A First Visit to NUMU

I was thrilled today to visit a new-to-me museum that had two extraordinary exhibits!

The New Museum Los Gatos is showing 'Made of Memory', a curated exhibition of five female artists exploring memory from generational and cultural perspectives. The photo is a piece by Priyanka Rana. She used sustainably-obtained wood (not felled wood for the project) that she charred with a blowtorch. In the charred areas, she added what she calls 'memory pods' -- the ones in this made from wound remnants of her mother's saris dipped in polyurethane. Priyanka's pieces are such a lovely and symbolic representation of her accompanying life and cultural story.

The other exhibition was of the works of Holly Lane in 'Not Enough Time to Love the World and In the Artist's Studio'. It contains an extraordinary body of work and craft! The pieces on display have been created over the last 10+ years. Holly is a painter and a woodworker, and her woodworking is spectacular! I can envision her pieces gracing the walls of classical cathedrals. Because to me, they are like temples of the artist's thought, imagination, and awareness while delivering a contemplative experience to the viewer. Here are two examples of her work.

This is the kind of museum experience that stirs and energizes me, because I had no idea what to expect and was delightfully surprised!

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Cay Denise

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