I love seeking out the little-known, quirky gems of a city. The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art was a recent destination. As you drive up, we triple-checked the address, because it looked like a standard 1980s office building. But then we spot the vertical sign and art installations on the plaza. As you walk […]
Tread Carefully at the California Cactarium
The Morten Botanical Garden and Cactarium, in Palm Springs, evokes dreamy backyards and iconic California ‘scapes. On our sunny afternoon visit, we tread carefully, because a woman is having a rounded cacti piece pried out of her hand upon our arrival – a jumping churro. Our eyes and cameras lead us to the blooming flowers […]
Portals of Palm Springs
Art museums will always be at the top of my travel itinerary… and Palm Springs was no exception! The Palm Springs Art Museum surprised with its variety: Western art paired with mid-century furnishings, Native American weavings and Warhol, and Mesoamerican artifacts next to contemporary photography. The building’s layout encourages exploration but also has a time […]
Communal Intimacy: Fusebox Festival 2018
All my worlds, personal, professional, and volunteer, conspired this weekend to support one theme: communal intimacy. Seems an oxymoron, right? Or at least some relationship type that keeps showing up on Tinder, despite you always swiping left? But alas, it was the work of the brilliant Fusebox Festival, an annual festival of ideas, thought-provoking performances, […]
Scenes from a Historic Home: Hillwood
On a recent trip to D.C., I made a concerted effort to visit some of the smaller museums off the main drag. The Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Garden was the estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, of the Post cereal fortune. She purchased the home in 1955, and the collecting began… Decorative art is the main […]
Hawaiian Monarchy: Iolani Palace
We dusted the sand off and headed in to “town” (what the locals call Honolulu). Iolani Palace was our destination; built in 1882, it was the home of the Hawaiian monarchy. I was excited to finally see the palace, after not seeing it on previous trips. The first residents were King Kalakaua (who ruled through […]
A Year of Greenery
I love art museums for many reasons, including the sense of contemplation they give me. In recent years, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that gardens and outdoor spaces have a similar effect. An unintentional but clear theme emerged this year: garden visits. Stops included the San Antonio Botanical Garden (San Antonio, TX), Wildflower Center […]
Artsy Houston: Part 2
The Houston trip wasn’t complete until we made one last stop… the Yayoi Kasuma exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH). As we walked up, we saw that MANY folks had the same idea… we splurged on a fast pass and got a 2:15 time slot. We were in! And it left time to […]
Artsy Houston: Part 1
When it’s summer in Texas, your first thought might not be: “Oh, we should visit Houston” since it tends to be humid and quite warm. But we made the trek from Austin, and a perfect weekend commenced. First up: The Menil Ancient Greek and Roman, African, modern and contemporary, outsider, and surrealist… it was a romp through art […]
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It’s all about Frank and his shining brows…
January took me from Austin to Phoenix for a quick getaway. After clearing my mind with a solo spa day, I dragged my travel mate to Taliesin West. (She’s a good sport with my random art adventures). We stumbled to the tour starting point right before the tour began. (They were strict about late arrivals, […]