Circumstances have aligned that are going to make going places and doing things much more accessible for us. First, the wheelchair! Wyatt is working on walking but just doesn’t have the stamina or endurance to go very far, so we need the wheelchair until he gets there. And we have one now and life is easier! Second, the pandemic has reached a point where I feel comfortable taking Wyatt into places like museums again. We still wear masks but things are better for us around here. So I was super excited to take Wyatt to the museum!
We rolled up early in the morning., bright and early at 9 when they open. We are get up and go people, we are up early anyway (thanks to early bird boy) and I also like how empty a place is that early so, there we were. The only other people there seemed to be the people going to the Van Gogh exhibit (which I need to get to before it leaves) so we sort of had the rest of the museum to ourselves for quite a while. My mom went with us, as did Billy since he had the day off to go camping. (he headed out after our field trip). We had a great time.
First up were the Diego Rivera murals, the whole point to our trip. Wyatt has been learning about Diego River in art and I was really excited to be able to show him some actual, in person, works of Rivera. He could not believe how huge they were. They are pretty awe inspiring.
After we spent some time here, we moved on to the ofrendas, a special exhibit right now. I wanted all of us to see it, as this month Wyatt and I are focusing on all Hispanic artists this month and I also have some lessons about Dia de los Muertos as well coming up. My mom, Billy, and I were very moved by these personal and emotional creations. They were very elaborate and thoughtful. I was not comfortable taking photos of them for obvious reasons, but there were some parts I did feel it was ok to do so. These ofrendas were intended for public viewing to educate but also still were personal to the artist’s family, so it was tricky.
After soaking in the ofrendas, we wandered around the rest of of that floor. Wyatt was more excited about using his wheelchair than he was about the art and we had to keep him in check – I was slightly anxious my exuberant child was going to knock over a Roman bust or something.
Just a few more, I promise.
We didn’t explore the whole museum this time – I figured that this was enough for this visit and we can back and see the rest later. I also wanted to visit the gift shop before we left to look for Frida, Rivera, or Day of the Dead stuff. I could have poked around in there all day but my guys were getting restless.
The DIA offers a free educator pass to homeschool families which is pretty cool! I applied in September and received mine a few days later. I am looking forward to seeing what they offer!
Our first wheelchair field trip adventure was a success and I am looking forward to our future adventures!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 
I’ll be headed to the DIA soon for the VanGogh exhibit. No matter how many times I”ve seen the Diego Rivera, I remain in awe. Especially when you hear all the details of who is who and what all is happening in the mural. I have a few favorites I always have to visit there, too! What a great day. So glad you have the wheelchair to make these trips possible!
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I am looking forward to hearing about your Van Gogh visit! We are talking about when we might be able to get there without little man. Lol.
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Wow, what an incredible looking museum! Glad you all had a great time!
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Thanks Angela!! We had a really good time.
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I’m glad you have the wheel chair and it is nice being able to go to places again. I still wear a mask too. What an awesome day you had. Your photos are wonderful.
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I feel like our family will just keep wearing masks for a long time! And the wheelchair is so so nice. A huge blessing for us!
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What a great outing. I’ve done a puzzle of that first Diego Rivera mural you shared. Such detail! I’m glad Wyatt has a wheel chair to get around. I’m sure he enjoys the sense of freedom!
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That is awesome!!! Yes, there is so much detail in his work, it is a amazing. And he is loving the wheelchair!!
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I am sure that wheelchair was like opening a whole new world for Wyatt! And, a museum has those wonderfully wide halls, right? I love art museums…we have a membership to that. I missed the Van Gogh exhibit when it was here, but the Monet one is now here so I hope to get into it!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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Yes….. which Wyatt wanted to use every bit of. LOL. We have a membership to The Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village and we love it. I may upgrade our DIA membership though, so that we can go to special exhibits easier.
And oo! I hope you get to it!
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I’m so glad he has that wheelchair and I love these photos! He really does seem to be having such a good time!
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He’s a wild man in it!
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I bet the wheelchair has given Wyatt a new sense of freedom. Which is kind of the opposite of how others might feel moving from being more mobile walking to being less mobile in a wheelchair. I am thrilled about Wyatt’s exuberance!! Even in a museum.
Exciting to see ofrendas in a Detroit museum. El Paso comes alive this time of year with ofrendas and altars and treks to the cemeteries to welcome angels back to earth. There is a free Kindle book – “Maria Molina and the Days of the Dead” that I loved using with my students to study this holiday. Wyatt might enjoy it, too.
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He is so happy about it! He can now move about public spaces without relying on Billy and I 100% and it is awesome.
I would love to see that one day! And thank you for the book recommendation, we will definitely read it!
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