An immersive experience

A few weeks back, Hive account@flowerbaby and I made a special trip to our local museum called the Clay Center. This place has been around for a little over 10 years, but we had never visited together. We both had been a few times over the years without each other, but it was about time to make a date out of it. Luckily we are able to walk to this museum and be there in less than 10 minutes.

We were drawn to the Clay Center finally for the latest traveling exhibit to make a stop here in Charleston, WV. This one is called Van Gogh for all.

It will be in Charleston until February 13, 2022.

A bit more about the exhibit in this excerpt from https://www.theclaycenter.org/museum-of-art/exhibits/

Experience Vincent van Gogh’s life and art like never before! Van Gogh for All, the unique 3,000-square-foot traveling exhibit with a focus on the artist’s work from his time in Arles, Saint-Rémy, and Auvers sur Oise is currently on display in the Juliet Art Museum!

Designed to engage curious learners, this experientially rich exhibit uses modern technology and participatory learning to engage new audiences in van Gogh’s genius, his personal struggles, and his creative process. Immerse yourself in real-life recreations of his famous paintings, experience his bedroom and belongings, put yourself in a starry night, or stand behind the shutters of Van Gogh’s house.

Guests of Van Gogh For All having been raving already about the interactive experience! “We are so thankful to have such a fun way to share art with our kids. The new Van Gogh exhibit is a fun and educational experience for the whole family” says Kingsley Moody, mom of three and values Clay Center Family Member.

Van Gogh For All is available to experience until February 13th! Step into van Gogh’s world-famous painting Starry Night as it is projected in life-sized detail. Discover the unusual perspective of van Gogh’s bedroom or look behind the shutters of his yellow house. Get your cameras ready for selfies in this fun exhibit that can’t be missed!

This exhibit is included in the cost of admission to the Clay Center.

This exhibit is presented with support from Belle Chemical, Daywood Foundation, The Elliot Family Foundation, Charles & Mary Fayne Glotfelty Foundation, Herscher Foundation, and Bernard H. & Blanche E. Jacobson Foundation, Fund for the Arts (The Clay Center salutes the following major donors to Fund for the Arts whose annual gifts of $10,000 or more help keep all the arts thriving in our area including City of Charleston, Cecil I. Walker Charitable Foundation, Daywood Foundation, Spilman, Thomas & Battle PLLC). This program is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.

Daltono Seperator.png

Time for some photos of us having fun

After we purchased our tickets at the front, we headed upstairs to the Van Gogh area. There were quite a few large artworks around a huge room. We were encouraged to pose inside of the interactive exhibits and take photos. Of course, we did so with little to no hesitation. The little crooked bedroom was by far my favorite scene. Hive account@flowerbaby was a fan of the fresh-baked bread at the outdoor dining scene.

I'm sure we all have seen those things where you place your face in a cut-out to finish an image. There were multiple portrait paintings to do that with. I think that Hive account@flowerbaby got to be part of the coolest one. I do however believe that my bearded postman was pretty fitting for me and liked that one a lot as well.

We both have always been a fan of Van Gogh's signature style, that's why we came to this exhibit after all. Sadly none of the art displayed was originals. To me, that kind of takes a lot out of the excitement. Luckily we still had fun looking at and interacting with some unique paintings a large scale.

We ventured through the rest of the Clay Center and didn't find much else for adults. This place was ideal to bring kids, that is for sure. That was until we went out back, where we had the most fun that we had experienced all day long. There were giant tic Tac toe, Connect 4, chess, checkers, and Jenga games. We briefly played tic Tac Toe and Connect 4, but I couldn't get her to try chess. Luckily Jenga was right up both of our lanes. We played multiple games with these giant blocks. We had so much fun that we bought our own Jenga set at 5 Below a week later. Actually, we just played it with my parents on Thanksgiving day and had a blast!

The weather was perfect outside that day, slightly chilly and very sunny. There wasn't any wind and we were dressed appropriately. Before we left the Clay Center, we took some last photos with and of each other. I think these turned out pretty amazing. The first one is one of the cutest photos of us together. Then our solo shots look pretty magnificent if I do say so myself.

By the end of our short little trip, I think we spent maybe an hour there. It was kind of short-lived, but I still will never forget it. Getting time alone with Hive account@flowerbaby out back and having fun playing games was as memorable as it gets. I love this girl and am glad we get to do so many things together. It always ends up being fun whatever it is that we get into.