The Education team works very hard to make your summer vacation fun and exciting for families and kids of all ages. So it only makes sense that we play just as hard! Some of us had some big art-related vacations, exciting camping adventures, and we had a lot of fun working in between (with or without our pups!). Check out some of our summer highlights!
Madeleine visited Mykonos, an island in Greece known for it’s bright blue skies, windmills and clear water.
Madeleine and her friends at the Basilica of the Annunciation with the US’s mosaic. Each country has one!
Madeleine stayed with her friend’s family in Israel. This is the view of the Mediterranean from her house!
Madeleine finally visited the Acropolis! A dream she’s had since her first art history class in high school.
Emily led a touch tour in the Sculpture Garden for students from DISD with vision impairment.
After Emily’s touch tour, everyone made a Minimalist sculpture inspired by Richard Serra using cookies!
George and his Uncle Cosmo celebrated the Fourth of July in style!
George also prepared a dog-themed nursery for his future BFF. Crib skirt and dog pillow by Leah.
Sarah stayed close to home and visited the Fort Worth Zoo with her son Rhys.
Rhys enjoyed watching the playful penguins and his favorite animal, zebra!
Leah hiking in Utah with her sister.
Leah and her sisters about to do a ropes course at the Olympic Park in Park City, Utah.
Amanda taught at MoMA as part of The Art of Examination forum.
While in New York, Amanda and her mom saw the Broadway musical Matilda.
Amanda saw the Martin Creed installation at the Park Avenue Armory while in New York.
Lindsay took a selfie with this Renaissance-inspired mirror while at an antique store on King Street.
Lindsay visited her parents in Charleston, South Carolina.
Lindsay captured a Gone With the Wind sunset while in the Lowcountry Region of South Carolina.
Lindsay’s pup Hattie celebrated Independence Day (with a bandana from Whitney Sirois)!
Andi visited Epcot and Disney World in June.
Andi went on a safari at Disney World and hung out with giraffes!
Jessica’s family hit the open road this summer!
Jessica’s family camped out, ate s’mores, and hiked through the Badlands.
Jessica’s daughter Julia loved seeing Mount Rushmore up close and personal!
This large photograph by Nic Nicosia, titled Vacation, was installed in the Center for Creative Connections (C3) in early July. At first glance this appears to be a normal, everyday scene of a family picnic, but as you look closer it becomes apparent that there are some unusual aspects to this photograph. Is it a snapshot or is it staged? The children appear very natural, but the mother seems posed. The ground looks like real dirt and leaves, but the tree and sky are a painted backdrop. Then, between the branches you can see an airplane on fire and hurling to the ground. This is not your typical vacation.
As the summer comes to a close, the Dallas Museum of Art education staff has taken some time to reflect on our own unusual vacation experiences. We hope you enjoy our snapshots.
Earlier this month, the large photograph Vacation by Nic Nicosia was installed in the Center for Creative Connections (C3). Vacation is one of seven photographs that comprise Nic Nicosia’s Life As We Know It series. In this series depicting contemporary American life, Nicosia plays with everyday topics such as fashion, youth, and violence. Through his use of fabricated environments and staged scenes, Nicosia blurs the line between illusion and reality. This surreal atmosphere is enhanced by the ironic twists, such as the burning plane in the background, on what would otherwise be ordinary situations.
Inspired by this work of art, the C3 team created a photo station where visitors can pose for their own staged picnic-themed photograph. Some have embraced the surreal nature of Nicosia’s work more than others. Check out our visitors’ photographs and stop by C3 to snap a photo of your DMA vacation.
Many schools here in the Dallas area are keeping their doors closed this week as families venture off to enjoy Spring Break. As a kid, Spring Break for me meant going on an assortment of fun vacations, whether to a nearby locale like Huntsville State Park for camping or to the ultimate destination: Disney World!
As you wander the galleries of the DMA, you’ll notice the wonderful assortment of artworks that we have from all over the globe, of places both near and far. Since Spring Break is on the brain, I asked the DMA Education Team what work of art represents their ultimate Spring Break vacation destination. Check out what we came up with and feel free to share your own!
Jessica Fuentes picked Trevor Paglen’s DMSP F16 over Monument Valley, Navajo Nation (Military Meterological Satellite; 203-048A). Jessica hopes to spend a good amount of time camping and taking photographs during her spring break. “The light that crosses the sky reminds me of star-trail photography, something I haven’t quite mastered, but am working on.”
Trevor Paglen, DMSP F16 over Monument Valley, Navajo Nation (Military Meteorological Satellite; 203-048A), 2009, Dallas Museum of Art, Anonymous gift
Melissa Gonzales picked Catherine Opie’s Untitled (Surfers) because when it comes to Spring Break, or really any vacation, she loves to go to the beach. “I love relaxing on the sand, listening to the waves, reading a great book, sipping a cold fruity drink, and taking a nap in the hot sun. I also like watching the surfers bob up and down in the water, and the smooth grace of those who catch a wave to shore.”
Catherine Opie, Untitled (Surfers), 2003, Dallas Museum of Art, Anonymous gift
Amanda Batson’s ideal vacation destination was inspired by Crawford Riddell’s Bed, because she desires a long nap for her Spring Break.
Crawford Riddell, Bed, c. 1844, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of three anonymous donors, Friends of the Decorative Arts Fund, General Acquisitions Fund, Discretionary Decorative Arts Fund, and the Boshell Family Foundation
Michael Hartman, McDermott Intern for European Art, picked Jean-Achille Benouville’s Colosseum Viewed from the Palatine because he’s always wanted to visit Rome.
Jean–Achille Benouville, Colosseum Viewed from the Palatine, 1844, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Shutt, Dr. and Mrs. George N. Aldredge, Jr., the Societe Generale
Hayley Prihoda chose Albert Marquet’s The Beach at Trouville. “This painting by Albert Marquet encapsulates everything I look for in a Spring Break vacation. I love the bright colors, clear blue sky, and red and white striped tents, a signature of the early 20th century. Plus, Trouville is only a couple hours outside of Paris, so I could take a day trip to the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay!”
Albert Marquet, The Beach at Trouville, c. 1906, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
Inspired by the bold highway signs in Coreen Mary Spellman’s Road Signs, my ideal vacation destination for Spring Break would be a road trip along Route 66. It’s always been on my bucket list to travel along Route 66 from New Mexico to the California coast and visit unique roadside stops along the way.
J Coreen Mary Spellman, Road Signs, c. 1936, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Helen, Mick and Thomas Spellman.
Make sure to visit the DMA as part of your own Spring Break vacation. We have a ton of activities going on this week at the Museum, whether you’re visiting our Pop-Up Art Spot, voting for your favorite work of art in our Art Madness Tournament, or having a ball during our Family Block Party this Friday, March 14. Check out our full schedule of events here!
Amy Elms McDermott Education Intern for Visitor Engagement
Every December, I get in a merry holiday spirit and devote the month to putting up decorations in my apartment and listening to festive music both at home and in my car. But my favorite part is watching an endless amount of holiday movies. And with holiday classics on the brain, I can’t go long without being reminded of one of my many favorite films while going about my day- even while working here at the Museum!
Take a look at the following works of art found here at the DMA and read the clues below each image. Put your holiday movie knowledge to the test and see if you can figure out which movie each work of art is most reminiscent of. Click the link paired with each image to see if your guess is correct!
Nic Nicosia, Vacation, 1986, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Meisel Photochrome Corporation
It’s time for a holiday vacation spent with kids and the spouse. Just be careful stringing thousands of lights on the house!
Lucille Jeffries, Woman Reading Beside Square Top House, n.d., Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. C.P. Wright.
Having the house to yourself for the holidays may seem ideal, but beware of bumbling burglars who are on a mission to steal.
Ruth L. Guinzburg, Love Birds, n.d., Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Robert A. Beyers
Do you feel it in your fingers? Do you feel it in your toes? For these holiday love birds, their love just grows and grows!
Boston and Sandwich Glass Company, Lamp, c. 1860-1875, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Dallas Glass Club
It’s an event-filled holiday for a boy wanting a B.B. gun, complete with a leg lamp, a bunny suit, and decoder pen fun!
Doris Lee, Afternoon Train, 1944, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts, The Alfred and Juanita Bromberg Collection
All aboard a magical train to the north, where hot chocolate, Santa, and adventures come forth!
So how did you do? Are you a Roger Ebert in training or does your movie knowledge need a little brushing up? Tell us in the comments and be sure to let us know which holiday movie you find yourself re-watching every year!
Amy Elms McDermott Education Intern for Visitor Engagement
With today being the first official day of summer, vacations are on the minds of the DMA staff. As employees of an art museum, we tend to include museums in our travel plans. Below are a few of our favorite museum visits and some we have on our “art bucket lists.”
Stacey Lizotte, Head of Adult Programming and Multimedia Services
One of my most memorable museum visits was to The Accademia Gallery in Florence, Italy. I had always wanted to see Michelangelo’s David and walking towards it, down a hallway that was lined with more of Michelangelo’s uncompleted sculptures, was an amazing and powerful experience.
The museum(s) I am most looking forward to visit are the Tate museums in England (Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool, and Tate St. Ives). If I had to pick just one site to visit to just look at art it would be the Tate Modern, and if I had to pick one to visit for a program it would be Late at Tate Britain when that museum stays open until 10 p.m. the first Friday of every month and offers a variety of programs.
Tate Modern at night
Hillary Bober, Digital Archivist
My favorite museum is the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, for the simple reason that I really love glass. Glass is such a unique medium; you can create incredibly beautiful and delicate pieces or amazingly durable industrial stuff, and the museum covers it all. There are also glass making demonstrations, Make Your Own Glass projects – I made a blown glass bottle and a flameworked bead when I went – and extensive courses for beginner to professional. Of course, there is also a great gift shop – I do love a gift shop – and you can’t beat the Finger Lakes setting in upstate New York.
Along this same vein, a museum that I would really like to go to is the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum in Neenah, Wisconsin which holds a world-renowned collection of glass paperweights and other works in glass. Since my family lives in Wisconsin, a visit is definitely going at the top of my to-do list for my next trip home.
Wendi Kavanaugh, Member Outreach Manager
One of my favorite museums to visit outside of Dallas is the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The PMA is one of the largest Museums in the US with over 200 galleries. It’s easy to get lost in the PMA and end up in a room full of medieval armor – which I have done on one than one occasion.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
I would most like to visit the Musée National du Moyen Âge (National Museum of the Middle Ages) in Paris, France. A professor recently shared that this is his favorite museum in Paris, as someone that spent most of their life in the city – he’s one to trust. After spending an hour (or so) on their website, it’s easy to see why you should visit.
National Museum of the Middle Ages by Giraud Patrick (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hayley Dyer, Audience Relations Coordinator
I had a great experience at the SFMOMA. The summer before my senior year of college I lived in San Francisco working for a jewelry designer. As it was my first time in the city, I spent most of my free time exploring my temporary home. One weekend I stopped by the SFMOMA and saw exhibitions of photography from Robert Frank and Richard Avedon; what a treat! After I soaked up all the art inside the Museum, I headed up to the rooftop garden where I got an espresso from the coffee bar and read a book. I think I treasure this experience because I was visiting the Museum alone. I was able to have a personal connection with the artwork, the environment, and the city, and it wasn’t something that I had to share with anyone.
SFMOMA
The Museum I would like to visit is the Magritte Museum. Located in Brussels, Belgium, the Magritte Museum is the home of Belgium’s Royal Museums of Fine Arts’ collection of works by René Magritte. Widely known as the painter of The Son of Man, aka The Guy in the Bowler Hat with an Apple on His Face, René Magritte is my favorite surrealist painter. His colorful paintings feature his wonderful sense of humor. Check out the Museum on YouTube.
Magritte Museum
Brent Mitchell, Registrar, Loans & Exhibitions
My favorite museum is the Museo Nacional Del Prado in Madrid. I had the pleasure of visiting on my first trip abroad, and I make sure to stop by every time I find myself in the city. My initial aim was to see the triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, but with so many stellar works throughout the museum, every gallery holds special promise for visitors. I remember turning around after viewing a Botticelli painting and finding myself in front of the rather remarkable painting Dead Christ held up by an Angel by Antonella de Messina. It has become one of my favorite depictions of Christ.
Bosch in the Prado
If I’m ever fortunate enough to find myself in Italy, I will head to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It would be great to see Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Titian’s Venus of Urbino.
Uffizi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Martha MacLeod, Curatorial Administrative Assistant/European and American Art Department
Visiting the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was on my “must visit” list for a very long time. The old building is a fabulous piece of architecture and houses works by many of my favorite American artists. Three years ago, I received a research grant to go there. When I took a break from my work to wander through the building, I came upon a large studio filled with many plaster casts. Suddenly it struck me that I may well have been standing in the same space where Thomas Eakins once taught life-drawing classes over 140 years ago.
Another place on my “must visit” list is not a museum per se, but I want to go to the Boston Public Library to see John Singer Sargent’s mural cycle The Triumph of Religion. I have wanted to see it firsthand ever since I wrote a paper about it when I was in graduate school. Until I make a trek there, the poster on my office wall of Frieze of the Prophets, which is part of the mural cycle, will have to suffice.
Martha’s private Boston Public Library
Kimberly Daniell, PR Specialist
My favorite Museum in the entire world is Musée de l’Orangerie, I have to visit every time I am in Paris. The museum is located in the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries near the Louvre and Seine, how could you go wrong? I fell in love with Monet in elementary school and experiencing a room filled with his large Nymphéas paintings is amazing. I think it may be one of the most peaceful galleries I have ever been to.
Monet in the Musée de l’Orangerie
The Museum I desperately want to visit is Museo Nacional Del Prado. Other than being located in Madrid, I have to see Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez’s Las Meninas (The Family of Felipe IV). Luckily the Prado already has a three hour tour, with Las Meninas as a stop, ready for me!
Las Meninas (Photo Credit: Museo Nacional Del Prado)
