One piece of art in particular caught my attention at Ohio’s Dayton Art Institute. It is a brightly-colored, contemporary jellybean and butterfly masterpiece titled “Shimmering Madness” by artist Sandy Skoglund. It is found inside Experiencenter, the one-room children’s experiential space in the museum.
I couldn’t stop looking at the details. The two action figures in the center are covered with jellybeans. So is the floor. Thousands of jellybeans. The figurines are in motion, and oddly, their heads face backwards. When the artist was asked why she did that, she answered simply, "Why not?"
Behind the figures are two black walls with hand-painted multi-colored, multi-specied butterflies controlled by invisible tubing and electronics so that every once in a while, some of the butterfly wings start to flutter. The “shimmering” in the madness.
Behind the figures are two black walls with hand-painted multi-colored, multi-specied butterflies controlled by invisible tubing and electronics so that every once in a while, some of the butterfly wings start to flutter. The “shimmering” in the madness.
I could have stared at this piece for hours. It was whimsical and fun; a perfect way to introduce children to art. It was simply joyous.
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