Luminous at SAM

On a recent Saturday outing, the boy and I ventured downtown for  breakfast at Pike Place Market and a trip to see an Asian art exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum.

We attempted to get tea and crumpets, but the line was around the block. Instead, we broke our fast with a half dozen piping hot mini cinnamon sugar doughnuts and some black coffees. We sat on stools at a little nook by the newsstand and read the paper together.

Full of sugar and caffeine, we headed down to SAM and used our member passes to get in to see the exhibit: Luminous. We skipped the narrated tour and began to wander through the exhibits.

There were some really lovely pieces from all over Asia and the Middle East, from various periods in history. The docents were hit and miss about photography; I wasn't able to get a ton of photos. Missing, for example, is a picture of an amazing embroidered coat worn by an emperor, an intricately embroidered prayer rug made from scraps of kimonos, and a jade bowl so translucent it looked like it was made of light. 

There was a fabulous exhibit which featured Buddha sculpture from different places around the East. There was a fantastic exhibit of a Kwan Yin statue which explained some of the science behind reconstruction and research being used to work with ancient pieces in a modern museum setting. 

There were several rooms filled with exquisite calligraphy and beautiful screens. There was a very cool interactive media piece by a contemporary artist. There were a few poems which I found very poignant.

We had a great time. I felt super inspired by the textures of the pieces; the softness of the brushwork and the richness of the colors.

I feel so lucky that I got to see these wonderful pieces in person.