Columbia Museum of Art

I’m currently in Lexington, South Carolina, for a few months at a housesit (and you can too – click the link for a discount!) My goal is to see all the museums in the area that I can, and my first one is the Columbia Museum of Art.

I jumped on this one at the beginning of last month because the Columbia Museum of Art is FREE on the first Thursday of every month, coming up again in a couple of days! Normally, it’s $10 and under.

Arrival

The Columbia Museum of Art is located on Main Street at Hampton. There is plenty of street parking and a parking garage on Taylor. You might want to download the Passport parking app before you leave home. It was the only way I could pay at the meter. They don’t take Park Mobile or credit cards.

The lobby is a bright, open, white space with a big Chihuly glass sculpture hanging above the reception desk. Even when it’s free, check in at the desk to get a sticker and a map, you’ll need it later.

MC Escher Exhibit

A big draw for the museum is the current MC Escher exhibit. It is fascinating! Room by room, you are guided through Escher’s career and his developing designs and skills. First, you are introduced to his early commercial work. Then you see sketches and prints of his travels (I really liked this part.) Then the way he makes geometric patterns into the figures of animals like birds and fish. And finally, you get to his impossible buildings and stairs and loops. It’s so cool.

I assume everything in the exhibit are originals, prints he made himself. Don’t miss the video where it shows how he used multiple woodcuts to print his final piece, an interlocking snake pattern.

The rest of the museum

The rest of the Columbia Museum of Art collection is upstairs, via stairs or elevator. Once you’re up there, there’s really only one door to go into, but that one door leads to gallery upon gallery, which is where your map will come in handy. You want to make sure you don’t miss any!

What is on exhibit is varied, from furniture and housewares to portraits and sculptures. I really like the Fiestaware, and the Japanese bowl mended with gold.

The whole museum took me a little over an hour to tour. You’re located right in downtown Columbia, so there’s plenty to do in the immediate area like shopping and food. I went across Taylor to the Mast General Store, which is fun to visit.