On January 7th and 8th the Museum hosted one of my favorite programs since our reopening. Our partners at Movement Arts Collective presented Spira, an original dance choreographed by Maartje Herman and inspired by Mark di Suvero’s sculpture Mamma Mobius, its swirling shape and positive and negative space. The performance featured four young dancers and took place three different times during Art and About. In these strange times, it felt invigorating to gather with the hundreds of people who stood outside to see the piece.

On Saturday afternoon the program continued when Ryan Lawrence led joyful and inspired guided movement workshops for people of all ages and abilities. I was moved again by the shared experience of the families and passersby who joined in with Ryan and danced around and explored the sculpture.

Upon seeing videos of the programs, the internationally renowned di Suvero was so moved by the whole program that he sent flowers to every one of the young dancers. If you missed the performances, visit sloma.org for a photo album and a brief video of these talented artists in action.

For me, this performance and the partnership are a perfect manifestation of the Museum’s purpose: a local dance company was commissioned to perform an original piece in partnership with the di Suvero sculpture, creating a unique opportunity for artists within our community to collaborate and create with artists from outside our region. SLOMA is a place to experience art from around the corner and from around the world, and we can’t wait for you to see what’s next.

Leann Standish
Executive Director
San Luis Obispo Museum of Art

Comments are closed.