i want the nevada museum of art's balls to drop already.

for some reason, i'm not a member of the nevada museum of art. stubbornness? budget? attitude of people i've encountered there on 1st thursdays?  i dunno what keeps me from investing, but there is a reason i don't. 

recently, i caved.
i actually saw an event i could get behind, something that intrigued me--
i read about this event:
ART BITE Frida Kahlo, in Person: Her Life and PhotographyReno photographer Megan Berner creates the character of Frida Kahlo through Chautauqua performance and interpretation of Kahlo’s photographs.


and being a fan of her work, her life, and loving the idea of frida "in person," i decided to come out of my art cave and take my mumsy to the museum for the lecture.

it was a packed house. there were people from all walks of life in attendance--eccentric types, artist types, appreciators, etc. we sat in the second row and i couldn't wait to be in the presence of frida and hear about her life from her own mouth. i mean, what a wonderful idea?? kind of chataquan, really. to study and study an artist so thoroughly that you could personify and impersonate him or her so that an audience of his or her fanship could experience their opinion and company!

the nice girl stepped out onto the theatre floor in typical frida garb--flowers in her hair, eyebrow on her face, skirt near her feet. she smiled and was welcomed to the podium to begin her lecture. as frida. in person. 

i was disappointed from the beginning of the nice girl's first sentence.

here's what i expected....  here's what i got:

what i expected:

• a voice of passion, thick with accent (if not completely spanish speaking), and fierce frida-like opinion
• the presence of a woman either weak with sickened physical health or strong with socio-political vitality--with things to say about life as we know it now and life as it was for her.
• personal stories of each of the presented photographs, furthering insight into the artist's mind
• to learn something i hadn't read or seen about frida herself

what i got:

• a timid english voice proabably composed knowledge but fraught with shaky nerves
• the presence of a nice girl who had composed a collegiate-like presentation on the artist.
• nothing new. the nice girl even left things out--like the loss of diego and frida's unborn child, her sister's adultery with the man of her soul etc. which would be pivotal in the life of anyone, let alone an artist, let alone frida
• an hour ish lecture and slide show of someone basically reading made-up captions. 
• inability to answer audience questions after the lecture

---

in short, i was absolutely left wanting. i could tell by the looks my mumsy was giving me she was as well. i could tell by the handful of questions after the lecture that parts, if not all, of the audience felt the same way. megan berner, the nice girl, did a ... well, a nice job. she was prepared best she could be--she even confessed to having only been working on the project/lecture since june. who could blame her?

my beef i guess is with the nevada museum for not stepping it up in general. for advertising the event with the phrase "in person" and therefore leading the audience on as to the nice girl's knowledge/abilities. if the museum wants my respect and my money it's going to have to grow up, spice up, and it's drop it's art balls already. 

once again, back into the art cave and even more disappointed with the nevada museum of art.