Never in my life would I voluntarily visit a museum. However, and unfortunately, within the last year or so, I have been forced to visit a number of museums for educational purposes and I am yet to find a museum so great to make me change my mind about how I feel about them. (Not going to lie; the Whitney was pretty cool). As I was instructed to visit the National Association of Women Artists, I imagined the same type of scenery any museum would have; high ceiling, large frames, big crowd of people hovering the art, and a basic collection of detailed work. However, my expectations were the complete opposite at the NAWA. It was a small, quiet, one floored room in a building with little to no people in it. The artwork was visible right away and can easily be looked at in one glace across. In one case, I was as easily viewed to the artwork as it was to me.
Jill L. Kline’s “What is Seeing?” is a sculpture that takes the physical form of the iridescent green eye of a woman. Complete with mascara and eyeliner, Kline speaks to the nature of seeing as something that is pieced together. From afar, this piece appears only as an eye. It is only when the viewer moves closer that they can see the intricate lacings of buttons and seashells that help form that eye. If they move too closely, those details become the focus and their beauty is accentuated but at the cost of understanding the bigger picture. In seeing this sculpture, Klein forces viewers to acknowledge her question. To Klein, the act of seeing is a balance. There is beauty in all aspects, but how much of it is the viewer able to truly see? Overall, though I did not love my experience at the exhibit, it is evident to say it was a distinct and different from any museum I have ever visited.
