South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, Indiana

I finally made it to the South Bend Museum of Art! The nearest, most familiar places somehow seem to be the hardest to get to. It is housed in Century Center, right in downtown South Bend. Century Center was built in 1977, and my university graduation was actually held here in 1979. The East Race was completed in 1983, and at the time was the only man-made whitewater course in the USA. In 2004 the kayak events for the Olympics were held here. As well as being used for water sports, it is a scenic tourist attraction with its landscaped parks and paths.

The Museum of Art is housed in the Century Center, and has mostly pieces from local artists. Most interesting to me was the exhibition of works by James Volkert, called “Re: Imagining American Art”. To me, his work creates installation art using familiar paintings, and thus helping us see them with new eyes. I really enjoyed the dimensional quality of his work.