Where: The Foster Museum (940 Commercial St. Palo Alto, CA 94303) When: All year, by appointment Who: All ages, but older children would find more to appreciate Cost: Free
The Foster Museum was a find for us. It was summer 2022, and a group of us were taking weekly Charlotte Mason inspired walks, but the temperature was forecast to be hot. When a friend suggested that we might be interested because John Muir Laws has a series highlighting nature motifs within Tony Foster's work, we jumped at it.
Booking a group visit was easy - we filled in the form corresponding to our group size, and received a confirmation email. What we didn't realize was the amount of thought The Foster Museum staff put into our request - we had mentioned that our group would be a mixed age group from K to 6th grade, and when we arrived they had put out a welcome table with a range of materials to engage our children.
The younger children immediately took to the binoculars and started decorating them with stickers. These binoculars would help them focus on details in the large artworks.
There were also laminated scavenger hunt sheets for artwork details in the various rooms. These could train observation skills in a fun way.
At the time we went, the main exhibitions were "Exploring Beauty: Watercolour Diaries from the Wild" and "Sacred Places: Watercolour Diaries from the American Southwest". Each room had benches placed so we could contemplate the works.
Yet we could also go up close to the artworks and admire the details and colors. Though we had been hot with the sun beating down on us outdoors, the cool air and quiet of the museum allowed us to imagine ourselves in the various places and seasons depicted.
It may be 100F outside, but it feels like Fall..
Snow would be nice too..
The children enjoyed identifying the symbols from the scavenger hunt sheets, especially since Tony Foster had collected interesting souvenirs such as maps, artifacts, studies and soil samples . The following was from a Sacred Places artwork - we could see the artist capturing the sense of awe the First Peoples had felt at the grandeur of the site, while the feathers and colors were a pale token of remembrance.
Older children and adults enjoyed reading the captions too - Tony Foster keeps detailed diaries of his journeys, and includes his thoughts and encounters while he is sketching. I particularly enjoyed the following thought - I wonder what a dejected yak looks like?
Bottom line reads, "the yak drivers concerned and the yaks dejected."
There were also some sketches explaining his techniques, e.g. sketching underwater. The earlier and completed sketches were helpful. We could point out how nature journaling involves both on the spot sketching, but also capturing a memory so that one can continue working even after leaving the scene.
Initial sketch
Completed sketch - the vibrancy of the underwater world shines through
We had the place to ourselves that day which was a shame since this is a family friendly museum that we think more people should know about. The museum is on a side street near San Antonio Rd off 101, easy to get to, and it has ample parking in a rear lot. Just like in other art museums, there's a lot to take in so we appreciate that it is free and families can revisit to focus on certain paintings.
The staff said that they had more school programs prior to the pandemic, and they were still planning how to grow back. It seems like they have made strides towards this goal, as they have since added new programs including live demonstrations and talks (Covid restrictions vary per program). We also found the following charming series of videos, "Anna and Violet", highlighting paintings from the "Exploring Beauty" exhibit.
There's also a watercolor techniques series which is perfect for nature journaling.
Looking back, we see the hard work staff have put into this museum - from their thoughtful welcoming materials, to the thoughtful atmosphere within the museum, and the plethora of videos and materials so we can better appreciate the paintings and the places behind them. We appreciate them on so many levels - as homeschoolers who feel the economic pinch of living single-income in the Bay Area it's a blessing to be able to learn art techniques for free, as well as travel vicariously through Tony Foster's work. And even beyond homeschooling, we all can benefit from slowing down to truly see things, particularly God's creation. Thank you to The Foster Museum for their dedication!
No comments:
Post a Comment