Artist Amy M. Ho talks about her Artists Drawing Club:
For the March edition of the Artists Drawing Club, I led a group of museum visitors on a sensory exploration of the space. I started out explaining my own interest in the subject matter. Most of my artwork is installation based and deals with our understanding and experience of the spaces and environments we inhabit. Our relationship to space is key to our emotional and physical experiences but we often take it for granted. In walking through the museum, I was hoping that the group would learn something new about their own experience of space and see how lighting, architecture and sound work together to choreograph our experiences.
After the introduction and as an icebreaker of sorts, we each mentioned a favorite space or an experience with space that we’ve had. It was great to hear how experiences of space can shape our memories.
Next, I gave a short tour of the spaces that stood out to me in the South Court area of the museum. We looked at some of the various shadows cast by the light coming in from above. We closed our eyes and listened to the sounds echoing though the atrium. We went to the back of the escalator to a nook that is often ignored. Finally, we explored the corridor behind the museum store.
After the short tour, each person was assigned to a specific part of the museum and was asked to spend the next twenty minutes there observing the lights, sounds, architecture and anything else that stood out to them. Each person was asked to sketch, photograph or write about what they saw. Below are some of the photos and sketches.
Carey Lin was assigned to the back staircase. Here’s her graph of the sound in the space.
Jamie Emerick was up in the third floor galleries. Here is a sketch she made of an art piece and its shadows.
Dave Lyons was assigned to the Chinese Jade Gallery on the third floor. Here’s his image of the underside of the display.
Brandon Drew Holmes stayed downstairs in the South Court. Here is a sketch he made of how the light changed.
I assigned myself to the escalators and the landing at the top of the escalators. Here is a view of the building across the street through the streaked window.
Owen Lawrence went up to the Loggia. Here is a sketch of the architecture.
Marc Mayer stayed in the Contemplative Alcove in the Japan Galleries. Here is his sketch of the floating wall.