Aerospace Design: The art of NASA's Aeronautical Research is on exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago through February 8, 2004. I guess when I read the title of this exhibit, "NASA" stuck out. I was expecting pictures from space or something like that. When we walked into the exhibit and saw engines and other objects and mention of wind tunnels, I thought, "Uh oh, this is a guys' exhibit." I had no idea what I was looking at for the first few minutes. But as I started to read the information, I became quite intrigued.

The curator's notes on the wall explained that all aircraft (and anything else that moves against wind such as trucks, cars, trains, etc.) are all tested in a wind tunnel to ensure that the design is geared for high performance. To test, they make a scaled-down version of the aircraft and run all sorts of tests on it. This exhibit is comprised of several of these models.

A wide variety of aircraft and space shuttles throughout the past 100 years are on display. The Wright brothers first took off in flight on December 17, 1903, and this exhibit commemorates that event. Even the Wright Brothers used a wind tunnel to test their plane before they attempted to take flight.

Objects included in the exhibition are from NASA and its predecessor, NACA (the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), which was founded in 1915. Created out of that agency at the beginning of the space race in 1958, NASA, according to the Art Instutite, "has a wealth of often un-exhibited and unpublished artifacts that not only document technological advances in flight over the past century but are also aesthetically striking."

No photographs of this special exhibit are permitted. Unfortunately, there are not postcards or items from this exhibit for sale in the gift shop either.

Intimate Encounters: Paul Gauguin and the South Pacific is at the Art Institute of Chicago from September 6, 2003 through January 11, 2004. I was expecting this exhibit to be filled with Gauguin's paintings and was a bit disappointed to find that it was not. Intimate Encounters is comprised of about 60 drawings and prints by the great Post-Impressionist artist. This exhibit reveals the artist's search to put a face on the South Pacific culture he encountered during his last years. His subjects include scenes of ordinary life, such as Tahitian women, and scenes on the beach.

On April 1, 1891, Gauguin left France to "seek exile and renewal" in Tahiti. He soon discovered that the island had become very French and was not the unspoiled paradise that he had expected. He blamed Christian missionaries and the colonial administration for destroying native culture, but stayed for two years.

Intimate Encounters exhibits some woodcuts, monotypes, drawings, watercolors, lithographs, and sketches from this time. Gauguin's monotype technique involved "offsetting watercolor or gouache designs on paper. Placing a piece of dampened paper over the original design, the artist exerted pressure with an implement such as the back of a spoon. Since the moisture in the paper partially dissolved the water-based medium, the original design would thus be transferred in reverse onto the paper."

Gauguin returned to France with many paintings and an idea for a book (eventually published as Noa-Noa) that would describe his artistic enlightenment after being put in contact with the "primitives" who lived in Tahiti. Gauguin exhibited his Tahitian paintings in fall of 1893, but the show failed.

Gauguin returned to Tahiti in July of 1895. Three years later, he began to make woodcuts. There are six of these woodcuts in Intimate Encounters. At this time, he also work with new methods based on the carbon-paper principle which yield interesting prints. As explained on the signs next to the artworks, he applied a coat of ink to one sheet of paper, placed a second over it, and drew on the top sheet with pencil or crayon.

No photographs of this special exhibit are permitted. Unfortunately, there are not postcards or items from this exhibit for sale in the gift shop either.

The Art Institute of Chicago sits on Michigan Avenue, and the building is noticeable from far away because of the two large marble lions sitting on the stairs. The Institute is home to many great works of art, sculptures, and artifacts. Admission is free on certain days, but a donation is certainly welcome. I'm not an art person, so I couldn't tell you too much about the works in the institute. There are many galleries, each one holding art from a certain artist or period in time. The basement floor was very interesting because it held artifacts from the middle ages, and items from all around the world. This is definitely a place to visit, even if you're not into art.

Sunday we hit the Art Institute. If you like art, this place is for you. I wasn't too sure if I was going to like the place because I'm not really into art, but it was actually pretty neat. I'm glad I went. If you go, plan to spend all day there because there is so much to see and take in.

The Art Institute is a beautiful building housing a wonderful collection of art and sculpture. I love the gift shop too! I recommend that you check there website in advance to check on special exhibits.