ATM: Art, Tiles, Mosaics... an adventure in creativity

The Artful CheckupThis image is from the Icons of the Desert website. See website for further copyright information. Photo: Tony De Camillo for the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University

Time for my annual checkup so, in my new public transportation mode, I took the Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica Bus Line) from Culver City up to Westwood and the UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) Medical Center. With the 40-minute ride (this route encompasses almost the entire universe) and a combined 20-minute walk, this little adventure lasts one whole hour as opposed to half that time by car. So once again, it's a matter of weighing the value of one's time against the operating costs and mileage on the family car plus the $11 parking fee. Right now my preference is for the bus over fighting traffic and looking for a parking space.

I was able to plan the day so that I had doctors appointments in the morning and late afternoon. This gave me the time slot I needed to walk over to the Fowler Museum on campus. For over two months now I have been staring at the brochure announcing the Icons of the Desert exhibit, a collection of Australian Aboriginal paintings from the early 1970s with the extended exhibit of Innovations in Western Desert Painting, 1972-1999. I was so excited about seeing these abstract images I was almost afraid I would be disappointed when viewing them in person. But not to worry. I was totally immersed in the wonder of these paintings, composed of lines and dots in earthy tones. The best part is that each painting tells a story according to Aboriginal lore. The viewer cannot understand the story without a written description, but this does not diminish the power of these works. I felt a direct spiritual connection to these designs. One can argue that all art is spiritual. However, I sensed these pieces had a life of their own, beyond the two-dimensional representations that I was looking at on the walls of the museum.

Sunday, August 2 at 2:00pm there are two lectures on this exhibit, free with no reservations required. I am tempted to attend.

Unfortunately, this exhibit ends August 3, but you can still catch it at New York University through December.

Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives, is a display of 250 artifacts from the Fowler Collection exploring the impact of art on people's lives in various cultures worldwide. There are several pieces displayed that I want to research further on the internet, such as the papier mache art of the Linares family and the ceramics of Jorge Wilmot. This is ongoing.

Reflecting Culture: The Francis E. Fowler, Jr. Collection of Silver is a permanent installation with some stunning examples of silver artifacts such as teapots and goblets.