On Wednesday, August 5, 32 excited members of our Herons Glen Travel Club boarded a state-of-the-art motorcoach and our professional driver headed north to St. Petersburg for what promised to be an exciting day (when our Travel Club goes somewhere, it is always exciting!).
Our first stop was the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in downtown St. Pete. This museum is relatively new, having opened in 2018, thanks to the $75 million donation from Tom and Mary James. You’ve probably heard of the Raymond James Financial services company; Tom’s father, Raymond, founded the investment company.
The museum is filled with over 400 paintings, sculptures, and other works. Their focus is artwork depicting Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The museum also holds Native American jewelry, and wildlife art from around the globe. Plus, there was wildlife photography by Edward Curtis focusing on the wolves living on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic.
Specifically, there were many exhibits focusing on early Native American artworks from the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, showing paintings, sculptures, and Hopi katsina carvings. The native artwork continued in the Native Artists Gallery, specializing in the 1950’s era up to present times. There were many sculptures of cowboy themes, plus western wildlife such as wild horses and mountain lions. Additionally, there were numerous photos of wildlife from around the world. There was a New West Gallery, showcasing modern artworks such as abstract art style, complete with bold colors. Native American jewelry? All you had to do was peruse the Jewel Box Gallery to see beautiful jewelry; many silver and turquoise pieces that we fully admired.
From the iconic bronze showcase sculptures at the entrance level of a Hidatsa chief and a warrior battling a mountain lion to the final contemporary artwork painting, this was a surprisingly fascinating museum for me!
After a wonderful morning at the James Museum, we all headed in separate directions for lunch at one of the many nearby restaurants on Central Avenue.
After a delightful lunch, we entered the Chihuly Museum, just six blocks away from the James Museum. We were led by an information filled docent, who explained Dale Chihuly’s stunningly beautiful artwork and his artistic career. You really have to see these blown glassworks for yourself to appreciate their beauty. You stand there in amazement at them. The ruby red icicle chandelier is mesmerizing, and you think it just can’t get any better. And then you enter the next gallery. And it does get more stunning. And the process repeats until the tour is finished.
So, how are these beautiful glass artworks made? We were all curious, so we attended a demonstration right across the street at the Morean Art Center put on by professional glassblowers. The two young ladies highlighted their glassblowing talent by showing us how the artworks were developed. Wow!
When our professional driver returned our tired but excited group to the Clubhouse, we were thankful for a thoroughly educational and entertaining day with the Travel Club. The purpose of the club is to make travel memories, and we certainly did that day. Come and join us for our meetings and travel adventures; see our announcements on the Google Group for our activities. Join our fun times!!
