“What are the marble-sized wooden balls?” I asked the volunteer at the Mississippi Art Museum. We had taken our eleven-year-old granddaughter to see the current exhibit. The wooden marbles were in a clear glass bowl on the counter.
“Each person gets one on admission and at the end of the tour you can vote on your favorite painting!” Sounded like fun so Bill dropped three balls into his shirt pocket.
Old Masters to Monet
The current exhibition at the Mississippi Museum of Art is impressive. The title is: “Old Masters to Monet: Three Centuries of French Painting from the Wadsworth Atheneum.” This collection is on tour from a museum in Hartford, Connecticut. What splendid treasures! To walk through and view fifty masterpieces of French artwork from the seventeenth through the twentieth century masters is a privilege. Without traveling to France or even Connecticut, you can view the lovely paintings in Jackson.
Museum Is Closed Mondays
Do not go on a Monday as we did a month ago, forgetting that the museum is closed on Mondays. It worked out well for us to enjoy the paintings with our granddaughter. I had prepared her by showing her some art books at home. Nana and PawPaw had a wonderful time. Mississippi Moms, look for the laminated “Family Guide” to interest children in details. For example: Look for the little French girl? Where is the woman wearing a large straw hat? How many men are climbing down the rope from the Trojan horse? Have you tasted crawfish? (I learned that crawfish are and were a delicacy in France).
A delightful surprise near the end of the exhibit is a place for children to sit and read art books or don a beret and stand before an art easel and create “a felt masterpiece.” Photographs of the art treasures are forbidden but are allowed in this area. In the accompanying photograph, see our granddaughter having a wonderful time. I hope you can also see the background. My husband is voting for his favorite painting. We didn’t tell each other until we had voted by dropping our wooden ball in the container.
Pertinent Information
Anytime I’ve noted the name, “Annie Laurie Swaim Hearin Memorial” on an art exhibition, I’ve recognized it as something very special. This exhibit is no exception as the arrangement shows a visual progression of the history of French art. The exhibit has been in Mississippi since March 23 and continues through September 8, 2013.
The Mississippi Museum of Art is located on the corner of South Lamar and Court streets in downtown Jackson. From Interstate-55 you take Pearl Street exit and signs direct you to the museum. Be sure to take quarters for the parking meters outside the building. The old parking lot has been transformed into a lovely garden with mosaic tile and fountains.
Admission: Adults $12; seniors (60+) $10; Students $6, (age 6-college); Children under 5, Free. Students are admitted free on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Home School Moms could get together and arrange a group tour. Call 601.960.1515. The exhibit closes on Sunday, September 8th.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 AM-5 PM. Sunday: Noon-5 PM.
How Did We Vote?
I love Monet’ water lilies and have a print in our bedroom of an original we saw in New York. Monet’ painted many different views of his gardens including his water lilies. This Monet’ has a lovely luminous quality, like you are in the water. PawPaw and Krissy voted for Nympheas (Water Lilies) by Claude Monet (1840-1926). I voted for another lovely work by Renoir of his friend Monet. “Monet Painting in His Garden” by Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). As I remember these lovely paintings, I am smiling. Such beauty is nourishment for the soul. Nana loves the French Impressionists J.
Take a break from August heat and visit our art museum. We spent an enjoyable three hours including a delicious lunch at the Palette Café. Hurry, the exhibition will leave Mississippi after September 8th!
