A visit to the Brooklyn Museum

I’m a little late this week in writing, because I’m recovering from a super fun weekend up in New Haven, CT – a visit to Yale for my five year college reunion. It was a blast, and I hope to write about it (and share some pictures – the weather was GORGEOUS) soon. But first, I want to tell you about last week, when I went on a visit to the Brooklyn Museum. I’ve mentioned it before, back when they had the Killer Heels exhibit. This time I mostly checked out the permanent collection with my two friends who were visiting.

I’d walked through Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party” once before, but it was fascinating to take the whole exhibit in. The piece is a feminist work, an ode to the remembered and forgotten women of history that also elevates ceramics and textiles, often women’s work, from the mundane to art. As we walked around, I looked for names I recognized or pieces that were especially eye-catching.

We took a brief look at the decorative arts section, which incorporated eclectic items from a variety of places and periods. These cats are SO STRANGE. Later we came across these skateboards, which were neat, but I worried about kids walking up to them and hopping on. The piano embedded in the tree apparently could play a song, but we didn’t hear it.

I recently read Bill Bryson’s At Home, a history of the world as seen through the evolution of the rooms of our homes. It was fascinating and enhanced the love I already had for period rooms. The Met has a number of them, and so does the Brooklyn Museum. My photos are a little blurry, but you can get an understanding of how they were set up. It’s so neat to learn about what people’s personal and public space looked like in the past. (But that “ghost” in one of the photos isn’t historical – it’s just my friend’s reflection. :))

This coming weekend is Target First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum – free admission and special events! If you’re looking for a fun weekend outing, check it out!

Have you been to the Brooklyn Museum lately? What was your favorite part?