Bonus: Oooooh, The Nelson by Bailey West

I've been going to the Nelson Atkins Museum ever since I was little. My grandma always took me there because she knows the importance of art and wanted to share it with me. I remember seeing the different sculptures, paintings, and photographs. As a kid I didn't know much about them but I thought they were cool to look at. I remember when the Bloch building opened and my grandma was so excited to take me there. I was excited, too, but mostly because the building lights up at night (ha). I have many memories running around the lawn and up the steps. My brothers and I have rolled down the many hills, getting grass all over our clothes and in our hair. Also, you can't forget the embarrassment of getting too close to the shuttlecocks and having the voices yell at you (I hope you know what I'm talking about).When the glass maze was introduced, of course I ran through it... and ran into the walls because it's darn hard to see in there. These fond memories have made the Nelson Atkins Museum one of my favorite places.



Since I came to study at UMKC last year, I've made even more memories at this museum. I studied there with friends on the lawn. Since it's in walking distance of where I stay, I like to go on runs there when it's nice. On a snowy day this past February I had a snowball fight and built a tiny snowman with friends. Now that I'm a bit older I definitely have more appreciation for the art inside, too.

On a beautiful day a few weeks ago, I walked there with my SO and we got tickets to the Picasso exhibit. The exhibit first walks you through various series of African art similar to what inspired Picasso. The captions explained his interest in this art and how it inspired his abstract art. The exhibit walks you through Picasso's journey and style through this part of his career.

I really appreciated the exhibit. I wasn't expecting it to have all the African art it did, but I think it's definitely important. It also had a notice at the beginning of the exhibit about how many of these African artifacts most likely weren't obtained ethically. I'm glad that they acknowledged how Picasso was inspired and gave credit to populations that often don't get credit. They acknowledged that museums in the past haven't given this credit but that times are changing and more effort should be put into acknowledging our past and how art is acquired.

Another thing that surprised me was how close I felt to Picasso by the end of the exhibit. I expected it to only be his art, but instead it included stories about African art and how it inspired Picasso. It also included personal timelines of Picasso's life, as well as pictures of him taken by a photographer that made friends with him. In these pictures you could see him dancing, you saw him interacting with his children, and working in his house or studio. You got to see him as a person and not just an artist. In these pictures he had contagious smiles and goofy expressions. His house was cluttered- with art everywhere in piles, and random things mixed in. I appreciated these personal details because it gave more weight to his art. It really connected the thought of him, as a person, to his art.

Overall, I enjoy every visit to the Nelson Atkins Museum. I am extremely thankful that my grandma took me to this place ever since I was little. It's always a worthwhile visit and I'm glad to make new memories each time. So... obviously I think that you should visit too if you haven't. You don't have to know much about art at all- I really don't know much. When we get over this crappy weather and it's nice outside, maybe stroll on the lawn and peek inside. Roll down some hills (just lay down and roll... it's fun). But, trust me, don't touch the shuttlecocks... a voice will come out of nowhere and tell you to get the heck off (which I guess is good because, yknow, it's art). Also if you have to do homework, the lawn has wifi ;) Otherwise just take a blanket and lay in the sunshine.