It’s not a kitty cat museum, but an art museum. After reading my blog post on our visit to the Chihuly art glass museum in St. Petersburg FL, a friend invited us to join them to see a modern art museum with Chihuly glass in Shoreview, Minnesota.
It all began when Gerard Cafesjian started collecting artwork when he was young. He became a prominent businessman and philanthropist and believed that art should be accessible and personal. His approach to collecting was to focus on what he loved rather than just famous names or price tags.
“Mr. Cafesjian instilled in his family a spirit of generosity and a love of art. When he passed away in 2013 [at age 88] his vast collection was brought together as the Cafesjian Art Trust (CAT). Embracing his legacy as a collector and as a champion of the arts, his daughter Kathie created a free museum in Shoreview, Minnesota to serve as a dynamic hub of created inspiration and contemporary art. The CAT Museum opened in October 2022…” (quote from CAT Museum website).
We learned that his daughter Kathie continues the philanthropic support by covering busing charges for school children so they can come to tour the CAT Museum. The cost of busing is one of the holdbacks for field-trips. This is a wonderful gift.
Our docent talked about six pieces of art that morning. Of course, art is your own interpretation, especially modern art. I sometimes have trouble understanding modern art, so I appreciated her suggestions about each piece. There was the obligatory mostly all-white painting in most modern art museums (she didn’t talk about that one), which I never get…but there were other pieces I appreciated.
In the entrance there is a signature Chihuly glass chandelier, and there was a Chihuly glass ceiling that was originally from Chihuly’s home in Naples, Florida. I’ve seen Chihuly glass ceilings before, but this museum invited you to lay on the carpeted floor and look up. We did.
Other than seeing Chihuly, my favorite piece was made with glass beads, Puzzles Circles and Patterns. The artist, Thando Ntobela, is from South Africa, where beading “has been a source of creative expression in Africa for centuries, yet it largely remains unrecognized and under-celebrated in art exhibitions and galleries. An art form associated with women…”. (quote from the artist’s plaque)
On each artist’s plaque there was a QR code to listen to the artist. This was the only one I listened to, but it was fun to hear Thando Ntobela explain how beading makes her happy, and when she feels sad she beads to make her feel happy again. She wants her work to make others happy. Her piece did make me happy.
There were a three more favorites…one glass piece, and two landscape scenes, but very different from each other. One titled Eruptor (I missed taking a photo of the artist plaque so I can’t credit the artist) of bike paths and mountains in the SW, and the other piece entitled Monument Valley, by Jin Jeong.
After our time at the museum, we planned to go to a nearby French bakery for lunch. As we entered, we all commented on how the display case, full of pastries, was its own little art museum…so many beautifully crafted pastries. It was hard to choose which one to order.
This was a fun outing. I hope to get back to the CAT museum this fall when there will be a new exhibition.
