I had a dental appointment yesterday and on the way home remembered that Thursdays are free admission to Muskegon Museum of Art. I hadn’t gone there since they built and opened the new expansion. I was truly astounded at how wonderful it looks inside. The lady at the desk said that it was free but they had a special exhibit on Julia Child that would cost $8. I passed on that, got directions of how to get upstairs and downstairs and was on my merry way. I took so many pictures, but the time I left I was worn out! The expanded space has allowed them to bring so many pieces out of storage. The pictures I’ll share today are just a portion of the art that is on display now. There is large space dedicated to Bennett Prize artists from past and present, and many from the permanent collection. I have done them as separate slideshows by artist. Look for the right arrow for each.
The first piece greets you as you enter the building. Beth Lipman artist.
Next artist is Monica Ikegwu. I’m loving the pink.
The next artist is Zoe Frank. This is a very large painting so easy to see the details close up. It reminds me of an anime I saw but the name escapes me right now. (Will add later if I can remember it.)
Next is Susan Contreras. I love how light and color are used in it.
The next one, by Jane Phillips is one of my favorites on display today. Pictures don’t do it justice.
I like how green is used in the next, by Helena Wurzel.
Next is by Abbey Rosko. I know these two actors, but I admit to being surprised to see them in the museum.
Audrey Rodriguez is next and another favorite. The pictures don’t do this art justice.
Nicole Santiago , up next, has 3 entries in the Bennett Prize wing. They are so full of life. Real life. And done so beautifully!
I loved Nimah Gobir’s work so much, I picked two of hers. The first is “Lollipops” and the 2nd is “Caprisun.” I felt such wonderful energy pouring out of the artwork.
The next is by Andrea Kowch, and it’s in my top 3 favorites for this visit to the museum. The cranes, the way it is painted, and the human figure all feel otherworldly to me.
Ted Lott is next. The placard says new acquisition by the museum. It’s an interesting combination of old and new. Would have liked to spend more time with it.
Dale Nichols is next. I like the sharp lines and primary colors in this.
I could see Konrad Cramer’s painting on my wall. Love the delicacy of it.
Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin is one of the few “old school” pieces I’m including here. The museum is dominated by them. Often they are so dark! I definitely see stark contrast between younger art and old school in terms of subject, light, color, vibrancy. This piece is gorgeous but difficult to see it in a photo.
Will Wilson is next. The still life in this one is very still. I like the feeling of concept in this one, like a stage is set for what comes next.
Kehinde Wiley is next. He is an artist to pay attention to. He is turning old school on its ear in more ways than one. I foresee great things ahead for him. The painting is a new acquisition by the museum.
Maria Tomasula goes dark and phantasmagorical in this next piece.
Next is artist Jonathan Thunder. The colors and subjects are rich with allegory. I looked at this one for awhile and got lost in it.
This next painting by Ayana Ross is another of my favorites. Such beautiful technique and the little girl’s expression says so much. I wonder if she is based on Linda Brown, the girl from Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954? Or perhaps a modern day reimagining of Linda?
Phyllis Bramson is next. Rich with allegory and so beautiful up close.
I love this next piece by Joseph E. Grey. It’s been in the museum for awhile.
The next artwork is glass mixed media by Vivan Wang. So gorgeous!
William Morris is up next. Very creative work.
Bertil Vallien is up next. It’s hard to tell from the pic but this is a pretty big object d’art. I found it compelling and studied it for awhile.
Preston Singletary is next. Love the flow of form, the color contrast, and the etchings on the glass.
And finally we come to the last artwork to be shared in the post. In the basement of the museum is the “print gallery” but there are other things down there also. Most of the prints they have on display are Asian woodcuts that are lovely. Those may be shared another day. The solo piece I chose from the basement gallery is by Joichi Hoshi. I love it close up and I love it from a distance.
Tao Talk 
That’s some exhibit, Lisa! Gorgeous pix. Thanks for the tour!
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You’re welcome. I had such a wonderful time yesterday. I need to go back more often.
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It’s a good thing you remembered on the way home from the dentist. What a great way to spend a Thursday afternoon.
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<3
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Nice selection Jade. It’s easy to be inspired in a museum.
BTW Kehinde Wiley is already pretty famous (or infamous, as he was accused of sexual assault, although I can’t tell from what I’ve read if it’s legitimate or not) (K)
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Thanks, Kerfe. Oh no, I’m sorry to hear he has that kind of infamy. Really hope it isn’t true :(
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Me too.
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Amazing art Li. Thanks for sharing
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I’m so glad you like the art. It’s a pretty amazing museum and they are adding a lot of diverse art to the collection.
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Yes it’s so wonderful to find so much variety in one place
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Beautiful Artwork. So good that you took advantage of the free pass. I love the painting of the cute little girl by Audrey Rodreguez.
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Dwight, glad you enjoyed the tour. She is a little cutey isn’t she :)
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Just awesome! I love this stuff and I’ll click on the link. Many of them caught my eye but “Parade” really did…it’s cool and a little evil looking…I love it.
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I just remembered the name of the anime movie it reminds me of: Paprika. It’s a real mind bender.
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I’ll look it up on youtube…a trailer… but that one guy is really odd looking…like a Night Gallery pic…
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Looks like a pretty impressive museum. It’s also nice they offer free admission on Thursdays for most of their exhibited art.
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It was wonderful before, but now it’s fabulous. A real jewel of our city.
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So lovely, especially Jane Phyllips’, Helena Wurzel’s and Konrad Cramer’s art… indeed so delicate! Love the texture and the muted colors. Also, Monica Ikegwu’s pink portrait is such a treat. A really wonderful post! :)
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Nicole, so glad you enjoyed it, thank you :)
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❤️
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Wow..thanks for all the time you took taking photos and curating and describing them for us. This was wonderful.
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My pleasure, Judy. I’m proud of our museum and love to see the direction it is heading in and wanted to share it. So much good art. I look at the oil paintings and cannot see how they make the magic, but I sure do appreciate it.
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Wow, thank you for a great tour!
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Dana, you are very welcome. I was amazed at what I saw, with the giant addition to the museum and the young artists’ works.
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Yes, I love seeing people’s creativity!
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Thanks for the tour, Lisa! So many wonderful pieces, and a wide variety of styles. My favourite is the Jane Philips, too. The hair concealing the face and the greenery partially hiding the body give the piece a mystical feel. I liked the detail photos you included on that one.
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You are welcome, Steve.
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