Costume Field Trip! Chihuly.

As a reward for good behaviour/energy exerted in recent weeks, we shut up shop early & went over to 'The Museum' (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) for Sue's birthday lunch & a complimentary chance to see the Chihuly exhibition.

NB: Field Trip isn't quite our UK's geography outing of standing on the streets of Skipton, counting cars or sheep. Here "Field Trip" would pass for whichever school trip. (I was kind of disappointed our costume shop collective didn't get to rock the neon green stickers identifying the other Field Trippers.) 

(Dale very kindly permits photography which means I get to share photos with you here!)

Blue Ridge Chandelier

 It was visually stunning. Turning a corner & being struck with beautiful shapes,
connatations of different landscapes & experiences; such a bright & vivid array of colours.

 

Lots of glass below to aid the depth sensation whilst also showing the underside of the exhibit.

 

 

(New Friend Matt works as a lighting designer & freelanced for VMFA for this exhibition. Hence Chihuly may be the main artist on display but I applaud Matt for the cool glass shadows & reflections he made work on the wall (see left)  opposite one 

of my favourites, "Persian Carpet".)

 

 If I'd ever wondered what it was like to be Nemo,
walking under this glass-adorned ceiling gave me an idea.

Baskets (with cool shadow-lighting)

Macchia Forest

Laguna Torcello

Laguna Torcello

And if you were wondering how they all manage to stay upright, then here's your answer:

Reeds on Logs.
Inspired by Finland.

Neon Tumbleweed

 

There's plenty more to see in the 'old' Museum part too. We took a walk through all sorts of Art Deco & Art Nouveau (feat. Frank Lloyd Wright, cousin to our Mackintosh) furniture, "British Sporting Art". Definitely going back to see their photography collection sometime.

In other news from today, "Longitude Hour" with Clayton (keeping it gay as "Carmen") helped me out with the Midwest:

North Dakota
South Dakota
Nebraska
Kansas
Oklahoma  (Capital: Oklahoma City)
Texas!

 Plus the Capital of Minnesota = Saint Paul, 
a.k.a: "The Silver City", "The Saintly City".
 "The most liveable city in America" (?!).