In addition to the public lecture, Crewdson also met with students who are enrolled in our UT Dallas/Dallas Museum of Art partnership course this spring. It was a great opportunity for the students to see the three works of art by Crewdson on view in the galleries and to participate in a conversation with the artist.
If you were to wander through the African galleries today or tomorrow, you might encounter a studious group of 5th graders and their teachers from Harry C. Withers elementary. Clustered around works of art, the students will be sketching and talking about what they see, think, and feel in response to the art. When looking at the Stool supported by kneeling female figure from the Luba peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the discussion may range in topic from the geometry and patterns they see to ideas about beauty and the significant role of women in the Luba culture to the king who sat on this stool.
Math teacher Debbie Hurley will likely be leading this discussion. With a team of teachers, Debbie and the Withers 5th grade students have visited the DMA every year for the last 15 years! I’ve seen her teach with the Stool many times in the galleries and learned much from her passionate approach to teaching and her ability to help students make connections between the art and their lives. In 1995, Debbie was among a group of Dallas ISD teachers and DMA education staff who collaborated to create a teacher-led curriculum called “African Traditions” for the Museum’s Art of Lookingschool partnership program. The Art of Looking partnership program is 17 years old this year. A program for 4th – 6th grade students and teachers, the Art of Looking champions interdisciplinary approaches to works of art, guides students through deep looking experiences with art that help build creative and critical thinking skills, and fosters a connection between Dallas ISD schools and their hometown Museum.
The Art of Looking partnership program, more so the “African Traditions” experience, is so embedded in the Withers school culture that it defines what it means to be a 5th grader at Withers, and what it means to be a parent of a 5th grader (who come often as chaperones on Museum visits).
This week the Withers Wildcats make their 15th annual visit to the Museum and it will be an extra special one. Following their Friday session in the galleries looking at art, students will join African drummer Leo Hassan for a hands-on experience with African drums. I’ll be sure to post pictures late Friday – so come back for a look!
Nicole Stutzman
Director of Learning Partnerships with Schools and the Community
It’s a perfect day for thinking in twos; we’re getting close to that couple-y time of year, and it’s also the 2nd day of February (2/2)!
The DMA collection is full of couples in works of art—some of them are real-life pairs, some are fictional twosomes. Below are just a few of the many couples here at the Museum. All of them (or works by them) are currently on view.
Wendy & Emery Reves: A Couple Art-lovers She was a fashion model. He was a Hungarian journalist and writer. Together Wendy and Emery Reves befriended celebrities (Winston Churchill and Greta Garbo) and amassed a breath-taking collection of decorative and fine art by artists like Degas, Monet, and van Gogh. The Reves gave their entire 1,400 piece collection to the Museum in 1985, where it is housed in a beautiful replica of their French villa on the 3rd floor of the Museum.
Shiva & Parvati: A Divine Couple Hindu god Shiva, and his wife, the goddess Parvati, are shown in this 7th-8th century atwork as a loving couple. Shiva is the Lord of Life, Death and Rebirth, and in this sculpture he appears as Maheshvara, or great god. Parvati appears as Uma, or the shining one.
India, Stele of Uma-Maheshvara, 7th-8th century
Frances Bagley & Tom Orr: A Couple of Local Artists Dallas artists and real-life couple Frances Bagley and Tom Orr collaborated to create the stage set for the 2006 Dallas Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s, Nabucco. They translated several components of the production’s set to create an installation that is on view in the exhibition Performance/Art, through March 21st. Nabucco tells the Biblical story of the Jews’ exile from their homeland by Nabucco, the Babylonian king. The image below shows Bagley and Orr’s interpretation of the Hanging Garden, the final scene of the opera.
Scene from the Tales of Ise: An Ill-fated Couple The couple in these 16th century screens is based on characters from a Japanese collection of fables called “Tales of Ise.” This scene shows the pair attempting to elope by escaping through a field of grass, as they are pursued by servants of a provincial governor. The empty, lonely scene foreshadows the tragic fate of the young couple, who will soon be discovered in hiding after the servants set fire to the field. Tosa Mitsuyoshi, Scene from the ales of Ise, Momoyama Period
Couplet
This last one isn’t an artwork in our collection, but it just might be my favorite on the list. It’s a student-made video about two chairs visiting the Museum, and it reminds me of the fun of looking at art with someone else. Hats off to the Booker T. Washington High School Film Club students who created it during a Saturday afternoon here this past October.
Our next Late Night on Friday, February 19th is a perfect time to visit the Museum with a special someone; there will be French themed performances, and a focus on Impressionism and romance.
Happy February!
Amy Copeland
Coordinator of Learning Partnerships with Schools and the Community
Lesli Robertson returned to the DMA this week to aid in the installation of Woven Records, the Museum’s first community partner response art project designed and executed by a single artist. Last fall, Lesli guided sixteen community groups in the creation of small concrete collages. She then wove over 500 concrete collages into strips that form a larger textile-based art installation that will be on view in the Center for Creative Connections February 7-May 23, 2010.
Each section is laid out on a table before it is mounted to the exhibition wall.
John Lendvay, a DMA preparator, aligns each section as it is mounted.
A covered opening allows interior access to the wall, which is hollow.
Lance Lander, another DMA preparator, has the lucky job of securing the mounts inside the wall.
Lesli is interviewed for footage that will be available to CW 33, Fox 4, and NBC 5.
Close-up view of installation.
Melissa Nelson
Manager of Learning Partnerships with the Community
Last weekend teachers attended the second half of a two-part teacher workshop about contemporary art offered by the Dallas Museum of Art and The Rachofsky House. During the first session, held at the DMA on January 9th, teachers interacted with works of art in the special exhibitions All the World’s a Stage and Performance/Art, as well as in the newest installation in the Hoffman galleries.
Teacher Workshop in the Hoffman Galleries
During our three and a half hours together that day, Molly Kysar and I led interactive experiences, discussion and writing while looking at a variety of works of art. This past Saturday, January 23rd, we met at The Rachofsky House where Thomas Feulmer introduced teachers to the current installation, Presence.
Thomas began our morning together by offering teachers the opportunity to experience works by artists they had seen during our first session at the Museum, including Glenn Ligon, David Altmejd, Thomas Struth, and Gregory Crewdson. In each case the work on view at the DMA and that at The Rachofsky House were quite different in scale and their subject matter was approached through different means. The Altmejd sculpture on view at the Museum, for instance, is titled “The Eye” and fills one of the quadrant galleries in Performance/Art with its energetically rising mirrored staircases, obelisks, and punctured surfaces in a spectacular reference to the creation of the atom bomb. At The Rachofsky House, on the other hand, Altmejd’s “The Quail,” though still constructed with mirrors and towering above the viewer, includes a number of quail eggs encased in glass and is more evocative of Stonehenge than it is of explosions.
The Eye, 2008, David Altmejd
Wood and mirrors
Overall: 129 1/2 x 216 1/2 x 144 1/2 in. (3 m 28.931 cm x 5 m 49.911 cm x 3 m 67.031 cm)
The Rachofsky Collection and the Dallas Museum of Art through The Rachofsky Collection Fund and the DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund
The workshop provided a great chance to explore a few works by Gregory Crewdson, who will be speaking at the DMA this Wednesday, February 3rd, as part of a lecture series hosted by The University of Texas at Dallas’ new Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology. We will host a teacher workshop that evening, including two hours discussing Crewdson’s work and contemporary photography before attending the public lecture.
The DMA and The Rachofsky House will again join, along with the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Fort Worth Modern, and the Kimbell Art Museum, for this year’s Museum Forum for Teachers, taking place July 19-23. Applications are now being accepted.
This cow stole my heart back in 2002 and I have been in love ever since. Although not many people would say that an image of an animal in desperate need of food, water, and attention is something to be excited about, my adoration is based upon what this cow represents. The sickly bovine is a small detail in a painting that is a response to the economic challenges that plagued the United States during the 1930s. The artist, Alexandre Hogue, is one of many artists, authors, playwrights, and musicians that approached the social, political, and economic subject matter of the Depression era head on.
Alexandre Hogue’s Drouth Stricken Area purposefully exaggerates the conditions of the dry Texas landscape in order to gain the viewer’s attention and to elicit a strong emotion. He believed that the over-cultivation of fields and the thoughtlessness of man were the causes of the region’s demise. The erosive state of the Dust Bowl is the focus of Drouth Stricken Area, one of six paintings in Hogue’s Erosion Series.
I was raised on a ranch in the Dust Bowl and I was there when the dust storm hit….I saw lush grazing land turned into sand dunes. Thistles blew in and fences would be covered in just a few hours. Railroads had plows fighting it just like they fought snow….To me, as an artist, it was beautiful in a terrifying way. I painted it for that terrifying beauty. Alexandre Hogue
Drouth Stricken Area captures a prophetic scene of unusable farmland and the effects of the Dust Bowl that were later captured in photographs by Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein, and other photographers working with the Farm Security Administration between 1935 – 1942.
As I stated at the beginning of this blog, I love Alexandre Hogue’s emaciated cow and the terrifying beauty of the landscape. I am now in the mood to listen to Woody Guthrie’s Dustbowl Ballads.
Drouth Stricken Area is currently up on the 4th floor in the American Galleries. Let me know what you think about this work of art and say hello to my cow for me!
Until next time….
Jenny Marvel
Manager of Learning Partnerships with Schools
Today’s “Photo Post” gives you a behind the scenes look at a typical day for me. I spend a lot of time at my desk communicating with teachers (and docents) over the phone and email. But I also like to greet students as they come into the Museum–nothing beats hearing their “oohs” and “aahs” as they see the Barrel Vault for the first time! Happy Friday, everyone!
Shannon Karol
Tour Coordinator
Buses lined up on Harwood Street--it was a busy day for tours!
Some of our wonderful docents waiting for their group to arrive
Thanks for visiting, Pearson Elementary!
My desk--I like to call this Tour Schedule Still Life
February is going to be a busy month that includes several programs for teachers that range from an Artist Talk to an Evening for Educators.
Gregory Crewdson, (Untitled) House in the Road, 2002, The Rachofsky Collection
First up is a teacher workshop on the evening of Wednesday, February 3 from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. Artist Gregory Crewdson will be at the Museum to give a public lecture as part of the “Creativity in the Age of Technology” lecture series through The University of Texas at Dallas. Three of Crewdson’s photographs are currently on view in our galleries, and teachers can register to join Logan Acton and me for a conversation about these works of art before joining the public talk at 7:30. Register online to earn CPE hours while connecting with an artist who is working today.
Jacob Lawrence, The Opener, 1997, collection of Curtis P. Ransom
Our big spring exhibition, The Lens of Impressionism: Photography and Painting Along the Normandy Coast, 1850-1874, opens on Sunday, February 21. On Tuesday, February 23, teachers can enjoy the exhibition on an evening when it is open exclusively for educators. Register online to join us on this evening for a talk about the exhibiton and related programs and resources for students and teachers and to see the show when education staff will be available to answer your questions. We hope to see you there!
If you have attended a Late Night, Family Celebration, or First Tuesday in the past two years, it is likely you have experienced the magical storytelling of Ann Marie Newman. Audiences of all ages are captivated by the enchanting worlds Ann Marie creates with her animated voices and expressions, colorful costumes, and playful props. Likewise, DMA staff enjoy the creative ideas that Ann Marie brings as a collaborator to both new and established programs. It was my pleasure to sit down and talk with Ann Marie, whose personal definition of “Creative Bliss” is when she is merging her traditional and classical art skills into unique works of art.
Ann Marie often includes the audience in her storytelling.
Please describe your creative process.
I start my day by waking up and allowing myself to have ten minutes to let my imagination flow. I often think about a storytelling idea or creative project that I’m working on. I also take a bath and try to soak in the water for twenty minutes. I do some major brainstorming in the water and allow myself to daydream. Afterward, I might sketch or take notes to capture my ideas. I nurture my creativity, like some people might do yoga or run on the treadmill to start their day. My creative process is extremely intuitive. I don’t have an end in sight; I start in the middle and work outward.
To what other aspects of your life do you apply a creative thinking approach?
Creativity is a part of how I present myself every day: I’m always changing my
hairstyle.
I’ve applied creativity to every job I’ve ever had. I used to be a hairdresser, and
I viewed my work as sculpture.
I never take the same route, whether driving somewhere or shopping in a
grocery store.
I explore.
I take things that already exist, like stories or artworks, and add my own voice.
I go on walks and notice colors of houses and what people do with their yard. I
might come home with sticks or other things I’ve picked up and include them
in an artwork.
I go to the mall and look at window designs and come home with ideas.
I carry a notebook in my purse at all times and write down ideas as they come to
me.
Ann Marie and a young summer camper make a 3-D version of Jackson Pollock's Cathedral.
What most inspires you?
All creative people inspire me; I am a reader of biographies. The last biography I read was about Andrew Wyeth, and his story had a huge impact on me. When I was a teenager, I read everything I could about Andy Warhol. He showed me how to live life creatively in every way: his life was like art, like a crazy novel. Laurie Anderson also inspires me. I’ve been watching YouTube videos of her and reading everything I can about her.
Tell us your idea of a perfect day.
To wake up and have my dreaming time, and then to move from one medium to another and keep moving around. For instance, I might start with creative writing, then move on to a recycled wool project, then on to a recycled bottle-cap project, and then come back and re-read my writing. I like to work on multiple projects, so my ideal environment is a warehouse (I’ve taken over three rooms in our house).
Have you made any resolutions for 2010?
Yes, to develop as a performance artist, not just a storyteller. Performance art is first and foremost experimental, and performance artists are true pioneers. They are risk-takers. They mix the visual with sound with storytelling with conceptual ideas and movement. It is so open-ended, and I like the freedom of it.
Become immersed in Ann Marie’s imaginary worlds at upcoming Late Nights and Family Celebrations. On January 30, Anne Marie will co-teach a family workshop in the Tech Lab. She will also be featured in programs during March as the Center for Creative Connections visiting artist. In addition, Ann Marie will teach several summer art camps in 2010.
Back in October, I blogged about the Beat Generation and Abstract Expressionism. Since then, I have continued to explore connections between great works of literature and works of art in the DMA collection. The number of literary connections in our collection is amazing, and I’m excited to share some of them with you.
For example, did you know that the characters of Dick and Nicole Diver in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night were inspired by the artist Gerald Murphy and his wife Sara? Fitzgerald even dedicated the novel to them: “To Gerald and Sara–Many fêtes.” Gerald and Sara Murphy were Americans who made their home on the French Riviera, which is where Part I of Tender is the Night takes place. The Murphys were also great friends with authors like Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway and with artists like Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger. The DMA owns two paintings by Gerald Murphy: Watch and Razor. These are two of only seven paintings by Murphy still known to exist today.
Gerald and Sara Murphy
Connections can also be made between works of art in our European galleries and literature from Antiquity. Jacques-Louis David’s Apollo and Diana Attacking the Children of Niobeshows a scene from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Niobe was a woman who boasted about how wonderful her fourteen children were. The goddess Latona was offended by this and sent her own children–Apollo and Diana–to murder Niobe’s sons and daughters. David fills his canvas with the attack, and we see thirteen of Niobe’s children lying murdered on the ground (Niobe’s youngest daughter is still alive, shielded by her mother’s cloak). Ovid’s description of the deaths, especially of Niobe’s sons, are so precise that you can identify which male figure is which son based on the wounds David has included.
Jacques-Louis David, Apollo and Diana Attacking the Children of Niobe, 1772
My favorite literary connection is between Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s Ugolino and His Children and Dante’s Inferno. Count Ugolino resides in the lowest circle of Hell. During his lifetime, Ugolino was jailed for treachery and was locked away with nothing to eat. Eventually, his sons and grandsons began to die, and they pleaded with Ugolino to eat their flesh so he would stay nourished. Carpeaux’s sculpture shows Ugolino gnawing at his own fingers, and we get a sense of the agony he must be feeling as he tries to decide whether or not to devour his own family members.
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Ugolino and His Children, 1860 (cast c. 1871)
If you love literature and the Dallas Museum of Art as much as I do, you should attend the Late Night celebration on January 15th. Arts and Letters Live will kick off their 2010 season with a “Literary Deathmatch.” Four authors representing different Texas cities will compete to be named the Literary Deathmatch Champion. It sounds like an event not to be missed!
