Mom in the Museum

A few weeks back, I had an especially unusual trip to the museum. For starters, I arrived on my own. With. No. Kids. I can't tell you the last time I went to a museum without kids. And, I wasn't exactly there to explore all that the museum(s) had to offer. I was there to meet my good friend and fantastic photographer, Heather for a photo shoot. You see, I went back through years and years of photographs of our family visiting museums and I discovered something - there really wasn't a good photo of me in the museum anywhere to be found. Now I know I'm not alone in this, but while there were a million photos of the kids and a pretty good collection of photos of my husband and our friends and family who often join us in our trips to museums, I apparently had done a good job of staying out of the pictures. I don't think this was on purpose. I don't think I've ever minded being photographed. But it seems that I am usually the one doing the photographing.

I'm so glad that Heather was free and game to take some photos of me at the Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art. I have to admit that even though I don't mind having my picture taken, I am so not used to having the attention of the camera on me. I made a lot of silly faces. And I shut my eyes at exactly the wrong second a bunch. But I also love the pictures we ended up with.

The best part, though, was exploring the just-opened Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art. If you live in, near, or travel to Pittsburgh, you should see this show before it ends on January 2, 2017.

We started at the end of the exhibit without knowing it, and walked into a hall full of sand. We took off our shoes and socks and wandered through the piece entitled Eden. We walked barefoot though sand, climbed on books and straw and discovered hidden resting places. In an art museum. A place where the signs typically say:

Instead the signs encouraged us to explore the installation.

Sand and water in an art museum? Playing pool in an art museum? I loved it. The idea that such a formal and off-limits space was encouraging us to play and explore in these ways changed the way I experienced not only this exhibition, but also the parts of the museum where I was reminded Please do not touch.

Naturally I brought my family back a few days later.

And, as a mom, you know I think about how sand gets everywhere. Someone always has to clean it up.