We look at the city of Pompeii: you know the story - it's legendary. An ancient Roman city partially buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Lava and hot ash rained down on the city. Archaeological digs have uncovered people and events seemingly frozen in time. Since that cataclysmic event, artists have found the destruction of Pompeii an irresistible source of inspiration. That's one of the things that is so interesting about this exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art, how different artists can all be looking at the same thing but conjure up vastly different interpretations.
Sometimes, a trip to the Museum can be a little intimidating - there is so much context and story behind ever piece of art. But, most of us are not expert curators or art historians. There's an app for that! Recently, the art museum began offering visitors iPads loaded with software called Art-Lens that works in concert with a set of large video screens called "A Collection Wall." Together, they put all kind of information about the artworks right at your fingertips, and make your visit a little less intimidating!
These days, a trip to the museum doesn't mean a trip to University Circle. Recently, on the near west side of Cleveland - not far from the West Side Market, the museum opened an Annex - a satellite location called the Transformer Station. It's their first venture outside of University Circle, so what's inside? Well, not what you might think. Inside there's not a single piece of art from the museum. It all comes from the private collection of two of the most prominent art collectors in the region.Jon Sydell, Cleveland Museum o f Art
Caroline Goeser, Cleveland Museum of Art
Fred & Laura Bidwell, The Transformer Station at CMA