Oklahoma! at the Museum of Broadway

Back in the spring of 2021 I started collaborating with the Museum of Broadway for an installation inspired by the 1943 musical Oklahoma! for their new museum in the heart of Times Square. The founders Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti had a vision for a room you could walk through and feel like you were on the set of the show, as if you were walking through the cornfield on Aunt Eller's farm just like in the song "Oh What a Beautiful Morning!". This would be in the Gamechangers section of the museum, as Oklahoma! was the first hit show to bring "serious" dance into the theater.

I began with a few rounds of sketches and paintings to explore the movement and details of the cornstalks.

I then utilized my sketches to paint two horizontal pieces incorporating the landscape from the set of Aunt Eller's farm with the Oklahoma mountains in the background. These paintings would be blown up onto the walls of the museum and used as a backdrop for my super thick paint applications which I would paint on-site. The goal was to cover the walls in thick paint details and have the viewer walk through a faux cornfield to experience the landscape up-close.

I used pounds and pounds of paint using only palette knives on the actual walls to bring the whole piece to life. The installation was then completed with a barn, costumes, photos from the musical, and a walk-through cornfield with life-like cornstalks created by Square Design Inc of Brooklyn.

As an artist I was enchanted by the craftsmanship and creative touches throughout the museum, including intricate paper sculptures made from Showboat playbills by Rachel Marks, feathered walls in the Ziegfeld Follies room, an up-close look at the costumes from Hamilton, an eery room complete with the monstrous Phantom costume, and even the original Annie dress. Delightful, playful, and well-thought out, this museum is a joy for the senses.

The Museum of Broadway is now open to the public and you can get your timed tickets here!

The Art of Love

It's the season of love, roses, and all things pink. Today I'm sharing with you a few of my favorite things that exude the romantic sentiment of Valentine's Day. ❤️💖💕

I absolutely love this color block sweater by Wooden Ships (no pun intended!). I first discovered their sweaters at a local boutique last fall and have been a fan ever since. I love how they blend text with beautiful, modern color palettes. Bonus: they are family-owned and family-run with a no-waste approach---- all pieces are made-to-order from their eco-friendly factory in Bali. Cool huh? Go snag yourself one of their sweaters and use code annmarie15 for 15% off everything at wooden-ships.com!

I'm also in love with these cute ceramic mugs and earrings by Harper Jensen of Freckled Pottery.

Her earrings are available now for pre-order to arrive by Valentine's Day and her mugs will be available February 7th at 7pm. Don't miss out! (Images above and below by Freckled Pottery)

Lastly, I selected some of my favorite romantic pieces---- cherry blossoms, pink abstracts, roses, and beach babes---- available in a variety of sizes in my Print Shop at 25% off everything today. Links for each piece are listed below. 💕

Top to bottom, left to right:

Rite of Spring

Carnival No. 1

Love No. 3

Claret 2

February Cherries

Weeping Cherries

Italo and Gloria

La Vie en Rose

“Love art, love yourself, do what you have to do and what only you can do. Utter honesty is the only path to originality.” -Roberta Smith, NY Times Co-Chief Art Critic

Kusama's Galactic Debut

Today I lived out a dream. I was invited to the Press Preview for the new Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the Hirshhorn, which opens to the public February 23rd. The show is the first survey of Kusama's immersive infinity mirror installations, spanning five decades of the acclaimed artist's career. The infinity mirror rooms are closed-door, walk-in installations for one or two people at a time and are merely the size of a large closet, yet unending in appearance. It's as if you are stepping into a time machine and viewing your current self while also having an out-of-body, hallucinatory experience from a galaxy far away. The exhibit also includes paintings, sculptures, peek-hole installations, and photographs with the artist's signature polka dots and colorful, repetitive forms.

Below: inside Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room-- The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.

The repetitive nature of Kusama's work is a therapeutic and meditative response to her lifelong battle with mental illness and her desire to fit in with society. In her early career, she hand-sewed all of her soft sculptures, reminiscent of Ursula's evil Garden of Polyps from The Little Mermaid. However, the mental taxation of this intense repetitive process steered her towards using mirrors in the mid 1960's, which led to the eventual creation of her first infinity mirror room. In the early 2000's, Kusama began exploring the inevitability of death and our relationship with the outer universe. In Infinity Mirrored Room-- The Souls of a Million Light Years Away, we are invited to quietly reflect on our existence and our presence as a tiny spec in the infinite universe. Kusama once said "Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos", and this exhibit will surely make you feel the weight of our existence.

Below: Ennui,1976. Sewn and stuffed fabric with silver paint and shoes.

The final installation of the show, The Obliteration Room, invites viewers to participate in decorating (i.e. "obliterating") the stark-white room with colorful polka-dot stickers. This participatory experience is a way for us all to collectively unite in a task and change a barren landscape into a room of pulsating color. The room has a working piano, children's toys, wine glasses, picture frames, and even painted plants.

Above: The Obliteration Room prior to public opening, February 21, 2017.

While this show is sure to make you question our minion-like presence in the universe, it is also an optimal opportunity to don your polka-dot attire or other flare for an instagram--worthy selfie. Even today in a group of mostly conservative art world professionals, I saw a few bright pink Kusama-esque wigs and polka-dotted t-shirts.

Free timed passes to the exhibit will be released every Monday beginning at 12pm at kusama.si.edu. The exhibit runs February 23 to May 14, after which it will travel to Seattle, Los Angeles, Ontario, Cleveland, and Atlanta.

Above: Infinity Mirror Room: Phalli's Field, 1965.

Above: exterior of Dots Obsession – Love Transformed Into Dots, 2007.

Above: My Eternal Soul paintings and sculptures, 2009 to present.

Above: Kusama's peek-hole installation with a photograph of Kusama reflected off the exterior mirror.