BEAUTY BEYOND EXPECTATION: Discovering the North Carolina Museum of Art

APPROACHING THE NCMA. It is a mysterious experience approaching the North Carolina Museum of Art from its distant parking lot, a novel experience for me. At first, I felt flustered and unsure how to access this complex, sophisticated museum that is FREE to everyone. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for experiences that transcend your expectations! Hallelujah for traveling to spaces where existence is heightened in the form of ART! Dear Pilgrims, today I ventured to the North Carolina Museum of Art and met with beauty beyond my expectations, AND I was amplified.

SEEING WINGS? Do you see wings on this figure, "Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian"? Was it intentional?  . (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

For this blog entry, I am beginning with the piece of art, a sculpture, that some how captured my SOUL--"Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian."

BACKGROUND ON TAR BABY vs. ST. SEBASTIAN. 
Named "Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian" by Michael Richards (1963-2001), this sculpture was cast from his own body in resin and fiberglas, with the airplanes being attached by steel bolts. Michael Richards had crafted this sculpture to pay tribute to the Tuskegee Airman, African American pilots from WWII, whose contributions were not recognized at the time. The reference to St. Sebastian refers to the arrows shot at the Christian martyr while "Tar Baby" refers to an African American folktale. 

The eerie part of this sculpture's "spirit" is that it now evokes a sense of the artist who made it. Michael Richards' studio was on the 92nd floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center, and he died in the terrorist attacks made on 9/11.

Stumbling upon BEAUTY is something I expect in a museum of the magnitude of the North Carolina Museum of Art. However, experiencing such poignance about the artist's life in conjunction with the object the artist created surprises me beyond my expectations.

And this museum in Raleigh, North Carolina, had more work than I could even nibble on in the two hours I was there. Therefore, I will post only the images I came upon surrounding the West Wing.

SCULPTURES OUTSIDE THE WEST WING

SILVER TREE! I stumbled across the ornamental bundles of grass in my excitement to view this tree. I had never seen anything like it! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

SQUEAL! Awesomeness! To be in the presence of such a large sculpture that mimics a part of nature resonates with my sense of order in the universe! I wish I had something for scale in this image so you could appreciate its magnificence. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

A RODIN SCULPTURE GARDEN! Surprise and awe propelled me forward in my journey around the museum! This wintry February day chilled my fingers and the cool air whipped around my face, but I gleefully strolled from sculpture to sculpture. Who designed this garden so artfully that pulls the viewer from work to work, moving around plants, water, and stone? (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

AT THE BACK OF THE MUSEUM! Alone, I stepped around the back of the West Wing of the North Carolina Museum of Art. I had not yet entered the building, nor had I seen anyone else. The DISCOVERY of it all in silence was a huge experience for me. Aren't these sculptures intriguing? How is it ordinary objects are transformed by size, material, arrangement, location, and light? As I was moving around the building a young woman bedecked in a long flowing white wedding dress moved to this site with an entourage for wedding photos! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

ART AMPLIFIES! Forgive me for not learning names of the sculptors. How I wish we could live with sculptures like these in our parks. Would we take them for granted? Or would we be forever changed, living in their shadows? I believe they make us more, amplifying our experience. Thank you ARTISTS! Thank you North Carolina Museum of Art! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

That's Coffee With Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me about your experience with beauty! What is beauty to you and how do you experience it?

AMPLIFIED SELFIE AT NCMA! See this blog to see my "heightened experience" of being in Raleigh, North Caronlina. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)