Life is a Highway at TMA FREE on Thursdays

July 17, 2019July 17, 2019momonthegoinholytoledo

Thursdays just got a whole lot thriftier at the Toledo Museum of Art! Looking for something fun to do with the kiddos, the family, a night out with the gals, or a date night, that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? The Toledo Museum of Art has you covered!

Toledo Museum of Art is always FREE admission!! But did you know TMA’s latest exhibition, Life is a Highway is also FREE? On Thursday evenings 5-9pm only, stop at front desk to receive your FREE ticket(s). (This ticketed exhibition is usually $12 for nonmembers; $10 for military, college students, and seniors; $7 for youth ages 5-17, & free for children four years of age or younger).

Life is a Highway

The first large-scale domestic exhibition provides a historical overview of life on the highway with an emphasis upon the Midwest, Life Is a Highway brings together a diverse selection of artists to showcase the automobile’s reshaping of the 20th-century American landscape and cultural attitudes of self-expression. Featuring more than 100 works from the Toledo Museum of Art’s own collection and both private and public loans, this exhibition charts the rise of auto-mobility as a visual icon of American identity. With works spanning from early depictions through the Pop Artists’ portrayal of the automobile’s impact upon consumer culture to the present, the car’s image as a symbol of newness, freedom and independence, mobility, and renewal is explored. Organized through four themes that call attention to the social, aesthetic, environmental, and industrial dimensions of its legacy, this exhibition includes a range of visual media.

Hurry and make plans today…Life is a Highway Exhibition ends September 15^th

While you’re there be sure to checkout……

“Everything is Rhythm” Mid-Century Art & Music

The New Media gallery features a multisensory display focused on an exploration of the relationship between art and music. Jointly curated by Halona Norton-Westbrook, Director of Curatorial Affairs, and Scott Boberg, Manager of Programs and Audience Engagement, the exhibition features a selection of 20th-century abstract paintings each paired with carefully curated musical composition. Presented together in this manner, the art and music engage in a multi-sensory experience that simultaneously engenders close looking, contemplation, and a consideration of the connection between visual and auditory art forms. Free admission

And there is legit fun around every corner!

Make an official evening/night of it and stop off at the Museum Café beforehand for delicious, gourmet, garden to table, reasonably priced meals. Click on link to see Spring/Summer 2019 Menu, https://www.toledomuseum.org/sites/default/files/caf_springsummerwebmenu_043019.pdf

Museum Café Hours

Tuesday & Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Thursday & Friday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Sunday: Noon – 4 p.m.

Then head over to the Glass Pavilion for a public glassblowing demonstration (free) and a glass of wine.

Glass Pavilion Coffee Bar

Located inside the Glass Pavilion, this trendy lounge features signature coffees, teas, beer, wine, soft drinks, and homemade pastries.

Tuesday & Wednesday: Noon – 3:30 p.m.

Thursday & Friday: Noon – 8:30 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday: Noon – 4:30 p.m.

Toledo Museum of Art FINALLY has an exhibition for the guys!!

December 5, 2015December 5, 2015momonthegoinholytoledo

“Finally, something for the guys, I was getting sick of the ballerinas!” (I believe he was referring to Degas & the Dance exhibition, lol!), exclaimed my 8 year old son as we perused the latest exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art, The Rise of Sneaker Culture!

Sneakers have long been loved as a staple of casual fashion, transcending gender, age, and socioeconomic categories to become the footwear of choice for millions across the globe. Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture tells the sneaker’s complex and fascinating story through approximately 150 pairs drawn from the collections of the Bata Shoe Museum; the Northampton Museums and Art Gallery; the Kosow Sneaker Museum; the archives of Adidas, Converse, Nike, and PUMA; and private collectors such as Dee Wells of Obsessive Sneaker Disorder, Bobbito Garcia, and legendary hip-hop group Run—DMC. Source

I have to be honest; I kind of thought the exhibition would be a tad boring. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love shoes just as much as the next girl but sneakers, really!? And then I entered the exhibition and surprisingly found myself intrigued! The exhibition goes deeper than just the sneaker; it addresses the history, structure, cultural connection, value, marketing, fashion, etc.

The Rise of Sneaker Culture includes iconic sneakers ranging from an 1860 spiked running shoe, track shoes from the 1936 Olympics, an original Air Force 1 and Air Jordan 1, and early Adidas Superstars, to contemporary examples designed by such prominent figures as Damien Hirst, Christian Louboutin, Kanye West, and Nike sneaker design legend Tinker Hatfield. Out of the Box also features sneakers and related prototype drawings from Nike Archives, which span the career of legendary designers like Tinker Hatfield, as well as a complete presentation of Air Jordans I–XX3 on loan from the Kosow Sneaker Museum, which highlight the pivotal role this coveted series of sneakers has played in the rise of contemporary sneaker culture. Source

My little fashionista enjoyed walking around and seeing all the different styles.

Meanwhile my 10 year old daughter wasn’t much interested until we entered Gallery 28C a.k.a. the room at the end. It was filled with fun, interactive, engaging games, an area where you can design your own sneaker and add it to the gallery for all to see, a spot to post your “shoefie”, like a selfie pic of your shoes.

Then we headed downstairs for the Family Center to make some fun creative masterpieces and get our play on!!

The Rise of Sneaker Culture is a traveling exhibition and The Toledo Museum of Art is the only Ohio venue for this show, so don’t miss it! It is here Dec. 3, 2015-Feb. 28^th, 2016. Admission is FREE!! This makes a perfect date night!! If you have kiddos make certain your visit on a day that the Family Center is open (Tues & Thurs 10am-2pm, Fri 3:30pm-8pm, and Sun noon-5pm). The Family Center is also FREE! Best of all, with all that dough you saved you can grab a snack in the café and/or a souvenir in the store…commemorate the art of quality time together at TMA!