Become reaquainted with the Museum through Eye Spy: Adventures in Art. This interactive exhibition comprises four thematic areas that familiarize visitors with art from the Museum's collection. it also presents guests with a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the institution. The first area within EyeSpy, called Museum Magic and Mysteries, provides an insiders look at the Museum through computer stations, games, and other eye-opening activities.
Two computer stations created by the Museum's education staff invite visitors to find out who does what in an Art museum and to share a sampling of staff and visitors' favorite works of art. A third computer station, called 'Kids Cool Quiz', challenges visitors to test their knowledge of Museum history and trivia.
Educating the public about an art museum's mission to preserve and protect art is an important element in Eye Spy. 'To Touch or Not To Touch' invites visitors to touch brass knobs and compare them with a similar one that is enclosed in a plexiglas case. Rather than segregating young visitors from the rest of the Museum, the art, text, and activities in Eye Spy encourage those who explore the exhibition to make connections with art in other areas of the Museum.
The 'Cool Collections' station of Museum Magic and Mysteries poses the question, "What do you expect to find in an art museum?" Painting and sculpture, the usual response, is only partly correct. By featuring a sampling of collections at the Museum, this station makes the point that every art museum is unique, reflecting the history and culture of its location and
the collectors and donors who support it. Examples of animation cells, woven coverlets, photographs, and sculptures from the Museum's collection are presented with accompanying activities. A computer Station, developed with the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) at The Ohio State University, records visitors images and then interprets them in different styles, including impressionism, cubism, pop art, and expressionism.
A highlight of Museum Magic and Mysteries is Columbus artist Aminah Robinson's original paintings on cloth for her book, A Street Called Home. These two 10-foot long, mixed media paintings are displayed along with a copy of her accordion-style book about Mount Vernon Avenue, where she grew up. Robinson researched and documented this area, which was the heart of Columbus' African American Community in the 194Os and '5Os She detailed the shops, theaters and churches, that lined the Street and highlighted nine vendors who sold their wares along the sidewalk. Visitors can try to locate the people on the street in the original artwork while they listen to an audio description of each one.
