Day Trip Destination: Baltimore, Maryland
The whirligig spins, the building shimmers and life feels good at the AVAM. All photos by Paul Jean
It’s said that laughter is contagious, and maybe that’s why visitors emerge from “What Makes Us Smile,” now at the American Visionary Art Museum, a bit giddy. Charm City is big on fun these days, and this inspired exhibition at the base of Federal Hill is party central.
You feel the joy as soon as the building comes into sight – all spangly and happy, adorned with glass pieces and mirror shards that catch the suns rays and bounce them in all directions. Or maybe it’s the three-ton whirligig that clues you in. In the foyer, Nadya Volicer’s welcome mat invites you to “Smile” – it’s embedded with approximately 1,500 toothbrushes – but soon you won’t have to be asked.
The works here have been created by ordinary people ranging from high school dropouts to accomplished attorneys – WWII veterans and conscientious objectors alike – using hubcaps, electronic parts and other stuff of life, as well as glitter glue, poster paint, milk cartons and even drugstore cosmetics. Oh, and the iridescent wings shed by a certain Thai beetle.
Many of the artists are society’s scavengers – dumpster divers and hoarders – living off the grid, on the wagon, or in the apartment building next door. Most aren’t formally trained, but all have answered an inner calling to create. You’ll soon realize that these folks are anything but ordinary, and their art is genuine.
A biography of each artist accompanies their work. The stories are pointed and poignant, often describing the triumph of the human spirit over adversity – disability, addiction, mental illness or hard times. In other cases, they tell of the happy conclusion to a life well-lived. When viewed alongside each creation a bigger picture emerges, and, in a sense, the entire museum feels like one grand work of art.
“What Makes Us Smile” is about the fine art of humor, the architecture of what gives us joy. Its co-curators are AVAM Founder and Director Rebecca Hoffberger, Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening, and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse set designer Gary Panter – all imminently qualified on the topic.
On the first floor, “Ho-Ho-Ho, Ha-Ha-Hanukkah!” plays opening act – a send-up to the season past, with its recycled-trumpet menorah and assorted holiday sentiments. Victor Borge’s observation that, “Santa has the right idea. Visit people once a year,” sets the stage. Irreverent snow globes by Chris Roberts-Antieau follow, depicting scenes of murder and mayhem that illicit guilty laughter. And so it starts … and probably won’t stop until you are in the car on the drive home.
The banister of the main staircase is bedazzled with bottle caps and bling, and its walls feature Post Card Secrets collected by Frank Warren. Second-floor galleries include “More Tickle!”; “Toot Suite”; “Holy Laughter”; “Tears to Laughter”; “Boo! Why Playing Monster is Fun”; and the “Visionary Kid’s Room.”
“More Tickle!” – inspired by the favorite signed words of Washoe the chimp, points to the universal nature of humor. “Toot Suite!” focuses on the indelicate topic of bathroom humor, and features a nice, comfy bench to rest your toosh upon; it’s covered with whoopee cushions. Note that the sale of whoopee cushions skyrocketed during the Great Depression, so this bench isn’t simply art, it’s a public service.
“Holy Laughter” reminds us that laughter is sanctioned from on high, as Muslim wisdom prescribes that, “He deserves Paradise who makes his companions laugh.” “Dancing Jew,” a whimsical painting by Paul Graubard, brings the point home. “Tears to Laughter” is dedicated to the late cartoonist John Callahan, who overcame his disability with an outrageous sense of humor and natural artistic ability. Callahan gained recognition for his politically incorrect cartoons in his lifetime and passed away in 2010.
Because we love to be scared silly, “Boo! Why Playing Monster is Fun” is especially entertaining. The bride of Frankenstein sculpture has an interesting twist, and a fortune telling machine will have you wondering why you shouldn’t eat the dumplings.
Boo! Why Playing Monster is Fun” is one of several galleries designed to make you smile.
Patty Kuzbida’s “What, Me Worry?” bed – paying homage to Alfred E. Newman with glass beads, found jewelry, and the farmed wings of the aforementioned Thai beetle (Buprestidea sternocera aequisignata elytra) – has become an icon for the exhibition.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking gallery is the Visionary Kid’s Room, which includes the handwritten letter of a 15-year-old girl who had just experienced her first kiss, backstage at the concert of a rising star. The year was 1956, and the other set of lips belonged to Elvis Presley. Young Genie Wicker ripped a swatch off the King’s shirt and attached it to her letter as proof of the deed.
The third-floor gallery features the work of Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, the baker-turned-painter, and his paintings are simply “Out of This World.” A permanent exhibit on the first floor includes the work of Paul Darmafall (The Baltimore Glassman), as well as an enormous model of the Lusitania built from 196,000 toothpicks and 5 gallons of glue by Wayne Kusy.
Across the courtyard in the Jim Rouse Visionary Center, the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is a delightful collection of interactive wooden sculptures including “Flogging a Dead Horse,” by Paul Spooner, and “Dustomatic,” by Keith Newstand.
To the right of the Cabaret and not to be missed is DeVon Smith’s enchantingly humanesque “World’s First Family of Robots.” Smith – a WWII veteran who made his living as a junk dealer and trader – held the Guinness World Record for having hitchhiked over 500,000 miles in his lifetime, and he left us with the words he lived by: “Don’t sit in a chair. Get out and do it.”
Members of DeVon Smith’s robot family exhibit more than a glimmer of humanity.
Yes, get out and do it. Hop in the car, blast up to Baltimore and spend a day at the AVAM – it really will make you smile. But it will also make you think and feel. And that’s what great art is supposed to do, isn’t it?
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When you go…
- The AVAM is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. from Tuesday-Sunday (Closed Mondays).
- Admission is $15.95 for adults, $13.95 for seniors and $9.95 for children & students.
- Abundant metered parking is available on Covington Street and Key Highway ($2/hour).
- The museum is handicapped accessible.
- The Tall Structure Barn and Wildflower Garden are open air, and public art adorns the grounds. Plan to walk outside to get the full experience.
- The Sideshow gift shop sells original art, great books, toys, jewelry, novelties and cards.
- Fine dining is available at Mr. Rain’s Fun House, offering a season-sensitive menu complimented by innovative cocktails, artisanal wines and small-batch beers.
- “What Makes Us Smile” runs through September 4, 2011
The Sideshow is all that and more – with original artwork, nifty novelties and a witty staff.
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Lucky 13th Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race
The American Visionary Art Museum is proud to host Baltimore’s Almost Famous Annual East Coast National Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race, and this year’s extravaganza will be held on May 7 at 10 a.m.
It’s a race of wacky, imaginative and totally human-powered works of art that have been designed to travel on land, through mud and over deep harbor waters. Crafted of backyard junk and garage cast-offs, machines are piloted by kinetinauts vying for the coveted title of Grand Mediocre East Coast Champion– finishing right in the middle of the pack. Last year’s winner was “Candy Haus,” created by a Takoma Park team.
AVAM invites spectators to line the 15-mile race course through Baltimore and see amphibious works of art fly by. And, of course, AVAM welcomes all entries, great and small.
While visiting the museum, I caught up with Founder and Director Rebecca Alban Hoffberger in the Jim Rouse Visionary Art Center. She proudly guided me over to see Fifi – previous winner of the Next to Last Award and current race mascot. She explained that this is a race unlike any other on the East Coast. It’s more about the celebration of ingenuity and creativity than it is about the actual competition.
“Come early for the Blessing of De Feet,” Dame Rebecca advises, “And you really should bring bribes for the judges … chocolate chip cookies, or something like that. We want to teach kids how the real world works.”
Story copyright 2011, Elaine C. Jean. All rights reserved.
Photos copyright 2011, Paul N. Jean. All rights reserved.
