As I walked in, the New Museum art museum in Los Gatos felt eerily quiet.
I was excited to visit the museum, as I am interested in art and live close to the museum, but the lack of people at the exhibit made me start questioning my choice.
An attendant sat at the front, waiting to handle entrance fees. The general admission fee is $10, but people under 18 can get in for free. There are discounts for the elderly, students and military.
The current exhibitions feature pieces ranging from traditional oil paintings to contemporary reductionist pieces. They are split up into main groups in the different rooms, one being “Waterlines,” an exhibition focusing on the artist’s view of water.
Since there were no signs indicating which way to go, I started walking around the museum in a clockwise direction. Scattered around the museum were pictures, paintings and prints of the waterlines around the Bay Area.
The museum contracts local artists around the Bay Area, as well as collectors of older art pieces. NUMU is also part of the contemporary art movement, which has a focus on mixed media.
I had done some art in the past, but it was entirely traditional art, sticking to paints, inks and pencil. The museum was something new to me since it features other forms of art, such as photography and sculpting.
One exhibit I liked features 16 photos arranged into a square. The photos are all aerial shots of various spots around the Bay Area. Contrasting colors and swirling shapes make the piece look surreal.
Especially if you have an interest in art, I would recommend going to NUMU. If nothing else, the museum is a nice isolated place to get away from outside noise. The exhibits change often, making it a new experience every time.