As one approaches the Rose Art Museum, it is clear why it made the "Massachusetts' 1,000 Great Places" this past summer. A building that, though built in the '60s, still has a modern-art feel and a beautifully designed, temporary "Source/ReSource" fountain created by artist Michael Dowling for the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts last year, the Rose is an attractive building; and that doesn't even touch upon what is on the inside. Boasting one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in New England and holding more than 7,500 pieces-most of which are kept in vaults for preservation-the Rose certainly offers quite an array of artwork. Home to works by renowned pop artists Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist and Andy Warhol, among others, the museum's exhibitions provide a venue for art enthusiasts and casual art appreciators to be introduced to the great spectrum of works that the Rose has to offer.The two big exhibitions this academic year, "Regarding Painting" and "WaterWays," both open Thursday. The exhibitions look to the core of painting and not just the end result, exploring ways to use paint as a medium both in the creative process and as a representation of one of the essential elements of life-water.

"WaterWays," which will fill the Fineberg, Rose and Lee Galleries, looks to its muse, water, as an explorative means of life. Just as the "Source/ReSource" fountain closes in the following weeks, the exhibition will allow visitors of the museum a chance to continue exploring the topic of water-literally "ReSource"-ing one project to the next. Since this spring's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, water has been on everyone's minds, making the exhibit all the more pertinent. And considering water makes up about 60 percent of the human body, it is literally fueling our survival. The painters included in the exhibit "WaterWays" have all drawn upon this idea of water as an essential lifesource of the human body.

Accompanying the paintings, William Kentridge's video "Tide Table" will be shown.

The "Regarding Painting" exhibition is one of the most interesting uses of Rose artwork in recent memory. It will allow viewers the opportunity to not only see the huge collection of paintings, but also to have a better grasp of the creative processes that go into making a finished project. At the core of the "Regarding Painting" exhibition is the idea that although paint is typically seen as just a material medium and tool to put together a complete painting, it can act as an impactful object that can shape perspectives just as much as it can form paintings.

"It's amazing to see what people are doing with paint," remarked Office of the Arts Program Administrator Ingrid Schorr. "Seeing paint as a material allows you to rethink the collection."

Artist Roxy Paine created one of these paintings by the name of "PMU No. 10." If the name sounds robotic, just wait until you hear how it was created. Using a computer-controlled typing machine, Paine was able to apply multiple layers of paint to his canvas, one keystroke at a time. And though, according to Schorr, she is not sure if the keystrokes have deeper meaning, she said, "This is just one of the examples of ways the exhibition is allowing people to look at the art in a new light."

Looking at paintings in a new light is one of the goals of the exhibition. While some of the paintings have been seen on display in previous years, the restructuring of their locations creates an entirely new context in which to understand them. Taking into account that many of the paintings haven't been seen by the public eye for years, the exhibition becomes all the more enticing. "There are some paintings on the walls that people who have been [at Brandeis] for multiple years have never had a chance to see," Schorr said. "It is truly an impressive collection. I don't know how they were able to make their final decisions."

"Regarding Painting" doesn't only use physical art as an explorative means, but it has also adapted a 21st-century technological aspect. Multiple paintings in the exhibition will have accompanying bar codes that smartphone and iPod Touch users will be able to scan to better explore the collection. Schorr explained, "You just point and click and you have bios, videos and more right at your fingertips."

Those who neither own nor have access to these devices shouldn't fret, since the Rose recently purchased some iPod Touches for attendees to rent out. Designed by Brandon White (GRAD) and Rose employees Emily Leifer, Brian Friedberg and Maarit Ostrow, the almost-complete Mobile Apps application will provide users with a mobile experience that is both Rose created and curated. This is truly an impressive innovation; the Rose Art Museum is one of the first to use smartphone technology in an exhibit. "Regarding Painting" will be exhibited in the Foster Wing.

Art curation is like creating a finely crafted essay-each painting is like a book, and each location tells a story. If graded as such, the curator and new Director of Academic Programming Dabney Hailey certainly deserves an A. It seems fitting that the new exhibits inhabit the Rose as the museum reaches its 50th year. Not only do they showcase the grand collection of the museum, but "Regarding Painting" and "WaterWays" also serve as metaphors for the flowing and innovative future of the museum.