Art Institute of Chicago

December 17, 2009

 

All Photos Copyright © 2009 by Robert E Pence

 

My niece, Carrie, had suggested that we should take a day trip to Chicago to visit the Art Institute. She was looking forward to seeing the Modern Wing, and I hadn't been inside the building in many years. We caught South Shore train #116 at Michigan City's Carroll Avenue stop and detrained at Van Buren.

 

First stop was the Corner Bakery in the Santa Fe building, for coffee for me and hot chocolate for Carrie, followed by a visit to the Chicago Archicenter model in the atrium.

 

 

Art Institute admission is $18 for adults and $12 for Seniors, and free on Thursdays 5pm - 8pm. The free checkroom is a great convenience when dealing with winter coats, backpacks, etc. Cameras are allowed, but in some of the temporary exhibits photography isn't. Tripods and flash are prohibited. I took several photos of the building interior and its vistas, but none of the exhibits. Here are a few that I liked.

 

 

I had anticipated a shot from the section of the building that overlooks the approaches to Millennium Park Station, and was at first disappointed to see that the sunshades were down. I decided to see what would happen, though, and I rather like how it came out. The shades are of an open weave, and create an interesting canvas-like texture.

 

 

One gallery off the Griffin Court contained a piece that consisted of a large array of fluorescent tubes arranged around a u-shaped matrix. It was intensely bright, and the reflections were inescapable in some of my attempts to photograph through the court's large expanses of glass. You can see the light from the display spilling into the corridor on the left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful shots!

I wish one of my nieces or great-nieces would ask me to go on a trip to the art museum!

 

 

I wish one of my nieces or great-nieces would ask me to go on a trip to the art museum!

 

I'm very aware of how blessed I am to have half a dozen adult nieces and nephews who are all good company.

Great shots, that staircase in the modern wing is just amazing, I love it.  I used to work in the Santa Fe building...it is a beautiful buidling.  I miss working there

Wow that place is gorgeous.  Amazing shots Rob.

It's a great museum, but $18 for admission!? That seems a bit high. Thanks for the photos!

Nice!

 

Stunning place.

Wow, thanks!  Looks like an an incrdible space.  I love the views of Millennium Park too.

I wish one of my nieces or great-nieces would ask me to go on a trip to the art museum!

 

 

I wish my nephews knew what an art museum was.

I wish one of my nieces or great-nieces would ask me to go on a trip to the art museum!

 

 

I wish my nephews knew what an art museum was.

 

LMAO! 

It's a great museum, but $18 for admission!? That seems a bit high. Thanks for the photos!

 

$18 wouldn't be a good start on a night of clubbing, and a decent dinner in a nice restaurant would cost way more than that. The museum's collections are vast (more than 300,000 items), and I don't think it would be possible to see everything in a day, maybe two. The exhibit spaces, themselves, are worth the $18 to me.

 

Students and Seniors pay $12.

Great shots..  Thanks for sharing!  At first glance I thought that the skyline shot with the shades covering it was a canvas. 

 

By the way...  (not to say anything less about the Chicago Art Museum)  do many people realize that the Cleveland Art Museum is free 24 seven?  This is just amazing to me!

Excellent pics rob!  I saw the lamp, and man was that thing bright!  Watch out for those punched holes in the drywall floor!  Really, I was there to see the new addition, and Burnham's Master Plan of Chicago.  What an incredible exhibit. 

 

 

That model looks amazing, and the last photo of yours in this set is easily my favorite.

Great shots..  Thanks for sharing!  At first glance I thought that the skyline shot with the shades covering it was a canvas. 

 

By the way...  (not to say anything less about the Chicago Art Museum)  do many people realize that the Cleveland Art Museum is free 24 seven?  This is just amazing to me!

 

I visited the Cleveland Art Museum years ago, and haven't been back (except around the exterior) since the expansion. I need to go back. Ohio has some outstanding art museums; I've seen Dayton's and Toledo's, and both have impressive buildings and collections.

 

Excellent pics rob!  I saw the lamp, and man was that thing bright!  Watch out for those punched holes in the drywall floor!  Really, I was there to see the new addition, and Burnham's Master Plan of Chicago.  What an incredible exhibit.

 

That lamp put off quite a lot of heat, too. The floor built up of drywall on top of styrofoam was interesting for more than the intentional distressing; it had a nice resiliency to it. I was thinking it might be a good idea for a workroom where you're on your feet for extended periods. Go over the drywall with a leveling compound to smooth out the seams, and then lay down sheet vinyl; it's flexible enough to give with the substrate, and impervious to spilled liquids and easily cleaned with a damp mop.

 

My niece and I spent so much time with the Modern Wing and the "Apostles of Beauty" Arts and Crafts exhibit that we didn't get to the Burnham plan before we ran out of time and energy. I need to go back before it ends.

 

That model looks amazing, and the last photo of yours in this set is easily my favorite.

 

Thanks. I was trying to figure out a way to get an unobstructed view of Millennium Park with the skyline backdrop, but there's a glass barrier that kept me from getting close enough to the window to shoot between the muntins, and people kept walking in front of me with their point-and-shoot cameras. Then, it dawned on me to take a photo of the people taking photos, and it pulled the whole scene together.