I went to the Cleveland Museum of Art last week and was walking around outside on a nice, but chilly Saturday afternoon and noticed this shot that allowed me to contrast the two parts/styles of the building.

If you haven’t seen the building, it’s definitely an extreme contrast in styles. One part (the original building) is about as “classic” as you can get. Marble, columns, big statues, cleanly carved shrubs and trees overlooking a beautiful lake, surrounded by a park. The newer building (actually currently under MAJOR expansion) is extremely modern in style. It’s actually fairly strange looking and I can imagine that a lot of people dislike the building as it’s blocky and simply marble stripes. Nothing could be more modern in style. You simply can’t miss it.

I can’t say that I love the building but what I do like is how the design of the building mirrors what’s inside. There’s classical art and modern art and everything in between, and I couldn’t think of a better way to show that concept on the outside of the building. Each example gives you no doubt as to the message they’re trying to send (we love all types and styles of art).

As a designer, I also like their logo because it does the same thing. I simply couldn’t do a better job of taking simple shapes to describe the two looks of the building and also summing up the concept of presenting “classical” and “modern” in one clean, simple image. It’s a masterwork of logo design in my opinion.

Florida, U.S.A. 2008

Cleveland Museum of Art – Cleveland, Ohio. “The Thinker,” which is displayed in front of the south entrance of the Cleveland Museum of Art, is one of a handful of monumental castings of the famous work that was produced under Rodin’s supervision. It bears an identifying plaque that includes the phrase “Tragically damaged through vandalism March 24, 1970.”

Cleveland, Ohio

Ohio City (Just outside of Cleveland Ohio)

I was in Cleveland and I noticed this huge billboard for light beer. What I thought was funny was it’s location. I just found this one really ironic since it was posted on a dilapidated, abandoned building in one of the roughest, poorest neighborhoods in Cleveland. I’m sure these are people that need all the “cheer” they can get. I’m just not sure that they need any more of the kind that comes from a beverage can. If perhaps they do, then I can almost guarantee that they could care less that it’s only 64 calories.

This is an undoctored photo of a tree at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It stands close to the wall of the modern portion of the building (hence the vertical stripes in the background). Notice the “eyes” on the trees.

I took this picture of an endangered Snow Leopard at the Akron Zoo in Ohio. I thought the smaller picture was funny of Abby’s face as it looks like the leopard is about to walk up to her and take a bite. She was a little weary as the cat stalked her from the other side of the glass.

The snow leopard has been categorized as an endangered species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) since 1972 and is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES Appendix I), which makes trafficking live cats, fur or body parts illegal.

It has been estimated that there are about 3,500 to 7,000 left in the wild. There are about 600 – 700 in zoos around the world. There are many threats to this animal. Poaching is a major problem. Their fur is highly prized in the fur trade and their body parts are used in traditional Asian medicine.