Little Museums: Opening Doors on Art History
By Meta Dunkly Arnold
Opening: Friday, October 10, 5-7pm
Exhibition statement:
The anchor piece for this exhibit is The Ladies’ Art Museum, which imagines female artists from across several centuries meeting to discuss portraits of women. My mixed-media work engages with art history by including lesser-known artists, treating discarded materials as treasures, and moving details from the margins of famous paintings to the center. I aim to shift our perspective on the tradition through literal shifts from 2-D to 3-D and from large to small. Kinetic and interactive elements such as swinging and sliding panels, LED lights, and rearrangeable magnets allow the viewer to share my creative process. As our community excitedly prepares for the Princeton University Art Museum to reopen on October 31, I invite everyone to reflect on how museums make learning visible and accessible, and the ways we all curate and share objects that we find meaningful.
Artist bio:
Meta Dunkly Arnold works in assemblage and mixed media, using discarded objects and unusual materials. Many of her pieces are interactive, with kinetic elements and LED lighting that invite the viewer to explore her imaginative little worlds. Her work has been exhibited at the West Windsor Arts Center, Studio Montclair, the Monmouth Museum, AOY Art Center, and River Arts in Damariscotta, Maine. She has taught art to all ages at Art Sparks in Hopewell, Painted Oak Nature School, The Jewish Center of Princeton, ACP, and West Windsor Arts.
Learn more about the artist, on her website here. Or her instagram @3dartbymeta.
Mini Museums Workshop!
Come build a mini museum in this workshop for kids ages 5 – 9 with an adult family member or caregiver. As we all get excited for the grand reopening of the Princeton University Art Museum, think about how you would choose and display treasures for everyone to enjoy. Teaching artist Meta Arnold will show examples from her exhibit Little Museums, and then assist families to assemble their own mixed-media collections.
All materials provided: boxes and packing inserts for the architecture, supplies to decorate with, and an assortment of interesting small objects (or bring your own)! Dress to mess, and please note that we will use small parts which are choking hazards for younger children.
