News from the Gallery - Volume 1: September 2022

News from the Gallery A Danforth Art Museum Newsletter

september 2022

A message from Museum Director and Curator

Jessica Roscio

Greetings as we move into a new season of exhibitions and programs at the Danforth!

It’s hard to believe that summer has come to a close. It was a busy season at the Museum, and it was wonderful to see so many visitors to our galleries.

This June we were thrilled to welcome the return of the Danforth Annual Juried Exhibition after a six-year hiatus.

The Juried Exhibition had been a highlight of the year in our downtown location, and through the hard work of our entire staff, we were able to once again bring some of the best contemporary regional work to our spaces. The variation and quality of every piece in the exhibition reminded me that we are very lucky to be surrounded by gifted artists, and are proud to have hosted their work this summer.

As this goes to print we are busily preparing for three new Fall exhibitions exploring complicated familial and societal dynamics in the intricate and inspiring work of Toni Pepe, Lisa Rosowsky, and Jane Szabo. It has been a pleasure working with these artists and I can’t wait for you to see their work in the galleries.

The beginning of the semester at Framingham State brings new beginnings and we are excited for a new season of events at the Museum and Art School, starting with the inaugural issue of our new mini-magazine, News from the Gallery. We have so much to share with you, and are grateful for your support. See you in the galleries, and enjoy!

With all best wishes,

Image above: Jessica Roscio (right) with First Prize Winner, RJ Grady, at the opening reception for the Danforth Annual Juried Exhibition.

Table of Contents The return of the Annual Juried Exhibition

3-6

Summer arts at the Art School

7-10

News from the back room

11-12

Art about town

13-14

For Insiders only

15-16

Up and coming at the Danforth

17

Fall calendar of events

18

Museum staff members above (left to right) : Mary Erickson, Barry Burlingham, Laura Gayton, Rachel Passannante, and Jessica Roscio.

3

The Return of the Annual Juried Exhibiton a Huge Success!

The Juried Exhibition had been an annual tradition at the Danforth for almost twenty years when the museum closed in its original downtown location in August 2016. The Danforth had always been a home for contemporary, regional artists, and it was important to resume the juried show in our new home at FSU, and we are thrilled to welcome the exhibition back to the Danforth galleries.

Out of 258 artist submissions totaling over 700 artworks, 72 artworks from 72 unique artists were chosen for the exhibition that spans the Weinberg, Litowitz, and Hallway galleries. The official 2022 jurors were: Juliet Feibel, Executive Director of ArtsWorcester, Brian Bishop, Professor of Art at FSU, and Jessica Roscio, Director and Curator at the Danforth.

This exhibition is generously sponsored

by Middlesex Savings Bank.

Image left: First prize winner, RJ Grady, Blackbirds, Alabaster, Elephants

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2022

5

Juried Exhibition Prize Winners

Collections Show and Tell: A sneak peek at some of the new objects in our Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller collection!

Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller’s remarkable life and artwork has gained recent national and international attention. Join the Danforth’s Collections Manager Rachel Passannante to explore some of the new Winning Images additions to the collection, many of which have Page 3: First Prize, RJ Grady, Blackbirds, Alabaster, Elephants not yet been shown to the public! Click here to be top far left: Third Prize, Sonya Tanae Fort, Side View top left: Honorable Kathryn Geismar, Convergence brought toMention, the calendar listing to learn more!

middle far left: Honorable Mention, Claudia Ruiz Gustafson, El sueño de Maria (Maria’s dream) bottom left: Second Prize, James Dye, And so was Bedlam Brought to Order above: Emerging Artist Award, Jenna Billian, What Should We Take? below left: Metrowest Artist Award, Brea Corcoran, Addict below right: Honorable Mention, Delanie Wise, Ginger

Series

6

Summer Arts

at the Danforth Art School Each summer, the Danforth Art School welcomes close to 500 students to make art with us. What many folks don’t realize is that these students are supported by an incredible team of around twenty studio assistants! These exceptional teens serve as crucial members of our learning community and help everything to run smoothly during daily operations.

7

Mary Erickson Visitor Services “When we reopened with pandemic precautions, it was a joy to welcome people back! They felt safe in our space and were clearly happy to be here. During this time, I personally took solace in Rebecca Hutchinson’s Midnight Blooms exhibition. It called me to sit and meditate, a soulful respite in a crazy time.”

Chandra Taylor Art School Manager

Barry Burlingham Gifts and Stewardship

“Remote learning had its challenges. However, we chose to look at opportunities presented rather than focus on setbacks. I particularly enjoyed implementing the monthly Faculty Spotlights to celebrate our instructors as well as concocting drink recipes to pair with artwork from the Museum’s Permanent Collection for our Virtual Drinks at the Danforth events. We shipped boxes of art supplies to participants for this event in order to curate a fun and creative experience for all.”

“Our success in meeting our 2021 goal was made possible through a generous $50,000 matching challenge initiated midyear which drew considerable support from donors new and established. Despite the interruptions of Covid, we continued to see support, benefiting from three new funds.

A new Art Acquisitions Fund, and the two new endowed funds, The Joan E. Murtaugh ‘61 Art Conservation Fund and the Paul B. Rosenberg Fund for Museum Education.

These funds were established in 2020, yielding their first distributions in 2021.”

8

Our assistants ma fun behind the s

9

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News from

Membership

Membership has a lot to report this month! The Danforth recently purchased new membership software from Personify which is currently being implemented. This change will most certainly make for an improved user experience, and we’ll keep you posted on any exciting changes to expect. October is membership month at the Danforth. Keep your eyes out for some fun ways for members to win new Danforth swag (hint: it will warm you up in the cold months to come). The Danforth launches its brand new corporate membership program with some pretty amazing benefits. We look forward to seeing which businesses we’ll be partnering with! And most exciting (at least in the membership manager’s opinion) is that our membership program has doubled in 2022! Let’s keep it up - tell all your friends to join today!

News from

Programming We were thrilled to be awarded a grant from the FSU Foundation to fund a year-long Learning and Engagement Fellow. This position will be held by an FSU student this academic year, and will support the growth of our tour program, serving as a liaison to the student population and recruiting and training students to offer tours of the Museum.

11

News from

Collections So far this year we have accepted 25 new artworks for the permanent collection. There are several amazing works from the mid 20th century to contemporary art, but one of my favorites is Mother and Child, 1958

by Jack Bilander gifted by Carol and Mitchell Kur. Bilander was a PolishAmerican artist most known for his colored etchings and watercolors often depicting themes of Social Realism of everyday people. Mother and Child has such amazing detail that draws you from the main subject farther into the background. With such a relatable subject of a mother cradling a small child in her arms, it still leaves the viewers to make their own conclusions on the emotional feeling of the piece.

12

Art About Town The Danforth joins the Framingham Farmer’s Market Mary Erickson, in her new role as community engagement coordinator, has been attending the Framingham Farmers’ Market every other Thursday and the Natick Farmers’ Market for several Saturdays. Mary says it’s been great to meet all sorts of people with connections to the Danforth and stories to tell. Also, she’s been introducing the Danforth to people who do not know about us and people who still didn’t know we had moved.

Mary Erickson (right) with collections manager, Rachel Passannante, at the Framingham Farmer’s Market in August.

13

The Danforth now a part of the Up Program!

The Universal Participation (UP) All-Access Guide Initiative aims to activate the aspirations of the Americans with Disabilities Act to break down the barriers that prevent full and dignified participation in Massachusetts’ cultural sector. From January This guide will help you get The Danforth Art Museum ready for your upcoming visit has paintings and sculptures to May 2022, Mary to the Danforth Art Museum. ranging from 200 years old to You will learn where to enter a few months old, almost Erickson and Collections the building, what the Museum exclusively by American artis like, and who is there to help Manager Rachel ists. Our exhibitions change you during your time at the several times a year; there is Passannante attended Museum. always something new to see! zoom lectures around themes of inclusivity and access, programming, and challenges faced by diverse groups and individuals. For their final project, Mary and Rachel chose to develop an All-Access Guide. This pictorial guide is designed for those on the autism spectrum or with anxiety to learn about the Danforth before visiting to know what to expect. As we learned in our UP Learning Initiative, designing for accessibility doesn’t just help people with disabilities; it helps everyone.

Did you know: This year the Danforth Art Museum was nominated for best art museum in both Best of the Best Metrowest and FM Quest for the Best! We’d like to thank you for all of your support and votes and will let you know the outcome soon!

14

For insiders only!

Perhaps you missed Suzanne Hodes: The Engaged Image when it was on view at the Danforth Art Museum last spring? No worries - now you can view the new, exclusive digital catalog created to showcase this amazing exhibition featuring the work Suzanne Hodes. To view, simply click on the image below.

15

Storytelling Sculpture Watch a talk with Dr. Catherine Hahn On Sunday, July 10 we had a special Sunday Lecture series with Dr. Catherine Hahn, a visiting scholar from the University of Kent, England. She teaches a module on Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller and is currently writing on how Fuller’s practice connects with other creative thinkers, including Angelina Weld Grimké and W.E.B. DuBois. Dr. Hahn visited the Danforth to explore our archives and ephemera on Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller. Her talk focused on specific artworks, including important works at the Danforth Art Museum, looking at specific individuals who influenced Fuller’s art practice, how her artworks speak across time to each other, and how her mode of working and storytelling is highly relevant today. Click the image above to watch the recording of her talk.

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Up and Coming at the Danforth Brand new class! Art and Movement begins on Wednesday, September 21.

Enjoy exclusive access to the museum galleries to enjoy the art while practicing simple stretching and movement exercises. In this unique class, you will participate in discussions, create some drawings and other artistic responses to the artwork, and connect with breath and body for an immersive experience with art and movement.

Don’t miss Collections Show and Tell on Sunday, October 30.

Join the Danforth’s Collections Manager Rachel Passannante to explore some of the new additions to the collection, many of which have not yet been shown to the public! The talk is free with general admission to the Museum. Advance registration is required.

Drinks at the Danforth returns to the Museum this fall Friday, November 4!

The Danforth invites you to this distinctive social event for all those looking to create art while enjoying a unique cocktail (or mocktail). Ralph Gagnon’s painting, Love, currently on view at the Danforth, provides the inspiration for this pairing of fun art making and delicious beverages.

17

Calendar of Events at the Museum and Art School Sept 11

Drop Into Art

Sept 21

Art and Movement begins

Sept 28

Summer Arts Student Exhibition Reception at the Framingham Library at 6 pm

Oct 8

Fall Exhibitions open Toni Pepe: Ordinary Devotion Lisa Rosowsky: Othering Jane Szabo: Family Matters

Oct 9

Drop Into Art

Oct 22

Opening Reception for Fall Exhibitions at 6 pm

Oct 30

Sunday Spotlight: Collections Show and Tell!

Nov 4

Drinks at the Danforth

Nov 13

Drop Into Art

Dec 2

Kids’ Night Out

Dec 4

Brunch at the Danforth

Dec 11

Drop Into Art

Dec 16

Kids’ Night Out 18

Magazine Design by Laura Gayton, Marketing and Membership, Danforth Art Museum

museum hours Tuesday - Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm Closed Mondays 14 Vernon Street Framingham, MA 01701 phone: 508-215-5110 danforth.framingham.edu