MuseumChick | Danee Gilmartin

So, before I go into this A*RT!? Happens in Jerusalem I first have to explain where I have been hiding. I hate to be away from the blog for so long (I felt off, like I was missing my arm) but moving back to NYC has been much more demanding than I initially thought it would be. Coming home, Mr. MuseumChick and I didn't have an apartment lined up. I stayed with my very hospitable uncle and his energetic wife in New Jersey while we apartment-hunted. And anyone who has apartment-hunted in New York City can hear my anguish. Luckily that anguish ended in bliss when we found the one and started moving our stuff in. At this time there was another shift in emotion, when bliss turned to disenchantment when the unpacking began. There is nothing like moving, packing and unpacking to make you realize you have way too much stuff. But as we get unpacked, settled in and explored our new neighborhood I've been discovering many new things to share with you on the blog. So as I promise to never stay away for so long, I introduce you to a highlight of my recent trip through Israel…

This sculpture done in Cor-ten Steel, similar to the Richard Serra I saw in Berlin, is done by American sculptor Robert Indiana and spells "AHAVA", meaning love in Hebrew. Indiana made this in 1977 for the Israel Museum Art Garden where it still stands today. It is a play on his famous "LOVE" sculpture that he originally designed as a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1964. His original sculpture of "LOVE" is made from Cor-ten steel and was first displayed in New York City in 1970 but now lives at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (which is fitting since this is where Indiana grew up).  But New York City still proudly displays its more colorful "LOVE" sculpture in midtown. I've passed it many times before without much inquisitiveness but when I see it again, I'll be taking a closer look.

Making light of this powerful message, I decided to have Mr. MuseumChick snap this shot of me playing inside the sculpture.

This is the sculpture from the back. But this would spell "HAHAVA" or "EVOL".

Before leaving to explore the inside of the Israel Art Museum and the anticipated Shrine of the Book that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, I took some time to enjoy the view over Jerusalem off the edge of the sculpture garden.

Couldn't help but add this in- another Cor-ten steel sculpture, this one done by one of my favs, Richard Serra.

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