When we needed some routine maintenance on the Roadtrek, American RV was kind enough to let us not only sleep in the lot for three nights but they also provided us with electricity. We kept encountering people who were extremely friendly and wanted to talk.
The museum was preparing for a large exhibition of Michigan Design so we were only able to view two of their three floors. We enjoyed the selection of the art as well as the beautiful LEED building.
Since I like to see brushwork in paintings I included some close ups for some of the works. If you click on the image you will see an enlarged image.
Some advantages of traveling this time of year is that we were the only visitors at the gallery and had a private viewing. What a treat!
We keep noticing that major retailers are supporting the art in significant ways . Meijer is a major grocery chain and probably much more.
The sculpture exhibition program is dedicated to sculpture traditions of all periods and exhibitions have ranged from large-scale presentations of modern masters such as Rodin, Picasso, and Moore to contemporary masters such as George Segal, Oldenburg and van Bruggen, di Suvero, Caro, and Richard Hunt.
The gardens have a large impressive collection of sculpture and I have only included about half of the art.
We both felt that at times the larger plants were sometimes distracting from the art when they created a busy background with little contrast. I felt the grassy setting of the works in Des Moines highlighted the art better.
This house was built in 1908-1909 for local clothier Meyer S. May and his wife Sophie Amberg. Frank Lloyd Wright design the house in the Prairie style. It was the first major commission in MIchigan.
I found this house of particular interest because it was so meticulously accurately restored to how it was in 1909 when first occupied. For instance they were able to duplicate a copy of the original carpet from yarn samples found in the original records; and numerous layers of paint were removed to discover the original paint colors. The house has either original or reproduction furniture, carpets, paintings and lighting. This house impressed me because of the attention to detail and the mood created with the lighting. We were told by the docent that it is the most accurately restored Frank Lloyd Wright house. An unlimited budget was provided and they exceeded that.
The child who grew up in the home said it was a very odd house for the time. In the Victorian time the homes were highly decorated with elaborate details so this home was very unusual. The living room in particular must have been strikingly modern for that era.