Woodbury Art Museum

I went to the Woodbury Art Museum found near the University Place Mall in Orem, Utah. This exhibition was really cool. There were several different subsections of the museum where certain types of art were grouped together by subject. There were displays of wire, prints, oil, photography, and digital art all portraying different subjects, but around the idea of humanity and everyday life.

There were also varieties of ceramics and pottery for display as well. I really enjoyed the exhibition. I thought it was cleverly organized and clean. It was easy to discover the theme of the finalists from UVU art projects. I also thought it was very creative and entertaining. There were about 6 different rooms which all had different ideas of art and subjects of art within them.

I started the exhibit by going through the left part, around to the top, and then down through the right side of the museum. I noticed that the works were organized by category. It was not categorical like through the type of art such as all paintings together, all ceramics together, and all photographs together. Instead, it was organized through the subject of the art.

One room, the first room I was in, was all about the pain humans experience and deadly or “toxic” elements in our lives. One of my favorite pieces in this section was the skull made out of cigarettes. I thought it was really clever to show the destruction from nasty habits like smoking and the affects it can literally have on your body. It had a level of irony in it, that the artwork showed really well.

The next room was about life, celebrating life, and the beauty of living. This section had lots of paintings and photographs of landscapes, scenery, and animals. It was really cool to see the whale breaching out of water made from wire. Another one of my favorites was the ceramic model house and garden. The entire piece was made completely out of ceramics and displayed to show a cottage with a garden. It did well to show the beauty and serenity of nature. I also really liked the image of the waterfall. The blue water at the end of the waterfall was overwhelming and made me want to go hike and see that waterfall.

As far as dialectic materials that were provided, I didn’t notice any handouts or worksheets. But, there were little cards at every entrance of the room you were about to walk in with the name of the artist and some information about them. This helped to see and understand the artists perspective and thoughts behind the artwork. There were also small white posters that were put up next to the artwork showing the title, artist, and the thoughts behind the artwork or the inspiration from the artwork. I noticed in the last room before leaving, there was a series of photographs that were organized by color, and the artist had included about 4 paragraphs explaining her masterpiece, as well as how she got the idea for her artwork, and what she hoped to inspire in her audience. These materials help to inform your visit to the art museum because it helps relate the information that the audience needs to understand the artwork. It also gives insight into why the art work is the way it is and the inspiration behind it.