Posts Tagged 'Dale Chihuly'

A Rainy DMA Day

As a native Texan, it is ingrained in me to celebrate the rain whenever it decides to appear. As a child, I thought rainy days should be treated like snow days – with a day off from school!If you are like me and struggle with being productive on those rare rainy days in Dallas, I encourage you to play hooky and view the DMA’s collection in a new (darker and stormier) light. Below are my two favorite places at the DMA to celebrate Mother Nature’s greatest performance in Texas – a fall shower!
chihuly
The Level 4 landing outside the Ancient American Art Galleries is the #1 spot in my opinion. You can observe a storm rolling in through the large window framed by our Dale Chihuly glass sculpture, Hart Window, or sit down in the corner windows with a friend and watch the raindrops fall on the trees.
corner window
This location is perfect because it is next to the head of the rain god Tlaloc. Among the cultures of Central Mexico during the 14th to 16th century, Tlaloc controlled rain, lightning, and thunder. According to DMA legend, every time Tlaloc is disturbed, rain will follow. It’s only fitting that the best seat in the house to watch a rainstorm would be right next to him! Find out more about Tlaloc and his rain powers on the DMA’s smartphone tour.
tlaloc

kelly
Another great spot to watch the rain is by the DMA’s Sculpture Garden. If you are prepared for the weather, walking around the garden during a light drizzle is quite lovely. But if you’d like to stay dry, I suggest sitting underneath Daniel Buren’s Sanction of the Museum, outside the Hoffman Galleries in the Concourse.
buren
Perching here gives you a beautiful view of Ellsworth Kelly’s stainless steel piece Untitled as the water runs down its sides. Plus, with all the raindrops on the window you can pretend you’re outside instead of warm and cozy and surrounded by contemporary art!
sculpture garden
If you’ve been lucky enough to catch a rainstorm here at the DMA, leave a comment and tell us your favorite rainy day art spots.

Madeleine Fitzgerald is the McDermott Education Intern for Adult Programming and Arts & Letters Live at the DMA.

Opening Up: A Staff Profile of Our Operations Manager

Uncrated tracked down Tara Eaden, the DMA’s Operations Manager, to talk about her job at the Museum.

Describe your job in fifty words or less.
As Operations Manager, my basic duties are to manage the Museum’s daily operations. These duties include, but are not limited to, coordinating with the operations supervisors to organize office moves, set up/break down special events, and to make sure that the museum remains pristine.

What might an average day entail?
There really is no average day for anyone in operations, however the basic portion of my day may consist of various meetings, scheduling for different activities/projects, problem solving and/or fulfilling certain needs of staff, visitors and vendors that fall within my jurisdiction.

How would you describe the best part of your job and its biggest challenges?
The best part of my job is the daily knowledge I gain through departmental and peer interactions, as well as meeting the most influential and unique people—colleagues and visitors. I am very fortunate to work with a team of people who make the most challenging days seem effortless. I am doubly fortunate to work in an environment who embraces and caters to all cultures from all demographics.

One of the biggest challenges I might face would be the overlapping of events on the same day. There have been some days where the operations crew is spread thin because of the need to take care of their daily housekeeping needs, as well as multiple events scheduled for the same day at either the same time, or overlapping times. This puts a strain on the crew, thus placing me in the position to be creative with scheduling and employee placement so that the needs are met for not only the client, but for the best interest of the employee.

Growing up, what type of career did you envision yourself in? Did you think you’d work in an art museum?
I always thought I would be a teacher growing up. Even though I do have the opportunity to teach now from time to time in other capacities, I always thought I’d be in a classroom filled with a group of tots eager to learn. I never thought I would work in an art museum. But now that I’m here, it has been one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve ever encountered.

What is your favorite work in the Museum’s collections?
While I have several favorite works in the museum, my favorite is by far the Untitled (big/small figure) by Tom Friedman. Works of art may say different things to different people, but this work speaks to me in a manner of symbolism. The big blue man (I’ll call him the blues) for me represents problems that we all face sometimes that seem so much bigger than we are. The small figure represents us. The big blue man is looking down on the small man as if he can defeat him or get the best of him. It is in that moment that we could either decide to allow our problems to give us the blues, or we can overtake them. Or simply stated, sometimes our problems seem bigger to us than they really are. My second favorite is The Icebergs by Frederic Edwin Church.

Is there a past exhibition that stands out in your mind as a favorite, or is there a particular upcoming show you’re looking forward to seeing?
While we have had a number of beautiful and intriguing exhibits, such as Dale Chihuly (1994), Animals in African Art: From the Familiar to the Marvelous (1997), Splendors of China’s Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong (2004), Gordon Parks- Half Past Autumn (2005), my favorite by far is the Across Continents and Cultures: The Art of Henry Ossawa Tanner exhibition from 1995.


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