Artsy Whimsy Day

My dad wanted to see the dolphins in Gulf port, but who does that in December?! (Comment below, if you go see the dolphins now, and I am the silly one.)

So, being the great sport that he is, he said, "o.k., where do you want to go?

Have you ever visited The Mississippi Museum of Art?
     
  Well, no one in my family had ever been and so that is where we spent three artsy hours yesterday.
We saw the Bethlehem Tree exhibit and learned from a Cafe associate that the nativity figurines date back to the 1800's. The kids really liked the animals and the tree. The PreColumbian pottery and the mixed media sculpture about Jackson crime fascinated me. Sophie also liked the mirrors and clay mixed media piece that we jumped in front of to see many versions of ourselves do the same.  Elena and Levi liked the copper hound dog statue a lot. We sat on many different kinds of benches and interesting chairs, except the flowery lamp chair that said, "Do not Touch". I wanted to touch it, but the children didn't allow me to. We found the perfect Christmas present for my dad in the Museum Store. The cashier made Sophie happy by changing out her change for paper dollars.
         The Cafe is called the Palette Cafe. The Chef created black bean veggie patties from scratch for our vegetarian burgers and suggested Grill Cheese sandwiches, not on their menu, for the children. The ketchup and fries were also from scratch. I have seldom been treated to such thoughtfulness during a dining experience. After lunch, the kids and I played follow the leader and tag in the garden outside.
         I was delighted to realize that I our visit coincided with a Creative Healing Studio session. This is a bi-weekly art expression experience for Cancer patients and survivors. I am happy that I am in the latter group.
I am five years cancer free. My dad enjoyed creating a clay ax head and I painted. The art director gave Sophie, Elena and Levi an impromptu tour of the 2016 Mississippi Invitational Exhibit and then they drew pictures with markers. This was another example of the friendly thoughtfulness we found at MMOA and we will definitely return there again. Maybe, we will head over there for Third Thirsday next month.