Red Flower Rain, at the Palmer Museum

My husband had a few errands he wanted to take care of in town, and I asked if he could drop me off at the Arboretum for an hour or so while he did them. We agreed, and I hopped in. As we were driving to town, he outlined the things he needed to take care of: return an item, pick up a few things at Sam's Club, get his flu shot, look at tires for the cars.

As he listed the things he needed to accomplish, we both realized that they would take at least two hours, if not more. With great excitement, I realized I might have some time on campus too; perhaps I should visit the Palmer Museum of Art! But wait, I hadn't requested a timed entry ticket in advance. My husband asked: Should he stick around to see if they would even let me in? What the heck! I felt lucky. . . .

So he dropped me off right by the main entrance of the Palmer, and I walked in. The nice lady asked, did I have an entry ticket? No, I replied sweetly; sorry, I did not! Well, let's make one for you then, she says. And boom! I'm in! Without even any proper prior planning, I was on my way to see actual ART!! Hallelujah!

There is a fabulous new exhibit on the second floor called Global Asias: Contemporary Asian and Asian American Art from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, and it's here through December 12. In this Blip, I'm sharing my two favorite works from that collection.

Above is the eye-catching red mixed media work called Red Flower Rain, by Hung Liu, that you see when you first walk into the exhibit. It is huge and gorgeous and colorful and amazing. (More about it here.) For me personally, one of my favorite movies is Mulan, and I have to admit that this work of art reminds me a bit of her: a hero who saved her country. The placement of the painting is solid gold. Whoever arranged the items for the display did so with great skill. Interesting thing after interesting thing!

But wait! There's more! There is a tricycle sort of locomotion device in the far corner with mirrors all over it. I walked around it, I took pictures, I walked around it some more. I could have spent all afternoon photographing it. It's called I Am Large, I Contain Multitudes, by Dinh Q. Le; the name of it is a quote from Song of Myself, by Walt Whitman. There's a photo in the extras, with some of those mirrors reflecting ME! Here is the info that was posted beside the tricycle:

"Dinh Q. Le bought this tricycle on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City when bikes and trikes were still the most versatile mode of transportation, for humans as well as goods. Outfitted with numerous mirrors, this humble vehicle becomes a dazzling source of light. The mirrors also reflect and distort all that come close, embodying the multitudinous, hybrid identities recreated by the experiences of migration and globalization." Well, there you go. Now you know!

Of course, my art-loving pal and partner in crime, T. Tiger, had come along with me on my big adventure, and as you have heard before, he and I have gotten into a scrape or two over how we interact with art. In fact, we were lucky that one time that I tried posing T. Tiger and his pals on an object of art that we didn't get arrested by the Museum Police! (And was it my imagination, or did they beef up security just as we got there? Hmm?)

I went to the Arboretum afterwards, and the gourds and pumpkins there are something to see. I did not have enough room in this Blip to include everything I saw in the gardens on this amazing day, so now I have an excuse to go back! Hooray! But I hope you have enjoyed this tiny bit of culture, courtesy of the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State.

My soundtrack song is this one: Peter Gabriel, with Red Rain.