Here’s a name for you: Kluge-Ruhe. The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia, a depository of over 3600 Australian Aboriginal art objects, is the only museum in the United States dedicated solely to Aboriginal art. Is that a claim to fame? I dunno. I guess you use whatever you’ve got to attract visitors .
The weather being unpleasantly hot, an indoor experience for our last day in this area was desirable. We’ve already exhausted the main historical destinations (Monticello and Montpelier) so why not spend time in Australia?
Kluge and Ruhe were two American art collectors who decided to combine their Australian aboriginal, art collection and give it to a university where it would be available to researchers. Exactly why they picked university of Virginia is not clear but I suppose why not?
The building was small with two primary exhibits, both contemporary. Both female aboriginal artists.
Above, the colors come from ochre which the artists dig themselves. In case you don’t know, ochre is clay or sand containing a lot of iron oxide (rust).
We went to the Eastwood winery in Charlottesville for lunch. I’ve probably mentioned there are wineries, breweries and distilleries all over the place here. We all chose a smoked turkey sandwich and I went with apple pear cider rather than wine. If we wanted to stay longer we could have joined a blending workshop going later in the day.
That’s it. Tomorrow we head back to Dulles, return our car, stay overnight in a hotel near the airport and then homeward bound. Well, not quite home. I’m heading to L.A. for a few days with my mom and brother and sister-in-law and some fun cousins.
If we stop anywhere interesting on the way back to Dulles, I will let you know.
Gotta love that basket, beautiful!