Where else can you go to be visually entertained by colorful sculptures, stop in the midst of it all and work on a puzzle or get lost in the world of bright, hand crafted African textiles and beads? The answer is the Orlando Museum of Art located at 2416 North Mills Avenue in Orlando.
The Orlando Museum of Art was founded in 1924 with a mission to culturally enhance the area and to date they have been quite successful by not only collecting, but also exhibiting the paintings, photographs and sculptures of American Artists John Singer Sargent, George Innes, Georgia O'Keefe and Ansel Adams to name a few. Their "Currents in Contemporary Art", test the imagination and creative spirit by exhibiting the colorful sculptures of John Chamberlain, the use of cut glass by Therman Statom and the amazing creations using thumbprints by Chuck Close.
Currently on exhibit is "Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey". For those unfamiliar with Edward Gorey, he was an American artist/illustrator and writer most known for his representation of the macabre in pen and ink and has been compared to the likes of Aubrey Beardsley. Though most of his stories detail the less than pleasant that has befallen upon children, much in the vein of the more recent works of Lemony Snicket in his "Series of Unfortunate Events", there is some dark humor to be found as well as a plethora of exquisite illustrations, capturing every detail and bringing the characters to life. Most amazing at the exhibit is a collection of envelopes from letters the illustrator had sent to his mother in Chicago over the years. On the outside of each envelope Mr. Gorey had drawn a unique scene, most in black and white but some filled in with watercolor as well. No doubt entertaining for the USPS as well as the intended recipient. The exhibit is scheduled to be at OMA through October 31st 2010 and might be a perfect Halloween treat!
Admission is $8 for Adults, $7 for Seniors, College Students, Military and groups of 10 or more. $5 for Children aged 4-17 and Free for Children 3 and under and museum members. There is also currently a free admission program for Bank of America customers who present a debit card and id on the first Sunday of every month. This program runs through December 31st, 2010. The museum itself also has a program called First Thursdays where admission is free 6-9.
For more information please call 407-896-4231 or go to www.omart.org
