Gallery Hopping

I love art, so I’ve made sure to take advantage of living in a city full of world-famous art museums. However, until this past weekend I had never visited any of the many art galleries that dot the streets of New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. I always thought that going into a gallery would be way too intimidating, but it turns out I was totally wrong!
This past Saturday my friend Alexis and I grabbed brunch, then went to check out the work of Tara Donovan currently on view at the Pace Gallery. Along the way we popped into various other galleries, and it was a really fun and relaxing experience – the exact opposite of what I expected. Turns out you can just walk right into the galleries and the curators won’t even bother you at all…they don’t even look at you, which to me is perfect. I don’t want to feel like there’s pressure to talk about the art or buy anything, I just want to look in peace – which is exactly what the galleries allow you to do. The spaces themselves are pleasantly cool (a relief from the heat!), modern, and quiet, and the area in which many of the galleries are located is kind of gritty and industrial. If you’re in NYC, I definitely recommend checking out the Tara Donovan installation, which will be there through August 15th. Her pieces are seriously amazing and pictures do not do them justice, although scroll down anyway if you want to see! 
I love how simple everything is in the galleries (wood or concrete floors, white walls), which obviously allows the art to take center stage. It makes the space feel like a peaceful respite from the hectic city. Every gallery had beautiful, modern typography announcing the name of the artist and their work, which was also a pleasure to see. 
This is what we really came to see. Below is Tara Donovan’s sculpture in eight parts, which is comprised of millions of 3×5 inch white cards (basically index cards) stacked and glued together:

Her other installation is comprised of acrylic rods:

I can’t begin to imagine how long it took her to glue all of those index cards together, or where she came up with that idea. It was so amazing to see up close!
iPhone photos by me-totally failed on my mission to use my DSLR this weekend…oops!

Leave a Comment

  1. Ingenious displays above! That's another way Chicago is similar to home. Wonderful art galleries and museums to explore!

    Published 7.2.14 · Reply
  2. Looks like a great cultural day!

    Published 7.2.14 · Reply
  3. Holly wrote:

    Amazing! I love visiting galleries and museums

    Published 7.3.14 · Reply
  4. Alexis wrote:

    Greetings from Panama City! Gorgeous photos J. Can't wait to grab an iced coffee with you and check out some more galleries when I get back! xo

    Published 7.3.14 · Reply
    • So glad you're having fun! That was such a fun day. Can't wait til you get back, iced coffee awaits 🙂

      Published 7.17.14 · Reply
  5. What a fantastic post! I first stumbled upon your home tour on The EveryGirl. When I discovered you were a nurse, I had to visit your blog. It's great to see a fellow registered nurse who shares a mutual love of the arts, fashion, beautiful interiors and blogging! Please stop by, I'd love to hear from you!

    Published 7.12.14 · Reply
    • Thank you Jennifer, so glad to hear from you! Thank you for reading 🙂

      Published 7.17.14 · Reply