Sunday, The Hub and I went to Baltimore to visit the American Visionary Art Museum. Other than to say that if you haven't been, you should go, the museum is hard to talk about. It's like when The Hub is laughing at a funny cartoon so I say "read it to me" and he says, "I can't - it's a visual." The Visionary Art Museum is definately something you have to see to fully "get".

Well, if your socio-political view is extremely conservative, you might not have a lot of fun....

Naturally, I thought it was great, but I can see where people who are uncomfortable confronting racial issues might not be happy confronting works of art by Japanese Americans depicting their experiences in internment camps or a work which is a portrait of Nelson Mandela made out of mirrors. I thought it was the coolest thing, because, while you see Mandela's face, no matter who you are, you also see yourself.

Additionally, the wider your view of what constitutes art, the more likely you are to enjoy the place. AVAM is a museum of "outsider" art, the works have been done by artists who have not had formal training, and many times did not see what they created as being art. As a result, they weren't following any rules at all. And as a result of THAT the works you encounter there are just wild.

But, they aren't hard to understand. One of the best things about this type of art is that it's very accessible. Most of these artists have a clear message they are trying to get accross, and they're not shy about it. This isn't one of those places where you stand around and look at paint spots and try to figure out what they mean. Colors, figures, and, in many cases, text is leaping off of canvasses at you, taking you by the hand, by the wrist, even, saying "see, oh please, see what I mean! See, oh please, see what I see!"

So, if you go, you can't help but understand something from someone elses point of view. You might find it ugly, you might not agree with it, you might not want to hear it, but, nevertheless, the visions of the visionary artists make an impression.

The Hub enjoyed it too, but he experiences art a little differently than I do. While I'm heavy into the meaning of the experience, he's heay into the process by which art is created....and, like most craftsman, he's a bit of a visionary artist himself. So he's constantly looking at corners and edges of things, seeing how they were put together. He had a good time identifying and explaining the original function of all of the car parts and plumbing supplies that comprised one sculpture.

He took pictures outside, of course. Cameras are not permitted inside the museum. Nevertheless, if you're looking for something to do, I highly recommend it.