Background

The Museum Project represents my most ambitious New Year's resolution of 2010. I moved to Northern Virginia two years ago and, after the initial post-move binge of sightseeing, found that there was still so much of DC that I hadn't taken in. So this is it...I plan to visit all of the museums, monuments, and historical sites in the city over the coming year with a few select spots oustide the district added in for good measure.

Twyla Tharp said "Art is the only way of running away without leaving home"...with the exceptions of tequila and my current obsession with LOST, I think that she was right on the money. My hope is that running away with the Smithsonian will have fewer repercussions than a bottle of Patron.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Viva Las Vegas

Reeds and Logs - Dale Chihuly - 2009

I love everything about Las Vegas - the glitz, the food, the outstanding people watching. The casinos themselves are an exercise in excess.  That turns some people off, but I am fascinated by what people create when imagination and the laws of physics, rather than finances, are the limiting factors. 

"Family Friendly" may not be what comes to mind when I mention Vegas, but for my Mom's side of the  family it is THE spot for family get-togethers, birthdays and general celebrations.   So last weekend I headed out to meet my Aunts and Uncles (and, unbeknownst to me, my Mom) at the MGM Grand for a belated birthday get together. 


Clockwise from center, Teri, Joe, Bev, Mom

As much as I love Las Vegas, I'm not a gambler.  If I'm parting with $50, I expect there to be a shoebox waiting at the other end of the exchange.   Most of the shopping there can get dangerous (see the Louis Vuitton shoes below that I covet, but did not purchase), so Mom, Aunt Bev, 




Uncle Joe and I went over to CityCenter, the newly opened casino complex on the strip to see the CityCenter Fine Art Collection.

Bev, Joe, and Mom     "Veer", one of two leaning towers in CityCenter

Spread out around the grounds of CityCenter, viewing the collection is akin to going on a really hot scavenger hunt.  Some of the pieces are inside, in hotel lobbies or in the shopping center, but others are out in the baking 100 degree desert heat.   Given the effort involved in seeing each work, some of them were a bit of a let down leaving us with a "that's all there is" feeling (or worse yet...in the case of one of the paintings, not being sure that it whether it was part of the fine art or a piece of generic hotel art).   For the most part, the sculptures were worth the trek. 

The group favorites were a large stone rendition of Mother and Child by Henry Moore, a gravity defying sculpture by Nancy Rubins composed entirely of canoes, and an abstract stone piece with a center of basalt polished to a mirror-like sheen.  

Reclining Connected Forms
Henry Moore 1969-74


Overview (L) and Interior Look (R) at Masatoshi Izumi's Untitled Basalt Sculpture



Big Edge - Nancy Rubins - 2009


The buildings of CityCenter were beautiful in and of themselves making it a destination even if you aren't interested in the art scattered throughout. Incidentally, viewing the art doesn't remove the temptation to shop. Did I mention the Dale Chihuly store?  Reeds and Logs - Price Available Upon Request...
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)