With winter soon approaching, an indoor activity is just one you need to get away from the chills. At the Memorial Art Gallery, anyone can enjoy the fine art of various artists.

At first sight, the Gallery looks just like a museum plucked from the streets of Manhattan. A modern sophisticated look planted on University Avenue sets an comfortable mood for even those that do not like the museum scene.

The feature exhibit now is Georgia O’Keeffe Color and Conservation. The array of pictures features O’Keeffe’s finest work. Because the artist valued color and emotion so much, many of her paintings express the feelings of the time period. Paintings are sorted by their color schemes which makes for and easy transition when walking from painting to painting. Desert landscapes and the San Antonio sky are just some features repeated throughout her work.

If you want, you can take an audio tour that guides you through the O’Keeffe exhibit pointing out some of her finest pieces of art. You can hear letters that she wrote to friends and family about her newest additions to her collection.

One of the first exhibits you come across after the O’Keeffe feature is a little cave-like nook that acts as a historical timeline of the Egyptians. In this you could see a real ancient mummy’s tomb that was finely painted in full detail. There were also some headpieces and ancient artifacts once used by Egyptians. One section of the temple teaches the art of writing hieroglyphs. One can also explore the many different dimensions of their religion and gods.

The upstairs of the museum features the year-_round artwork. There are large paintings from ‘The Ancient World.’ The paintings are of old Roman emperors. You can also see sculptures that survived series of wars and battles.

 If you are hungry, you can grab a quick bite to eat at the Cutlers Restaurant or the O’Keeffe Café. Both offered a different assortment of meals that I did not get to try unfortunately but it appeared to be something worth a second trip. Cutlers is much more elegant but definitely in your price range if you save up for a few days first.

The Memorial Art Gallery is worth checking out when you have the time. The clean cut museum is a classy way to spend the afternoon alone or with some of your closest friends. The low cost goes a long way at this gallery so make sure you catch the O’Keeffe exhibit while it is still in town!

STAFF WRITER
LINDSAY CAMPBELL
Email address: ljc05647@sjfc.edu