Tuesday at the Mexic-Arte Museum and Rudy’s BBQ

Since arriving in Austin the Mexic-Arte Museum has been calling my name.

I see it when we venture downtown and navigate our way through the one-way streets. It cheerily sits on the southeast corner of Congress and 5th. I like the terra cotta orange and white striped building and the modern black and white block letters of the sign. The windows of the gallery shop beckon with bright pottery and silver jewelry.

Today I had a million things I SHOULD do – catch up on laundry, pay bills, vacuum the ever-growing film of Francie’s hair on my living room floor, wash the dishes in the kitchen sink, unpack the remaining 20 boxes from our recent move, and cook dinner for my family. NO really…we ate chips and salsa for dinner last night. We did have red AND green salsa so that’s something. But I don’t think I can pull off that trick two nights in a row. (THANKS KENNY!!! YOU ARE GREAT!!!)

I had an invite for an event I COULD attend. I’m on the evite list for two local playgroups and both were going to the “singing biologist” at the the Cedar Park Library. (Singing biologist??? WHAT is THAT????!!!)

But no. I decided I WOULD take Titus to the Mexic-Arte Museum. (Hey Kenny! If you’d like our son to be something other than a chef or artist when he grows up, I suggest YOU plan the next outing.) Why be a domestic diva when I could live?

So after a quick stop at the church to pick up our camera from Kenny, we were on our way. Then another quick stop at the Red Barn Nursery for pics (see future post) and Chuy’s for pics (see another future post) and Rudy’s BBQ for breakfast tacos.

I must say breakfast tacos are my favorite Texas food. I particularly like the egg and potato variety. Potatoes pan-fried with some mixture of usual Tex-Mex spice suspects – cumin, chili pepper and cilantro- mixed with scrambled eggs in a thick flour tortilla. Top with salsa and YUMMO! And Rudy’s offers BIG plastic take-home cups I can fill with my addictive drink of choice – Diet Dr Pepper. Can anyone please tell me where to find tortillas like that? These ain’t yo’ mama’s grocery store Mission brand variety.

Bellies full, we were really on our way.

Once downtown I began to have an anxious feeling in my stomache. I would have to parallel park. Ugh. I learned to drive in Mobile, Alabama. We don’t parallel park there, so I never really learned that skill. And let’s just say depth perception is not really my thing. One time I was out with my California friend well-versed in the art of parallel parking. I actually got OUT of the car and let her park it! Danielle, where were you today?

Titus and I survived the parking job. The car is fine too. I found two spaces open together, so I had a little room. And my spot was ONLY one block from the museum.

After a cheery exchange with the ticket attendant (Titus is kind of a lady charmer with his big blue eyes, long lashes and blonde curls), Titus and I entered the galleries.

What do you know about Mexican Art? What do you know about Latin American Art? South American Art? I didn’t know much. Here are the three things I knew prior to the museum today:

1. I worked for the property owners of the very funky modern Solana office complex in Westlake, Texas one summer while I was home from college. Ricardo Legorreta, a prominent Mexican architect, designed the complex. To see some pics of cool modern architecture check out the projects link on his website here: http://www.legorretalegorreta.com/lego_new/english/index.php.
2. Diego Rivera has an impressive mural of Mexican History in the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City.
3. World-famous artist Carlos Paez Vilaro lives in the Pablo Alonso hotel in Uruguay. A contemporary of Picasso, his paintings are bright and modern.

That is my entire knowledge of the art of one and a half whole continents of the world. Actually, I must be completely truthful. I only vaguely knew those people and locations existed. I did not even remember the particulars – like their names! To write this post I had to do a bit of Google research. Kind of sad, huh?

So I was excited to go to the Mexic-Arte Museum to learn a little more. The museum charges a $5 admission for adults. It has 3 small galleries and a movie I opted not to watch with Titus.

The current exhibit was on the revived interest in Mexico during the 20th century in pre-Spanish colonial period art. So rather than the wall-sized canvases of bold modern art I was expecting, I was greeted by many clay masks, pottery pieces and wood carved furniture reminiscent of Aztec and Mayan art. Interesting.

I’m not really sure this is what is always on display. I think it is a seasonal exhibit.

After about 30-45 minutes, Titus was done. I skimmed most of the exhibit, so we headed out. On our way out, the friendly lady in the museum shop introduced us to artists just arriving from Oaxaca, Mexico. I wanted to take their picture with their brightly painted animal carvings selling in the gallery store, but I was too shy to ask.

That’s when I remembered. I was so distracted by my parallel parking experience I forgot to pay the meter with quarters I actually remembered to grab from the kitchen change jar on my way out of the house.

Yep.

I’ll be paying the city of Austin for my lovely day of art.

Final note: Here’s some random trivia for you the next time you’re getting whomped at Trivial Pursuits. (No wait! That’s me who gets whomped.) Why does Mexico have an eagle holding a snake and sitting on a cactus on it’s flag? Did you even know that’s what’s in the middle of the flag? When they were founding what is now Mexico City, the Aztecs had a dream of an eagle sitting on a cactus holding a snake. They felt it was a sign of where to build the city. If I read the history correctly today at the museum, Cuauhtemoc was the last emporer of the Aztecs. He fell to the Spanish. Guess what his name means? Fallen Eagle.

Okay, now it’s your turn. Do you have a favorite art museum? Tell me about it.

Tags: Mexic-Arte Museum, Rudy's BBQ