Exhibitions

Recaption/Recontext

By arecaroe October 13, 2011
Exhibitions, University Art Museum

I’ve come across a few visitor’s register books in the files from the 1980s and 1990s (visitors wrote their name, where they hailed from, and any comments about the show.) I began perusing the register for the 1989 show Recaption/Recontext, featuring photographs from the Cray Research/Film in the Cities collection. The show was curated by photographer Vince Leo, who paired each photograph with a quotation about photography from a variety of sources, thus “recaptioning and recontextualizing” the images. In the catalog, Leo states his general aim is “to agitate against or puncture what we usually think about these photographs in particular, or about photography in general; to open gaps in interpretation instead of closing them.”

Some of the comments in the visitor’s register book about this show caught my eye:

Took me back home.
Gave me hope.
It’s nice to know photography is not dead.
It’s bare! But wow!
Why are the two pictures pertianing to black people “lent by the artist” and not owned in the collection?
I loved the variety. Some photographs leave me entranced and with the need to see more.
Deep! / Intense
Illuminating a wonderful example of the power of context!
I agree – do whatever you must to get your point across – nothing is sacred.

And my favorite comment was simply: “Art?”

Invitation for the exhibition “Recaption/Recontext”

MHMHMHMH

By wilso952 October 8, 2011
Exhibitions, University Gallery, Weisman Art Museum

In 1952, the University Gallery held an exhibition of the works of Marsden Hartley. This promotional poster notes the dates of the exhibition:

The exhibit was held in conjunction with the release of a book of which the artist was subject. According to a U of M News Release, dated April 25, 1952 (Digital Conservancy) the book, Marsden Hartley, authored by Elizabeth McCausland, and published by the University Press, contains “a biographical and critical essay on the artist and is illustrated with reproductions of 43 of his works, ranging from some of his earliest paintings to the one on his easel at the time of his death in 1943.”

Specifically, the book profiles the Hartley works that were in the collection of Hudson Walker (the first curator of the University Gallery). Walker’s collection was, at that time, on permanent loan to the University Gallery.

Today, the Weisman Art Museum’s Ione and Hudson D. Walker Collection (a bequest to the gallery in the 1970s), features the largest collection of Hartley’s works. Several of these works are prominently featured in WAM’s new expanded galleries in the current exhibit titled, “Cartography of a Collection.”

Building on Imagination…

By arecaroe September 29, 2011
Exhibitions, University Art Museum

The large and oddly-shaped brochure for the University Art Museum’s show Building on Imagination: Architectural Imagery in Children’s Books caught my eye in the files. Soon after, I found a hand-made prototype of the brochure, colored with marker and pasted together, with lines in place for text. I love that the brochure design itself is imaginative and inventive, echoing the towers a child might build.

The exhibition explored architecture within children books, featuring original illustrations from books such as “Kenny’s Window” by Maurice Sendak, and “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” by Gustaf Tenggren, among others. It toured around the region to 23 sites from 1989 to 1992. The Northfield News wrote of the exhibition in 1991:

“Besides examining architecture in children’s book illustrations, Building on Imagination also highlights children’s experiences of real buildings and of designing make-believe buildings with blocks or blankets in messy bedrooms. A set of stone blocks from the Victorian era included in the exhibition demonstrates the appeal architectural toys have had for children long before Lincoln Logs or Legos became popular.”

You are Invited: IV

By wilso952 September 21, 2011
Exhibitions, University Gallery

Since we will be well over half a century late to the tea mentioned in the at-left invitation for University art professor Allen Downs, you are instead invited to review the archival resources that illuminate his exhibition of photography at the University Gallery, April 24-May 22, 1953…

From the MN Daily’s PDF Archives, The Ivory Tower April 27, 1953, “Downs Calls Photos ‘New Object’ in Art”

“Subject matter of the pictures varies from slum districts to Niagara Falls and nudes.

Downs, who came to the University in 1948, called his work ‘the fusion’ of documentation and abstraction. ‘A photograph is a new object, in spite of its authentic appearance as a document of past experience,’ he said.”

From the WAM Collection at the University Archives, Box 4: (the invitation) and photographs of the exhibit:

Once upon a time…

By wilso952 September 15, 2011
Exhibitions, Processing

Once upon a time… the negatives of installation photos taken of the exhibit, “Once Upon a Time: Illustrations of Children’s Tales From Around the World” were not rolled up and bound by a rubber band.

In context of the included note, and upon unraveling the now accordion-ized negatives, it appears as if the exhibit was held in the foyer of Northrop Auditorium:

Some Assembly Required

By arecaroe September 11, 2011
Exhibitions, University Gallery

The assembled “Northrup Mall” brochure for the Cass Gilbert exhibition.

In 1982, the University Gallery’s Cass Gilbert: Minnesota Master Architect exhibition was touring around the region. According to the catalog, the exhibition was the first one to focus on his Minnesota years. Cass Gilbert was a world-renowned architect who grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and designed many famous buildings throughout the country, including the Minnesota State Capital, the Woolworth Building in Manhattan, and the United States Supreme Court Building. He also designed the general scheme of the Northrop Mall at the University of Minnesota—the heart of the East Bank of campus and very familiar to all students here. The University Gallery stood at the head of the mall in Northrup Auditorium, and the effects of Gilbert’s design were surely felt there on a daily basis. (Now the Weisman Art Museum stands just across the street from the mall).

To illustrate Gilbert’s design concept more concretely, the University Gallery offered a very interesting brochure—one could cut and assemble it into the three-dimensional shape of the mall design. This activity was clearly aimed at kids, but I also had a good time assembling one of the many leftover brochures we found in the files (that’s the uncut version on the left). The explanatory text for the innovative “Archipops” brochure states:

We want to encourage children of all ages to better understand their built environment… Archipops is a chance to examine one significant design and learn to ask some questions about it. The model of Cass Gilbert’s Mall is a tool for understanding a talented architect’s solution to the question how to organize the campus of the University of Minnesota.

The Archipops brochure and the cover of the exhibition catalog.

Cordially III

By wilso952 September 4, 2011
Exhibitions, University Art Museum

The University of Minnesota Art Museum cordially invited visitors to view the exhibitions, The Woodblock Prints of B.J.O. Nordfeldt and Emily Nordfeldt’s Legacy: Paintings, Drawings and Prints of B.J.O. Nordfeldt at a reception held Sunday, February 17, 1991, which included a gallery talk, woodblock printing demonstration, and tea, sherry and light refreshments.

A large collection of Nordfeldt’s works can be found in WAM’s permanent collection.

Seong Moy

By wilso952 August 26, 2011
Exhibitions, University Gallery

The artist Seong Moy was hired at the University as an Art Lecturer for the spring quarter of 1950-1951. As was customary for visiting artists in the Department of Art, an exhibition of Moy’s work was displayed at the Gallery during his appointment (exhibit dates: May 3-June 15, 1951).

To learn more about Moy, I turned to the Archives of American Art, which has a vast collection of oral history interviews with American artists. I found a comprehensive oral history interview with Moy (the transcript is accessible on their website) in which I learned of his upbringing in China, immigration to Minnesota, development as an artist at the St. Paul School of Art and influences of other artists on his training, war service, teaching, and his time in New York with the Art Students League, amongst other topics…

As it turns out I didn’t need to refer to an external source to find more information on Moy, as there is another interview with the artist that is contained right here at the University – in the WAM collection. The transcript of the interview was found in Box 3, in a folder titled, “Seong Moy, Prints and Oils, May 3-June 15, 1951.” Clues from the transcript itself indicate the particulars behind the interview. The transcript is titled, “Critically Speaking” and is dated as “Thursday, April 26, 1951.” A time of, “2:00” is also indicated.

An article in the February 3, 1951 edition of the MN Daily titled, “KUOM Adds New Discussion Series on Entertainment,” indicates that “Critically Speaking” was a daily radio broadcast that featured “discussions on art, movies, radio, television, books and the theater. ” This particular broadcast of Critically Speaking begins with an introduction of current exhibitions and promotion of exhibitions that were forthcoming by a speaker identified as “Betty.” This is likely Betty Maurstad, a curator at the University Gallery.

Betty: … but the highlight of our spring exhibition program will be an exhibition of work by Mr. Seong Moy – which will open on May 3rd – just exactly one week from today. Mr. Moy, who is the visiting artist at the University of Minnesota during this spring quarter, has graciously accepted our invitation to be with us on the program this afternoon and so, at this time, I would like to introduce: Mr. Seong Moy.

Seong: How do you do.

Betty: You know, Mr. Moy – we’re really very much excited about your forthcoming exhibition at the University Gallery – and we’re delighted that you could take time from your teaching duties to be with me this afternoon – so you can tell me something about – oh, about your work – and about yourself.

Here are a few pages from the broadcast Critically Speaking, featuring artist Seong Moy:

View works by Seong Moy in the Weisman’s permanent collection in the Digital Content Library.

Purchase Prizes

By wilso952 August 24, 2011
Exhibitions, University Gallery

In 1950, the University Gallery announced it would be holding it’s first national print exhibit, inviting artists from across the country to submit entries for competition of prizes of up to $600 (UM News Release, September 20, 1950: Digital Conservancy).

“Each artist who wishes to exhibit may enter two prints that he has executed sometime within the last 18 months…The one dollar entry fee and entry blank must be sent by Nov. 10 to the University Gallery…”

A Dec 4, 1950 UM News Release (Digital Conservancy) announced the winning prints, which were displayed in the Gallery through the end of January and became part of the Gallery’s permanent collection.

(Select the hyperlinks below to view the purchased artwork at the Digital Content Library).

Moorish Knight – Mary Demopoulos, Minnesota
Fourth Magi – Bruce Shobaken, Minnesota
Bird – Richard Koppe, Illinois
The Mother – Ann Didyk, Iowa
Tensions – Gene Pettit, California
Aquarium – Antonio Frasconi, New York
Narrow Street – Armin Landeck, New York
Symposium – Robert Knipschild

*A folder titled, “First National Print Annual Exhibition, Dec. 6, 1950-Jan. 19, 1951” can be found in Box 3 of the WAM archival collection at the University Archives.

You are cordially invited… II

By wilso952 August 23, 2011
Exhibitions

Previously we shared in invitation to a talk related to a past exhibit. This month’s invitation offers an evening of scenic design, vaudeville, a light supper and dancing in celebration of a past exhibit…

In the mid-80s, the University acquired the “Twin City Scenic Collection,” which consisted of over a thousand renderings, sketches and models from the Twin City Scenic company of Minneapolis. As indicated by a U of M press release from 1985 (Digital Conservancy) former Twin City Scenic Studio president, W.R. Brown, brought the collection to the University. The studio was established in 1896 and was located in the Bijou Theatre. From vaudeville to the circus, this theatre contributed greatly to the Twin Cities theatre scene. The exhibit, and related programming, conducted in 1987, brought to light this local highlight.

« 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 … 11 »

Exhibitions

Contact Information