Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Rothko and the Screaming Baby

Charlie got his first dose of fine art this past week, and his reaction was a bit...unexpected.

Katie was taking her people from The Cumberland to the Frist Center (the art museum in Nashville) last week, and so Charlie and I decided to tag along. It doesn't hurt to expose the little man to a little culture now and then after he's been through a grueling two weekends of football with ol' dad. We left early so we could have a picnic lunch outside before heading in to meet Katie and her gang. After realizing we were stuck in a line to get gas and not in line to turn right (this is the day the gas shortage began) we made it in the parking lot and set up camp with a great view of Union Station Hotel (where mommy and daddy spent their wedding night).





This is Charlie watching me snarf down my lunch.

We met Katie and the scant two people that decided to come to the Frist. Of course, Mr. Briggs was in attendance and couldn't get enough of little Charlie.

Well, we rolled Charlie around in his stroller and entered the current exhibit titled "Color As Field" - a collection of abstract expressionist art. It seems a little exposure to color and a large space that echos like the Grand Canyon is all you need to get your kid vocal. The minute we came across the first painting in the exhibit (like this Rothko below) Charlie was screaming with excitment! I don't know if it was the colorful paintings or just the fact that he loved the sound of his screaming in this large cavernous hall! He wouldn't shut up! You could hear him in the entire museum. Katie would peek back at us from the next room with her finger over her mouth trying to shush us, but to no avail.

So we scurried through the rooms rather quickly (which Katie didn't mind since she "window shops" when it comes to art galleries) and got the human noise machine to settle down a bit. There is a room especially made for children to interact with art, so Charlie and I dabbled in the age appropriate station.


Charlie, mommy and Charlie's oldest fan who's not a relative, Mr. Briggs.

Coming soon...Charlie takes on rice cereal and the SPOON!

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