Gray Skies: A Colorful Museum

Should I take the umbrella, or leave it? It was a debate I had all morning long. The joy of riding public transportation is that you do need to plan for unexpected like the weather!

Ultimately, I weighed my options.

If I got wet on my way to the museum, I would have to wander around in a gorgeous and very public building with my squeaky wet sneakers announcing my drenched presence. My hair would be half wet and half dry creating a worse than morning-before-I-brush-it bad hair day look. 

On the flip side though, carrying an umbrella around the museum seemed like an awful idea. I would hate carrying around a useless (if it didn’t rain) and bulky item for hours. 

The raindrop icon on my phone had turned into a gray cloud, indicating that the cloud was going to hold its droplets in… I hoped, as I walked out the door leaving the umbrella on its hook behind me.

I may have gone without the umbrella, but I did slip on my bright purple raincoat. Grabbing it must have been enough to keep the rain at bay as I, luckily, did not run into any precipitation that day! 

Arriving at the museum, I remembered that my sister had told me that I needed to go to “The Throne Miniature Rooms.” With this in mind, I made it my first stop after my mobile pre-ordered ticket was scanned.

Rooms Inside a Room at the Art Institute of Chicago

I wish I could have stopped and marveled longer. If I had the time I would have starred in amazement and wondered how one could create this while I could barely manage a stick figure. Instead, I was forced to keep up with the rapid ebb and flow of the crowd!

Some got close to the glass cases filled with the treasure inside. Meanwhile, others stood back, while yet more people sped by as if they were speedwalking in a dead mall. The only words that seemed to come out of my mouth were the overused but polite phrases, “Ope Sorry,” “Ope Excuse me.”

When there was an area to pause, I took the time to stare in amazement at all the little details that went into the creation. What blew me away the most was the lighting. ‘Natural’ light seeped in through the windows and the doors of the display room. In some of the rooms, there were even sunspots that fell onto the wall, floor or furniture.

Beyond the lighting, there was what it illuminated. A large painting in the tiny room made you feel as if you were viewing a statement piece. It was art within art. Some rooms had wallpaper with flowers and butterflies. Others were grand rooms that had a ceiling with ornate squares. 

The creative rooms gave me inspiration to take creative photos. Seeing my reflection in a mirror that hung above the fireplace I hunted for, and ultimately snagged, a double reflection photo.

After half walking half being shoved through the exhibit’s loop I wandered away from the condensed block of people and into the larger basement hall. With no plan, I walked up and went further into the museum. 

The Furniture: Livable Art

A Thrifty Game

Let me tell you a little about my parents. They absolutely love to go to antique stores and thrift shops. Growing up I would tag along, and I would create games to pass the time after the book and children’s sections no longer held my interest. Once that had happened, I would find a section, for example, the furniture area, and look at all the different designs. I would make up stories about the pieces, guessing the time they came from or the history they watched unfold! The memories came and went and disappeared in a flash. 

As a child I would watch “The Antiques Roadshow.” As opposed to guessing the history, as I would at a thrift shop, an expert sometimes estimated the time it was from and the story behind it. My favorite was when people would bring in family heirlooms with a story from a relative explaining the personal history of the exact object.  

When I or (most people) think of an art museum, their minds jump to pale galleries with quiet echoing parquet floors and walls covered in artwork. Don’t get me wrong, The Art Institute of Chicago has plenty of those, but they also have unique art, the kind you sometimes don’t think about. A great example of this is livable art, furniture. The necessities that with opulence became elegant statement pieces.

At the museum

Here in these exhibits at The Art Institute of Chicago, there was no guessing like my game at the thrift store. At the museum, it was a bit more like “The Antiques Roadshow.” Everything was nicely labeled at least with a title, and some of their plaques filled with more information on the item.

Not all of this livable art is functional though. This is the case of the 3-footed (wheeled) chair. A design created by Frank Lloyd Wright. Although it looked really sleek, it did seem like remaining steady could be a potential issue. 

A Skyscraper Cabinet designed by Paul Theodore Frankl was super neat. It had different-sized cubbies that together stacked turned into a building-looking structure. 

Although there was a large selection of furniture downstairs in the (name a few) a few of the pieces I mentioned above were scattered throughout the museum. 

“Mummy Mia here we go again!”

The Art Institute of Chicago is huge. To get exhibits, you have to go through exhibits. There are no empty hallways and every space is used wisely. I took one turn, found a staircase, and went down the carpeted stairs and into a dark moody room. I found myself in their Ancient Egypt gallery, where of course, like The Field Museum I had visited earlier in the month, there were sarcophaguses. 

Each piece tied back to the main theme about rebirth and the Sun God Re. The pieces tied together told a story and snip into the lives and thoughts of Ancient Egyptians. 

Through the exhibit, I learned that the Ancient Egyptians believed each morning Re their Sun God is born again, and each night the God dies as the sun sets. They took this as they too would be reborn again. 

I was a bit bummed to find out the Ancient Egypt textile section was not opening until April 8th. An exhibit I’d love to go see. 

The Presentation

This is the exhibit that started to make me realize just how thoughtfully each room is laid out and designed. The room was dark enough so that lower, more yellow-tinted lights would highlight the objects within the exhibit. Less light also may have been a protective measure for the pieces as some light can harm certain materials. 

 However, it wasn’t until the European Wing that I fully caught on the brilliance of the layout. I landed in a dark purple room. Not every room seemed to be purple, this one was one of the few. I realized that each room’s shade seemed to highlight the artwork, in this case mostly paintings. There was a room painted in a rosy peach color too. It was as if each color was handpicked to make the art pieces pop! 

The Armour Room at The Art Institute of Chicago

At the end of my visit, I had finally found it. The Armour Room was tucked away somewhere in the European Wing. 

I walked past religious paintings and artifacts on my journey to find the room. I am a wanderer. I hadn’t really come into the museum with a plan. Somewhere along the line, I had seen it on a wall or perhaps in the Visitor’s guide I clutched throughout my journey a paper director I barely used. The Armour stood out to me and although I didn’t try to find it, I was still hoping to stumble into it. 

And finally, there it was. Well, sort of. I started into the Queen’s Jewelry Room, where the gold and sparkles called me in. It was after looking at the crowns, earrings, and necklaces that I walked into the Armour Room and I was amazed. 

The Find: Hidden Treasure

First off in the center of the room, were two horses with riders dressed in armor. Then surrounding them up against the wall were cases of armour and swords. I was in awe of the art of the sword. Several had pictures or words carved into the blade. There was a sword that had gems and jewels on the handle. 

Then there was the Armour and the chain mail that seemed so stiff and uncomfortable. And here I thought dresses were restricting but to be able to move swiftly or just move in any of these ‘garments’ would be a lot of work! 

“Goodbye, Lions!”

After almost three hours I walked out of The Art Institute’s main entrance, the same doors I entered. I say goodbye to the two bluish/green lions standing watch over the museum and walk down the street to the Adams/Wabash station. I take the brown line up North thinking about how the gray; day had a burst of color with the indoor experience The Art Institute of Chicago offered.