Dia: Beacon

Niki and I decided to take a day trip this past Saturday to the Dia: Beacon, a museum for Dia Art Foundation's renowned collection of art from the 1960s to the present. We’re artists. We like to travel. We had a few dollars in our pocket. And we were off!

An hour and half later after boarding the MetroNorth, there we were, in the semi-sleepy town of Beacon, New York. Famished from the ride, we trekked into the town’s Main Street before we headed over to the Dia. Well, getting to the city ain’t as convenient as their website would have you believe. It’s a walk. They make it sound like it’s just a hop skip down the way from the train. Ha. On our way into town, Niki and I got into a staring contest with a deer that was trying to cross the street where we were. This was a little terrifying for me, as I had never been that damn close to a deer, and this potential killer on four legs didn’t look very Bambi-ish. In fact it looked like the star of a TV show called “When Deers Attack Harlemites and Thoroughly Kick Their Black Asses.” Niki and I kept walking and eventually the deer made its way across the street to hang out with its deer gang. Whew.

The town was quiet. There were lots of blacks there. And Latinos. And whites. I saw a few interracial couples. I wondered what the hell was going on. Everyone was peaceful. Everyone seemed like characters from the MLK Dream speech. With racial equality fantasies still dancing in my head, after we finished our meal, we caught a trolley (toot toot!) to the Dia.

What a place. The Dia: Beacon museum is housed in a converted cracker box factory that is not only enormous, but also quite beautiful. Natural light bathes the place. Typically museums can feel cramped if there is a crowd, but not here. The abundance of space lets the viewer feel comfortable in observing the work. There are few distractions here. Though it is fun to glance at the folks who walk about with their “artist connoisseur” stroll on (think one hand on the elbow, a hand on face, while draped in black clothing.) Niki and I saw all of the pieces, but were both enamored of two artists in particular: Micael Heizer and Richard Serra.

Hezier, Michael. North, East, South and West.

Michael Heizer was born in Berkeley, California, in 1944, the son of the anthropologist Robert Heizer. Read more about Heizer by following this link. It’s hard to describe how it feels to be so close to these anti-sculptures, which were created by carving out large holes in the floor. I was overwhelmed. I felt like they were swallowing me. I felt as if the floor itself could give out at any moment. I wanted to look and see inside, but also felt resistance in doing so. Heizer turns the notion of art on its head, literally.

Serra, Richard. Torqued Ellipses.

Richard Serra was born in San Francisco in 1939. Read more about Serra by following this link. Serra’s sculptures are highly participatory. You can actually walk into them—and so we did. Think of being in a large steel labyrinth that winds around with just enough room for two people to pass by the other. Your senses are heightened. Terror hangs in the air. What’s ahead of you? Who’s in front, and who’s behind? Serra’s Torqued Ellipses is an eruption of emotions that throws time and space into relief.

And then there was some crap. But why write about it? Go to Dia’s website Dia: Beacon and then decide for yourself. But keep in mind that no photograph is a substitute for viewing art up close and personal. It can be a beautiful experience, regardless of what you think of the art. Much of what I saw was quite wonderful, moving, or at least, entertaining.

After a couple of hours, we left and went back to Main Street for more food. There was this sweet little place called The Little Pie Place, and of course, I had to stop and treat my tummy to a slice. Niki and I savored their apple-pear pie—delicious. Then we went and got some pizza, which for a small time pizza joint was damn good. An hour and half later were back among the folks bustling through the not-so clean streets of Harlem, uh, excuse me, I mean the NEW Harlem. More on that (bullshit) later.

Tuesday, September 02, 2003 @ 10:09 AM