A Day at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum
I was fortunate to have a bit of a break mid-week and I took my chance to go see the Transported Man exhibit at Michigan State’s Broad Museum. I’ve only been to the museum on one other occasion since it’s opening in 2012 (and that visit was just a quick stopover before attending a graduation) so I was looking forward to spending a bit more exploring the museum.
The building was designed by Zaha Hadid and it is a serious sight to behold. Part of me is glad I graduated before this was built - I would have spent far too much time taking pictures of the angles and just staring at it. Probably one of my favorite buildings in existence.
But I didn't go to ogle the building (this time!) so I headed inside. The Transported Man exhibit was just incredible. So much so, that I didn’t take nearly the amount of as many pictures as I usually do - I was just too busy exploring the facets of the show. If you are in the area, seriously, go see it. I'm not even going to post the majority of the photos I took - it's something to be experienced in person.
I had planned to spend a bit of time at the end of the afternoon working a new project there in the cafe, but ended up taking a bit too long exploring museum. I was only able to get a bit of brainstorming done before heading out to dinner with a few local friends, but it was really nice to be in there and decompress for a bit.
Sitting there with my coconut-milk latte, sketchbook open to the page where I began brainstorming for a really exciting opportunity (can't share the deets yet -- soon!!!!), I tried to put myself back in those scuffed pumas I wore religiously, nearly 10 years ago.
I remembered the long walks from my apartment to the art building, the late nights spent in the ceramics studio, the sliding bookshelves at the library and how many papers I wrote nestled away in the silence of the upper floors with that computer that by today's standards is ANCIENT. I recalled the faces of friends and faculty, and felt the years of wonderful memories slowly returning.
But I also remembered the crushing anxiety. The heart-stopping worry of graduating and not being able to find a job (this is was 2008), and that assuming I could find employment, hoping for something even remotely related to my degree might be too far-fetched. I considered staying in school, finding an MFA program right away - but ultimately decided after graduation that I was ready to not be a student for a bit. And Florida was calling my name.
I will always look back on my time at MSU with extreme fondness and a great sense of thankfulness for my professors and mentors. Working on the start of this project, in the sanctity of this building was a very soul-cleansing moment for me. Everything turned out ok, everything was worth the hard work.
Awash in gratitude, I was late for dinner :)
