Wild Animals and Renovation: A Valuable Resource We Don’t Visit Enough

The other night Cute and I ambled over to the Nelson-Atkins where we are members but don’t remember to go there often enough.  It occurred to us that we should repair this lapse.  So off we went.  We found out on Thursdays and Friday evenings, you can get a very tasty app and a drink which is, we discovered, a pleasant prelude to art exploration.

The trick to the Nelson, I believe, is to limit yourself to shorter tastes.  It’s a fabulous place, but in the past, I think I’ve often tried to see too much.  This time, we basically just went to see the plans for the “new” building, rather strangely titled Building Belonging: Designing the Future of the Nelson-Atkins (last part is OK) and to see a current exhibit, Survival of the Fittest: Picturing Wildlife and Wilderness.  My new goal is to add one other area or exhibit I’ve not seen before.  This time, that was the 2024 Charlotte Street Visual Artist Awards.  Charlotte Street always looks for innovative art and if you’d like to see the winners this year, here’s a link: https://nelson-atkins.org/art/exhibitions/2024-charlotte-street-visual-artist-awards/ . Better, go see them by August 10th.

First we trudged up the stairs to see the renderings for a future Nelson.  There are six finalists, none from Kansas City, alas, but all impressive in their own ways. We talked about our favorites, which we won’t reveal.  My final thought however, was, if the Nelson is going to spend many many millions, I hope they get some bang for the bucks and go big, make a huge statement, go big-city, go spectacular. Pity I’m not on the selection committee, huh? See these before June 1st or click through the slide show below to get a hint.

The first art in Survival that grabbed my eyeballs was the giant moose.  If you’ve ever stood next to a moose, or close to a moose, you know they are MUCH huger than any picture can convey.  The reason I know this is because I saw one next to a pick-up truck in Fairbanks once which nearly obliterated the truck. 

Anyway, the wildlife pictures were old, were amazing, and told their own stories about animals and habitat diminishment, from Africa to Canada and Europe.  And there were more than pictures. The exhibit is well worth your time.  You have until August 24 to go.

BTW, we’ve also forgotten to sample the movies in the Tivoli at the Nelson lately.  Now playing or coming soon are Pissarro: Father of Impressionism; the noir Gilda with Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford; and Easter in Art which is a world-wide exploration.  Limited times and showings but the calendar changes every quarter.  You might want to check back. 

The Nelson is really something to always write about, and to see. Hope you agree.