A #WednesdayWalk In The Park
The first couple of days in New Orleans, I walked around looking at stuff. I walked and walked, and by the third day my feet and legs hurt. I decided to ride the trolley around that day.
At the end of one of the lines is the City Park, home of the New Orleans Art Museum. I decided to hop off and check that out. From the trolley to the museum turned out to be a bit of a hike itself but it is well shaded and level, a pleasant stroll.
There is a pond in the park where you can rent paddle boats and cruise around the lake with what I believe are Trumpeter swans. They are HUGE birds, whatever they are!
Near the entrance to the museum is the Dueling Oak, a tree famous for all the men who died over pretty much nonsense. It is an impressive tree to be sure, all that nitrogen fertilizer seems to agree with it...
Once I reached the entrance to the Art Museum, I could see there was an outdoor sculpture gallery just to the left of the museum entrance. Art alfresco sounded more appealing to me, so I went over there and much to my delight I found the sculpture garden was free!
I am no art connoisseur, but the display was absolutely charming. Let me start with this piece, not my favorite at all but the one that gives me an excuse to say CONGRATULATIONS to my niece who just gave birth to her first child. They tried for YEARS. They realized it just was not going to happen so they "gave up." They chose to be content and not break their hearts and wallets trying to conceive. Then she got pregnant. :) It did not go really smoothly, she nearly died in childbirth but momma and baby are FINE now!!!
I think this is my favorite picture from the day, it gives a great feel for the whimsical nature of the place. There is some very serious art work, but it is not a stony, cold "museum" it is a garden, and there is a playfulness about the place that is delightful.
There is a little creek that meanders through the garden. They have placed some of the art in the water, some across bridges for some very effective displays. I loved this set up, the artwork seeming to make the bridge extend to the sky.
Have a closer look at the sculpture, it is really very interesting. What did the artist want to convey, I wonder...?
Now, I just don't even know what to say about every photo I took. If a sculpture "spoke to me" I took a picture. I hate to impose my thoughts on YOUR experience of this artwork though, so please enjoy this little stroll without my commentary. Suffice it to say I started with "I will just take one picture of my favorite piece" and so this is a collection of "my favorite piece..."
Officially, it is "The Sidney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden" and I HIGHLY recommend it if you find yourself in New Orleans. Indeed, the New Orleans City Park looked like the best place to spend family time in New Orleans to me. It was a very nice park with lots of fun things to see and do.
As I sat waiting to catch my trolley back across town I was treated to some first class people watching. In front of the entrance to the park, with a busy road right there and the trolleys coming and going, a young woman danced for what I presume was her boyfriend. She repeated this little ballet bit over and over, completely unbothered by the people all around. It was fascinating to me, I am so self conscious about drawing attention to myself in crowds. I suppose if you live around so many people all the time, you just get over it. Anyway, I have long heard I should "Dance like no one is watching" and so I really enjoyed watching this woman dance like no one was watching... lol!
I hope you enjoyed this #WednesdayWalk through the sculpture garden! Thanks to @tattoodjay for hosting this tag!
WOW some amazing art there and so cool that it was free to see. I love the oak tree! It sure has seen some crazy humans though, it sounds like. Congrats to your niece! My aunt and uncle were like that, tried for years, gave up, moved here from Brooklyn, and pow: I got a cousin. Sometimes the giving up the stress is the secret! :)
I think they were secretly hoping for an outcome like this, but you hate to SAY that out loud and jinx it lol!
Those are some great photos, thanks for sharing your journey with us @fishyculture!
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Anything set among the live oaks is wonderful and worth the time. I love the trolleys in New Orleans. I remember catching a little breeze on the trolleys on still hot summer days. And for people watching NOLA is the best haha
Oh, it was all I could do not to run around snapping pictures of the "local flavor" but I figured these people seem to be a bit unstable mentally... running up and snapping their pic might not end well for me... lol!
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That looks like a fun walk. Most modern "sculpture" really isn't my type of thing, but I have to admit the ladder and window are is a fascinating piece!
Yep, that was my first favorite... lol! The outdoor setting made it all less stuffy and easier to enjoy the art IMO. Renoir and DaVinci paintings need a museum, putting these modern sculptures in a garden was brilliant.