Independent Event 3: Museum of Art and Design

          

          The Museum of Art and Design proved to be my favorite museum that I went to visit this semester, along with the MOMA. The artwork I witnessed there was spectacular and truly magnificent. The exhibition, Slash: Paper Under the Knife, contained several mind-boggling pieces of artwork. What amazed me most was not only the final product of the artist, but the thought process that must have went into effect when putting their work together. I still can believe the artist was able to envision the artwork prior to beginning the cutting process. Examples of this include the tank, the colorful mannequin, and the topographic map.

          Immediately upon entering the Museum of Art and Design, I walked over to the front desk. While waiting for Matt, I recognized the paper ship hanging above my head. It left me wondering how many people actually enter the museum to view the exhibits but fail to notice the ship. While it is a truly majestic piece of art, it also appears to be hidden and out of the way. The paper exhibit contained a piece of work from Ed Pien, known as Night Gathering. The paper was cut to create an image of children in a tree. It reminded myself of the weekends I spent upstate as a child where I would climb the trees in the woods along with my brother and cousins. The black color of the paper produces a silhouette of a tree and children, which creates an "eerie and threatening atmosphere", according to plaque. By cutting out the image rather than drawing it, it removes the blank space which in turn becomes empty space. The detail of the tree was so fine and precise, by including all the branches. The size of the paper itself could not be ignored. The other pieces of the exhibition were just as remarkable but Night Gathering seemed to stick out most. Also, I viewed some of the other exhibitions, but they too were not as appealing and Slash: Paper Under the Knife.