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| Lyman Allyn Museum |
We are so fortunate here in southeastern Connecticut. Not
only do we have scenic shores and beautiful countryside, we also have cultural
resources that showcase the talent of our local artists. I recently saw four
wonderful exhibits at the Lyman Allyn Museum: American Perspectives, the
New London Project, Reading the Image,
and my favorite – Adrien Broom’s A
Colorful Dream.
The recently renovated space of the American Perspectives exhibit looks fantastic. This permanent collection
covers Connecticut from the Colonial era through the 20th century.
It is where I get to say hello to some old favorites. I always look for landscapes
by Frederic Church, portraits by Gilbert Stuart, familiar scenes from Old Lyme,
and the craftsmanship of furniture makers like Hitchcock.
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| Permanent Collection at the Lyman Allen Museum |
The New London Project:10th Anniversary Portraits features large scale photographic
portraits of New London’s diverse population. Ten years ago, photographer Joe
Standart took photos of people passing by on Bank Street. He exhibited life
size to 30 foot high images during the summer of 2006. Thankfully, he decided
to revisit this subject, taking new photos of his subjects – 10 years later.
The photographs are paired so we can see how the people have changed over time.
However, this is not about getting old and grey. It is much more about how
lives have changed; marriages, children, divorce, loss, job changes – the important
stuff of life. The photos are exquisite. You can’t help being drawn in and feel
like you know these people. In fact, if you’re from New London, you just might
know them!
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| Joe Standart |
I’ve always felt my own art is a form of communication. It
tells a story of what I’m interested in, what I feel is important, have learned
about, and often uses some form of symbolism that may or may not be obvious to
the viewer, but is always obvious to me. Reading the Image: Text in American Art since 1969 is an exhibit that takes the
idea of communication in art to another level. These artists use text or their
own made up symbols in their art, or
even as their art. Sometimes the text
was used to make a political point, sometimes to enhance the piece. The one
that stands out in my mind the most, used hand written sentences based on the
day’s headlines of newscasts. Each was written on a different color paper, and
then cut out and assembled in an almost quilt-like pattern. I thought it was an
interesting way to document the background noise of our daily lives.
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| Lorna Simpson |
My favorite exhibit was Adrien Broom’s A Colorful Dream. Judging by the packed room, the discussions, and
the length of time people spent in this exhibit, many other visitors felt the
same way. Adrien Broom photographed elaborately detailed stage sets of a
dream-like child’s bedroom. These fine art photographs are arranged in
groupings that tell a story. The young girl first wakes in an all-white
bedroom. All color has vanished. She
then discovers one small spot of color, crawls into that space, and comes out
in the next grouping of photos which are all yellow. She continues to
rediscover each color as you walk around the room. Finally, you arrive at a rainbow
themed bedroom stage set, where visitors can pose for their own photos. I loved
seeing children pose in front of the set, while their parents became the
photographer. Each family who visits this interactive art exhibit ends up
leaving with their own piece of art work stored on their cell phones! This
exhibit ends January 8th, so go soon!
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| Adrien Broom |
With the holiday break just a few weeks away, you may want
to put the Lyman Allyn on your family’s day trip list, or visit the first
Saturday of each month, when the museum offers free admission.
Laura S. Pringle is the author of The Pringle Plan, a series of educational guides.
See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon
©2016 Laura S. Pringle. All Rights Reserved.
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