
Photo by Josie Hannum, Marketing Video Intern
5 Questions with Visual Artist and Educator Gita Ghei
By Hailey Almsted, Integrated Marketing Intern
Copper, aluminum and rainbows, oh my! Our visitors have had a colorful time collaborating with local visual artist Gita Ghei to create a beautiful Rainbow Spinner, a solar-powered sculpture that shows off light and the emergence of colors. We asked Gita five questions about her experience here, and her answers did not disappoint.
- What has your experience here been like? I appreciate the staff and volunteers because they are super resourceful and artistic. I also like to hear how people interpret and describe concepts [of art]. It’s a lot of fun seeing the designs because every design is so individual.
- What is your most memorable experience with a visitor during your time here? I ask visitors to think of their energy and create that. I had one visitor who made a super abstract shape, but she spent a super long time thinking about it. I like seeing kids get lost in the idea of their energy and seeing what their energy is like. It’s everything under the sun you can think of.
- What are kids learning with this exhibit? Kids are learning hand skills. With cutting metal, it’s challenging to everyone. Older kids and younger kids have a hard time, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s a good challenge to be successful with. It’s also challenging to tell the kids that they aren’t keeping the work. I like to tell them that they’re an artist displaying their work in a galleries.
- What draws you to visual art? I love a variety of individual expression and to have them [artists] think of the world and who they are, and express that for others outside of language. I also like the many ways that artists can collaborate together.
- Describe the sculpture that these pieces will go onto. The sculpture is a giant, solar-powered sunflower basically. The structure is based on a sunflower and all of the pieces of art will be hanging (out of reach). The sculpture will form rainbows when the sun hits it. There’s enough space for 300 pieces, but we have more art than there is room for. So we will be switching out the pieces about halfway through summer.
Thank you to Gita and to all of our visitors who participated in creating the Rainbow Spinner! The vibrant piece will be radiating light on the museum’s Tip Top Terrace all summer. So be sure to check it out.