Holiday Docent Luncheon 2013

 These photos are right off my phone and may take awhile to download. Very informal snapshots! Many thanks to those in red who added a great splash of color to the occasion. Enjoy.

Woad and History

 

I never get tired of leaning more about textiles and their all important role in nation building and trade. Above is a photo of the Woad plant. For a story about its importance in textiles, Cathedrals and Edward I of England read this.

 

To learn more about the plant and dye visit this site.

Parasols

 

Images of parasols and umbrellas appear in many IMA works. This is "Afternoon Tea" by Richard Miller.

One of my favorite art history sites has a great post about 'A Brief History of Parasols and Umbrellas' 

Matisse and His Love of African Textiles

 

This is a photo of Matisse in his own bedroom of Kuba Cloth covered  walls. The photo is by Henri Catier-Bensson , from the book "Matisse's Secret; Kuba Textiles of Zaire".

This is a great image to share during a Matisse tour, perhaps at the end. That way you can send the visitors up to the beautiful "Majestic Africa" exhibit to see Kuba Cloths in person!

Traditional Costumes of the Pont-Aven

 

The painters of the Pont-Aven loved the traditional dress of the region.

Here is a lovely explanation/description of the entire costume. 

Looking To Connect...free download

 

To download your free copy of this book click here.

Textile Tidbit Tuesday

How Many Tradespeople Does It Take To Dress an 18th Century Women?

How do you do a Textile Tour if no textiles happen to be on display in the museum? 

My answer is that textiles are always on display. Most, OK maybe not all, but most people, in paintings or sculptures are dressed in some sort of textile. Costume is great tour topic and if you have any 18th century portraits I have a great 'textile tidbit'  for you.

How Many Tradespeople Does It Take To Dress an 18th Century Women?

The Two Nerdy History Girls have given me permission to post a link to the information they have gathered together with the 18th century dressmakers ( mantua-maker )of Colonial Williamsburg.
Explore this post and all of their blog for textile tidbits.

Japanes Woodblocks and Video Games

 

What the art of Japanese Woodblock Prints and Video games have in common. 

What a great connection to use for young/old visitors to the Asian galleries!

A Crash Course in Creativity

 

I'd  like to introduce you to an amazing series of short lectures about Creativity, created by Tina Seelig of Stanford University.

Lecture 1:Introduction to Class

Lecture 2: Reframing the Problem

Lecture 3: Paying Attention

Lecture 4: Connect and Combine

Lecture 5: Question Assumptions

Lecture 6: Creative Teams

Lecture 7: Creative Story Telling

Lecture 8: Attitude: Mastering a Creative Mindset

There is also a Ted Talk

And her book "inGenius" is available here

There is so much here that can help us be better docents!

Fantastic news for you.

Kent State University has a new exhibit of fans.
Check the video below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=O3oVUHUCOVA