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| Rhode Island School of Design |
I really enjoyed my time here. I was welcomed and asked what sorts of things I was interested in to help guide me through galleries I might be interested in. The paper map wasn't very helpful- the layout on the map didn't quite match up to what I was seeing physically in front of me, but part of that could have been because there were two major galleries being updated or renovated at the time. Because of these upgrades, one of their most famous artifacts (the giant Buddha) was not on display. That's okay because I enjoyed what was on display: everything from an Egyptian mummy to 19th century porcelain figures and paintings to modern art. Many galleries had mixes of vintage clothes, statues, and other art/design pieces from various eras all mixed in together, giving the museum a "homey" feel that I enjoyed. Often, pieces on display were from alumni or professors of the RISD, or people who had connections to Rhode Island somehow. Another bit of paying attention to detail that I liked.
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| Great Gallery at the RISD-- I loved that blue! |
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| Black Venus. I loved this sculpture because even though she was cast in the 1800s she looks like she could be walking around outside today! |
My favorite exhibition, by far, was Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion. It ends mid-August so if you have a chance, run and go see it! It pretty much is the history of men's formal fashion, something I'm sure most people don't think about. At first, reading the title alone, I thought that it was going to be a little offensive towards gay men. I mean, calling someone a dandy isn't exactly a compliment. But to my surprise sexuality was only barely mentioned throughout the exhibit, and instead the focus was on the people who wore the clothes, the materials the clothes were made of, and some cultural history lessons on why things were designed and made the way they were. Again, it was nothing to see a suit from the 1850s displayed right next to a tuxedo from the 1930s next to an outfit from just last year. I noticed how little men's fashion has changed structure wise, but in materials things have improved quite a deal. There was even a hands on portion where you could feel the difference in wools of different quality for yourself.
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| Entrance into Men of Fashion exhibit |
Now, let me say that the rules of the RISDM are that photos of artifacts/pieces younger than 75 years old is prohibited (according to their website) and when I got there I was told that photos anywhere other than the 5th floor (where most of the REALLY old and ancient stuff is) was prohibited. And I was following the rules throughout the exhibit until I noticed everyone else (and I do mean everyone) taking pictures of suits and hats with their smart phones. I asked the security guard (discreetly-- didn't want to get any of my fellow onlookers in trouble) and he said that no photos were allowed...but didn't seem very interested in being an enforcer. So, I joined in, and took a few pics of the exhibit as well. To be fair, I won't post the interior exhibit pics on here, so you'll have to go where the rest of my RI pics are to see them.
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| But I will include the sign from outside...note the rain!! |
Thank you for reading along with me on my adventure to the RISDM. I hope you enjoyed it, and have liked reading my blog thus far. More RI and MA posts to come!
See you on the next adventure!
