More Art

This weekend was Tulsa's MayFest & Blue Dome Art Festivals. I went to both two years ago since they're conveniently close together downtown. Yesterday was a pleasant weather Sunday, so I thought I'd hit up Blue Dome for some artsy pix.

I prefer BD over MayFest. It's grittier and, I think, more interesting. This end of downtown just gets cooler every year!

Nice weather brought out huge crowds. Pretty much shoulder to shoulder.

This converted little bus was just too cute. They sold t-shirts & accessories.

He caught me lining up the shot and was so sweet to toss this big smile my way. I would've preferred to show him intently weaving, but still appreciate his good humor.

There were tables set up for visitors of any age to participate in the creative process.

And a whole street intersection dedicated to chalk art.

Love these colorful bird feeders.

Another artist at work.

This guy was so groovin' to the live music with his own harmonica. The two bands I heard were quite good, especially Daniel Jordan.

Tons of artists' booths, food trucks, and people!

My only disappointment - I missed the Art Cars. They were on display Saturday. Note to self: check the website next year. If you wonder what an "art car" is, click here to see the photos I took last time I was there.

I think my next post might feature some of Tulsa's architecture. Check back soon :)

Crystal Bridges: Part 1 Buildings Exterior

(There are 5 posts here about Crystal Bridges. I've manipulated the publish dates so you can just keep scrolling down to view them in order. Be sure to click on "older posts" to read #5. Thanks for visiting my blog!)

2016 started off at warp speed. It was time for some shore leave! Even just a weekend out of town would give some much needed refreshment, but where to go with a limited amount of time (not to mention, $)

Heading south or west means a long drive of pretty much dreary scenery to reach any destination of interest. North isn't much better. Done the Kansas City thing. Been thru St. Louis a zillion times and actually stopped twice. There's always Branson, but been-there-done-that a few times, too.

No matter the jokes and negative image of hillbillys & Clintons, my favorite direction for a quick getaway is East - to our neighboring state of Arkansas. Lush greenery, rolling hills and actually, many things to see & do.

One place we hadn't visited was Bentonville, home of Crystal Bridges Museum of Art. I'd heard about it on our last visit to the state (Little Rock).

Bentonville? you say? As in, birthplace of Walmart? Seriously? You took advantage of a weekend away and went to Bentonville, Arkansas?

Yes. And we had a great time! The little town is cute & quaint. It's surrounded by the usual suburbia of freeways, shopping centers, chain restaurants and hotels. But the museum is world class.

In this post, I'm just showing the exterior of the buildings. The grounds are beautiful and I'll post those next.

My only disappointment was the buildings aren't really sparkly and the bridges weren't actually crystally looking. (I knew this ahead of time but still sort of live in a Rivendell-Lord of the Rings kind of imagination).

I couldn't get high enough to show the whole picture of how these connect together, so please Click here to visit the website.

Crystal Bridges: Part 2 Grounds & Trails

The grounds of the museum is as much a world of art as the inside. Wildflowers line the entrance road.

This cardinal was so cooperative. He stayed around til I got my shot, then he was there when we left too! I would've gotten an even better photo then, but some ya-hoo in cowboy hat loudly said, "hey, lookit that cardinal!" (read with heavy hick accent). All I could think was "Idiot!"

We weren't sure, but think this was part of the bike trail. We saw a couple variations of this wavy thing on the dirt path that runs parallel with the paved one. Actually, we saw one grown woman wipe out on one. Her friends ran towards her while she shouted, "I'm fine. I'm fine!" So we pretended not to notice.

This trail connects with Compton Gardens. We stopped there Sunday morning. It was chilly & overcast. The Gardens is pretty walk. There's so many varieties of trees & shade loving foliage, but not too much that was especially photogenic.

Next post: the outdoor sculptures.

Crystal Bridges: Part 3 Outdoor Art

Wonderful surprises pop up, even as you walk from the parking lot to the museum.

These huge sculptures are representations of the four seasons. The original pieces are on display inside and are maybe 12" tall.

Okie dokie, artie-choky!

This cool sculpture is called "Maelstrom." It's supposed to resemble "coils of paper, the interior of a shell, a vortex, a flower." (quote from the website)

These landscaping wagons aren't part of the display, but I thought they were artfully parked :)

Somebody planted a silver seed and grew a silver tree! It stands at the entrance of the museum, pointing the way forward.

Inside the courtyard area stands a huge spider. I avoided taking a picture from underneath because, ewww, there was even a representation of an egg sac. Double ewwww!

These large pinwheels were for sale outside the museum store.

Here's the 4th rep for one of the 4 seasons. It stands inside the courtyard also. To give you an idea how tall it is, someone standing next to it could stand under the peach.

I love this "profile picture" angle. Maybe I should use it for my Facebook profile!

This pig sculpture is placed on the Art Trail. It's one of the walking/biking trails around the museum. There's the tortoise & hare, and some other neat sculptures. This pig has eerily human eyes.

We saw this on the way out and I think it's a prop for the group who promote bat protection. It's truly a "batmobile."

More outdoor art in the next post - but it will be "art in the making."

But before you continue, I'll show you one more picture. My husband said I would regret letting him take this picture. Rarely do I post one of myself, but in the spirit of "interactive art" I decided to join in the fun!