Self-Guided Tour of Power and Beauty in China's Last Dynasty

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When:

Wednesday, March 28, 2018 - 1:00pm - 2:10pm

Where:

Who: This self-guided tour is intended for students ages 12 through 16 years.
All children, including responsible and/or independent teens, must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult at all times. Younger siblings are welcome to accompany their family on the tour, but must be signed up to do so.

How much:
Cost for Teen/student: $0.00
Cost for Adult/educator (limit of 1 per family): $0.00
Cost for Sibling/student: $0.00

Please register by: Tuesday, March 20, 2018 - 10:00pm

Description

Please plan to arrive no later than 12:45 pm.

Please plan to meet the group in the 3rd Avenue Entrance area between MIA and CTC by 12:45 pm so that our tour can begin promptly. To be clear, the group is NOT meeting in the atrium of the Target Wing. See the first-floor map (PDF) if you unsure where the 3rd Avenue Entrance is located.

We will be divided into 2 groups of 15. One group will enter at 1:00 pm. The next group will enter at 1:10 pm.

To make this easier, the organizer will pre-assign you to a group. If you have a preference for which group, please say so in the comments field when you register.

Adult chaperones are strictly required, so you will be assigned to the same group as your child(ren).

Mia is currently estimating that the self-guided tour will take about 1 hour but that could be wrong.

Includes ambient sound, scents, and lighting effects that may be overwhelming to those with sensory sensitivities.

Enter a world where art and theater collide

Concept and design by Robert Wilson.

They ruled with unrivaled opulence. They led secret lives of infinite power and pleasure. They built an empire to end them all. Now, from the mind behind the groundbreaking theatrical performance Einstein on the Beach, comes this story of China’s last emperors. A rare spectacle of art, light, and sound that places you inside the palace walls. Among the desires and dreams, the mystery and splendor.

In Mia’s collaboration with the renowned international theater and opera director, designer, and artist Robert Wilson, objects from the museum’s collection are displayed in a series of shifting environments. Brightness gives way to darkness. Abundance yields to scarcity. The objects are cast, quite literally, in a new light.

Each room evokes an aspect of life within China’s imperial palace during the Qing (pronounced “ch’ing”) dynasty, which ruled for more than 250 years, until 1911, and combined power with beauty—a golden age of art. The splendor of royal gatherings. Mystic teachings and the sacred rhythms of nature. And the emperors themselves—their bliss and burdens and occasional desire to escape it all.

“The reason we work in the theater is to ask, ‘What is it?’ not to say what it is,” says Wilson. And this is the approach he has brought to Mia. Objects as emotion. The exhibition not as explanation, but as experience.

“If you slow things down, you notice things you hadn’t seen before,” says Wilson, whose visionary approach to art has expanded the possibilities of theater, visual art, and design for more than 50 years.

Born in Waco, Texas, Wilson gravitated to the New York theater scene in the mid-1960s, drawn to choreographers such as Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham who were breaking the narrative traditions of the stage through the use of randomness and stylized movement. In the early 1970s, Wilson collaborated with composer Philip Glass to create the five-hour opera Einstein on the Beach, a landmark of plot-less storytelling and theater as installation—a spectacle to be experienced.

More experiments followed, including collaborations with musicians Tom Waits and Lou Reed, and forays into visual art (he won a Golden Lion at the 1993 Venice Biennale for his sculptural installation). Recently he has worked with Brad Pitt, Salma Hayek, and other actors on a series of slow-moving video portraits and with Lady Gaga on staging her music. Last fall, he designed a theatrical showroom for luxury jewelry-maker Van Cleef & Arpels, evoking Noah’s Ark through sound, light, and video.

For more information, visit the Exhibit website at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. 

• The Gallery Guide describes the thematic progression and holdings of rooms within the exhibition.

• “Art staged with a flair for drama: Theater legend Robert Wilson re-imagines the museum show at Minneapolis Institute of Arts,” by Jenna Ross in the Star Tribune, 2018 Feb 3, pp. E1, E3.

Teens and parents are encouraged to pursue independent preparation before the tour so as to get the most from this special exhibit.

MIA Policies

Because this is an experiential exhibition, Mia is not offering Docent-Guided Tours. Self-guided tours are entirely self-directed, and no docent will be assigned to our tour group.

• All children, including responsible and/or independent teens, must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult at all times.
• Chaperones must stay with their students and are responsible for the behavior of their students at all times.
• Mia reserves the right to refuse or dismiss any group for an inadequate number of chaperones, a lack of adequate supervision, or misconduct.
• Do not touch the works of art.
• Stay at least a foot away.
• Refrain from leaning on the walls or display cases.
• Keep voices low.
• Food, beverages, and chewing gum are not allowed in the galleries.
• Running and rough play are prohibited.
• Only pencils may be used in the galleries.
• Do not bring any pens or markers into the galleries.
• Please bring a writing surface such as a clipboard or stiff notebook for writing or sketching.
• Do not use walls or display cases as support.
• Backpacks and oversized bags are not permitted in the galleries.
• Bags may be checked at the free coat check.
• Medical packs are permitted but please arrive early enough to have time to consult with Mia security staff for instructions.

Once you exit the Special Exhibition area, you will not be able to re-enter.

Event information Cancellation information Additional information Registration form 

Payment information

1. Immediately after you register, you will be emailed a registration confirmation from admin(at)homeschoolrecess(dot)com.
1. Please make sure your email filters recognize from admin(at)homeschoolrecess(dot)com as a legitimate sender.
• “Whitelisting” methodologies vary greatly, so please reach out to your ISP for information on how to do this correctly and successfully.
2. If you don't receive your registration confirmation email, please search your spam/junk folder, your archives and your trash for this email.
3. If you have “whitelisted” this email address and are still unable to find this email in your inbox, your spam/junk folder, your email archives, or your email trash, please contact the volunteer organizer via email.
4. If you receive no response to your email, please call the volunteer organizer.

2. If you need to cancel your registration, please do so via an email request to the volunteer organizer.
• If you wish to cancel, please be respectful of the volunteer organizer's time and send an email request. 
• It is not acceptable to simply not show up.

3. To help the volunteer organizer identify you in the registration database, please include your username and field trip number along with any requests.
• Your username and field trip number can be found in your registration confirmation email message and on the registration form on this page.

Event information Payment information Additional information Registration form 

Cancellation information

Cancellation deadline: Tue, Mar 20, 2018 - 10:00pm

TO CANCEL BEFORE THE DEADLINE: 
(1) Please let the organizer know as soon as possible via email. 

TO CANCEL AFTER THE DEADLINE: 
(1) Let the organizer know as soon as possible via email. 
(3) Please attempt to transfer your tickets to another family.
(3b) Please let the organizer know about the substitution. 
 
TO CANCEL ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 
(1) It is not cool to just not show up. Please let the organizer know if you are unable to attend — via email, text message or voice mail. 
(2) Please attempt to find a last-minute substitute for your family. 

Event information Payment information Cancellation information Registration form 

Additional information

Please arrive by:

Please plan to arrive before 12:45 pm in order to have plenty of time to find parking, check in with the organizer, visit the bathrooms, check your coats and bags (free) and otherwise be prepared for our tour to start on time. Please plan to be early to avoid being late due to inadequate maps, confusing road signs, road construction, heavy traffic, parking difficulties, inclement weather or uncooperative children.

Where to meet:

Please plan to meet the group in the 3rd Avenue Entrance area between MIA and CTC by 12:45 pm so that our 1 pm tour can begin promptly. 

To be clear, the group is NOT meeting in the atrium of the Target Wing. See the first-floor map if you unsure where the 3rd Avenue Entrance is located: new.artsmia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/1st_Floor_Gallery_Map.pdf

Food policy:

Please, no food or beverages in the galleries. 

If you are planning to eat at Mia, be aware that the Agra Culture Restaurant on the mezzanine level will be closed (it is currently open only on weekends). The Agra Culture Coffee Shop in the main lobby is open during all museum hours. new.artsmia.org/visit/dining-at-the-mia/

Alternate plans:

Mia has a policy of not closing due to inclement weather. In the unlikely event that Mia should cancel our tour, the organizer will attempt to reschedule and those signed up for the original date and time will be given “first dibs” on the new date and time.

Parking information:

The parking ramp is directly south of the CTC-MIA complex. The ramp entrances are located on 3rd Ave S between E 24th St and E 25th St. There is a surface lot directly across the street from the ramp with an entrance on 3rd Ave S and another on E 25th St. There is an additional lot northeast of the museum with entrances on 3rd Ave S, E 24th St, and Clinton Ave S. 

Parking is $5 for the first 2 hours and $1 for each additional hour with a daily maximum or lost ticket fee of $12. Please follow instructions at the pay stations. Be aware that there is a possibility of event rates. 

More information and a map can be found at new.artsmia.org/visit/parking/

Directions:

From the east on I-94 West (from St. Paul), exit at 11th St and follow 11th St exit to the second stoplight. Turn left onto 3rd Ave S. Continue on 3rd Ave until you see the MIA on your right, just south of the intersection of E 24th St and 3rd Ave S.

From Downtown Minneapolis, drive south on 3rd Ave (away from the Mississippi River) until you see the MIA on your right, just south of the intersection of E 24th St and 3rd Ave S.

From the west on I-394 East (from St Louis Park), exit on 12th St and drive 4 blocks, turn right on La Salle Ave. Take La Salle to Franklin Ave and turn left on Franklin and proceed to 3rd Ave S. Turn right on 3rd Ave and proceed to the MIA.

From the north and northwest on I-94 East (from St Cloud), take the Hennepin/Lyndale exit. When Hennepin and Lyndale divide, continue on Lyndale Ave S to E 24th St. Turn left and proceed to 3rd Ave S. Turn right onto 3rd Ave.

From the north and east on I-35W South (from Duluth), exit to I-94 West then exit at 11th St and follow 11th St exit to the second stoplight. Turn left onto 3rd Ave S. Continue on 3rd Ave until you see the MIA on your right, just south of the intersection of E 24th St and 3rd Ave S.

From the south on I-35W North (from Rochester), take the 31st St/Lake St exit and turn left onto 31st St. Drive to 1st Ave S and turn right and drive to 24th St and turn right. Proceed to 3rd Ave. Turn right onto 3rd Ave. The entrance to the MIA is on the right.

Additional information and a map can be found at new.artsmia.org/visit/directions/

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