The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore

Our friends Todd and Kathy also took us to the American Visionary Art Museum, also known as a museum for self-taught artists or people who like to try their hand at art but don't do it for their careers.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum so all these photos are from outside the museum.  In the museum we saw the art display titled What Makes Us Smile.  And then we saw all kinds of "art."  There was a room full of paintings that had been completed on pizza boxes and were full of large dogs with small people, painted with poster paint.  In another room we saw cartoons drawn by an artist that is a quadriplegic.  Another room contained a bench with whoopee cushions all over the seat part of the bench, so that if you sat down on the bench, flagellant noise was heard.

We also visited another room that was more bizarre with more of a Halloween theme and humor thrown into the art.  I saw a small clay and metal theme part where all the people at the carnival were scary Halloween characters.  There were quilted wall hangings that told about dogs that were heroic or naughty dogs or super-power people.  It was weird and amazing at the same time.  Outside the building we saw this giant egg and then the bird and the nest and had to get a picture of them.

This giant poodle named Fifi is from the Kinetic Sculpture Race that happens each Spring in Baltimore.  When I went online to learn more about the race the website said this about the race.  The Kinetic Sculpture Race is "human powered works of art designed to travel on land, through mud and over deep harbor waters, constructed out of used bicycles, gears, and parts, created by a lunatic genius who tinkers around in the garage or backyard."  We saw several kinetic sculptures and pictures from the race.  It looked wild and crazy and very muddy.  I guess that means it's also a lot of fun.

Someone had a lot of fun with drift wood.

And I found a new friend.

The bus behind us was also a participant in the Kinetic Sculpture Race and now is an outside attraction to the museum.  Notice the shiny building behind the bus...that is the museum.

And here is the giant whirligig that spins around outside the museum.  I enjoyed myself at the museum and also at lunch on the wharf after our tour of the museum.  Thanks to Kathy and Todd for showing us some of the attractions of Baltimore.