February 1, 2007 at 1:38 pm · Filed under Blog: Winter 06, Film, Museum
As predicted, the Matthew Barney event at the Hirshhorn last night drew an overwhelming crowd. The make-sure-and-get-there-early-to-ensure-that-you-get-a-ticket warnings were heeded so Alex and I arrived at 5:30pm, well before advanced ticketing began. There was already a throng of ticket-hopefuls snaking around the lobby, but we took our place in line optimistically. It was around 6:15pm—when they were supposed to start handing out tickets—that we noticed the crowd thinning. However it wasn’t thinning out because people were being let into the auditorium, it was getting smaller because people were stepping outside. That’s odd, I thought, why are they leaving? It was then revealed that almost all of the tickets had been given out to well-to-do patrons and members of the museum well in advance (like days and weeks) of the cattle call so we were out of luck. I wish they’d made that a little more apparent on the website or something prior to getting everybody’s hopes up. At any rate, despite the lack of edifying lecture a good time was still had: I got to take some photos of the sculpture garden and Alex and I got to hang out.
N.B. Missed the event like me and didn’t see the live webcast? Check out the podcast.
January 22, 2007 at 11:22 pm · Filed under Art, Blog: Winter 06, Film, Museum
I’m temporarily blacklisting the MoMA (no link = no love). I deliberately made a late train reservation back to Mobtown so that I might be able to catch a glimpse of Doug Aitken’s sleepwalkers, which was going to be showing on (yes, on) the MoMA beginning at 5pm. A little before 4pm, I decided that rather than wait around in the cold, that I would be somewhat ridiculous and buy a ticket for the museum, so I could wander around and see something for an hour, which sure beat standing around in the cold. As I attempted to enter I was reproached by the door guard for my coffee, which was not permitted in the MoMA’s lobby. So I finished it outside and then went in, got in line, bought my ticket (saxophone fully visible, an important fact for reasons soon to be revealed, and about 4:10pm by now) and proceeded to enter the gallery, where I was promptly stopped by the ticket-taker and said that I couldn’t bring that (my saxophone) in and that I probably wouldn’t be able to check it either. Optimistically, I got into the coat check line, where the ticket-taker’s hunch was confirmed. I got a refund and left, lodging my silent protest against the MoMA by refusing to see the free films they were going to project on the sides of the building.
