Metal Detector

Perched high above a sweeping bend in the Mississippi, the Metal Museum’s sculpture-strewn grounds magnetically draw visitors to outdoor events such as Blues on the Bluff and the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Romp, both of which I’ve attended there. In the fall, Repair Days draw people (like me) with dull knives and broken cauldrons (OK, I made that last one up), who hand them over to artisans who seem able to fix anything. I’ve picnicked in the gazebo with and without my kids, and friends tell me the Indian burial mound across the road from the Museum’s iron gates is great for sledding.

However, until Saturday, I’d never paid to enter the buildings and view any exhibits. Sure, I’d eyeballed the gift shop’s offerings (more on that to come), but I’d always promised myself I’d look indoors another time. I never really attended to the Museum as such; I figured they had some New Orleans-style balcony railings and a few old church bells. Frankly, I wasn’t so interested.

How wrong, how wrong I was. It took a chance meeting with the Metal Museum’s director, Carissa Hussong, at a taping of KNO-TV’s Local Color to get me in, but once she drew my attention to the museum’s temporary exhibits, I knew I’d have to head over with my kids. Right now, the main building is hosting two shows that are pretty much guaranteed to delight and amaze. In one, luminous, lifelike forms inhabit a realistic-feeling undersea space; in the other, everyday objects take on a mythic resonance when merged with animal or anatomical forms.

Though the MM’s current exhibits have academic-sounding titles, there’s nothing alienating about them. That’s not to say that they they don’t seem alien at moments. In “Arlene Fisch: Creatures from the Deep,” magenta jellyfish drift over mounds of coral, the play of light and shadow mimicking perfectly the outer-space feel of scuba diving.

Both of my kids were riveted by the jellies. Solly hopped around the room, squealing with excitement.

Gus divided his focus between the technique by which they were crafted — a combination of knitting and crocheting in copper wire — and the taxonomic notes explaining which real-world organisms these sculptures were modeled on.

Upstairs in the building that houses temporary shows and the gift shop (the first building as you enter the grounds) was an exhibit of jewelry from South Africa. Despite its kid-repellent title (“Dichotomies in Objects: Contemporary South African Studio Jewelry from the Stellenbosch Area”) the show was an even bigger hit with my two boys than the hand-knit sea monsters. How can that be? you ask, agape.

Because the objects were crazy cool, that’s how. Kids love miniatures, grotesques, oddities. They love anything that hints at majesty or magic. And they love Bart Simpson, especially when he has funny critters inside his head.

Creepier were the rosettes on the walls that, on closer inspection, proved to be capped with little rodent snouts.

Solly was captivated by the rabbit ear positioner (every bunny needs one!) and the duck helmet.

Gus was drawn to a fur-lined coronet and some things made out of skulls. We all loved the turkey chariot with hare legs.

A stop in the shop convinced me that it’s my new go-to when friends, brothers or their progeny need gifting. I spotted a onesie with “Tons of Fun” printed above an anvil, and someone in my circle of friends and family needs this baby head switch plate.

We headed outdoors, where Solly ran past the gazebo and yelled down to the barges on the river.

Gus and I visited the smithy, manned by a big guy who didn’t seem to mind getting flecked by beads of molten metal from time to time.

He showed us a lot of cool stuff.

And then I remembered that we’d been told, as we paid to get in, that the permanent collection was in the other building. I hadn’t even noticed there was another building, so in the spirit of inquiry, I went in. A minute later, I was back outside, frantically waving my arms to the kids. They had to see this — it was like pirates and robbers and Wild West all in one. There was an iron-bound treasure chest…

…and shiny knives that would make any little boy’s heart sing.

Though I couldn’t help wondering, will he notice the naked lady on that blade?

By now, we had to head home for Solly’s nap. Our guys had worn themselves out. But we’ll be back soon with sandwiches to enjoy on the grounds. It looks like my kids will find more to like in upcoming exhibits, which will feature enameled Chinese lions and antique guns. And as I explored the MM’s website, I noticed that they receive mosquito management services from Buzz Off. So maybe this is the place to be even when the weather gets hot.

The Metal Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sundays: 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m., and closed Mondays and during exhibit changes. Admission to the buildings is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for students and kids aged 5-18. Younger kids are free. Getting to the museum can be a little tricky, so check out these directions; and remember that as you’re leaving, you should head for 55 South unless you want to get to Arkansas. Which we all do, at times, right? But maybe not this one.

Tagged as: art for kids in memphis, art in Memphis, Blues on the Bluff, family activities, free family activities, kids in Memphis, Memphis artisans, Memphis family fun, Memphis museums, Memphis picnic spots, Memphis rock n romp, Metal Museum, Mississippi River