While the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) is located in Raleigh (not in Greensboro), it is a public, state museum which means that, from Manteo to Murphy, ALL North Carolinians have a vested interested in it. In 1947, when the state first earmarked funds for an art collection, it was the first state in the U.S.A. to do so. NCMA's history dates back to 1924; however, the first permanent venue opened in 1956 in downtown Raleigh and the current Blue Ridge Road location opened in 1983. In 2010, a second building opened on the 164-acre Blue Ridge Road property. If you want something fun, educational, and recreational to do this summer, grab your family, friends, walking shoes and bicycle and head to NCMA. Unless you dine in the wonderful restaurant or go to one of the exhibitions on loan, the museum is FREE. Read more about all that NCMA has to offer HERE.
The visual art in the photo above, by Devorah Sperber, is called Mona Lisa 2. It is made from 5,184 spools of thread-- fitting for a textile state. If you look through the crystal viewing ball in front of the piece of art, not only is it right side up, you can also move the sphere around to see if Mona Lisa's smile follows you. See more of Sperber's thread spool works HERE. They range from a few hundred to 60,000 spools of thread. We are so lucky to have not only one of Sperber's installations but also this wonderful museum with exhibits ranging from Ancient Egypt to the digital age.
We decided to feature Raleigh today, ninety miles to the east, because tomorrow's post will be ten miles east of Greensboro, where, years ago, stage coaches stopped en route to town. Stop back by to view this little piece of history.
Thank you so much for sharing this fascinating art work with us! I am planning a trip this summer, possibly for one of the Paperhand Puppet Intervention programs in September. http://www.paperhand.org/islands.htm
Posted by: Katja Brown | Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 05:57 AM
That is so cool! I used to work in the clothing industry, so when you mentioned spools of thread, it automatically struck a cord in me. Never would have imagined anything like it. And such a fun and interactive installation!
Thanks for sharing this GDP... I love museums. :)
Posted by: Ken | Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 05:54 PM
Hey! Who turned Mona Lisa upside down?!
Posted by: Leif Hagen | Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 08:13 PM