Microadventures and the KMA
One thing I've been trying to do more of lately is have microadventures. I discovered the concept through Postcards from Katie. A microadventure is basically a small but exciting activity that you can do fairly easily without breaking the bank. They're usually things you can do in your hometown or close by.
I live in Tennessee, which is unfortunately a red state and not the best state to live in for various reasons. But the city I live in, Knoxville, is thankfully kind of a liberal haven within the more backwards-thinking parts of the state. Knoxville is very LGBTQIA-friendly and has implemented a lot of good community improvement projects, like the current plan to expand greenways throughout the city to offer more accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. We also have a Democratic mayor.
Despite being in the worst state in the US, I do like my city, and I've been exploring it more through microadventures lately. I've gone wild swimming in Clinch River, enjoyed some Japanese curry while reading a book at Hey Bear Cafe, went bicycling at Melton Lake, and more. An upcoming microadventure I have planned is to visit the Knoxville Botanical Gardens.
Yesterday, Danny and I visited the Knoxville Museum of Art on my latest microadventure. We started out with boba tea and crepes at Hello Tea House. Then we walked to the museum and explored all of the exhibits. It's a great microadventure because admission is completely free!
Some of my favorite parts of the museum:
The Thorne Rooms - Miniature dioramas of rooms from the past that were so impressively detailed
Family Portrait by Marilene Oliver - A series of screen prints taken from MRIs of the artist's parents and stacked together to form ghostly human figures. This was so cool to see up close and had me thinking about perception after death.
This print by Ansel Adams - I've always admired Ansel Adams, and it was really lovely to see a piece of his in our museum. This one was super impressive up close. It's amazing how he managed to capture such detail in a single photograph. It's also funny that he said the Smoky Mountains were going to be "devilishly hard to photograph" and then ends up with this perfect picture.
Facets of Modern and Contemporary Glass exhibit - Danny is a huge fan of glassblowing and glass art. We went to the Chihuly Glass Gardens in Seattle a couple of years ago, and he still talks about it, hehe. It was really nice to see him so enthralled and excited by this exhibit, which had some beautiful pieces on display.
Cajón Desastre by Antonio Santin - I was amazed that this entire piece was just oil paint. It looks like a series of wires or threads entangled together. It felt very liminal and staticky, and it was hard to pull myself away from it.