A Day at the Art Museum

This summer's all-school project, Trinity Views, calls for the Trinity community to visit the North Carolina Museum of Art.  Getting families into the Art Museum is one of our goals, to be sure.  It's a great place, and the Permanent Collection is free.

Desiree and I went last Sunday and enjoyed an unhurried trip to see Benton's "Spring on the Missouri."  The painting was larger than I had remembered (we scouted out various paintings last spring).  And the colors were vivid and the brush strokes bold.  I really enjoyed just standing close and peering at the craftsmanship (hoping I wasn't too close and that I wouldn't get fussed at by a docent).

I was pleased, too, that the painting is hung close to two others which were in the running for our Trinity Views selection.  Just to the right is Jacob Lawrence's powerful "Forward," a painting depicting Harriett Tubman.  And if you turn around, you can see Winslow Homer's "Weaning the Calf," one of my favorites, rich with story and themes from the Reconstruction era.  I wonder if Trinity families can guess why we did not choose these other paintings.  

I hope all our families can visit the museum this summer.  Make an afternoon or evening of it.  The Iris cafe is quite nice--I had a fine cup of coffee there, along with an excellent omelet.  

Our teachers will visit the museum next week.  And two educators from the museum will join the faculty next Thursday at Trinity to help us plan ways to explore this painting with the students when they return.