Free exhibits – Mom on the go in Holy Toledo

Playtime Exhibition Celebration: Harnessing your inner child at TMA

June 14, 2015June 14, 2015momonthegoinholytoledo

I knew we were in for a great time when I opened my car door and was greeted by the base….because let’s be honest, it is all about the base (sorry, couldn’t resist, haha!). The evening was officially declared as a girls’ night out. The men folk in our family decide not to accompany us. See, I made the mistake of saying Art Museum and they instantly replied, “No, thank you”, okay, so maybe they didn’t phrase it quite that eloquently. But, hey, this is my memory and I am choosing to remember a “more polite” version. So me and my girls ventured out onto Monroe Street to get our girls night out started!

They each thought it was so awesome that the road was closed to traffic and they were walking where cars are supposed to drive…I suppose, in a way, the Toledo Museum of Art had the girls’ hearts at the “road closed” sign. I don’t want to say that we have low expectations but, if the sign fits, which is why what followed totally BLEW our MINDS!

BUBBLES!!! This awesome bubble machine contraption became my 4 year olds obsession! All the kids were chasing after it. Props to the woman maneuvering the bubble machine, I have no idea how you didn’t run over a child or 20!! It was awesome! I wish we could rent that sucker for parties. Then we ventured across the street to see & partake in….

Then the BEST thing in the WORLD happened to me. Well, technically the 5^th best thing in the world, (to clarify, when I say world I mean my world) happened, FINALLY!! I have been so busy getting married, getting degrees, and birthing babies that I have NEVER been in the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art, which, if I may add, is literally 5 miles from my house. Why!? Well because, Toddlers and glass are quite possibly the worst combination on earth, you just don’t mix them, EVER!

So FINALLY, the moment arrived! I walked through those Glass Pavilion doors with my 9 year old and 4 year old daughters, yet I was the one bursting with such excitement, as if I was the child, and it was Christmas morning! It was breathtaking!

We enjoyed not only admiring all the gorgeous glass everywhere but also the demonstrations. The girls nearly lost their minds when they entered the room filled with furnaces and sat on the edge of their seats while a beautiful glistening glass horse was created out of nothing but a blob of glass. It was magnificent! And when the artist tossed it into the scrap bucket you could literally hear everyone’s hearts sink in disappointment.

Sadly the next demonstration required much explanation from me to the girls. The artist was working on a Glass version of the Mouse Trapped game, sweet, right!? Well, if you were born before 2005 it might be but the girls had no idea what it was, and, unfortunately, I think I spent more time explaining the game than admiring the art.

Then we ventured outside for more fun!!! Let me tell you, the Toledo Museum of Art knows FUN!! And they know how to throw one heck of a party!!

There was food trucks, delicious dogs, fries, etc. oh, and spirits. But I didn’t need any spirits, my spirit was bursting when I took the girls over to the swing that my father placed me on when I was a child & where I have the BEST Wedding party pics (yes, the photographer thought I was nuts getting up there in my wedding dress, but those are my favorite pics!!). And the world renowned architect, Frank Gehry’s building is in the background, yep, Toledo is a pretty cool place to live!

How blessed am I to have grown up in the city that is also home to my favorite Art Museum, and yes, I have been to the Louvre, (it is too big, it puts too much pressure on the viewer to “move it along” and FYI, the Mona Lisa is one of the smallest paintings I have ever seen, it is too tiny to view in such a big room) and will NEVER be as close to my heart as The Toledo Museum of Art. Sniffle, sniffle, this is getting too emotional, back to the fun!

The piece de résistance, the live spectacle of Redmoon Theater of Chicago, featuring their Drum Crane Tower, a 30-foot tall musical structure with three performance tiers & mounted drums for 8 percussionists!

AHHHHH-MAZING!!! Here is a clip…..

We had an absolute BLAST on our FIRST EVER girls’ night out!! And the best part, when we showed my son all the pics and shared all our fun he did politely ask that he please be included in ALL future visits to the Toledo Museum of Art . I suppose they could tag along next time. We have a visit to the Playtime exhibition on our calendar for next week! Speaking of next time be sure to click here for some amazing & FREE opportunities coming up at the awesome, Toledo Museum of Art (including Glass blowing demonstrations, FREE activities for kids, and more!)

Also, for all you locals, I would highly recommend becoming a member…the discounts in kiddo’s classes & parking are worth it alone!! Speaking of kiddos & classes, mine can’t wait to star Art Summer Camp at TMA!!

HUGE thank you to all those who put their time, energy, blood, sweat, tears, etc. into the evening it was absolutely amazing and so enjoyable, Toledo says THANK YOU!!!

FREE Play Time exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art

May 22, 2015May 22, 2015momonthegoinholytoledo

When you hear the words Art Museum what comes to mind? Quiet, old, cold, boring!? (Or at least that’s probably what my husband would say). And the thought of bringing the children along just sounds, well, expensive!! Let’s be honest, there is decorum to follow when touring the Art Museum’s galleries. Things they frown upon include, breathing near the art (again, something my husband would probably say, ha-ha!), touching the art, standing too close to the art, climbing on the art, sitting on the art, and playing with the art. But not this summer! This summer the Toledo Museum of Art is hosting Play Time!!!

“As we grow up we tend to trivialize play and relegate it to childhood, but it’s an important element of life that we wanted to explore in this exhibition,” said Halona Norton-Westbrook, the Museum’s Mellon fellow and associate curator of contemporary art. “This show is not only about play in the traditional sense, but also the idea of being in the moment, of inspiring wonder, of invoking your natural curiosity.”

Invoking your natural curiosity, that statement is spot on! Our adventure in Play Time began downstairs where we contributed to the community art project featuring interactive components designed by Varujan Boghosian and Werner Pfeiffer. How it worked?

There was paper provided and directions for making a paper cube. Full disclosure, it took me WAY too long to try and figure out how to make that cube. Haha!

That exercise did a marvelous job of setting the tone for the rest of our Play Time tour. What tone? One of lightheartedness, fun, we were definitely forced into the moment! I loved it! And the coolest part is we can now say that we contributed to an instillation at the Toledo Museum of Art….that’ll look great on my résumé. (wink, wink).

Then we made our way upstairs to what I can only describe as pure awesomeness, Harmonic Motion!! Harmonic Motion, by, Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam and Charles Richard MacAdam is a hand-crocheted textile installation. It is huge, colorful, just a sight to behold!

As we entered they requested that we take our shoes off before climbing in. What!? It was difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I was not only taking my shoes off at the Art Museum but was also climbing on, in, around, and breathing ALL over the art!! Finally an exhibit my husband will happily accompany me too!! Talk about a FUN date night!!

Next stop, Swing Space! Swing Space, by, Jillian Mayer was a really cool idea; you literally sit and swing into the clouds which are projected onto the wall. It was a neat experience. I can finally cross off swing at the Art Museum from my bucket list!!

Ground Control by, Edith Dekyndt was our next destination on our Play Time adventure! This one was a little eerie. You walk into an empty room that contains a huge floating black ball. The ball is filled with a combination of oxygen and helium and the reaction is surprising. I won’t give it away, this one you will have to check out for yourself!

Anything Can Break, by, Pinaree Sanpitak was one of our last stops. Truth be told, we have already visited this installation a few times but it is one of our favorites!! There are motion sensors in the ceiling of the installation that trigger various sounds as you walk underneath. It is so much fun to walk around and see what kind of music you can make.

There are so many more instillations in the exhibit. There are also fun hands-on activities placed throughout the museum…gone are the days of old, cold, and boring!

Fun events are going on throughout the summer at the Toledo Museum of Art. Click here to view the calendar. Also, be sure to check out the Toledo Museum of Art’s amazing Family Center while you are there!
Now, if you’ll excuse me I have an awesome date night to plan….It’s Friday at the Toledo Museum of Art!