International Folk Art

 

Last week I had a post about the wonderful art work that can be found all around the place in Santa Fe New Mexico known as Museum Hill.  That spot is home to four different museums and the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens.  The four museums are: Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture. The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and the Museum of International Folk Art. This post is about that last one, the Museum of International Fold Art.  I visited that museum the last time I was in Santa Fe and it was the first time I had ever been to it.

It's an amazing museum with huge collections of folk art from all over the world.  It is a much bigger museum that the outside  reflects.

One area of the museum was full of dioramas depicting places all over the world.  And, they were huge dioramas that included buildings, vehicles and people of the era depicted.

This one depicts a village that might have been Santa Fe many years ago.  

It was in this diorama that my friend spotted this little lady taking a photo.  My friend said "look, it's you with your camera".

I pointed out that there were a few other photographers walking around this place along with me.

There were vast amounts of other art forms and displays around the museum.  This woven rug caught my eye because of how the weaver made this perfectly flat rug look like it was bunched up.  That is quite a talent.  

The International Fold Art Museum is just another example of the museums to be found at Museum Hill.  And that doesn't even touch the other wonderful museums located in the heart of Santa Fe.  On my last trip I was only there for four days.  To see it all, one needs to spend a whole week and even then you might not see all the museums and galleries available.

The View From Museum Hill

 

I've posted many times about the beauty and art to be found in Santa Fe New Mexico.  If want to see more of those posts, just click the "New Mexico" label at the bottom of this post.  For today I thought I'd concentrate just on what can be seen at Museum Hill without even entering one of the many museums located here.  

The architecture of the buildings on the hill is breathtaking in itself but, the place is full of sculptures in every direction.

This one is by Allan Houser and is called 'He Will Be Home Soon'.  

As you wander between the buildings, you can admire wonderful works of art virtually everywhere you walk.  

This sculpture to the right is by Phillip Mangas Haozous called 'Mothering II'.

Above is one of Melanie Yazzie's whimsical painted steel sculptures.

Here is an abstract sculpture by Tony Lee called 'Element'.  

Looking down at the entrance road, I see another huge sculpture that greets both pedestrians and drivers as they make their way through this labyrinth.

The natural surroundings also provides its own beauty to admire.  The views from up on Museum Hill are fantastic.  And, when nature provides a sky full of puffy clouds, it makes it even better.

Museum Hill is a little way out of the center of Santa Fe.  This link will provide helpful hints for getting there.  It is well worth the effort.

The British Museum & Sutton Hoo

 

Two weeks ago, I watched a movie on Netflix called "The Dig" staring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes. It was a fascinating story about a woman who hired a self-taught archeologist, Basil Brown to excavate burial mounds on her estate in Sutton Hoo in Suffolk England.  When Brown finds evidence of a very important burial site, several accredited archeologists try to push Brown aside to claim the dig.  The woman who owned the property rebuffed them and allowed Brown to continue his work.  The discoveries were magnificent and through a gift to the museum, they now reside in the British Museum.

I highly recommend the movie.  You can read a synopsis of it here.  Or, you can read the book of the same name written by John Preston.  

Seeing that movie inspired me to take a look at my photos taken at the British Museum which is always one of the first places I visit on any trip to London.

Wandering through the British Museum never gets old.  The sheer magnitude of amazing artifacts and historical treasures is staggering.  I always leave the museum with a sense that I've touched a bit of history.  

As I looked at my photos, I was thrilled to find a photo of one of the most significant discoveries at the dig at Sutton Hoo.  The helmet dates to the year 625 and is believed to have belonged to King Raedwald of East Anglia.  

The movie gave me context for the importance of this and the other artifacts found at this site.  Now I want to go back to the British Museum to see them again and take a closer look at all the other pieces in this collection.  

The Enduring Beauty of Venice

 

There is a show on Netflix that I watch over and over again.  It's called "Somebody Feed Phil" and the best way to describe it is to say it's like a culinary trip around the world.  It stars Phil Rosenthal who is best known as the creator of the TV show "Everybody Loves Raymond".  I never watched the show but I know that many people loved it.

Each episode of "Somebody Feed Phil" features a different city while Phil tours the area and tries all the local cuisine.  A few nights ago I watched the episode (again) that was filmed in Venice.  That is what inspired me to look through my photos of Venice and post a few more.  

I have quite a collection of photos from this beautiful place.  I spent two days here taking in as much as I could.  I'm sorry to say that I didn't visit any of the restaurants that Phil features but I did find places with very good food.

In Venice, no matter where you look you can find beauty.

Even laundry day looks charming in this city.

Venice is one of those places that is overrun with tourists.  It's a place that literally everyone wants to experience and who can blame them?

But even in tourist season you still find quiet corners to get away from the crowds.  

Venice is one of those places where there is beauty in every direction you look.