Museum Visit: Maira Kalman: Jewish Museum

The Maira Kalman exhibition at the Jewish Museum is the first major survey of the artist's storytelling art. It is composed of paintings that include "stories" about her life, her travels, and especially, her witty ideas about people. The show includes Maira's furniture and papers that give you the feeling that you are in Maira's home.

At the end of the blog, we included some links to Maira’s work, to her amazing books for children, to her journalism blogs for the New York Times and New Yorker magazine, to her product designs, and some amazing paintings that tell her personal stories.

We loved looking at Maira’s paintings online and listening to these audios by her friends:

Maira Kalman

Sunny Day at the Park, 2004

Gouache on paper

8 1/4 x 8 3/4 in.

Courtesy of Julie Saul

Peter Barberie speaks about Sunny Day at the Park: 

AUDIO

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery

Maira Kalman

Tibor Kalman, 1998

Gouache on paper

15 1/4 x 11 3/4 in.

Courtesy of the artist

The artist’s late husband and founder of the radical design firm M&Co (note the onion ring, one of a collection represented by examples on view in this show, along with M&Co objects and ephemera that the Kalmans collaborated on).

Michael Bierut speaks about Tibor Kalman:

AUDIO

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery#tibor

Maira Kalman

2 Million People, 2009

Gouache on paper

10 3/4 x 15 in.

Courtesy of the artist and Julie Saul Gallery, New York

The style of Kalman’s work exudes a sense of lightness, joy, and charm. Righteous for cake, this style can be disarming when the subject is serious or tragic (the Blitz, 9/11). But this is exactly the point! Keeping things light—in light of the sadness, loss, and strong emotion that are always present in her work—is what dis¬tractions are for. In Kalman’s world, humor and a keen sense of the absurd are instrumental!

Stamatina Gregory speaks about 2 Million People:

AUDIO

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery#2million

Maira Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz

New Yorkistan, 2001

Gouache and pencil on paper

20 x 14 3/4 in. Collection of Erica and Eric Schwartz

The December 10, 2001, New Yorker featured Kalman’s most recognized image on the cover, made in collaboration with Rick Meyerowitz. This is a preliminary sketch. Writing and drawing play equal roles in the work of Kalman, who is an author, illus¬trator, and designer. This show focuses on the pictorial part of her art by presenting original works on paper for her illustrations. Maira is one of today’s most revered creative artists. 

Maira Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz speak about New Yorkistan:

AUDIO

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery#nyistan

Self-Portrait (Favorite Jacket), 1991

Pencil, color pencil, and ink on paper

12 5/8 x 9 3/4 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Maira Kalman’s art is a discipline of daily creativity. Taking photos, collecting objects and arranging them, writing in notebooks, drawing in journals, painting pictures, making lists—these are all relatively intimate and ordinary activities.

Isaac Mizrahi speaks about Self-Portrait (Favorite Jacket):

AUDIO

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery#jacket

Sentence Fragment, 2004-2005

Gouache on paper

12 3/4 x 10 3/4 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Sentence Fragment is from Kalman’s illustrated edition of William Strunk, Jr., and E. B. White’s timeless grammar guide, The Elements of Style.

Nico Muhly speaks about Sentence Fragment:

AUDIO

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery#fragment

Herring and Philosophy Club, 2006

Gouache on paper

9 3/4 x 14 1/2 in.

Collection of Ellen and Robert Grimes

Ruth Reichl speaks about Herring & Philosophy Club:

AUDIO

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery#herring

Man Dances on Salt, 2007

Gouache on paper

9 x 7 3/4 in.

Collection of Tom and Claire O’Connor

Kalman’s book The Principles of Uncertainty featured this emblematic image on the cover.

David Shipley speaks about Man Dances on Salt

AUDIO

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery#salt

Max, 1991

Gouache on paper

17 x 14 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Max Stravinksy is the dog poet and star of a series of Kalman’s books.Max

Crosstown Boogie Woogie, 1995

Gouache on paper

15 3/8 x 11 1/2 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Kalman’s work appeared on the cover of The New Yorker for the first time in the December 4, 1995, issue.

My Mother in Organza, 2003

Gouache and pencil on paper

14 x 11 1/4 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Kalman is seen as a child with her mother (left) in Tel Aviv.

Abraham Lincoln, 2004-2005

Gouache on paper

15 x 11 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Long an admirer of Lincoln, Kalman is a contributor to the Rosenbach Museum and Library’s online project “21st Century Abe.”

Le Corbusier Sink, 2006

Gouache on paper

7 3/4 x 7 1/2 in.

Collection of Jane and Patrick Curley

People, places, dogs, dreams, objects, food . . . Maira Kalman’s narrative art comes from her everyday observation of ordinary things (show¬ing them to be extraordinary) and profound events (showing them to be simply part of life).

Panache, 2009

Gouache on paper

11 x 18 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Panache is from Kalman’s most recent children’s book, 13 Words, with text by Lemony Snicket (fashion hounds: note the Schiaparelli Shoe Hat).

Matisse in Nice, 2004-2005

Gouache on paper

12 x 10 3/8 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) 

From March 11, 2011 to July 31, 2011

Start your visit to the Maira Kalman exhibition with this link to Maira’s paintings. Listen to the audio by her dear friends. It will give you an idea of Maira’s charm and wit and the warm affection she inspires.

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/kalmangallery

Here is one of  Maira’s amazing blogs, “And the Pursuit of Happiness" for the NYTimes. This post is  titled “Sorry, the Rest Unknown.”

http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/kalman8/

Another of Maira’s NYTimes blogs “The Inauguration. At Last.”

http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/the-inauguration-at-last/

Maira’s “Finding Lincoln” blog

http://www.21stcenturyabe.org/2009/02/01/looking-for-lincoln-page-1/

At Maira’s website you will find categories of her work: books, journalism, new yorker, products, serendipity, about and contact. Click on ‘books' and look at her delightful children's books. Then, look at her ‘books for adults.’ Check out "The Principles of Uncertainty.” It's got lots of Maira’s paintings and witty comments. 

There is great stuff here. Click on ‘journalism,’ then Style, then “Couture Voyeur.” Click on ‘Mad About Me.’ Click on ‘The Splendid Gardner’ about Vita Sackville West. 

http://www.mairakalman.com/

 Here is some information about the Jewish museum:

The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street

New York, NY 10128

Admission

Adults: $12
Seniors/65 & over: $10
Students: $ 7.50
Children under 12: Free
Jewish Museum Members: Free
Saturdays: Free more

The Museum is closed for all major Jewish holidays,
including these in Spring 2011:
Passover Eve - Monday, April 18, Early Closing 2pm
Passover (1st Day) - Tuesday, April 19
Passover (2nd Day) - Wednesday, April 20
Passover (7th Day) - Monday, April 25
Passover (8th Day) - Tuesday, April 26
Shavuot (1st Day) - Wednesday, June 8
Shavuot (2nd Day) - Thursday, June 9

You might want to check out these Daily Tours 

The Jewish Museum offers daily tours, during the week, of its special and permanent exhibition to all visitors free with Museum admission. Please check the schedule below for tour times.

These 45 minute tours are led by Museum-trained docents and meet in the Museum lobby at the following scheduled times throughout the day.




Mondays 
12:15pm ׀ Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) 
more about the exhibition

3:15pm ׀ Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) 
more about the exhibition


Tuesdays and Thursdays
12:15pm ׀ Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) 
more about the exhibition


3:15pm ׀ Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) 
more about the exhibition


Thursday Evenings
6:15pm ׀ Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) 
more about the exhibition


Fridays
12:15pm ׀ Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) 

more about the exhibition 

Enjoy!

Studio Visit: Sylvia Netzer

Did you ever think of creating "faces" out of clay? These ceramic "Faces" were created by a super- bright and wonderfully creative young girl. The humor in these faces is terrific. A two year old walked up to the faces and laughed out loud.

The "faces" were created in a class at the Greenwich House Pottery. The teacher was the talented sculptor, Sylvia Netzer.

Sylvia is planning to give a "Faces" workshop at her ceramics studio in September. We will build clay "faces," then glaze and fire them. We will invite six children to join us.  If you are interested in participating, please let us know. 

Museum Visit: MoMA: Man in Piano

The NYTimes photograph of the event.

Uma and I went to the Museum of Modern Art to see "Stop, Repair, Prepare," a performance, art event at the MoMA, by Jennifer Allora (American, born 1974) and Guillermo Calzadilla (Cuban, born 1971) The event combines the mediums of performance art and sculpture. It featured a player inside a piano, playing Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."

The piano had a hole cut out of the middle. The player stood inside the piano, and leaned out over the keyboard to play the piano keys, upside down. Sometimes she plucked the strings inside the piano.

Uma walking toward the piano.

We saw Mia Elezovic perform. She played the "Ode to Joy," sort of. It was mostly bits and pieces of the music. The piano was on wheels and the player rolled the piano to different places in the room, paused and played a few notes.

Uma asked lots of questions like, why does the piano move? Why was she plucking the strings inside the piano? It reminded her of when she plucked her violin strings. The event had inspired a dialogue about what art "wants to be." I realized you're never too young to ask some good questions.

Afterwards, we had a snack in the MoMA cafe on the second floor. Then we visited a special exhibition about kitchens. Uma was enchanted with the tv monitors and headsets and tried each one in turn.

Uma learns about kitchens

We visited some galleries that displayed MoMA's new acquisitions. Uma loved a Yoko Ono video of people on the street talking and doing what people on the street do.

Uma investigated a video in front of a Robert Indiana painting.

We were going to play "The Matching Game," our favorite museum game (see note). We were would start with a hunt for the original Van Gogh "Starry Night" reproduced on the MoMA membership card. But feeling a little tired, we decided to save the game for our next visit.

We headed toward the escalators that would take us downstairs. We stood looking through the glass walls, watching the passengers glide past, when Uma, following the movement of the passengers said, "It's like a film." Wow! What a child!

During our taxi ride home, Uma and I agreed that the MoMA would be "our club." We would visit it again, very very soon. There would always be new exhibitions to see.

* Note: "The Matching Game" is a fun game for young museum-goers. It's a kind of treasure hunt. We start in the museum store, where we select postcard reproductions of paintings in the collection, and then hunt for them in the galleries.

Here is the link to the MoMA event: "Stop, Repair, Prepare"

http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=128473

Studio Visit: Baby Got Bach

Several families and their 3 year old children, attended a Sunday morning concert designed to introduce very young children to classical music. It was called "Baby Got Bach." It was held at Le Poisson Rouge, a nightclub for contemporary arts on Bleeker Street. The concert was organized by Orli Shaham, a talented pianist who believes children can learn about classical music at a very young age. Her idea is to introduce kids to music and musical instruments with professional musicians as guides.

It was easy to find Le Poisson Rouge with the crowd of children, babies in strollers and families milling around the entrance. Babies in strollers??? A concert of classical music?? I wondered what could possibly draw such a crowd of very young concert goers and their families?

We went inside, into a darkened bar area lit with funky colored lights here and there. Musicians sat at several activity "stations," a French Horn player, a Violinist, an Accordian player. They talked to the children about their instruments. The French Horn player demonstrated explosive lip sounds to show the kids how you blow into the horn. She pressed the "keys" to change the tone.

The Violinist across the room, played tunes like "Twinkle Twinkle." The children helped her hold the "bow" and "pluck" the strings. 

At a drawing station, the children used markers to add color to Kazoos, (KAZOOS?). Then, the kids tooted music notes written on little music "flashcards." They learned that you toot a note for each musical note, and are silent at the "Rest."

The Accordion player invited kids to TOUCH the keyboard and make up tunes.

Several musicians began a "jam session." The kids were given tambourines and maracas to provide the "percussion." The effect was raucous and fun!!

Soon it was time for the concert. We entered a large darkish room with a brightly lit stage and took our seats. Orli stepped up to the microphone and greeted the audience. She explained that she is a pianist and proceeded to play a Bach "Invention" on the piano. Wonderful.

Orli asked the audience to call each musician to the stage by applauding. First, we applauded for the French Horn player, who brought along a long garden hose with a funnel shape at the end. She explained that it was like the curled brass tubing of the French Horn, and demonstrated how it amplified the sound.

We applauded for the Violinist to come out. Orli explained that the musicians were going to play a Brahms Trio together. It was a "music" story about animals. They demonstrated the musical sounds of each animal and then played the beautiful Brahms Trio.

The next piece had been specially composed for Orli and Baby Got Bach. It was called "The Sneaky March," and had lots of different marching tempos. The children were invited to move around the room in time to the music.

The final composition was a "drawing-to-music," piece. The kids were asked to take out their "passport books" (given earlier) and draw what they were feeling while the music was playing. Several people passed around crayons. The music began. The kids listened to the sweeping sounds, and then made lines on the page as if they were playing a musical instrument. Beautiful.

This concert was unlike the ones we were used to; there was lots of interaction. The kids were invited to participate and move around. They enjoyed playing music and marching to the "Sneaky March." Not only had the concert given them a brilliant introduction to tempo and classical music, it had engaged them in a delightful way. A great beginning.

Was the concert good for kids? Well, they would have liked the performance to go on and on. That's what we call a great success.