Megan Whitmarsh at Taubman Museum of Art

Roanoke, Virginia.

Most of you know by now that I’ve been living in Roanoke, Virginia for the past 4 1/2 years. While the raising of my teenagers keeps me quite busy (I often wear the hat of chauffeur), I do occasionally get to spend some time discovering the city. Now that two of my three teens drive and the youngest will only travel with soccer in the fall, I hope to do quite a bit more exploring.

However, I did get a chance for a local outing during the first weekend in January.

Taubman Museum of Art.

Most times that I find myself in downtown Roanoke, I will also find myself popping into the Taubman Museum of Art. Located at 110 Salem Ave SE, the museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. The architecture of the building is stunning both in its interior and its exterior.

Then, of course, it is filled with magnificent pieces of art.

I’ve shared part of my outing to the museum in the post about the art of Paul Villinski. I also gave a sneak peek at the work by another artist in Edition 48 of Friday Faves.

Megan Whitmarsh.

You might recall my sharing of the above photo in that sneak peek. This is from Your Thoughts Are Forming the World by Megan Whitmarsh.

As I shared in that post, Megan Whitmarsh is an American Contemporary Artist based in Los Angeles. The entire piece creates the “impression” of a 1970′ female artist’s working studio.

I have chosen to photograph pieces of the installation rather than the whole and have also not photographed all of the pieces.

The exhibition was only on view until February 11, 2018, but you can check out her website here.

Avant Garde.

I find art to be a very subjective thing. What one person likes, another may not and also the same in reverse. Perhaps what draws you to a piece of art may not be the same thing that pulls on another. I am not a fan of declaring interpretations of what the artist meant. If the artist did not tell you what they meant, then you speak from no place of authority (I feel the same way about interpretations on works of literature). However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t draw your own conclusions about how the art makes you feel or what it makes you think.

I am a child of the late 70’s (’77 to be exact) so while I was drawn to certain components it was not necessarily because I was familiar with the background. Take for instance the Avant Garde portion of the piece. I’d heard the term but wasn’t familiar with the fact that  Avant-Garde magazine was published January of 1968 to July of 1971. I liked this piece because it looked like a magazine place haphazardly (although it’s likely it location was specific) on the floor. Plus the red lips made me think about Classic Hollywood. Apparently, the magazine is one that broke many taboos.

Stand on Moon.

I liked this portion because it said “Giant Step for Woman”.

During the 60’s and 70’s, there was a large push for equal rights for women. While there are still disparities between the equality of the genders (I’m talking….equal pay for the same exact education and job description), I’d like to think that we are moving steadily toward the day when that becomes a reality.

Real Magic.

Who doesn’t love a bulletin board filled with lots of interesting pieces? I was enamored by the thought and effort it must have taken to create each word-filled piece. That was the real magic to me.

Life.

I think the thing I most enjoyed about this collection was that it felt like life.

I am not a 70’s female artist with a working studio. However, I do have a little slant-ceilinged room with a desk where I write and edit my photos.

I have once had a banana peel sitting on my desk. It was waiting for me to carry it downstairs when the time came to leave my “office”. I have a Travel + Leisure magazine tossed haphazardly on my office floor, waiting for me to decide if I’ve finished reading it.

Amongst the random bits around the room are a wooden dowel and rope to try my attempt at macramé, a shell, and bundle of sage, some lip balm, and essential oil to diffuse during my meditation time (which I do in the other half of the tiny space).

I think besides the fact that many pieces hearken back to my childhood, I appreciated that there was a sense of reality to the installation.

This blog began as my journey of discovery outside of my roles…wife, mother…etc. and I think as well that:

I shall yet see many things.

Let your light shine!

Amy

wpc: tour guide