The Taubman Museum in Roanoke opens a new exhibit that’s all about play.
Call of the Wild (The Ripple Effect), by Herb Williams.
White Elephant I, by Billie Grace Lynn.
Call of Couture (Loius-Vouitton Doberman), by Herb Williams.
On Sept. 10, the Taubman Museum opened its newest exhibition Play: Toys Reimagined As Art. The project has been curated by Amy G. Moore, deputy director of exhibitions and collections at the Taubman, with assistance from art curatorial coordinator Eva Thornton. Moore commissioned six artists to create works using various media to explore the differences and similarities between how children and adults work, problem-solve, innovate and (obviously) play.
On display are several works depicting animals. For example, a doberman patterned with the Louis Vuitton signature monogram and crafted by Nashville, Tennessee sculptor Herb Williams, is made from hundreds of melted crayons.
Dr. John V. Muntean, a Chicago-based chemist, creates “magic angle sculptures” from Legos. Appearing nonsensical at first, Muntean’s art is mounted on a rotating spindle. When light is projected through the sculpture, and the work is rotated, different shapes suddenly come to life on the screen. Play features a Muntean sculpture that produces such shadow figures as an elephant, a unicorn and a triceratops.
Additionally, the exhibit will feature stop-motion films from British artist Jon Rolph, a “cloud garden” by Lexington, Kentucky-based architect Jason Scroggin, and balloon sculptures by Jason Hackenwerth, who builds dramatic ceiling and wall installations. Play will be on display until Feb. 18, 2018. TaubmanMuseum.org
There are more exhibits around the Commonwealth featuring toys: Nature Connects: Art with Lego Bricks, through Nov. 23 Virginia Living Museum, Newport News, TheVLM.org Toys of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, through Dec. 31 Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VaHistorical.com Folk Toys and Science, year round Toy Time Museum, Meadows of Dan, ToyTimeMuseum.com
