Cultural Event Report: Museum of Art Fort

Cultural Event Report: Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the Museum of Art at Fort Lauderdale. Surprisingly, I had never been to the museum before. It sits adjacent to Nova University, in a very beautiful and modern section of the city. The very moment I walked up to the doors, I was excited. The museum is a very interesting exterior composition, with the bright coat of abstract paint, which seems to drift down the side of one of the main exterior walls. From looking at pictures of its old facade, I am definitely impressed with how well they have grown and opened up to facilitating the true spirit behind modern art. Pictures from their website show a much different building, one that was much more drab and boring. The new facade that now stands is much more enlightening; a true testament to the modern and abstract art that decorates the walls inside. After speaking to one of the tour guides, I found out that the modern design was actually the brain child of architect and designer Edward Larabee Barnes, who wanted to create a sense of what was inside on the outside wall, which I think he did beautifully. I was definitely not disappointed when I walked into the museum itself.

The museum itself has a very wide selection of exhibits to offer its patrons. Many of the permanent collections are ranging in styles from abstract to modern artistic expression. There is a wide variety of themes that allow for such a great difference in interpretation. Some of the major permanent pieces come from artists like Frank Stella, Tom Wessleman, William Glackens, and Philip Guston. There is also the permanent collection of Meyer and Golda Marks CoBrA collection, which was donated to the museum back in 1987. Another permanent collection is the series of constructivist reliefs that were donated by Sarah Lipschultz.

There is an impressive selection of early abstract art pieces as well. In fact, the museum has a stunning array of Picasso ceramics that are permanently on display. The William Glackens collected was actually donated to the museum by his son, and it is a stellar collection of abstract pieces focusing on a unique visual interpretation of landscapes. The pieces in the collection use a wide range of mediums, everything from crayon sketches to a beautifully done hand-carved wooden panel. One of my personal favorites was Wickford, Low Tide, which was done in 1909. It is an oil painting on canvas of a beautiful ocean scene. The simplicity of the brush strokes seems so soothing, as the bright and vibrant colors stand out dramatically. The collection also includes rare and personal family photographs, which are incredibly interesting because they give a unique glimpse into the personal life of the artist, which is often kept at a greater distance to art enthusiasts.

What I also really enjoyed was the diversity seen within the pieces of the museum. The Museum of Art offers its patrons a glimpse at impressive multicultural exhibits and artists. The museum has been specifically attentive to giving space to various Latin American artists and art forms, which is a very interesting series of pieces presented by the museum. Some of the current exhibitions even worked with interesting and new mediums, which also increased the diversity of the types of art found within the museum walls. One of my favorite alternative art piece was the instillation on the Indigo Room, also known as Is Memory Water Soluble? The instillation is incredibly vibrant, lit up with beautiful hues of blue and indigo. Finished by Edouard Duval-Carrie, it is a stunning piece that is truly awe-inspiring. The engulfing blue hues make sense with this knowledge, as one feels surrounded by water, just like the island of Haiti itself is. There is also a use of great differences in texture, which lead to the allusion of the rifts in the waves of the ocean. The artist himself is from the island of Haiti, and the images within the instillation represent the Haitian spirit of voodoo, but also play on the notion of the transcendence of the human spirit. It is a series of pictures lit up from some unknown back light, and tells a beautiful, yet solemn story of how it feels to be Haitian in a modern world. One can feel the ongoing internal conflict between the still present French influence left over from the oppressive days of colonialism as it clashes with a sense of what Haitians truly are underneath all the oppression and hard times they have had to endure.