Lex Miller

Julie Hicks
LBST 1105
21 Nov. 2014
Mint Museum Response

On Friday, we went to our last museum for the semester and we most certainly
saved the best for last. The museum is almost hidden amongst the Bechtler museum and a
series of matching mirrored office buildings. From the outside, it is hard to depict its size.
Once inside, there were numerous flights of escalators, windows as tall as some of the
surrounding buildings, and even higher ceilings.
I loved this museum because it was like a maze. There were four floors all
containing separate labyrinth type rooms containing different categories of works of art.
There was a room about the Panama Canal, American Art, Sculptures and Crafts, and
many modern and contemporary pieces. Each room had a different set up of the art and
different lighting preferences that best suited the art. In most cases, there was art
displayed all along the center of the room in cases with very bright lighting and white
walls. However, some rooms covered the windows, had dark walls, and art was only
lined along the walls. Much like the Bechtler, a portion of the walls at the Mint were cut
out in windows so you could see what was going on across the gallery. What surprised
me about this museum was within the exhibit on the Panama Canal, alongside every
description of the piece of art, there was another description completely inscribed in
Spanish next to it. Also, I was surprised at how exposed the escalators were inside the
museum, it made it look as if we were in a mall, although it did look rather intriguing and
artistic itself.
Two pieces that attracted me right away were the Mel Chin Sea to See globes. I
thought their almost hidden set up was very cool and inviting. It seemed almost secretive
and protected by the two black folded walls. The piece was created with a plexi-glass
material and metal bars holding them that looked like latitude and longitude lines.
Reflecting on the glass was the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They were videos of the
moving water. It was extremely interesting. Another piece that I was initially intrigued by
was Threshold by Danny Lane. I really enjoyed this piece because it looked different at
all angles and therefore a multitude of ways to view it. It was colorful but not overly
colorful and obnoxious. It had an irridescent look to it. It had many object behind it that
were lost in shape in front of the actual long transparent piece of glass.
A painting that really captured my attention was a piece by Marvin Jules. The
painting was called Everyone Walks on His Shadow. Although it was dark in color
scheme and not particularly attractive like many pieces it was surrounded by, this one
really caught by attention because of the message behind it. The painting is produced of
tempura paint that makes it look thick and gloppy. The colors are mainly browns and
black except for the bright red wall behind the large man. The painting shows a very
large man in a business suit standing in front of a shadow of a man that looks weak and
frail. Before I read the authors note, I thought the meaning behind this portrait was that
while wealthy business men are being greedy and selfish, they are haunted by the large

population of those in poverty. Although when I read the authors note, I learned that in
fact this painting depicts a man that is in horror of his shadow, whether the shadow tells
of his past or future is uncertain but either way, the shadow is of the man himself. Either
way you look at it, whether it be the authors intended way or my way, this piece of art
shows social injustice and oppression. This painting made me think much about our
economy and society and the culture that we currently live in. We deal with issues about
these kinds of things everyday; why do some people consume so much and dont give
back yet 1 in 5 Americans are hungry?
Another piece I decided to think critically about was called Selma by Barbara
Pennington. I was initially drawn to this piece because of its title; my mother and I had
not only lived in Alabama near Selma for a few years of my childhood, but I have also
seen the heartbreaking film Selma. The period of segregation in America, specifically the
50s and 60s, have always intrigued me. I loved learning about this portion of history
and all that our nation has overcome since then. Aesthetically, this painting also reminded
me of the More Human Than Human documentary by how the people in this painting are
portrayed. They are very round and disproportionate, as well as appear to be very twodimensional. This piece is powerful because of the large and towering KKK figure that
seems to be looming over all of the violent activities. Usually, white is symbolic of purity
in art although the KKK was not pure at all. In the background, there are hundreds of
people of all colors standing in lines. This shows how this period of history affected
everyone, although especially African Americans. On one side, we see the violence and
trauma that struck America, on the other side of the painting, we see how many
approached this time, scared and blindingly following orders although it may not have
been the right thing to do. It strikes me odd that the American flag in this picture is
backwards. Perhaps it symbolizes how in distress our nation was? I find this piece of art
to have a very emotional and intellectual depth to all who view it. It is amazing how
people can create art out of a very horrific time. I believe the purpose of Selma is to
remind people of what once was, and to see how far we have come as a nation since that
time.
I really enjoyed the Mint Museum. I can also appreciate that we saved this gallery
for last. I believe that with all the different mediums and styles that the Mint had going
on, I wouldnt have been able to visually understand it or appreciate it as much if we
hadnt learned about such aspects all semester. While at the Mint, I thought about More
Human Than Human when looking at sculptures or portraits of people, I thought about
different cultural values and beliefs, and I also thought about potential historical or
religious significance behind each work of art. I would most certainly be interested in
going back to the Mint to take more time to explore more pieces in depth.