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Meditative Moments with Mariko Tu
The Museum’s Education staff incorporates mindfulness and meditation into many of their in-gallery programs as a way to encourage thoughtful contemplation of the remarkable artworks on view. While the Museum is temporarily closed, they have recreated some of these concepts into an easy-to-follow at-home routine, which we hope brings some moments of peace and calm during this stressful period. Read the prompts online, or listen to Manager of Family & Youth Programs Mariko Tu as she guides you through these short and relaxing exercises.
Mindful Monday: Letting Go Meditation
Hokusai’s Yōrō Falls in Mino Province is from series that highlights eight views of waterfalls at pilgrimage sites around Honshu, Japan’s main island. Hokusai was interested in Shinto, a polytheistic religion originating in Japan. In Shinto, kami (spirit) resides in elements of nature—rocks, trees and waterfalls. A common practice of ritual purification is to immerse yourself under a waterfall to cleanse, release and restore. Start your week with a meditation on letting go.
Curatorial Associate Tom Norris writes, “In any city, maintenance, both seen and unseen, occurs to make sure that everything functions as expected, from the roadways to the Metro rails. This same sort of upkeep happens for many works of art. In this behind-the-scenes video about Chris Burden’s Metropolis II, LACMA highlights the conservation staff who maintain this complex sculpture, including the dusting and cleaning of roadways, tracks and vehicles.”
Art-Making Activity: Sculptures for our City
Just like Chris Burden’s kinetic sculpture Metropolis II at LACMA, this week’s art-making project invites you to reimagine your cityscape and the eye-catching outdoor sculpture within it. | MAKE
Drawing Challenge: Landscape
This week’s drawing challenge, the landscape, is inspired by Camille Pissarro’s The Boulevard Fossés, Pontoise from 1872. With remarkable concision, Pissarro evoked the newly-built boulevard, its sidewalks lined with young trees and its gutters filled with fallen leaves. Share your creation using #NortonSimon or email us at events@nortonsimon.org. | CREATE
