Discussing All the Beauty in the World
By Patrick Bringley
A fascinating, revelatory portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard.
Millions of people climb the grand marble staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny. They’re the guards who roam unobtrusively in dark blue suits, keeping a watchful eye on the two million square foot treasure house. Caught up in his glamorous fledgling career at The New Yorker, Patrick Bringley never thought he’d be one of them. Then his older brother was diagnosed with fatal cancer and he found himself needing to escape the mundane clamor of daily life. So he quit The New Yorker and sought solace in the most beautiful place he knew.
To his surprise and the reader’s delight, this temporary refuge becomes Bringley’s home away from home for a decade. We follow him as he guards delicate treasures from Egypt to Rome, strolls the labyrinths beneath the galleries, wears out nine pairs of company shoes, and marvels at the beautiful works in his care. Bringley enters the museum as a ghost, silent and almost invisible, but soon finds his voice and his tribe: the artworks and their creators and the lively subculture of museum guards—a gorgeous mosaic of artists, musicians, blue-collar stalwarts, immigrants, cutups, and dreamers.
Contact Margo Clark at mclark@knoxart.org for more information.
Free & open to the public!
This project is supported in part by federal award number 21.027 awarded to Knox County by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Arts & Culture Alliance, and by the federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Deaf Night at the KMA welcomes Knoxville’s Deaf Community to an open house at the museum. Join us for an exclusive evening exploring the KMA’s current exhibitions— Jane Cassidy Drink Up the Moon, Currents: Recent Art from East Tennessee and Beyond, Cycle of Life: Within the Power of Dreams and the Wonder of Infinity, Facets of Modern and Contemporary Glass, and the Thorne Rooms. Accessible tours will be given throughout the evening, and KMA docents accompanied by student interpreters from the University of Tennessee and the community will be available in the galleries. Enjoy an evening of light refreshments, learning about the art, interactive and accessible activities with friends and family.
This event is FREE & open to the public!
REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT
Questions? Contact DeLena Feliciano at dfeliciano@knoxart.org or 865-934-2041.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS FOR THEIR COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT OF THIS EVENT!
Lee Handler (KMA Volunteer and Docent)
Sean Burke (KMA Volunteer)
In partnership with the University of Tennessee, Center on Deafness and students from the Deaf Studies: Educational Interpreting concentration. Program Coordinator: Megan Wylie Potts; for more information, contact mpotts10@utk.edu
This project is supported, in whole or in part, by the federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Summer Art Academy Brochure Coming Spring 2024!
The Knoxville Museum of Art’s Summer Art Academy offers quality educational opportunities that will ignite your child’s imagination through drawing, painting, sculpture, and more! Summer Art Academy will continue to offer classes and workshops for ages 3-17. Workshops will be held in Bailey Hall, the Sarah Jane Hardrath Kramer Education Center, and Martin Studio.
Increased pricing for Summer Art Academy to be announced! Partial and full scholarships will continue to be offered for students demonstrating financial need. These scholarships are available on a first come, first served; as monies allow. Thanks to the help of our generous sponsors, scholarships cover 100% of expenses for students in need, except for transportation. We believe in the importance of art education for all children, please take advantage of this fantastic opportunity!
For more information, call (865) 525-6101 ext. 241 or e-mail education@knoxart.org.
Presenting Sponsors
Emerson Automation Solutions
Publix Super Markets Charities
Leader Sponsors
The Ponzio Family
Knox County Health Department
L’Amour du Vin Fund-A-Cause
Sustaining Sponsors
Axle Logistics
Michael Mervis/Zilber Family Foundation
Additional Sponsors
Ann & Steve Bailey
The Guild of the Knoxville Museum of Art
Tennessee Arts Commission
Arts & Culture Alliance
National Endowment of the Arts
This project is supported in part by the Arts & Culture Alliance, City of Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
