SUMMER 2013
director’s exhibitions message
Most people think of the KIA as a special resource for learning about art, taking classes, enjoying special events and the like. But it can serve another special role – as a destination for extraordinary gifts. These coming months, in particular, we are presenting an assortment of opportunities to get that perfect gift for your special someone. Stock up for Mother’s Day, Graduation and Father’s Day in the KIA Gallery Shop by purchasing locally made ceramics, cards, one-of-a-kind jewelry and many other exciting items. You will also have the chance to hunt through gently used merchandise and purchase unique treasures at the KIA Garage Sale on May 31 and June 1. And of course we will be hosting the highlight of the summer, the 62nd Annual Arts Fair, where you can get original artwork from some of the best artisans in the country. A KIA membership makes for a really special gift as well. Any of our eight levels of membership give free admission to our galleries, but some of the upper-level memberships will make your loved one a member at 600 other museums! In addition, a membership provides discounts on our special events, lectures, classes and Gallery Shop purchases. It also yields $20 discounts on every class in the Kirk Newman Art School, where we are hosting an array of classes and programs for all ages. Your loved one could be the next Cézanne in our watercolor courses or get his/her hands dirty in our Mud in the Morning class! Plus, a membership will keep that special someone apprised of the KIA’s unique programs, like our Sunday Funday event on May 5, where the whole family can make creative masterpieces out of duct tape, and our unique summer camp experiences for ages 4-16.
KIA Gallery Shop: LaVie Parisienne Necklace by Catherine Popesco
I can tell you from first-hand experience, these gift opportunities are sure to impress. Plus they’ll support the KIA’s ability to present the many wonderful classes, programs and events that you will read about in the following pages. And if you need any shopping assistance, please don’t hesitate to call. Sincerely, Jim Bridenstine Executive Director
KIA 2012/2013 Board of Directors Nancy Springgate, President Linda Dunn, First Vice President William DeNooyer, Second Vice President Brian Hudson, Treasurer Sharon Anderson, Secretary Courtenay VanderMolen, Past President Susan Bowers, At Large Ron Kitchens, At Large page 2
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Larry Bell, Sydney Ellis, Michele Fabi, Curt Hartman, Cynthia Kole, Pam Mansager, Harvey Myers, Peggy Napier, Mike Ouding, Priscilla Pedraza, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Jr., Frank Sardone, Janet Scherzinger, Julie Sullivan, Phillip Torrence, Michelle Tombro Tracy, Billee Lightvoet Ward, Janet Wolf, N. Perry Wolfe
Hours: T uesday-Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday: noon-5 p.m. Monday and holidays: closed This publication is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. cover photo: Mimura Chikuho, Hope, 2004. Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer. Photo © Susan Einstein
news exhibitions and notes
Art & All That Jazz
May 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Members: Free, General Admission: $5 Don’t miss our Art & All That Jazz event, featuring a great night of music by Steve Kamerling and Barry Ross, tours of the KIA’s exhibitions, snacks and a cash bar. Sponsored by:
KIA Garage Sale
May 31, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. June 1, 8 a.m.-noon Members-Only Hours: May 30, 5-7 p.m.
Meet the KIA’s New Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
Phil Meade has the pleasure of spreading the word about the KIA and our programs. Phil comes from a marketing, public relations and membership position at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids. He has also worked as a professional photographer at a Grand Rapids-based studio, Dykehouse Photography, where he photographed for clients such as Make-A-Wish Foundation, Catholic Charities of West Michigan and Davenport University. A graduate of Grand Valley State University with majors in photography and advertising/public relations, Phil is a native of Grand Rapids, where he lives with his wife, Jessica. He enjoys traveling, sports, movies and, of course, art. Phil joined the KIA on February 4. He replaced Farrell Howe, who moved to a marketing and public relations position at the Kalamazoo Public Library.
May 18-19
Painting and sculpture give way to treasures and collectibles on May 31 and June 1 when the KIA Garage Sale fills the institute’s Kirk Newman Art School. It’s a can’t-miss event for bargain hunters, with no shortage of hard-to-find items. Proceeds support free programming at the KIA.
Wrap Yourself in the Colors of Spring!
Silk, linen and cotton scarves starting at $28. Members receive a discount on all Gallery Shop purchases.
summer 2013
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exhibitions
High School Area Show 2013 May 18-June 9 Reception: May 17, 5-7 p.m. (Awards presentation at 6 p.m.)
This annual juried exhibition celebrates the work of high school artists (18 years or younger, grades 9-12) residing in Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties. Sponsored by:
West Michigan Area Show 2013 June 8-August 31 Reception: June 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. (Awards presentation at 6:30 p.m.)
Since the 1960s, this annual exhibition has showcased the exceptional work of area artists in all mediums. The juror, who selects work and awards prizes, is Graham W. J. Beal, director, president and CEO of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Sponsored by:
2012 Signature Artists Cooperative Award Winner: Amelia Falk, “Hearing, which, by the motion of the air, informs us of the motion of sounding or vibrating bodies�. Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, archival inkjet print
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exhibitions
Uematsu Chikuyu, Sound of Wind, 1991. Bamboo (madake), rattan, lacquer. Photo Š Susan Einstein.
Modern Twist: Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Art June 22-September 15
Through the work of 16 contemporary artists, Modern Twist explores the innovative shape that bamboo art has taken since the mid-20th century. These artists have challenged aesthetic conventions by experimenting with nonfunctional, sculptural forms, and have pushed their medium to new levels of concept and technique.
Bamboo art is a uniquely Japanese phenomenon. As early as the 8th and 9th centuries, bamboo objects were used in Buddhist rituals, tea ceremonies and ikebana (Japanese flower arranging). Bamboo art is a highly demanding medium that requires years of study under the tutelage of a bamboo master.
The exhibition is curated by Dr. Andreas Marks, Director and Chief Curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, Hanford, California, and circulated by International Arts and Artists. Supported by the E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Nomura Foundation, Japan Foundation, Los Angeles and the Snider Family Fund. Sponsored by:
CONTINUING‌ Extended by popular demand: Sight and Feeling: Photographs by Ansel Adams through June 23, 2013
Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley-Lee Collection through May 26, 2013
Young Artists of Kalamazoo County through May 8, 2013
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exhibitions EXHIBITIONS
A Precious Artistic Moment: Paintings by Catherine Hinkle June 22-September 15 Reception: June 28
The paintings of Catherine Hinkle (1926-1974) are abstract “color experiences.” Hinkle studied art at Chicago’s Institute of Design with Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, who called her his “little color genius.” In her brief career, Hinkle created a body of work that, to this day, explores the spiritual aspects of non-objective art. As the artist wrote, “the key to understanding my work is not to see what is painted, but rather to feel it.” Selected works in the exhibition are from the collection of Marilyn Hinkle, made possible through the generous support of Tish Loveless.
Catherine Hinkle, Scintillation, 1949, oil on canvas. Marilyn Hinkle collection.
For and Against Modern Art: The Armory Show + 100 June 29-September 29 Reception: June 28
The 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art, referred to now as simply the Armory Show, was the first major exhibition of modern art in the United States. Alongside traditional realistic art, the styles of the European avant-garde shocked many American viewers and page 6
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inspired American artists. Many of the works that were controversial then seem unremarkable now, but the intensity — and polarity — of the critical reception had deep ramifications in the art world. While some people reveled in the new expression, many were vociferously
Philip Leslie Hale, Art Students, 1913, oil on canvas on panel. Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Gift of Elizabeth Upjohn Mason and Lowell B. Mason, Jr.
opposed to external ideas and offended by unfamiliar imagery. This exhibition focuses on the work and artists featured in the Armory Show, with special emphasis on the Chicago venue. The exhibition is organized by the DePaul Art Museum, Chicago, with support from the Terra Foundation for American Art. Sponsored by:
collection exhibitions highlight
A rare catch for the collection This trout hanging on a board is a fish out of water — in more ways than one. As a somewhat atypical example of the trompe-l’oeil genre by an artist known for landscape painting, one could say the piece is a rare catch. Trompe-l’oeil (literally, “fool the eye”) is a category of still-life painting popular in America between 1880 and 1900. The convincing illusion of a door or vertical board occupying the surface of the picture plane forces realistically painted objects out into the space of the viewer. The sensation must have captivated 19th-century Americans much like the experience of today’s 3-D movie. Popular trompe-l’oeil variations pictured a door to which were affixed hunting equipment, game, creased papers, and other objects to enhance the illusion. Grafton Tyler Brown’s more spare approach directs attention to the trout’s rose blush and spotted skin, architectural head, and delicately fanning fins. Against the painted wood-grain background, Brown’s trout is not presented as a trophy of the fisherman’s prowess or even of the painter’s virtuosity, but a native creature of the American wilderness. In some ways, Brown lived the iconic American story: a young man heads west to seek opportunity. Brown was among numerous African American men who participated in the 19th-century wave of westward expansion. At home in Philadelphia, Brown had trained as a draughtsman and lithogra- pher — a burgeoning, commercial field in the late 19th century. With his skills, he was hired in Nevada, then California, in the mid-1850s to draw maps, views of gold-mining towns and other growing settlements. Brown is recognized as the first black artist working professionally in the American West. After owning a lithography business in San Francisco for several years, Brown moved on to Canada to assist in a geographical survey. Trout was painted in 1886, a year of transition, when Brown moved from Canada to Portland, Oregon, shifting his focus from commercial work to landscape painting. While his life’s work for over 20 years had been witness to the environmental effects of westward expansion, Brown had become interested in the preservation of America’s natural beauty. He applied his skill to painting scenic views of Oregon, Washington and Yellowstone, for which he is best known.
In contrast to Brown, some prominent artists of the period produced landscapes that enhanced the West’s romance and idyllic majesty — underscoring the belief, known as Manifest Destiny, that American expansion across the continent was a destiny ordained by God. Brown’s more reserved, naturalistic style — revealed in his landscapes and this rare still life — may have developed from several factors: his environmental outlook, his experience as a minority in American culture and a habit of accurate detail, gained from his artistic training in lithography.
Grafton Tyler Brown, Trout, 1886, oil on canvas. Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase. 2012.62
-Karla Niehus, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions and Collections
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exhibitions programs
Public Tours
Sunday Funday: Duct Tape! May 5, 2-4 p.m. Free admission
May 5 Young Artists of Kalamazoo County May 12 Mother’s Choice - Happy Mother’s Day May 19 Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley-Lee Collection May 26 High School Area Show June 2 The Arts of China and Japan June 9 West Michigan Area Show June 16 Father’s Choice - Happy Father’s Day June 23 A Precious Artistic Moment: Paintings by Catherine Hinkle June 30 Modern Twist: Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Art
Come on down for some sticky fun with duct tape! Create gifts for Mother’s Day or something for yourself with the coolest craft material around. Materials are provided.
Sundays at 2 p.m. Free with gallery admission
Get the Picture! Gallery Talks
Select Thursdays at noon Free with gallery admission May 16 Hiram Powers’s George Washington and Frederick MacMonnies’s Nathan Hale June 20 Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Visitation July 18 Jack Beal’s Sense of Smell
enry Ossawa Tanner, The Visitation, ca. 1909-1910, oil on canvas. Gift of Ronda Stryker H and William Johnston, 2005.11
Interested in becoming a KIA Docent? Come to an informational meeting on June 11, 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the KIA Board Room. Questions? Contact Michelle at (269) 349-7775, ext. 3162 or michelles@kiarts.org.
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Sunday Funday
Art League Lecture: Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity May 8, 7 p.m. Art League members: Free, KIA members: $10, General Admission $12, Students: $3 Dr. Margaret Farr will help us appreciate the Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity exhibit that opens at the Art Institute of Chicago in June. This will be an opportunity to gain insights on how art and fashion influence each other and our lives.
Art League DepARTure: Art Institute of Chicago June 27 Art League members: $110, KIA members: $130, General Admission $160 Enjoy a fabulous trip to Chicago to view the Impressionism, Fashion and Modernism exhibiton. To book your seat call 375-9302. The deadline is May 15.
Japanese Culture with WMU Soga Center for Japanese Culture July 13, 1-4 p.m. Free admission Join us for a fun afternoon as we explore Japanese art, clothing and food with staff and volunteers from the WMU Soga Center for Japanese Culture. The activities are free for visitors of all ages; regular admission fees for the Modern Twist exhibition will apply.
programs
ARTbreak
Tuesdays at noon Free admission Brown bag lunches welcome! Find full program descriptions at kiarts.org/events.
May 28: The Legend of Burning Man Local artist and “burner” Steve Curl explains why thousands are drawn to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create enormous art, display amazing technology and watch a really big wooden man burn.
Sponsor:
May 7: The Fifth Chakra: Art and Music by Brooke LaRuche Artist and musician Brooke LaRuche explores the creative aspects of the Fifth or Throat Chakra, the energy center in traditional Hindu spirituality associated with the authentic expression of inner truth. June 4: Matisse/Picasso: Two Giants of Modern Art A recent documentary film that explores the rivalry and mutual admiration between the two masters of Modern art. June 11, 18 & 25: Up Close and Personal with West Michigan Artists Each week, two Area Show artists discuss their work. Meet some of the excellent artists currently working in West Michigan. Participants to be announced.
Brooke LaRuche. Six Pointed Star, mixed media
May 14: Randy Bronkema: The American Landscape Kalamazoo photographer Randy Bronkema discusses his landscape photographs and why he works in both black and white and color. May 21: Joshua Haas: Adding Artistic Flair to Bird & Wildlife Photography Wildlife photographer Joshua Haas creates striking images of birds of prey. In addition to presenting his work, he will explain how even beginning photographers can take better pictures.
Roy Lichtenstein, Sunrise, 1965, color offset lithograph. Bequest of Charlotte Collins Collection, 2009.41
July 2: Roy Lichtenstein A lively documentary on the life and times of Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Included is commentary by the artist and a rare glimpse of his creative approach as he develops a painting. July 9 & 16: Paris: The Luminous Years A revealing documentary film that follows how many of the now famous figures in the art world originally came together in Paris, early in the 20th century. The film goes on to show how the city itself transformed both the artists and their work in a way that led to the birth of Modernism. July 23: Emily Carr Nancy Payne presents a portrait of the multi-talented Canadian painter and writer Emily Carr and her unique involvement with Native American culture.
Joshua Haas, Burrowing Owl, color photograph summer 2013
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exhibitions arts fair
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair June 7, 1-8 p.m. June 8, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Co-Sponsors:
The 62nd annual version of KIA’s largest and longest running event returns June 7-8. Some 50,000 visitors will turn out for what’s become a community tradition in Bronson Park. Over 190 artists will be on hand, setting up a variety of colorful artwork in 13 different mediums.
Bell’s Beer Garden
Title Sponsors:
Artists in 13 media will be on hand at the KIA Fair.
Expanded Entertainment
The KIA Fair features a full line up of entertainment at two locales: on the Rotary Stage and in grassy space near the Iannelli Fountain on the east end of the park. Performers include: the Michigan Cloggers, the Living Statue, Knotty Bits, Maggie Hudson, Dan Hook, Steve Kamerling and local school ensembles. To see the full lineup, visit the fair webpage: kiarts.org/artfair.
June 7, 5-9 p.m.
The beer garden will be staged under the open-air overhang at the KIA’s east end. This year’s musical guest is The Mittenauts, a melodic, four-piece indie folk band from Plainwell.
Classic Car Cruise-In June 7, 5-9 p.m.
Shiny vintage cars will add to the festivities on Friday night, parked along South Street, where their proud owners will be happy to show them off and answer questions.
Be a Part of It
The KIA Fair runs on volunteer energy! This year we’ll need scores of volunteers for jobs as diverse as helping artists unload and park, selling refreshments and painting kids’ faces. To sign up, please contact Sandy Linabury at (269) 349-7775, ext. 3114, or sandyl@kiarts.org. Returning to the fair is glass artist Mike Mikula, whose beautiful works earned him the 2012 KIA Board of Directors’ First Place Award of Excellence.
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