Seeking magical/whimsical art experiences. Will travel for art.
August 17, 2016 9:47 PM Subscribe
Just got back from Meow Wolf's House of Eternal Return, and I am smitten. I would love to know if there is anything else that captures that kind of otherworldly magic. I love an excuse to travel, so location is not a factor.
How about the Museum of Jurassic Technology?
posted by minervous at 11:15 PM on August 17, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by minervous at 11:15 PM on August 17, 2016 [7 favorites]
When you say travel, you probably didn't mean this far, but if you are even in Wolframs-Eschenbach in Germany, the Museum Wolfram von Eschenbach there is very cool. It has the slogan "can literature be exhibited?" Each room represents a poem or a theme from the poetry of Wolfram von Eschenbach (a German medieval poet), through use of light, patterns, and rather abstract art. I found it magical. But it is very small, so not worth travelling there just for that. Definitely worth going an hour or two out of your way if you are travelling nearby, though.
posted by lollusc at 11:23 PM on August 17, 2016
posted by lollusc at 11:23 PM on August 17, 2016
Maybe not the kind of art you're thinking of, but definitely art and whimsical: City Museum, St. Louis.
First item I crossed off my bucket list. Definitely used it as an excuse to travel.
Also, not a museum, but I would travel for the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
(Sorry, on phone, linking is hard.)
posted by wym at 12:03 AM on August 18, 2016 [5 favorites]
First item I crossed off my bucket list. Definitely used it as an excuse to travel.
Also, not a museum, but I would travel for the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
(Sorry, on phone, linking is hard.)
posted by wym at 12:03 AM on August 18, 2016 [5 favorites]
Burning Man?
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:19 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:19 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sleep No More is amazing and different every time you see it.
If Burning Man is too big for you, your state probably has a local version. The one in Texas is called Flipside.
I'm also a huge fan of James Turrell, and really any kind of immersive art, so maybe you can get hooked into an immersive art scene in your city?
posted by Brittanie at 2:47 AM on August 18, 2016
If Burning Man is too big for you, your state probably has a local version. The one in Texas is called Flipside.
I'm also a huge fan of James Turrell, and really any kind of immersive art, so maybe you can get hooked into an immersive art scene in your city?
posted by Brittanie at 2:47 AM on August 18, 2016
Mass MOCA in North Adams, MA, has an exhibit of Alex Da Corte's work, which includes an immersive, four-channel, three-hour long video installation. I am not usually one to be heavily affected by video work, but this was mesmerizing. Because I was with kids and had other time constraints, I only watched maybe 20 minutes of it, but I'm seriously considering a trip back across the state before the close of the exhibit in January 2017 specifically to sit through the entire thing.
posted by Sublimity at 3:43 AM on August 18, 2016
posted by Sublimity at 3:43 AM on August 18, 2016
The Efteling is a theme park rather than an art exhibit, but I think its Fairytale Forest might have what you seek.
posted by neushoorn at 4:15 AM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by neushoorn at 4:15 AM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Possibly the John Soane museum and Dennis Sever's House in London.
posted by crocomancer at 4:59 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by crocomancer at 4:59 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
House on the Rock is a must!
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 5:22 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 5:22 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, Pa would be my recommendation, "home of Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930) archaeologist, anthropologist, ceramist, scholar and antiquarian".
posted by mfoight at 5:48 AM on August 18, 2016
posted by mfoight at 5:48 AM on August 18, 2016
Seconding the St Louis City Museum. It may seem geared towards the younger set, but there are kids of all ages climbing on everything and also adults of all ages also climbing on everything.
We went while on a cross country trip a few years back, and then made a special trip back last year to St Louis (form South Carolina) to go again. Our kids are now 14, 16, and 18 and they would all hop in the car right now if I said "let's go to St Louis"
posted by ElGuapo at 6:12 AM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
We went while on a cross country trip a few years back, and then made a special trip back last year to St Louis (form South Carolina) to go again. Our kids are now 14, 16, and 18 and they would all hop in the car right now if I said "let's go to St Louis"
posted by ElGuapo at 6:12 AM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Grounds for Sculpture has a lot of whimsical works on view, especially those by Seward Johnson (including a 25 foot high Marilyn Monroe!). I don't think the website quite does it justice, but perhaps they want to avoid spoiling the experience for visitors. There's a fun-house style recreation of Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles and lots of other interactive recreations of famous works of art in addition to the many sculptures on display.
Storm King Art Center is a bit more sedate than Grounds for Sculpture (at least, in terms of whimsy), but I find it to be a magical place. There's a bunch of giant Calders, a fun Lichtenstein, a giant Andy Goldsworthy wall, and SO MUCH more. There's something about hiking around and stumbling on these beautiful pieces in the midst of the huge property. . it's just an awesome place. Autumn is the absolute best time to visit, I think, because you get to see amazing foliage along with the art.
posted by katie at 6:15 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Storm King Art Center is a bit more sedate than Grounds for Sculpture (at least, in terms of whimsy), but I find it to be a magical place. There's a bunch of giant Calders, a fun Lichtenstein, a giant Andy Goldsworthy wall, and SO MUCH more. There's something about hiking around and stumbling on these beautiful pieces in the midst of the huge property. . it's just an awesome place. Autumn is the absolute best time to visit, I think, because you get to see amazing foliage along with the art.
posted by katie at 6:15 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
New Orleans Airlift is working on a Music Box Village in New Orleans. You can volunteer to help build it if you like! (Disclosure: I've worked with them on some of their installations.)
posted by moonmilk at 6:29 AM on August 18, 2016
posted by moonmilk at 6:29 AM on August 18, 2016
The American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore
posted by postel's law at 7:21 AM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by postel's law at 7:21 AM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
If you go to House on the Rock, which you absolutely should, the Forevertron is about an hours drive and is also fantastic.
posted by LeeLanded at 7:22 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by LeeLanded at 7:22 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Another Pennsylvania recommendation: Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, which, if you go, is very convenient to bundle with a quick stop at Randyland. Farther afield, I highly recommend Tinkertown in New Mexico, or The Garden of Eden bundled with other outsider art attractions in Lucas, Kansas.
posted by the thought-fox at 8:37 AM on August 18, 2016
posted by the thought-fox at 8:37 AM on August 18, 2016
Meow Wolf! I know those guys!
Did you happen to catch their older project, The Due Return? I think it's still at the CCA.
posted by cmoj at 10:52 AM on August 18, 2016
Did you happen to catch their older project, The Due Return? I think it's still at the CCA.
posted by cmoj at 10:52 AM on August 18, 2016
La Hütte Royal in Pittsburgh. You need to RSVP, and they have specific hours, but they are opening (or just opened) a second house. It's not a very long experience, but it is a wonderful one.
posted by taltalim at 2:02 PM on August 18, 2016
posted by taltalim at 2:02 PM on August 18, 2016
A lot further afield, I want to go the Benesse Art Site Naoshima (Japan). Several islands filled with immersive and installational contemporary art and architecture, and linked places to stay.
posted by yesbut at 6:23 PM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by yesbut at 6:23 PM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Love this thread. The desert is full of weird art that you might like, though maybe less immersive.
I have always wanted to visit the Lightning Field and Arcosanti. There's a weird open-air museum in a ghost town called Rhyolite NV. And Salvation Mountain too, of course.
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:31 AM on August 19, 2016
I have always wanted to visit the Lightning Field and Arcosanti. There's a weird open-air museum in a ghost town called Rhyolite NV. And Salvation Mountain too, of course.
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:31 AM on August 19, 2016
Oh and if you'r ever in Berlin, there's an abandoned US government listening station on top of Teufelsberg, and you can climb a bunch of unlit grafittied staircases to a Fuller dome with amazing amplification properties. I'm not really sure it's an art experience per se but singing in there is on my top ten "wow! what! i was not expecting that to be so special!" list.
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:34 AM on August 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:34 AM on August 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by purpleclover at 10:00 PM on August 17, 2016 [3 favorites]