Module 11 Gallery Visit

Questions about the exhibits 1) The gallery I went to was The Burchfield Penny and the exhibits were all mainly untitled. 2) There were many themes of the exhibits within the gallery. For example one room had all black and white photographs and works of art that all had a common theme of struggle, diversity and being different. Another room I went to had the theme of furniture and plant life. Physical Space 1) There was various lighting throughout this gallery that was used. In one space the light was very bright against the paintings. In another room there was no light, only the artwork illuminated the areas. 2) The colors of the walls in this gallery were all white. 3) There was wood, metal and even tapestry used in the architecture of this gallery space. 4) As soon as you walk into the gallery there is a dip in the ceiling, which is accompanied, by a piece of tapestry, both of which make you look up. As you look up you follow with eyes and feet down and straight into another artistic space. A gallery worker that this was done intentionally by the architect to get the viewer to follow with their eyes and feet down the space. Questions about the artwork 1) The artwork was organized in a different way for each room, yet they were all similar in theme for each room. The art was hung on walls or displayed on a step to be elevated. One room may have a break with a wall, almost like a large doorway with no door that would be even too large for a door. 2) Each section of the gallery would feature similar works of art in their own spaces. Overall however all the works were not similar at all. The works in each section were the entire same theme though. 3) One section featured comic book art; another featured artwork inspired by the struggles and pain caused by slavery and oppression of the African American community. Very unrelated to one another completely. 4) Most of the paintings or oil and canvas works were framed in pretty standard wood frames. Some had no frames as I saw with the comic book artwork. Over all I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Burchfield Penny art gallery. I thought it was very annoying at first to have to visit the gallery and look at it with all of these ideas and concepts in mind, but then I found it to be helpful as I went along. It made me appreciate the art a little more, it made me think more about how the gallery was built and designed and overall I think it was a good mindset to have in viewing art and the gallery.