Embracing the Time Out--Looking Through the Glass Brightly

I was discouraged. Silly me. I was humbled by rejection. Unnecessarily. I was lifted up by your presence, by your words, by your spirit of generosity toward me and your fellow artist friends online. Feeling much better now. This 'time out' included a trip back East. There I was dazzled by green, enveloped by the eagerness to move forward, and deeply touched by the gratification of a milestone for my family, my son, and all those wonderful people who gathered to share the day. When I returned home, I began to look through a piece of glass on my work table, brightly this time--more so than before.

  Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza
Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza A new commitment to seek excellence, if not consistency in posting, inspired me to work on this small 5" x 7" piece of glass, producing an image on both sides. Kinda fascinating, don't you think? This man, Mayor Cory A. Booker, preached it (!) at the Williams College Commencement, and I would like to encourage you to watch this video--daring you not to laugh and cry and rise up with a shout!

   

 I think even Ken Burns and Marina Abramovic were touched by the day too.

  Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza But the star of the day for me was this young man, Ell. He's reached a magnificent goal and will be a blessing to the world. I just know it. He will stand up.

  Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Need I say more?

The Great and the Not So Great

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza "April is the cruelest month." --T. S. Eliot (from Brainy Quotes) I suppose you know what's coming. Made Bed, Pensacola Beach, Or What I Saved, What I Didn't was not chosen by the juror for the Tucson Museum of Art's Arizona Biennial '11. There 'tis. This is the 'not so great.' Thank you to everyone who offered such encouraging words and support. I still think it's a good piece and hope to find it a venue some time. Until then, onward. There has been a painting, 8" x 8," oil on artists' board, that has been really driving me buggie. It just didn't have any oomph. I think I fixed it. Here is the photo of Edge of Sky. The great news for our family is that Diego (as in, If-I-were-Frida-I'd-have-Diego-on-a-short-leash) has joined our pack. Well, Loki (the guy in the back) has him on the leash for now, and he'll be keeping an eye on him too.

  Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza I've missed you guys! Hope you're all happily busy and throwing some paint around.

Tucson Artists Open Studio Tour: They Visited. They Chatted. They Ate Some Treats. Me? I Had a Ham Camera

You know, these open studio tours are somethin'. There were people I hadn't seen in years, my poetry professor from the UA, for example (!). There were people who were return visitors from last time. There were visitors who found the studio from the signs along the streets, and there were visitors who picked up one of my postcards at one of the local establishments. Every last one of them brought synchronicity, sophistication, respectful and careful looking. They provided stimulating repartee. Those collectors who bought my work mean more to me than I can articulate. These paintings sold recently, and during the open studio tour: Sabino Canyon House and Sky

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Sonoran Night Watch

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Rosemont Sonoita

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Sunset Catalinas

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Hill of Intrigue

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Mystery Door Tumacacori

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Near Sonoita

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Peak Red

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza There you have it. And, I did something that really freaked me out. I had a thirty minute live webcam event (Ustream), on Sunday. Yes, I hammed it up a little. If you missed it, be thankful. As our dear friend and wonderful actress friend, Mary, once said, "She's a ham, but ham can be cured."

Tucson Artists' Open Studio Tour (April 16th & 17th) Ustreaming!

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza

It was a hoot and a half chatting with all of our visitors today during the open studio tour.

I did a live webcast, on Ustream, for about 30 minutes this afternoon, and I'll try to do the same tomorrow, around 1 PM:
A moment at Fuerte y Claro Whoo!

Had a quick painting demo going on, and a visitor and I painting in collaboration. More on that later.

We also had an impromptu jam session with my music mentor, Ruben, at the end of the day and Mr. Arty Fice opened a bottle of wine.

I think some people had a good time...

If you're in town, hope to see you on Sunday. If you're not, I hope I can offer you a virtual visit tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and for all the good wishes.

Tucson Artists' Open Studio Tour (April 16th and 17th) Coming Up Soon!

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza New growth on the prickly pear cacti, and mesquite trees greening up, mean food! And fruit! Did you know that you can eat the prickly pear pads? They taste a bit like bell peppers with added sweetness or a light vinegar spiciness. Now, when I talk about food, I think about the last time I posted a recipe: Melinda's Tangy Summer Salsa or Oh, Yeah, It's a Dry Heat Fajita. Yeah, that day is coming. But, today, I have this painting: Glyph (8" x 8," oil on artists' board) that reminds me of the ancestors, of the land, of reading the landscape the way one might read the marks on one's own skin.

  Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza The Tucson Artists' Open Studio Tour is approaching, only a week from this weekend. Previous to each event, there is a collector (or two) who buys a painting in advance. This week, a buyer purchased Daydream Sabino and I am delighted for her!

  Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza And, I'm glad that it will be appreciated! Another collector bought Terra Incognita. It has been looked at by several potential buyers recently.

  Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Wishing you all a great week painting. And, if you can swing by next week, I'll have treats!

For Dog's Sake--And the Yard as Wildlife Preserve

This last weekend was full of yard work cleanup and much of the yard was off limits due to the grackle getting water from the pool, the rabbit who needed a snack, the lizard/iguana that looks like it was someone's lost pet, and the dear, new quail family staking out the land under the mesquite. There were seven to eight little cheepers in the covey and dad quail had to fight twice with another male to protect the brood. Way too much excitement for me. As a result, I've been keeping our dogs inside unless carefully supervised! Now, our Loki isn't as cute as Bonnie Luria's, Cloud, but he does have a look about him and I'm so glad he is my friend.

He is a big baby, but he looks bad, doesn't he? In his mind, he's a teacup chihuahua. Really. I've got another closeup of the Grand Canyon painting because I made myself sit in front of it, giving it some attention. I'm feeling that this painting is in real need of finishing. Yet, like so many artists, I'm wanting to work on everything at once--isn't it hard sometimes not to have ADHD?! I'm still developing the mailart thing, so that'll be awhile longer. Spring is so great in Tucson. As I look at the veggie garden and the new desert finch bites on the leaves of the plants, I do have to wonder about these urban creatures and how successful they are.

Tucson Artist: Made Bed Finished, Melinda Finds A Way

Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza It must be assembled As I was looking for something today with a dust cloth in hand, I found A Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi. I opened it to the "Water Book." There were two things that jumped out at me and related to my sculpture project: 1)"The gaze should be large and broad. This is the twofold gaze, "Perception and Sight." Perception is strong. Sight is weak." 2) Knowing the Way of the long sword means we can wield with two fingers the sword we usually carry...try to wield the long sword quickly you will mistake the Way. 

I considered meditatively how this sand could speak in context, in 3D form. I thought of a basket, as in, "to hell in a hand basket." I thought of the countless birds photographed for the news, some being saved during the BP oil spill in 2010. There were old milk bottle wire baskets that I thought would hold the jar of sand and containers of oil, perhaps with feathers hanging off the edges. There were wire baskets for sale online with blue preserve jars just like mine! But, the cost was prohibitive. What about a bigger platform? Ah, "You've made your bed, and must lie in it" came to mind. Whoa! The prices of old beds were even more outrageous. The question became, How to take the large view, and moreover, wield the sword of my idea with two fingers? Clean the pool. Think some more. We have a 'no man's land' on our property sectioned off from view. As I went to get something for the pool in this section, I dared not hope that we still had the old 1920s/30s iron bed. Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza It was there. Could I find a way to use it? When I shared my new idea with my family, it had been three months of waiting for the ideas about the sand to mature. But, even though "it was an ambitious" project, I began. The iron bed was dragged out and placed in front of the red studio. I took paper towels and stuck them in the wire springs. I ordered white feathers and black feathers. The black feathers were iridescent, as though the birds had spent a lot of time drinking from pools of "gasoline rainbow" water. Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza The individual constructs developed quickly: white plastic grocery bags (The ones we're trying to avoid) were cut up and became the inner ball-like armatures. Inexpensive white feathers from a craft store were glued around the ball, followed by the larger white feathers. A pigmented encaustic held them together at the base. These feather constructs were then tacked to small balls of bubble wrap placed in each of the spring openings. Glue and tar bits held the black feathers in place around the edge of the bed--as a kind of bedskirt. A trip to Goodwill resulted in the purchase of glass dishes for the white platter on which the preserve jar would sit. Motor oil was poured around the base of the jar. Serendipity was everywhere For a year, I had boycotted Target for several reasons. However, I returned there in January for some household items. In the bedding isle, there were two pillows. Only two. They were turquoise blue (I later subdued the hue by hand sewing a gauzy, gray knit fabric over the centers.) They were lined with white feathers. The same white feathers I was using.

  Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza In addition, while writing the earlier post about this, I googled the BP Oil Spill and clicked on a wikipedia listing. There I learned that the flow of oil lasted for ninety days. I did not know this, or did not remember it. There are ninety iron bed spring openings. That was a major woo-woo moment for me. 

I once wrote a poem for a university class titled, I Am Not A Poet. I still maintain that and would add: 

I Am Not A Sculptor I am merely me, 

Merely Melinda middle aged 

Who sometimes forgets What time it is... 

© M. S. Esparza

Made Bed, Pensacola Preserve, Or What I Saved, What I Didn't (tar, feathers, bed, Pensacola beach sand, plastic bags, bubble wrap, pillows and glue) brought it all back to me.

Tucson Artist Melinda: Everything Was Times Ninety

The evolution of a work, from emotional response, experiential context, and how memory becomes matter The living room is connected to the strawbale studio, and the strawbale studio is connected to the living room, which is connected to a built-in bookcase. This bookcase holds "tchotchkes, gewgaws (from wikipedia)," and even a few lagniappes with the books. However, there was an item that I passed by every day that began to whisper, "Think of me. Remember me. Say something about me." It was a preserve jar filled with the luminous and pristine Pensacola beach sand collected back in the 1960s when I lived there as a kid. It is perfect and clean. It is without tar balls. One child's saving from a time so distant it almost seems Edenic compared to our world today. Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza It shouted to me, Irony! Synchronicity! Look, that sand is in a preserve jar! I saw a connection. This connection was leaping through time right into 2010 and the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico of 2010. The oil spill continued for ninety days, from April 20, 2010 to July 15th. Now what? Today, I am sitting here thinking about how life becomes a kind of 'everything is times ninety' regimen. Tragedy and mayhem, a ninety million good deeds by ninety million people, the working of an inspiration toward a comment both beautiful and disturbing, feeling as though we are repeating the same acts, making the same gestures, same mistakes, while one lovely spring day contains the deaths of two neighbors, the full throated song of birds heralding the end of winter and the end of an era, juxtaposed with a birthday (not mine, but a loved one's) so miraculous that words are quieted by joy and gratitude and laughter. How will I illustrate a small act of saving without maudlin, heavy handed gestures? I cannot paint it. It must be assembled. More soon...

Tucson Museum of Art Arizona Biennial '11: Fire in the Belly and Tucson Artist Melinda

filmed by Mr. Arty Fice. There's an art idea I've been working on for about five months now. This ain't no BBQ, although my brain's cookin' with ideas. Here's a hint: Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza It's part of a sculpture/installation that I've been working on. It's had me so excited (and sleepless) that I just had to start sharing a bit of it with you. Painting has been tabled momentarily. The deadline for the Tucson Museum of Art's Arizona Biennial is next week. I'm working on finishing the piece and considering other works I'd like to submit. My mind might turn to ashes by then. Almost done with the fire references. Until I can show you the finished piece, enjoy the fire. Light one within yourself--to be more of who you are, to push further into how you approach your work, to allow yourself a voice. And, don't let anyone steal your flame. There!

Tucson Artist Melinda: Windy Point...And, I Do Have One

Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza But, that doesn't mean a screed of unusually complex meanderings will follow. No, it's been really windy around here, and I've heard it's been extremely windy nearly everywhere around the states, globally, too. How windy was it? Why it was so windy on Saturday that the furled umbrella six feet from our house became unfurled and landed on our roof! Really. This 8" x 8," oil on artists' board, painted in a hurry, is in response to that gale. As I was blown around the internet recently, I laughed and laughed at Kathryn Law's pie chart (her work is brilliant--have a look), read that the heat is back on at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House (been worrying about New Mexico), read a great post about art collector, Roy Neuberger at Art in the Studio, watched some "Who Do You Think You Are?" with Gwyneth Paltrow, which sent me back into the seductive world of genealogy research, updating some family tree data, and pondered the poignant question posed by art tourists in Miami: "How do you get important?" at The Madness of Art. Now. Back to work. In the studio, not 'random web surfing.' Hope you are all painting as much as you want.

Tucson Artist, Melinda, and the Quick Plein Air Study

Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza It may seem like a subtle change here, as most of my links are the same and only the template design has changed. However, I do have some fun things to share today. And, I've got a new and improved attitude...See?! Bright colors again! 

This painting, from a day of plein air work next to the Rillito River and a few miles north of midtown Tucson, is of a popular site, Thimble Peak. Most of the work was done on site, but I did paint a layer today over the foreground, darkening it to enhance the drama of the peak. Last night, we drove across town to buy a large (48" x 48") canvas that was on sale. It was so inexpensive that I thought it might be good to check online to see what else is available. I went to ASW Express, and couldn't believe the deals. No, I don't get paid to hype this art supplier. Wish I did, though, 'cuz this week should get them a lot of sales. Their canvases are greatly discounted (check out The Edge 1 1/2"). 

Wait! There's more! I found an online coupon for an additional discount that resulted in free shipping. Not everything is included in the extra discount, but it's worth a try if you're looking for more supplies. I've also been doing some online research. I've got a great new link to Joanne Mattera's blog. She's the artist who wrote the book, The Art of Encaustic Painting. Be careful. It's a great book. It might get you hooked on another medium. Her blog will keep you interested for a long time too. Then, I've got a link to the Google Art Project. Wowza. If you haven't seen this yet, take a tour of the MoMA, or travel virtually to some of the best museums in the world. 

There is also a new link to ARTINFO. There are some very interesting things to see and read at this site. Here is a great link to the only way to see Guerrillas In Our Midst. I recommend this to all artists, but especially women artists. 

Finally, if you get discouraged with your art and the isolation that we artists often endure, this link to Carol Diehl's blog, Art Vent, features a quote of Alberto Giacometti's that I find meaningful. A snippet follows: "....It becomes always more painful,” Alberto (Giacometti) said, “for me to finish my works. The older I grow, the more I find myself alone. I foresee that at the last I shall be entirely alone. Even if, after all, what I’ve done till now counts for nothing (and it is nothing by comparison with what I would like to create), fully aware of having failed till now, and knowing from experience that everything I undertake slips through my fingers, I enjoy my work more than ever. Is there any understanding in that?..." Read on. Paint on.

Tucson, Art, Trouble, Artist Takes a Breath, Paints

Winter Observe Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza 12" x 16," oil on artists' board January is a month I'd like to forget. But that would be unwise and unproductive. We had to euthanize our dog, Kate, on Wednesday the 5th of January. 

On Friday, my college boy left for college and on Saturday, the horror that traumatized Tucson, sent me reeling along with the rest of our country. 

Monday, the 10th of January is an anniversary of my first child's death. Most of my grief was wrapped up in my sympathy for the mother of the child shot to death at "Congress on Your Corner" on the northwest side of town. We're still not 100% here. As one Tucsonan pointed out, most everyone in this town knew someone there that day (that's true of me, too). Each time I drive to the market, I drive by the shrine of candles, cards, balloons and people standing around Gabrielle Giffords' office. So, when I noticed Monday evening that someone had plagiarized work from this blog, I felt done in. Let me make clear my thoughts on this issue. All work and images here, if not attributed to someone else, are mine. That means, if there is a photo here that I am posting, viewers can expect that I composed the photo, using all of my university training and years of experience. In addition, I often continue to work on the photo in Photoshop to enhance, edit and refine the image to express my personal experience with the moment. There are those who think that images and words and even music should be free, and that the very act of uploading them to be viewed by a global audience is an implicit agreement with this belief in "free" use. It. Is. Not. 

All work here is mine and it means a lot to me. I publish it here because there are many wonderful patrons, collectors and enthusiasts who really appreciate my art as much as I am in sharing it. Blogging my thoughts, along with posting my artwork, has kept me going forward for more than two years. The self imposed deadlines to talk with you, the viewer, has meant all the world to me. It is, in reality, an adjunct to my website--a way for collectors to get to know me and my approach to the work. My focus is on being the best professional artist I can be. Therefore, after being plagiarized for the second time (!) in a year, I am going to change how I do things. I know you'll understand. I'll probably change the look and the settings in the near future. While this is an unpleasant bit of business, I hope it may help other bloggers in the future. For those of you who do not understand what plagiarism is, I would like to direct you to Arty Fice's blog. Here you'll get to read a great post on the subject, plus, brilliant and thoughtful comments. I'm not sure about this winter storm (painting and reality), but I'm getting my art mojo back. I hope you never lose yours.

A Candle for Those Who Have Suffered and Died

No art right now. Because of the tragic shooting of 20 people on the northwest side of Tucson yesterday, I want to join my prayers and thoughts for recovery and restoration and comfort for the families and victims of this horrific event. There is optimism concerning Representative Giffords' prognosis. She is in a medically induced coma for her benefit. There are others who are doing better as well. I am thankful she is alive, and for the survival of the other victims. It was sickening, both physically and emotionally, to have had such a reprehensible act take place in our community. My hope is that those who visit Tucson and read about this tragedy will consider that this event does not represent the people of Arizona, or Tucson. May all those families affected be comforted by the heartfelt support and love being sent forth from all of us. Thank you for remembering these victims with me. 

Update: A woman, who had been standing in line (update: she was not shot), bravely approached the shooter and grabbed the gun magazine away from him as he reloaded, thereby preventing further injuries. My kind of woman/human being. Update #2: A profound sense of healing covered Tucson yesterday as citizens gathered to memorialize those who died and those who are trying to recover. President Obama's words were good medicine for all of us. We could see in his eyes and in First Lady Michelle's eyes, all the sorrow, empathy and hope, that we are all feeling as a community and nation.

Tucson Artist Melinda: Snowblind Under Cloud Cover: Happy New Year!

Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza

Young, hesitant flakes of white
fell silently on black fur--

I walked bundled, lured by the beauty to the north of us, in rhythmic steps,
Quieted
Embellished with a leash--

Loki, chaos of dogness,
eyeing the flight of pigeons grounded to drink the pooled water with gasoline rainbows, moved apace
(eager to stay warm)
Eager to complete his neighborhood perimeter check.

Snow blind, with a countenance like a child with a powdered sugar smile, my head was full of brown mountains dusted with snow.
If the clouds would keep their cover, black fur might turn to white--

This sight was dessert for our city, a Mt. Lemmon mousse atop a chocolate base,
meant to celebrate the end and the start of a another year.
And, like candles on a cake--
in a call and response from the desert floor,
prefiguring new beginnings.
Poem © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza

Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous new year. Hoping, perhaps insanely so, that 2011 will be a great year, a better year for everyone--filled with good health, better work situations, good times with friends, and lots of studio time.Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza

Artist Melinda's Saga Continues: Notched Up!

Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza The Bershires Notch #4 To take a cue from Linny's comment, I've notched up this painting several times and will be adding notches to my portfolio again, I'm sure. Here, I'm slathering on paint with my trusty cake decorator, using scraping tools, and pouring paint. .....So, the next day of our trip back east, we visited the The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. I remember on our first visit there, that I was completely dazzled by William-Adolphe Bouguereau's Nymphes et Satyre (Nymphs and Satyr). Notice that this painting is 5 feet 9" by 8. 53' tall! It was imposing. I think that Mr. Bouguereau, the Academic traditional painter, must have been so as well. Being a member of the Academy during the rise of Impressionism must have irritated the heck out of him. Still, his work is stunning: I was swept away by John Singer Sargent's, Fumee D'Ambris Gris. (3' 1" x 4' 6 3/4") We were allowed to take photos of anything in the museum. That was a thrill, too. Sargent's: Fumee D'Ambris Gris Two closeups of Fumee D'Ambris Gris Then this--A Bad Monet, I'm Sorry, But It's True and I Don't Even Remember the Title: Not to fret, there was Monet's The Cliffs at Etretat and everyone's favorite, Claude Monet, Rouen Cathedral, The Façade in Sunlight: And, Oh My Gosh! There were women artists in the 19th Century AND in the museum. Look! A Mary Cassatt and a Berthe Morisot! There were several wonderful Winslow Homers and fabulous Fredrick Remingtons. Here are two: Don't you think these two painters really got the power of photographs and their high drama and high contrast elements? I'm tired now after all that walking. Maybe you need some comic relief too. Here's a link to The Madness of Art's most recent video and a link to Mr. Bean vs Whistler's Mother from a comment made at Madness. Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza Happy holidays everyone!

An Artist Walks Into A Museum and Other Studies

Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza So, where were we?! Oh, yes, I was going to tell you more stories! Before I do, let me write about the two studies I did today. After the first study of The Notch, I decided that I wanted to explore the image a bit more. I liked the painting, didn't want to scrape it, but felt that I needed another approach. Here is The Notch #2, on a small 8" x 8" artists' board: Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza But, I hated this! Went back and wrestled the darn thing for another long while, and painted differently: The Notch #3, on the same artists' board: Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza Ah, that's better. I'm still going to deconstruct this image (it's so much fun), and I'll post more as I push it further. It's still not where I want it to be. Our trip last month was one of those incredible journeys that has left me with a bazillion ideas, memories and photographs for further inspiration. A cloud had something to say and a young man was bursting with ideas-- Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza Spending time with such brilliance kept me on my toes and wanting to go everywhere and see everything I could. Of course, an artist, wherever she travels, will be drawn to the local museums. The day we visited Mass MoCa was very cold and rainy. Inside, the place was teeming with irony, surrealism, postmodern and post-post modern intrigue, retrospectives and introspectives everywhere! If you haven't gone to Mr. Artyfice's blog lately and read his (Untitled) Art Blog Post, well, please do. He tells our story better than I could have. Really. Last night, I had to watch (Untitled) Movie again....I just don't have the words for all that I'm thinking. Mass MoCa was more than I expected, let's say. There was the Petah Coyne exhibit, which left my brain frazzled. I thought it beautiful, important, unimportant, tragic, funny, disturbing, and so labor intensive that I marveled at the artist's work ethic. The Sol LeWitt Retrospective and Wall Drawings came next. Oh, I mean after the Leonard Nimoy gallery of digital portraits (stunning, high resolution of nearly life sized portraits of people who posed as their inner selves). Back to LeWitt...Oh, how about just some photos: They came with instructions. College students recreated his work from those instructions. Their process was mesmerizing. Then there was the installation work of Tobias Putrih: Are you getting the idea that Mass MoCa was stimulating, while it painfully excluded painting? Yes, me, too. I didn't want to go, at first, because I knew if they had any painting, it would be somewhere obscure. I was right. On the other hand...this was so much better than viewing the same old, same old, work by the same old guys of the last century and beyond. Eeks. I'm in trouble now. Even looking out of the window at Mass MoCa was aesthetically pleasing. Hey! They have the Airstream I've always wanted! This is a wonderful installation by Michael Oatman: "All Utopias Fell."

Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza And, while I felt really silly doing this, I had to take a photo (or two) of the women's restroom.Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza As I exited the room, there was an exhibit by a woman artist who had photographed the same thing, along with the rest of the basement area of Mass MoCa. There was only one glitch in our day trip to the museum...I could not play the guitar. The place was closed.Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza It's probably just as well. We were players in a play, actors/artists with an 'eye' for things, and not a bucket in sight.