very healthy and well behaved for being so young. I really admire the volunteers who raise these puppies and then give them up. I would imagine it is incredibly satisfying on one hand, but very difficult to give up a dog that has become such a part of your every day life and family.
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Post by htmb on Sept 12, 2012 14:10:28 GMT
The Harn web site contains a wealth of information, including video's of selected objects and exhibits. The first video on this page is about the Asian wing.
Another video presents information about the Korean Bodhisattva, one of the very interesting objects I was unable to photograph due to low lighting. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2012 18:40:33 GMT
It is really amazing the artworks that some "minor" museums manage to get -- sometimes because a rich local donated a private piece, sometimes because a local researcher had a passion for a certain type of item that could be obtained without spending a fortune, and sometimes because the museum curators had a passion that managed to find solutions in obtaining artworks that might have eluded them otherwise.
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Post by htmb on Sept 28, 2012 19:03:42 GMT
I am sure all of the above applies here. The Monet was a gift by a donor who did well in the business world and who has given back much to this community. The University of Florida is an outstanding research institution and the Harn is operated by very high quality individuals. This part of Florida is a wonderful place to live as there are many educational and cultural opportunities. Here are some of the activities in just the city of Gainesville this weekend:
1. Opening day for an educational water exhibit at the Museum of Natural History
2. A two-day juried art festival with over 100 artists
3. An Indian Dance Company performing a full length work, "Sacred Earth."
4. Gay Pride Parade and Festival
5. A performance by Rascal Flats
6. A traveling "Peanuts" exhibit exploring nature through Charles Shultz's cartoons
7. A downtown music festival and art walk tonight
8. A festival of five church choirs Sunday afternoon
9. A gala fundraiser for a children's hospital
10. Children's Reading Festival sponsored by the library association
I could list at least another twenty interesting things taking place over the course of this weekend (and many are free), but for a small city I am sure you can see there are a lot of offerings.
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Post by htmb on Oct 4, 2012 14:59:19 GMT
New Exhibition Opening at the Harn Life through the lens
Photography from Europe and America Between the WarsHungarian-photographer André Kertész captured people walking to and from the Louvre in 1929 through the glass face of the Académie Francaise clock. The picture remains a frozen, dream-like reminder to viewers of the connection between the real and the fantastic.
Now, his image, “The Louvre Through the Old Glass Clock of the Académie Française,” hangs inside the angled walls of the Gladys Gracy Harn Exhibition Hall at the Harn Museum of Art as part of “The Modern Impulse” exhibition, which opens Tuesday. |
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Post by nycgirl on Oct 5, 2012 17:40:29 GMT
That's a great shot of the Manhattan bridge.
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Post by htmb on Aug 21, 2016 22:00:52 GMT
Im sorry, but the links in reply #7 are no longer working. It also doesn't look like I had responded to your post, Nycgirl. Thanks! Too bad the Manhattan Bridge has disappeared. |
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Post by htmb on Aug 21, 2016 22:33:29 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 22, 2016 2:25:44 GMT
What a delight to see this thread revived. It's been long enough that it feels new all over again. And the actual new stuff you show is fascinating. I am intrigued by that self-portrait of Frida, as it seems like one of her earliest paintings. I love the way you show the exhibition space -- that 3rd picture with the motion blur is outstanding & really gives a sense of being there.
The head-mask with the little man inside and the figure from the Côte d'Ivoire are so stunning, it would be worth visiting the Harn just to see those two things.
Lovely report and thanks for that great reflection nature picture which adds a perfect note of balance to everything.
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Post by htmb on Aug 22, 2016 12:16:01 GMT
The head-mask with the little man inside and the figure from the Côte d'Ivoire are so stunning, it would be worth visiting the Harn just to see those two things. Lovely report and thanks for that great reflection nature picture which adds a perfect note of balance to everything. Thanks, Bixa. A visit to the Harn is definitely recommended for everyone's North Florida travel agenda, and may be combined with a stop at the neighboring Florida Museum of Natural History. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2016 4:40:54 GMT
It's always interesting to see what 'small' museums get to exhibit (I use that adjective for lack of a better word, as opposed to world and cultural capital museums). There are many small jewels to see, and often they are just as if not more satisfying than the mega exhibits working their way around the planet which whip up peoples' expectations and sometimes disappoint.
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Post by htmb on Aug 24, 2016 20:34:45 GMT
I agree completely, Kerouac. Often the smaller, more intimate museum spaces can be much more satisfying to visit. Plus, children growing up away from large metropolitan areas are typically exposed to the arts through local and regional museums. In fact, our university museums have advanced educational programs where highly trained docents act as guides for school children on field trips throughout the year. Many teachers also work with museum personnel to incorporate art and art history materials into their lessons. Along with the research component, our local museum programs provide learning opportunities for people of all ages and stages.
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