STATE OF THE BLUES

January 9 - August 15, 2010

Overview

State of the Blues: The Living Legend of the Delta pays homage to the living legends of the Mississippi Delta blues through a series of intimate portraits. Through the luminous photography of Jeff Dunas, "State of the Blues" is an important exhibition honoring the men and women who have made this art form so powerful. The inspirational tradition of the Delta blues—an African-American musical legacy that has influenced almost all forms of contemporary music—has been preserved in our time by such luminaries as B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite, and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

With universal resonance, the blues makes poetry of sorrow and finds humor and bitter irony in the hardships of life. It tells of loves lost and regained, of the endless struggle to put food on the table, and of the fight for dignity in a world that judges people by the color of their skin.Alongside these portraits, Dunas has documented the landmark juke joints and byways of the Blues highway, a heritage trail that runs from New Orleans through the Mississippi Delta to Chicago.

Press Release

FROGS: A Chorus of Colors

February 13, 2010 - September 5, 2010

Overview

Frogs! introduces visitors to the amazing and sonorous world of anurans - the frogs. These fascinating amphibians are among the most visually stunning, vocally pleasing and adaptively remarkable life forms on earth.

The exhibit includes over 150 live frogs! Learn about their rich and diverse world, explore their evolution, biological importance to ecosystems and the threats they face in changing environments.

Highlights

> 15 Frog habitats complete with naturalistic decor, filtration and life support systems.
> 12 Interactive components.
> 35 Backlighted informative panels.
> Throughout the exhibition visitors are immersed in the sights and sounds of frogs.
> Frog habitats, complete with rock ledges, live plants and waterfalls, protrude through the island walls.
> Living frogs from around the world offer a glimpse of the vast pallet of frog diversity.
> Frogs – A Chorus of Colors includes self-contained custom habitats that provide lighting, humidity, temperature and water quality control to meet the needs of the exhibit animals and guests.

THE HOLY ART OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA: Icons from the 17th C to the Early 20th C

October 10, 2010 - January 2, 2011

Overview

The sacred images on view in this exhibition are of a kind once readily found in even the humblest homes of Russia, as well as its churches and public shrines. Centuries-old artistic conventions are juxtaposed with new, Westernized formal elements and vernacular interpretations of these new forms. For Orthodox Russians, icons served as more than just religious paintings; they were relic-like objects directly linked to the holy figures they depicted. They were seen as comforters and powerful guardians. Icons were the direct line from the real world to the spiritual and appeared everywhere in pre-Soviet Russia.

For more information, please call The MUZEO at 714.95MUZEO (714.956.8936)