The eyes and mind are the traditional tools a museum visitor utilize when experiencing an artist’s work in that setting.
“Please do not touch” signs are usually the dictated etiquette in a museum.
But a recent Vincent van Gogh exhibit at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel is interactive, so children can take a more hands-on approach to experiencing the art of the Dutch post-impressionist painter.
Van Gogh for All is an interactive family exhibition that puts visitors into his artwork, said Lauren Rogers Museum of Art Director George D. Bassi.
The exhibition, which opened in August, is open to the public until Nov. 5.
The exhibit was developed by the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation in Chicago as a way for children to learn first-hand about the artist and his paintings. There are multi-media components allowing visitors to immerse themselves into his paintings, as well as opportunities for children and adults to draw and color their own portraits and still-life paintings in the style of Van Gogh, Bassi said.
The exhibit includes large-scale reproductions of his most famous paintings, a replica of his art studio, and a brief animated movie about Van Gogh and his life. Additionally, the museum has created an introductory gallery that features an illustrated timeline of Van Gogh’s life along with information about two pieces in the LRMA collection that were copied by Van Gogh.
The feedback and reactions to the exhibit from both children and adults have been excellent.
“It is most rewarding to see multi-generational groups of families taking photos immersed in Van Gogh’s art. The response from school districts across south Mississippi has been phenomenal, and there are one or more school groups a day booked during the twelve-week run of the exhibit,” said Hillary Steinwinder, the museum’s curator of education.
Bassi said the strongest reaction has been to the 12-foot-wide interactive projection of one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, “Starry Night.”
“The favorite portion of the exhibit seems to be the interactive “Starry Night” installation that allows visitors the ability to control and move a large-scale projection of the famous painting using a touchscreen. It is mesmerizing,” Bassi said.
Laurel’s Lauren Rogers Museum of Art has a reputation for landing innovative and important collections and exhibits.
The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art opened to the public in 1923 as a memorial to a young man with a promising future in the fledgling town of Laurel. Princeton-educated and recently married, Lauren Eastman Rogers was primed to take his place with the Eastman Gardiner Lumber Company when he died in 1921 at the age of 23 from complications of appendicitis. In the wake of this tragedy, Lauren’s family created the museum in his memory as a testament to his spirit, his ability, and the promise of his future.
The favorite portion of the exhibit seems to be the interactive “Starry Night” installation that allows visitors the ability to control and move a large-scale projection of the famous painting using a touchscreen. It is mesmerizing.
Building additions and renovations completed in 1925, 1983, and 2013 brought the museum to its present size of 29,000 square feet. The museum features eight galleries for its permanent collections, three galleries for temporary exhibitions, a studio, and an art reference library. The museum thrives as a community-minded art museum that opens its collections to the public six days a week, sponsors an extensive education outreach program, and presents exhibitions that bring outstanding examples of the visual arts to South Mississippi.
For more information about the museum and the Van Gogh exhibit, visit www.lrma.org.
