Timeshare art

Magnet #1312 - Baby (Cradle) by Klimt

The same friend who went to Australia brought this magnet back for me from the National Gallery of Victoria's Vienna Art & Design exhibition, featuring artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele and architects Josef Hoffmann and Adolf Loos.

Sounds like the coolest exhibition ever.

Here's funny, though. She went all the way to Australia...to see this painting, Baby by Klimt...owned by the National Gallery of Art. In Washington, D.C. Hahahaha.

I read a story a while ago about a trend for museums to just re-hang important pieces from their own collections and focus a whole exhibition around that one piece, supplementing them with lesser works from the artist, or with works from the same school. Part of it was to cut down on having to pay for the insurance and transportation of important pieces from museum to museum.

But, it looks like that's starting to ease up a bit - for example, that Feininger exhibit at the Whitney that I mentioned a few times already, only one Feininger is actually owned by the Whitney. The rest came from around the world, after years of work.

I love that. I love knowing that museums share their collections with each other - it's like timeshare art! (I know, it's a pretty naive idea that they're sharing, when there's all sorts of deals and insurance and whatnot that actually means they're not really sharing, per se, but go with it.)

What it does mean is that people all over the world get to see artwork they'd never be able to travel and see. It's why I try to see as many exhibitions here in town, because you just never know if you'll be visiting the museums the work came from. Pretty cool.

A koala is not a bear - Guest Blogger, Globetrotter

Magnet #1308 - Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

So a long time ago, my roadtripping friends and I planned a huge Asia tour of Hong Kong, the Philippines, and ending with a cross-Australia train trip. Mind you, that trip ended up being a 10-day roadtrip through North & South Carolina. (Don't ask.)

Luckily (for me and my magnet collection), my friend didn't let that stop her, and she made her way to Australia with another roadtripping friend of hers, for a long getaway for both work and pleasure.

And koalas!

- joy

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“A koala is not a bear.”

I heard this declaration no less than five times during my visit to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Australia. Totally news to me, as I’d been calling them bears. But no matter, since I actually got to cuddle one!

His name was Randol, and I was his first of the day. The other one they brought out had been fussy, wouldn’t stay still for photos, and actually kept turning away from the camera. Randol was much calmer, sat in my arms for a solid two minutes before his trainer moved on to the next person in line.

Cuddling koalas is actually illegal in parts of Australia, and only in Queensland are you allowed to do it. At this particular sanctuary, there are rules: koalas can only be cuddled for less than 30 minutes per day; and they must have every third day off. It’s the life!

It was my dream to have a picture taken with a koala, so now I can cross that off my Bucket List.

Survey course

Magnet #1259 - Sydney Opera House

Remember yesterday's post? Yeah, here's architecture magnet 53 of 63. The Sydney Opera House, designed by Jørn Utzon in the 1950s, and finally dedicated in 1973.

Love this magnet set!

Come the fall, I've a feeling no one's going to see me - I overscheduled myself, so that I'd keep busy doing fun things in NY, including this architecture survey course starting in October. Should be great fun, and I totally can't wait.

It's a class that speaks to how we experience architecture, and it covers all the great masters. I was a little worried about being out of my depth, but at the very least, I recognized all but one or two architects listed on the description, so I think I'm good.

Of course, now that I'll have some sort of actual knowledge, I might be a little dangerous on the blogging about architecture front.

Eh. Probably not.

"America was never a travel destination for us"

Magnet #941 - Australian koala

My friend brought this koala bear back for me from her trip down unda. Figured it works for today, being as there's an Australian couple sitting across the aisle from me on my Amtrak train ride down to NC.

I take this train pretty regularly, but this morning, for some reason, I figured I better double-check the departure time - I couldn't remember if it was 7 or 7:15. Either way would have meant leaving the house at 6, getting ready (and packing, of course) at 5.

But what ensued was 35 fresh minutes of hell, when in the quiet of the room, I yelled out, When the hell did the Carolinian start running at 6:15!!?

So as I was repacking my bags that I threw everything into, this lovely Australian couple asked me if I take this train regularly, and which side did I recommend. I told them both sides. I went further and told them I loved this train route, taking this mode of transpo more than I'd ever take the plane, and I warned them that it was a lonnnnng train ride.

Some 12 hours later, with our final destinations still hours away, we're just now pulling out of Rocky Mount, and the Australian couple with the cool Ozzie accents are like, I can't believe you like this way of traveling!

Eh, of course I still do! You just gotta roll with it, even as you're stuck on a hot train, listening to several different conversations about kids and grandkids, and cell phone conversations that loudly start with, "I'm stuck! In Rocky Top! Rocky Mountain? Rockyyyy Mount."

There's a woman from Solvang - hey! I've been there! It's a little Danish community with a windwill over a bakery in California. There's the 91-year-old hub with his young 88-year-old wife who (while they're still young) have finally decided to pack up the house and sell it and move to be close to the kids. There's the loud woman in the back having a conversation with the loud woman up front who takes this train all the time and has never been stuck for this long!

But, it's the Oz Couple who fascinate me. They take a good 3-month break every year to come visit their daughter and grandkids in the States, and for the past few years, they've managed to rack up visits to about 40 US states.

They're doing better than most Americans!

And this is coming from the couple who declared, Oh, America was never a travel destination for us, and yet, here we are.

Stuck on Big Rock Candy Mountain.

Meet you at the clocks

Magnet #540 - Melbourne, Australia

See? Love the ad industry, we're such great travelers! This one was from another friend who just got back from her trip down under. Yay, thanks!

I should have listened closer when she handed me this magnet...luckily she mentioned it was a train station in Melbourne. Of course, what would it be...but when I started writing this, I had to do some detective work. (Funny, cuz I'm watching Psych while I'm Googling.)

It's pretty famous - the Flinders Street Railway Station, supposedly the busiest in the Southern Hemisphere. The building's been there since the early 1900s, but the trains have been coming and going since 1854. A fairly interesting history, too.

I love visiting train stations around the world - they're amazing, quite frankly. From the welcoming great halls and waiting rooms, to the massive trainsheds and grand arches, to the happy hellos and teary good-byes, they're fascinating places.

I also love how major train stations seem to all have iconic clocks to meet under. Grand Central here in NY has the gold clock in the main concourse. The historic and savagely gone Penn Station in NY had a giant clock hanging overhead. St. Pancras in London has one. And Flinders is no exception, only they have several!

But what cracks me up, though, is whenever I say, hey, I'll meet you at the clock in Grand Central. Seriously? This is what GCT looks like when it's busy.

It's insane, and usually consists of a lot of lookin' around, and walking in a circle or two...probably coupled with a txt or a call - generally to ask what the other party's wearing that day. Hahahah.