106 Museums Celebrate Art Museum Day on May 18th, 2011

NEW YORK, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Over 100 art museums across North America will offer free or reduced admission, special programs, or other initiatives as part of their celebrations of Art Museum Day on May 18, 2011.  These museums—all members of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), and located across the United States, Canada, and Mexico—include smaller regional museums as well as leading international institutions.

Roaming Boomer Phoenix Art Museum Articles

• Cézanne and American Modernism at the Phoenix Art Museum
• A Visit to the Phoenix Art Museum

AAMD’s Art Museum Day coincides with International Museum Day, organized annually around the world by the International Council of Museums. Participation by AAMD member museums emphasizes the lasting impact art museums have on their communities, highlights the value of the visual arts in society, and provides a range of opportunities for audiences to engage with the diverse programs that art museums offer.

Participants include:

On Saturday, we went to visit a new exhibit that has just opened at the Phoenix Art Museum entitled Cézanne and American Modernism.

Whenever we travel to a major city, you are certain to find The Roaming Boomers in its art museum.  Now that we live in Scottsdale, Arizona, we feel most fortunate to have the Phoenix Art Museum just down the road from our home.

This particular special exhibit consists of 100 works of art.  There are 16 of Cézanne’s pieces, and 84 others by American artists who were greatly influenced by Paul Cézanne.

As we approached the Phoenix Art Musuem’s Steele Hall, we were greeted by cheerful representatives of the museum who gave us what appeared to be an old style Motorola Flip Phone.  I was greatly pleased to learn that these were digital devices that would give us an audio tour of the collection.  Cool!  There’s nothing worse than going to an art museum and not having any understanding of what you are looking at.

The audio tour was very well done, and kept us in rapt attention as we made our way through the exhibit.

“Paul Ce?zanne (1839–1906) is universally acclaimed as the father of modern art for his revolutionary use of flattened perspective, carefully structured compositions, and his signature technique of painting with patches of color. This exhibition is the first to reveal how a small group of pioneering American artists championed the reclusive French artist before he gained international prominence. Although these painters and photographers never met Ce?zanne in person, his long and prolific career provided many avenues of influence for them to explore.”

There seemed to be well over 100 people visiting this exhibit with us.  All had their little “flip phone” glued to their ears listening to the various curators explaining not only Cézanne’s life, but why his particular style of painting earned him the title of modern art’s father,  as well as his influence on the great many works of art that we were strolling by.

I was also captivated by the wide variety of people present.  There were young girls dressed up in stylish dresses and heels.  While at the other end of the spectrum,  several older folks confined to wheel chairs  were also enjoying the exhibit.  And, there was seemingly present, folks from every corner of the globe all gathered here in a common bond:  the enjoyment of Cézanne, his art, and his influence.

The Phoenix Art Museum has brought us an exhibit that is informative, and very pleasing to the eyes.  It will broaden your perspective of the world, and leave you a more enlightened person than when you first entered the beautiful lobby.

As I have mentioned before,  the Phoenix Art Museum is a must for your top 10 list when visiting the Greater Phoenix Area.  If you happen to live in the Valley then you simply must go see these works of art.  I promise you will have a most enjoyable visit.

Photo credit: Paul Cézanne. Bathers. 1898-1900. The Baltimore Museum of Art:  The Cone  Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland, BMA 1950.195.

The Phoenix Art Museum is:

“The Southwest’s premier 203,000- square foot destination for world-class visual arts. Here you will be immersed in culture while viewing popular exhibitions that feature artists such as Rembrandt, Norman Rockwell, and Annie Leibowitz. Monet. And the list goes on.”

On this particular return visit, we were honored to spend some time with the museum’s photography curator, Dr. Rebecca Senf, who gave us a personal tour of her current exhibit Ansel Adams: Discoveries.

Here’s our recommended experience:

• arrive when the museum opens.  (link to directions/hours)
• the front desk will provide you with maps, and directions to the type of collection you desire most to see.  If you prefer self-guided tours, the museum has audio headsets to help you understand what you are looking at.
  
• when your belly begins to rumble, head to the award-winning Acadia Farms Cafe which is housed right inside the museum.  We have been many times, and it’s wonderful.  Great soups, salads, sandwiches, or even a piece of fresh salmon.
• After lunch, tag along with one of the docent guided tours.  There are several free tours available after lunch each day.
• After you have delighted your senses with all these wonderful artworks, don’t forget a visit to the museum’s wonderful gift shop.  Here you will find many unusual items certain to be treasured by your family, friends, or maybe a little treat for yourself!

Note:  click on the Ansel Adams photograph (above) to see a much larger version of his famous Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941.   Color photograph courtesy of Bill Timmerman via Phoenix Art Museum.