The HMFA had a fantastic Monet exhibition that was available through the late winter. I really wanted to get to it, and finally made it happen on President's Day. While the rest of Houston was packing it into the zoo and the children's museum and the museum of natural science, we had the art museum practically to ourselves. Grace invited her friend Becca to come along.
I really enjoyed the way they chose to curate the collection. At the beginning of the exhibit, there was a map of the Seine superimposed with a timeline of the Monet's several homes along its banks. Each room of the exhibit was a collection of what was painted while Monet was living in one of those riverside houses and flowed chronologically. Most of the walls displayed several paintings of the same scene (this is pretty typical of Monet collections)- each done in different color schemes as they were painted at different times of day. This curatorship gave a comprehensive progression of Monet's style development that I had never seen in a museum.
The kids were so good. I had several museum patrons pat me on the shoulder and compliment how well they were behaving. (I kept it to myself that I had issued certain threats before we got out of the car...) I loved seeing them read the captions on the wall and overheard some cute conversations. Budding little art historians. On one wall, there was a collection of three paintings, all the same scene. Two of them were in the beautiful pastels. One was in greys, browns, and oranges. Grace asked why someone would choose to paint something in ugly colors like that when he could paint it in beautiful colors like the others. Grant whispered that the point of the painting wasn't to be beautiful. Good questions and thoughtful answers. It was a moment that filled my heart with hope for the rising generation.
After we were through with the Monet exhibit, we wandered through the whole west wing of the museum. By this point, Jeffers was starting to act really ready for lunch and a nap, and I was feeling really ready to be done wrangling my herd. On our way out, we passed this ice skating rink that had been erected in the main foyer. Calling it an ice rink is generous because it was, in fact, oiled plastic arranged to look like an ice rink. The children all looked to me with their biggest pleading eyes when the following conversation ensued:
Kids: Begging and petitioning and making promises.
Me: Wow. That does look like a lot of fun! Did any of you bring your fun money?
Kids: Shaking their heads no, with an expression on their faces that seemed to say, "you know we didn't bring any money, Mom!"
Me: Darn it. Sorry about that, friends. I spent all my fun money getting us tickets to see the paintings. How about we just go get some lunch?
(un)helpful museum docent who was suddenly standing behind me: Oh, did you say you went to the Monet Exhibit?
Me: Yes, we loved it!
(un)helpful museum docent: Well, the price of skate rentals is included in the price of the exhibit ticket!
Me: Forcing a smile. Wonderful!
Kids: Smiles of triumph all around.
(un)helpful museum docent: Just go to that desk, fill out waivers for each of your skaters, and they will take you to the tent where they will be fitted with skates. Oh, also, you will have to skate with them, since you have little ones.
Me: With the same forced smile and through clenched teeth. Thank you, sir! You've made our day.
I then proceeded to fill out paperwork, lace up 10 ice skates, buckle Jeffery down into the stroller (he stayed on the side of the rink) and hope for the best. It wasn't that bad actually. And I was grateful the docent happened to be there. The kids loved it.
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