It’s been a while since I’d been to the Museum of Arts and Design (MOAD) in NYC. It was time to revisit! And I picked a good time – there are two exhibits that kids would enjoy. The first is Jonathan Adler, and the second is the Haas Brothers. Go visit MOAD with kids and see these exhibits.
Jonathan Adler is a prolific artist whose work spans pottery, sculpture, furniture, textiles and more. He has his own stores and home design products, and a terrific sense of humor. The humor shows through in the exhibit, which is designed by his husband, Simon Doonan – a window dresser (among other things). The exhibit actually closes a few days after this review will post, so the pictures (and the MOAD Jonathan Adler web page) will have to suffice.
Adler has been doing pottery since his youth – when he would rather do that, than anything else. Of course becoming an artist/potter was not a good option at the time, but he sold his first pieces to the Museum of Craft (later became MOAD) so this exhibit is like coming home for him.
He curated the exhibit, which included more than just his own work. He included work that inspired him and workthat was of a similar era, to show the bigger picture.
Each section had a different theme – not shown is exotica. Not super family friendly (boobs and bananas), though kids aren’t really checking out JerseyKids, as far as I know. That said, you can see some his humor above and below. He created small dishes based on towns that are anti-glamorous, compared to those that are glamorous. And then below, a Wedgwood-like tea set that is envisioned as being created by kids.
The other great exhibit the kids will love is Uncanny Valley, by the Haas Brothers. These twins (fraternal) started making furniture and later began making art (they still do some furniture). They have a variety of media, from beaded objects (below), to tapestries, to furniture, to furry creatures, to blown glass animals in marble shells. Their breadth of work is impressive.
One floor held many beaded creatures imagined by the brothers. The beading is done partly in the U.S. and partly in South Africa. There’s an interesting explanation in the exhibit about how one brother designed a standardized beading template for different patterns, so that anyone can follow them and they can be stitched together in one place, no matter where they’re made.
Uncanny Valley includes digital art as well, which you’ll see in the above photo. Below, on a different floor they have pottery that is made through “accretion” – made by layering on clay. Below are “father vases” made by hand-thrown pottery and porcelain, and brass plating.
I think kids will enjoy the playfulness of their art, including the table and chair set below. There’s a video which shows some of their work and how they work together. They are now based in Los Angeles and say that neither of them would make what you see, alone. It really is a collaborative effort.
The exhibit featured a section of furry animals large and small. All look familiar but there is enough about them that is strange and different, that there’s no mistaking them for reality. The furry large black creature below is both giant and troll-like, with a walrus look. The feet/hands are a brass with digits and nails.
They talk in the film on site about how they grew up around taxidermy (Texas) and they have to be careful with the fur used, so it does not scare people.
There are several blown glass snails on exhibit with carved marble shells that are quite something to look at. Their father carved marble, so they grew up around this. Yet the juxtoposition of glass coming out of the marble was something.
Go to the studio floor, and check out the artist studios. There may be an artist working who you can talk to, or you an look through the window at their work. I was fascinated by Jayoung Yoon‘s work, which is weaving things out of hair. The basket below is her own hair ,and her mother’s. It sounds creepy but it was just lovely.
The piece below is made of her hair and it looked like an Escher piece. The left side is open, and that tube goes through the middle and comes back out. Interesting to look at from all angles.
While I didn’t look into workshops there were teens in a workshop studio working on their own art. It’s a lovely space to create, overlooking Columbus Circle.
