Friday, August 29, 2014

Getty Center


Los Angeles

Yesterday, I went with my daughter, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren to visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles.  After we parked the car, we boarded a tram for a ride up the hill to the entrance to the Getty Center.  The buildings are covered with travertine stone.  When we first arrived the buildings appeared to be the color of white.  Later in the afternoon, they seemed to take on a honey hue.

The first location we visited was the Family Center where the children enjoyed a hands-on experience.  Within this large room, there were several cubicles.  Each presented a different artistic experience.  The first presented the children with materials for making a face mask.  The child could draw whatever they wanted on the mask, attach the ready-made string and put it over their face.  Some of the children were quick with this, others were more detailed. The next cubicle provided the experience of tracing a picture of a number of items, such as a butterfly, an insect, etc.  The third cubicle contained a copy of an 18th century bed.  A little baby was crawling all around the bed while the baby's father watched.  The next cubicle had large rubber tubing that connected to openings in an opposite wall.  They were a little thicker than the tubing at a gas pump.  The children enjoyed disconnecting one end the long tube from one hole and placing that end into another hold on the wall.  There was one instant where the children disagreed about where and how a tube should be placed.  One wanted it wrapped around another tube, while the other child objected that it wouldn't reach the opposite wall.  It was a lesson in deliberation and teamwork. The wall of the next cubicle was lined with what looked like rear view mirrors from trucks.  The children could manipulate each mirror.  The other wall depicted a desert and was magnetic.  Magnets with a picture and shape of a desert animal were provided.  The children could move them where ever they wanted on the wall.  When the children were ready to leave, there was a wall through which they could place their heads.  The wall had a mural of a crowd of faces painted by the celebrated artist for this season.  We took a photo, which provided a cute memory for the Mom's.

By this time, everyone was ready for lunch.  The cafe sold sandwiches, salads, fruit, potato chips and drinks.  It was reasonably priced.  We sat at a table in the open-air travertine court yard. 

After lunch, we visited the beautiful Center garden.  It had a wide array of lovely flowers and bushes, as well as some outdoor sculptures.  The children skipped along the path as they took everything in.  The area was sloped so that we walked lower and lower down the hill.  At the bottom, there was a pond with a maze of hedges.  It was very beautiful.

Then back up the hill to one of the buildings where the children had the opportunity to hunt for certain artwork shown in a small booklet.  The pictures presented a mystery.  The children took the challenge and quietly went in and out of the museum rooms looking for a match to each picture. The items on display were from 18th century.  The children examined them all, looking for matches to the pictures in their booklets.  They were elated when they found each object.

I didn't include the photos I took because of copyrights. I encourage you to research The Getty Center in Los Angeles California.  Also, when you are in Los Angeles, it is well worth a drive to the Santa Monica Mountains to experience it.  The buildings are beautiful and the whole afternoon was very enjoyable.

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Perhaps  (on Kindle and the Nook) 
The Book of Micah (on Kindle and the Nook)