I've been in Ohio since last week, visiting family. This past Thursday, we decided to go to Franklin Park Conservatory. My mom always wanted to see their Blooms & Butterflies exhibit, and I knew that they had some of Dale Chihuly's glass art on display there as well. I've become quite a Chihuly fan, especially since he's from Tacoma and I was exposed to his work at the Museum of Glass.
Their new exhibition - Chihuly Reimagined - debuted on July 4th, but even though we were there 2 days earlier, we still got to see everything up close. It's truly an amazing exhibition. The glass pieces fit in wonderfully with all the plants.
This is definitely worth a visit.
Again, I feel that this is a place more worthy of pictures than words, so I'll let the pictures do the talking now.
Click here for the Franklin Park Conservatory website
Click here for pictures.
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tacoma Museum of Glass/ Martin Blank's "Fluent Steps"
This evening, my friend Lisa and I had the privilege of attending a cocktail reception at the Tacoma Museum of Glass to celebrate the unveiling of Martin Blank's "Fluent Steps," a permanent exhibition in the main reflecting pool. I received the invitation because I do payroll for Martin Blank's employees.
There was a nice turnout for the event, and we got to peek at some of the exhibitions and browse the gift shop. Drinks were flowing (they had a martini bar where they poured the drinks through an ice sculpture, as well as a regular bar), hors d'oeurves were being passed around. There wasn't much going on the first hour except for mixing and mingling. Lisa and I didn't really mix and mingle with anyone (other than saying hello to Debra, Martin Blank's office manager, who invited me to the event), but we looked around and did some people watching.
Around 6:15 or so, everyone was ushered into the theater, where Martin Blank gave a presentation on the conception and implementation of "Fluent Steps." It was fascinating and hilarious. He's not just an artist, but a really funny guy. And he got very emotional at the end of his speech. This exhibition is a huge, HUGE deal for him. As he told us, today was one of the most important days in his life. He got a standing ovation at the end of his speech.
Afterwards was the ribbon cutting ceremony and a champagne toast. It was dusk at the time, but the display was supposed to be very pretty at night. So we headed to a restaurant right next to the museum - Woody's on the Water. We didn't have much in the way of appetizers at the reception, so I ordered an appetizer at the bar and we just enjoyed some conversation until it got dark. We could see "Fluent Steps" from the restaurant and when it was lit up, I paid the bill and we left so I could get pictures.
Just a note on the restaurant: I liked it very much. It's in an excellent location. The food is priced right. And they had live music this evening, supposedly jazz, although it was just some guy playing a keyboard. Not very interesting, but overall, I really liked the restaurant.
It was a very nice evening. Probably the first and only time I'll ever get invited to an event like this, but I really enjoyed it, and so did Lisa.
Links:
Museum of Glass website
Woody's On The Water
Martin Blank Studios
Pictures here.
There was a nice turnout for the event, and we got to peek at some of the exhibitions and browse the gift shop. Drinks were flowing (they had a martini bar where they poured the drinks through an ice sculpture, as well as a regular bar), hors d'oeurves were being passed around. There wasn't much going on the first hour except for mixing and mingling. Lisa and I didn't really mix and mingle with anyone (other than saying hello to Debra, Martin Blank's office manager, who invited me to the event), but we looked around and did some people watching.
Around 6:15 or so, everyone was ushered into the theater, where Martin Blank gave a presentation on the conception and implementation of "Fluent Steps." It was fascinating and hilarious. He's not just an artist, but a really funny guy. And he got very emotional at the end of his speech. This exhibition is a huge, HUGE deal for him. As he told us, today was one of the most important days in his life. He got a standing ovation at the end of his speech.
Afterwards was the ribbon cutting ceremony and a champagne toast. It was dusk at the time, but the display was supposed to be very pretty at night. So we headed to a restaurant right next to the museum - Woody's on the Water. We didn't have much in the way of appetizers at the reception, so I ordered an appetizer at the bar and we just enjoyed some conversation until it got dark. We could see "Fluent Steps" from the restaurant and when it was lit up, I paid the bill and we left so I could get pictures.
Just a note on the restaurant: I liked it very much. It's in an excellent location. The food is priced right. And they had live music this evening, supposedly jazz, although it was just some guy playing a keyboard. Not very interesting, but overall, I really liked the restaurant.
It was a very nice evening. Probably the first and only time I'll ever get invited to an event like this, but I really enjoyed it, and so did Lisa.
Links:
Museum of Glass website
Woody's On The Water
Martin Blank Studios
Pictures here.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Salmon, Starbucks and the Sights of Seattle
Yes, I have been living in suburban Seattle now for over a month. But we've been so busy getting settled in that I haven't had any chance at all to actually go to Seattle and explore.
Until today.
Ruth is here visiting from Germany. She is from here. Her sister, Marianne, lives here. So they invited me to join them for a fun excursion to Olympic Sculpture Park, Pike Place Market, and whatever else captured our fancy.
So I drove to Marianne's house this morning. She lives in a very attractive neighborhood by Lake Washington, and it was a pleasant drive to her house - around 20 miles from Kent and about 40 minutes to get there.
I stayed there for a short while and enjoyed a cup of tea while Ruth and I caught up. Then we hopped in Ruth's rental car and headed downtown. Nice scenery on the way, but you can't really go anywhere in Seattle that doesn't have a view of the mountains or the water (or both).
Our first stop - Olympic Sculpture Park (in the Belltown District), which is free to the public. We spent over an hour here. The park offers fantastic views of the Seattle skyline as well as the Sound. Hopefully, my pictures will reflect that.
As we ended our tour around the park, we stopped in a place called the Vivarium, which was basically a green house displaying a huge Hemlock tree (I think it was Hemlock...I can't remember what she said). The tree was uprooted, but there was a lot of new growth on it. It was a bit of Washington wilderness in the middle of an urban landscape.
After that, we got back in the car the headed up toward Pike Place Market, which is probably the most famous attraction in Seattle next to the Space Needle. We were going to stop at Typhoon Restaurant (Thai food), but it was closed for renovation. So we decided to choose a restaurant at the market.
We found a place to park and first walked up the Harbor Steps and up to the Seattle Art Museum before going around to Pike Place Market. We didn't stop in the art museum, but the sight of the giant, hammer-wielding silhouette in front of the museum is rather arresting.
Anyway, after stopping for that photo op, we walked into Pike Place Market, where Ruth told me that I had to pose for a photo with Rachel the Pig. This pig sculpture, which was wearing a feather boa, sits in front of the seafood stand where they throw the fish. So I tried to hoist myself up there and found that she was pretty tall. Marianne helped me, and the guys at the fish place where hootin' and hollerin' at me...apparently thrilled at the sight of me sitting on the pig. It was funny.
Once that photo was taken, I tried to get one of them throwing the fish around, but they were too fast for my camera. They threw a stuffed fish at us, and I got a photo of Ruth with that.
We were right by Place Pigalle, a seafood/french restaurant, so we decided to eat there. We were seated at a table by the window, which had a gorgeous view of Puget Sound and the mountains beyond. We had a lovely lunch, talking and watching the ferries go back and forth. I had a warm beet salad with goat cheese and mustard vinaigrette and a cup of french onion soup. So simple and amazing. Ruth ordered the salmon special, and shared some with me, and it was so melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Marianne had mussels with chorizo and pasta, which also looked completely yummy. After our very satisfying lunch, we moved on.
We meandered around the market, poking in shops here and there. I picked up a couple pieces of homemade Turkish Delight at a restaurant called Turkish Delight, which also serves doner kebap (must go back there when I need a doner fix). We stopped at Three Girls Bakery, where I picked up a couple of fudge brownies for Lance and I to have for dessert tonight (we haven't torn into them yet, but judging by the popularity of this bakery, I'm guessing the brownies will be fantastic)...(Edited to add - Oh. My. God. Yum yum yum!). We stopped at Seattle's Best Coffee for macchiatos, and Ruth had to tell the barista how to make the Latte Macchiatos that we were accustomed to drinking in Europe. But the barista got it, spot on.
After a few hours of wandering around, sampling the various delights of the market, it was time to head back to the car. We took a detour through the lobby of the art museum, which had a very unusual display of Ford Tauruses (you will see them in my photo album), and then we left.
Anyway, my impression of Seattle: love, love, LOVE it. Crazy in love. I understand now why everyone said that I would love it and feel at home here. It's artsy. It's hip. It's laidback. It's fun. It's colorful. It's vibrant. And it's just so very very cool. I am so happy that we live here.
Pictures!
Until today.
Ruth is here visiting from Germany. She is from here. Her sister, Marianne, lives here. So they invited me to join them for a fun excursion to Olympic Sculpture Park, Pike Place Market, and whatever else captured our fancy.
So I drove to Marianne's house this morning. She lives in a very attractive neighborhood by Lake Washington, and it was a pleasant drive to her house - around 20 miles from Kent and about 40 minutes to get there.
I stayed there for a short while and enjoyed a cup of tea while Ruth and I caught up. Then we hopped in Ruth's rental car and headed downtown. Nice scenery on the way, but you can't really go anywhere in Seattle that doesn't have a view of the mountains or the water (or both).
Our first stop - Olympic Sculpture Park (in the Belltown District), which is free to the public. We spent over an hour here. The park offers fantastic views of the Seattle skyline as well as the Sound. Hopefully, my pictures will reflect that.
As we ended our tour around the park, we stopped in a place called the Vivarium, which was basically a green house displaying a huge Hemlock tree (I think it was Hemlock...I can't remember what she said). The tree was uprooted, but there was a lot of new growth on it. It was a bit of Washington wilderness in the middle of an urban landscape.
After that, we got back in the car the headed up toward Pike Place Market, which is probably the most famous attraction in Seattle next to the Space Needle. We were going to stop at Typhoon Restaurant (Thai food), but it was closed for renovation. So we decided to choose a restaurant at the market.
We found a place to park and first walked up the Harbor Steps and up to the Seattle Art Museum before going around to Pike Place Market. We didn't stop in the art museum, but the sight of the giant, hammer-wielding silhouette in front of the museum is rather arresting.
Anyway, after stopping for that photo op, we walked into Pike Place Market, where Ruth told me that I had to pose for a photo with Rachel the Pig. This pig sculpture, which was wearing a feather boa, sits in front of the seafood stand where they throw the fish. So I tried to hoist myself up there and found that she was pretty tall. Marianne helped me, and the guys at the fish place where hootin' and hollerin' at me...apparently thrilled at the sight of me sitting on the pig. It was funny.
Once that photo was taken, I tried to get one of them throwing the fish around, but they were too fast for my camera. They threw a stuffed fish at us, and I got a photo of Ruth with that.
We were right by Place Pigalle, a seafood/french restaurant, so we decided to eat there. We were seated at a table by the window, which had a gorgeous view of Puget Sound and the mountains beyond. We had a lovely lunch, talking and watching the ferries go back and forth. I had a warm beet salad with goat cheese and mustard vinaigrette and a cup of french onion soup. So simple and amazing. Ruth ordered the salmon special, and shared some with me, and it was so melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Marianne had mussels with chorizo and pasta, which also looked completely yummy. After our very satisfying lunch, we moved on.
We meandered around the market, poking in shops here and there. I picked up a couple pieces of homemade Turkish Delight at a restaurant called Turkish Delight, which also serves doner kebap (must go back there when I need a doner fix). We stopped at Three Girls Bakery, where I picked up a couple of fudge brownies for Lance and I to have for dessert tonight (we haven't torn into them yet, but judging by the popularity of this bakery, I'm guessing the brownies will be fantastic)...(Edited to add - Oh. My. God. Yum yum yum!). We stopped at Seattle's Best Coffee for macchiatos, and Ruth had to tell the barista how to make the Latte Macchiatos that we were accustomed to drinking in Europe. But the barista got it, spot on.
After a few hours of wandering around, sampling the various delights of the market, it was time to head back to the car. We took a detour through the lobby of the art museum, which had a very unusual display of Ford Tauruses (you will see them in my photo album), and then we left.
Anyway, my impression of Seattle: love, love, LOVE it. Crazy in love. I understand now why everyone said that I would love it and feel at home here. It's artsy. It's hip. It's laidback. It's fun. It's colorful. It's vibrant. And it's just so very very cool. I am so happy that we live here.
Pictures!
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