Ledger

By Masha Krupnova

MSU

So I am lucky - lucky to have

been able to visit Tacoma, and

personally very lucky to have

visited the Tacoma Art Museum

(TAM). Last spring I was a guide

for Chris, Melinda and Nick from

the University of Washington

Tacoma when they went to the

Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

These days, Nick and his friends,

Ray, Arden and Todd were my

guides at the TAM.

Nick smiles and tells me he

understands nothing about art.

Actually it is not true. He presents

to me a book designed by Eric

Carle whose works are exposed

now in the museum. It is "The

Very Hungry Caterpillar" – his

favorite children’s book. I am

also a fan of books for kids and

this book really impressed me

– so colorful, so emotional, and

so exciting. Just for a kid to learn

while reading and while watching.

Eric Carle is not a kid now,

but still thinks as a kid.

The artist takes great care in

how he uses the special space to

develop the ideas and images of

his stories. "The Very Hungry

Caterpillar" and his other books

are distinctive and ground breaking

because they combine bold

graphic images and intuitive

awareness of the thinking and

needs of children.

Carle’s technique is not typical

typical

for book illustrations. He

uses acrylic and tissue paper collage

on illustration board and not

color pencil or water color. That’s

why visitors of the exposition are

really impressed by his collages.

All this is in the first exhibition

room – a room for eyes.

The second exhibition room

has to impress our ears. Nick’s

friend Arden shows how to play

the Coloninpurple – a strange

instrument which consists of

metallic and plastic tubes. We

didn’t use the instructions.

Trimpin, the creator of this musical

instrument was born in 1951

in Germany, and he now lives in

Seattle. He is a world-renowned

sound sculptor, innovator and

instrument builder. He has earned

critical praise for compelling

and sophisticated installations

that incorporate sound, movement,

visionary technologies and

whimsical sculptural objects.

RJ, totally looking like a real

photographer, was very excited

while watching the exposition

in the third room. He was interested

in an exhibit featuring photographs

of three young men,

where the photographer tries to

develop his subject’s life stories.

stories.

All three of the subjects are

juvenile delinquents with tough

looks on their faces, but hauntingly

innocent eyes.

This is the room where you

create your own stories from the

images on the walls. A number of

pictures, photos, sculptures and

artwork provoke a lot of feelings

and emotions. Journalists tell stories.

Now visual artists seem to

do exactly the same. The exposition

has a lot in common with

journalism. The artists have found

very exceptional information, and

they present human stories and

problems, but in different ways.

Photos and artwork, sculptures

and pictures – is only the means

of communication with visitors.

And that’s how it works. This

means is very effective. It closes

the distance between those who

create and those who view. There

were so many techniques – just

like different pencils in an artist

box - archival inkjet print, tem-

pera on panel, oil on canvas, etching,

ceramic and glazes, watercolor

and platinum print. After

watching you can write your own

story if you want. You need only

to look at the art objects and your

imagination will create a story

in a moment. I am really jealous

because it’s a permanent exposition

of Tacoma Art Museum and

citizens could visit it whenever

they like.

The last exhibition has ethnic

motives that were appreciated by

Todd so much. It is a Symphonic

Poem played by Aminah Brenda

Lynn Robinson, featuring a

real patchwork full of African-

Americans’ life. Robinson madly

tells about minorities’ problems

through elements found in traditional

African arts, such as cloth,

colorful buttons, beans, nuts and

sculpture paste. And she is managed

to be heard!

Four friends, four rooms. Our

feelings provoked and our hearts

touched.