Is southwest still west?

Side view of the church

It seems like it's been a week since my last post but it's actually only been four days. I guess Richard's crazy traveling routine has me confused. It seems that we drive until we're exhausted and then stop and die for a few hours. Of course, there's been a little sightseeing in all that traveling, but always in a rush to get back on the road.

One of the more fascinating places we visited was the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. I was amazed by the size of the campus and the abundance of flower beds. Not allowed to take any pictures inside the buildings, I had to satisfy myself with a few pictures of flowers and facades. I still had a great time, even with the ticking of the parking meter.

Brigham Young and the Pioneers completed by Cyrus Dallin in 1893.
source information: http://historytogo.utah.gov

History museum of the Mormon religion (I think)
but it's the waterfall on the building that I love.

A little man-made stream almost a block long but only about 4-5 feet wide.
Too bad there are no benches. I really wanted to plop down and rest in the shade.

No idea what these are but there were clusters of them lining the street.

Huge clusters of wonderfully scented roses 

And very pretty!

Blueberries! Ripe for eating. Clustered around the roses.

I could not resist taking a picture of this building--so
quaint in comparison to the other huge structures

 Have you been to Salt Lake City or the Mormon Tabernacle? If so, what was your favorite feature? If not, what in today's post interests you about the area?

National Ornamental Metal Museum

A couple of weeks ago, while we were in Memphis, we took the grandchildren to a different kind of museum.  The only museum "devoted to the advancement of the art and craft of fine metalwork," the National Ornamental Metal Museum has a variety of classes, exhibitions, and an onsite fabrication facility.  

We enjoyed the fabrication building and spoke with students and artists for a few minutes, but the number of photos from the museum indicate that the museum exhibits were the hit of the visit.

There were three different exhibitions going on at once.  The first floor rooms held an interesting exhibit, titled "Adorning the Table" devoted to kitchen and table items.  Of course, these are pieces of art, not utilitarian pieces, but some of the pieces look quite real.  

 A second exhibit, "A Kind of Confession" is meant to highlight "conversation about American identity and aesthetics" (museum website).  Although my least favorite exhibit, my favorite single piece comes from this room.  

This piece is about the black servant dressing her mistress, but I can easily see it as a seamstress fitting a customer dress.  I also was very impressed with the mirror and took a second picture to so that I could get it into the photo.

 Part of the museum's permanent collection is displayed upstairs along with a final exhibition, called "Beauty in the Boundary: Gates, Grills, and Fences."  I love wrought iron work and found these pieces to be especially interesting--with hard lines softened in a variety of curves, scrolls, and even human shapes.

Also in this section are several crosses and other items.

I'll leave you with a few photos of artworks outside the building.  A word of caution should you ever visit the Metal Museum: noon on any day in July is not the ideal time to walk through the exhibit gardens.  Even parking oneself in the shade is a hot proposition.

For more photos from the Metal Museum go to my "worked, iron" board on Pinterest. 

Have you visited a museum of a different aesthetic?  Tell us a little about it in the comments....you know how we love comments!

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: F E L T

I'm fascinated by artistic objects made in other mediums. Felted art is one of those fascinations. 

Felting seems very creative and interesting, and I sometimes wish I'd learned a bit about this medium when I was beginning to quilt seriously.  I can see how felting and quilting would work well together, enhancing both experiences.  If you are a new quilter or if you're willing to invest in another medium, I hope you consider felting wool.  If you do, please let us know how it goes.  

Felted Objets d'art

Felt Sculptures

Wet felting

Needle Felted Animals

Wool Paintings

Today I leave you with just the felted art.  I am certain you can see a quilt or two in these beautiful pieces.