O'Keeffe: The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Magazine, Fall 2016

THE GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM MAGAZINE

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COLLECTION

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GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2O16–17 Elaine B. Agather Dallas, TX Jane Bagwell Santa Fe, NM Ronald D. Balser Atlanta, GA; Santa Fe, NM Deborah A. Beck River Hills, WI; Santa Fe, NM Nancy D. Carney Houston, TX; Santa Fe, NM Roxanne Decyk, President Chicago, IL; Santa Fe, NM Julie Spicer England Dallas, TX Felicitas Funke Ketchum, ID; Santa Fe, NM Susan J. Hirsch Dallas, TX; Santa Fe, NM Donald D. Humphreys Dallas, TX Jack L. Kinzie Dallas, TX; Santa Fe, NM Anne W. Marion, Chair Fort Worth, TX; Santa Fe, NM John L. Marion Fort Worth, TX; Santa Fe, NM Deborah A. Peacock, Treasurer Albuquerque, NM Ramona Sakiestewa, Secretary Santa Fe, NM Christine Schuepbach Dallas, TX Barton E. Showalter Dallas, TX Marilynn J. Thoma Chicago, IL; Santa Fe, NM Joanna Lerner Townsend Dallas, TX; Santa Fe, NM David L. Warnock Baltimore, MD Robert A. Kret, ex officio Santa Fe, NM Laura Bush, Honorary Dallas, TX Saul Cohen, Honorary Santa Fe, NM Lee E. Dirks, Honorary Lahaina, HI; Santa Fe, NM Emily Fisher Landau, Honorary New York, NY; Palm Beach, FL Joann K. Phillips, Honorary Santa Fe, NM Juan Hamilton Special Consultant to the Board Honolulu, HI; Abiquiú, NM; Santa Fe, NM Note: Board members can be reached through the Office of the Director at 505.946.1055.

Updated July 28, 2016

CONTENTS FALL 2O16

2 Fun in London 3 From the Director 4 At the Tate Modern: Getting Ready 5 At the Tate Modern: Opening Week 6 O’Keeffe Circle at the Tate Opening 7 O’Keeffe Circle Summer Celebration 8 Barn Raising 9 New Acquisition: The Barns, Lake George 10 Art and Leadership 2O16 11 Interns at the O’Keeffe Museum 16 Family Programs 17 Creative Activity 18 Making Modernism: Georgia O’Keeffe Meets Australian Modernists Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith 20 Happening at the O’Keeffe

O’Keeffe Magazine is published for Members of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

Send correspondence to: Mara Christian Harris, Communications Manager 217 Johnson Street Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 E-mail: mharris@okeeffemuseum.org Fall 2016 Published by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. © 2016.

No reproduction of images or content permitted.

ON THE COV ER : Georgia O’Keeffe, The Barns, Lake George, 1926.

Oil on canvas , 21 x 321/4 in. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

Museum purchase, CR 523.

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FUN IN LONDON O’Keeffe Circle patrons enjoyed a number of field trips while in London for the opening of Georgia O’Keeffe, at the Tate Modern: dinner at and a private tour of the Tower of London, a walk through the Henry Moore Studios and Gardens, and a sky-high view of the city from the London Eye.

© DANIEL QUAT PHOTOGRAPHY

FROM THE DIRECTOR Dear Members and Friends, These are very exciting times at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, as we launch a variety of important projects here in Santa Fe and around the globe.

First and foremost, if you have yet to see the installation Georgia O’Keeffe’s Far Wide Texas, in our galleries in Santa Fe, do not delay. This presentation of watercolors that O’Keeffe painted during her time in Texas will remain on view only until the end of October, and it is very likely the last time in our lives (excuse the hyperbole, but it’s a fact) that these works will be seen together. Some of them are loans that will be sent back to their generous museums and owners, and since watercolors are very sensitive, all of them will need to rest in storage after being on view. This is the last opportunity to see these vibrant, fragile artworks.

In June, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum announced the acquisition of a rare painting by O’Keeffe: The Barns, Lake George (1926). Funds from the Museum’s acquisition fund were used to purchase the painting, which fills a notable gap in our

collection and will significantly enhance our My New Yorks gallery. Like the Texas watercolors, this work has rarely been shown in public—in fact, it has been exhibited only once in the past 50 years.

As the curatorial staff introduce more works by Georgia O’Keeffe in our galleries, the Museum itself is becoming better represented internationally. Making Modernism, which opens in Melbourne, Australia, in October 2016, and will then travel to Brisbane and Sydney, brings together works by O’Keeffe and by the Australian modernists Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith. Each of these three artists broke with convention to find new ways of expression through art that became significant to her national culture.

The visual conversation that will take place among their works when they are seen together should prove engaging and illuminating.

Meanwhile, through October 30, the Tate Modern is exhibiting a retrospective of more than 100 works created by Georgia O’Keeffe. This, the largest European exhibition of O’Keeffes to date, has received critical acclaim from international art critics. The O’Keeffe Museum is the largest lender to the exhibition, which was organized by the Tate Modern in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Bank Austria Kunstforum. Once the exhibition closes in London, it will travel to Kunstforum Wien, in Vienna (December 7, 2016, to March 26, 2017), after which it will make its only North American stop, in Toronto (April 22 to July 30, 2017).

This past summer, various departments of the O’Keeffe Museum hosted a total of 28 interns. We are fortunate to be able to attract such bright, creative individuals to our organization, and are very grateful for their contributions. We are also grateful for the financial support of the BF Foundation, the Tom and Charlene Marsh Family Foundation, and the Kappa Delta Foundation, which has helped to make the intern program such a success.

Lastly, I want to thank you for your continued support and engagement as we continue to evolve as an institution dedicated to preserving, presenting, and advancing the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and modernism. Please come by the Museum this fall—our galleries continually change as we present new works and objects from our collection that highlight the life and work of Georgia O’Keeffe.

Kind regards,

Robert A. Kret Director, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

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WHERE IN THE WORLD?

AT THE TATE MODERN: GETTING READY In 2014, when Tanya Barson, then the Curator of International Art at the Tate Modern, conceived the idea for a major Georgia O’Keeffe retrospective, she approached the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum to ask if it could provide research and support. For several months, phone calls flew between the two museums, and in spring 2015 Barson and Hannah Johnston, the Tate’s Assistant Curator of International Art, traveled to Santa Fe to work with Museum curatorial staff to flesh out the concept.

In the following months, many conversations and extensive research supported the Tate as the exhibition took shape. With the Museum’s help, the largest exhibition of O’Keeffe artwork ever displayed in Europe ultimately borrowed 100 paintings from 75 lenders, including 35 from the Museum. Museum staff assisted the Tate, in the U.S. and in London, with the staggering logistics of packing, shipping, and coordinating couriers among multiple lenders, making it possible for the Tate to install the exhibition in the remarkable time of less than two weeks.

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1. Tanya Barson, the Tate Modern’s former Curator of International Art, and Carolyn Kastner, Curator of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, at the Black Place in spring 2015 2. Crates of O’Keeffes on their way to London 3. Dale Kronkright, the Museum’s Head of Conservation, in London, reviewing a painting in the Tate galleries prior to installation 4. At the Tate, crews of conservators, preparators, and curators install the exhibition

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AT THE TATE MODERN: OPENING WEEK Beginning in May, London was awash in O’Keeffe images as billboards, banners, and signs blanketed the city. Attendance at the opening, on July 6, exceeded all expectations, and by mid-August more than 140,000 visitors had viewed the exhibition. Articles about O’Keeffe and New Mexico in the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, the Independent, and British Vogue, among others, as well as coverage by CNN, presented to a worldwide audience the story of the exhibition.

The Tate Modern provided Georgia O’Keeffe Museum patrons with special access, and before the opening hosted an exclusive private reception, in gratitude for the support provided by the Museum to make the exhibition possible.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Members receive free admission to the exhibition in London with their membership card.

1. Tanya Barson, the Tate Modern’s former Curator of International Art, walks O’Keeffe Circle patrons through a preview of the exhibition 2. Dale Kronkright, the Museum’s Head of Conservation, and Sherri Sorensen, Associate Collections Manager/Registrar, in front of the exhibition entrance 3. A banner on the Thames 4. Tate Modern merchandise for the exhibition

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O’Keeffe Circle patrons were welcomed by Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate art museums and galleries, and Frances Morris, Director of the Tate Modern, at an exclusive reception before the public opening, to thank the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum for its generosity in making the exhibition happen.

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1. Susan and Larry Hirsch, Deborah Peacock and Ellen Robinson, Karin and Jack Kinzie, Deb Beck and Fred Sweet, Joanna Townsend 2. O’Keeffe Circle patrons exploring the Tate Modern galleries 3. Cody Hartley and Tanya Barson, the Tate Modern’s former Curator of International Art 4. Sir Nicholas Serota 5. Photo op at exhibition entrance 6. Ron and Barbara Balser, Roxanne Decyk and Lew Watts 7. Roxanne Decyk 8. O’Keeffe Circle patrons at private reception at the Tate Modern

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O’KEEFFE CIRCLE SUMMER CELEBRATION On July 29, O’Keeffe Circle patrons enjoyed an evening celebration at the Research Center in the style of an English garden party, complete with a picnic, croquet, and a surprising amount of friendly competition.

9. Croquet at O’Keeffe Circle summer picnic 10. Roxanne Decyk, Barbara Balser, Jane O’Toole 11. Sherri Sorensen, Saul Cohen, Dale Kronkright, John Bagwell, and Mike DeLello, Deputy Director of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs 12. Christine Schuepbach and Jack Kinzie 13. Jane Bagwell, proud winner of the croquet match 14. Veronica Gonzales, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, with Rob Kret

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P. 7 ALL PHOTOS © INSIGHTFOTO.COM

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BARN RAISING To welcome the Museum’s newest acquisition, The Barns, Lake George (1926), O’Keeffe Museum Members enjoyed a Barn “raising,” with a sneak preview of the painting in the galleries on July 30. Then, on August 5, members of the public saw the painting for the first time during First Friday, with background music provided by a bluegrass band.

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1. Dianne Chalmers and Bill Wiley 2. Gill Lassetter McCain and Suzanne Hulbert 3. Roddie Harris and Cody Hartley 4. Railyard Reunion serenaded guests in the Museum courtyard 5 & 6. Intern Claire LaRose engaged visitors in conversation 7. Docent Elaine Trzebiatowski discusses The Barns with her husband

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IMAGES 1-3, ©TONY BONNANO PHOTOGRAPHY

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NEW ACQUISITION

THE BARNS, LAKE GEORGE ADDS BREADTH TO O’KEEFFE MUSEUM COLLECTION The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is proud to announce the acquisition of The Barns, Lake George (1926), an outstanding example from a series of fewer than ten paintings of barns that O’Keeffe painted between 1921 and 1934. The Barns, Lake George was first shown in New York in 1927, at the Intimate Gallery, and has been in private collections since 1946—it has been shown publicly only once in the past 50 years. Using funds from the Museum’s acquisition endowment, the Museum was the successful bidder at a public auction at Christie’s in May. This painting furthers the Museum’s goal of representing the full breadth of O’Keeffe’s artistic accomplishments by significantly enhancing the Museum’s presentation of the artist’s New York work. The 1920s—the decade during which she was closest to her husband, Alfred Stieglitz, whom she married in 1924—is an important part of her biography. Each year from 1918 to 1928, O’Keeffe and Stieglitz lived in New York City during the winter and spring months, and retreated upstate to Lake George for the

summer and fall. These were prolifically productive years for both artists, and Lake George was a place of great creativity for them. Equivalents, Stieglitz’s groundbreaking photographic series of clouds, were created during this period of broad experimentation in O’Keeffe’s career.

O’Keeffe knew the barns well from her many summers at the Stieglitz family property, overlooking the shores of Lake George.

Raised on a farm, she also felt a personal connection to the structures: “The barn is a very healthy part of me—there should be more of it—it is something that I know too—it is my childhood.”

O’Keeffe’s barn paintings connect her professionally to the interests of members of the Stieglitz Circle and other American Modernists who were working to identify distinctively national subjects. O’Keeffe and her peers Charles Sheeler and Charles Demuth were seeking a regionalist perspective in the subject of barns that very specifically expressed a sense of a rural identity, and connected modernism to an idealized agrarian past.

O’Keeffe’s abstract composition of interlocking cubes and triangles deployed across the surface of the canvas clearly delineates the forms of the barns, even the specific details of a broken window, without representing a romanticized rural memory or inviting a narrative interpretation. Instead, the painting presents her masterful color and compositional skills as she reduces her view of the natural world to shapes on a flat canvas.

Georgia O’Keeffe, The Barns, Lake George, 1926. Oil on canvas , 21 x 321/4 in. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Museum purchase.

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ART AND LEADERSHIP 2O16

By Callé Hewett, Assistant Site Coordinator; Diego Suarez, Site Coordinator; and Diego Medina, Assistant Site Coordinator The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum’s Art and Leadership Program is a summer program in which local girls and boys come together to create art and learn how to become leaders. It’s a program deemed “special” by both students and staff. Unlike other similar programs, the Museum’s Art and Leadership Program feels more like a community than a camp. There are times when some of its life-lesson activities wander into extended conversations that tug at participants’ latent wisdom; the kind of conversations that are possible only among people who consider each other kin. The artworks made during the program are mere glimpses into the overall experience. Everyone involved learns more about themselves, and everyone grows in some way. Every new day at the program is an opportunity to explore ourselves and our creativity. With each method of expression offered, students grow more in tune with their emotions and develop confidence.

Using the world of Georgia O’Keeffe as a backdrop for this program creates a beautiful environment in which the artist’s attachment to this area gives participants a chance to connect to their home and to one of its major icons. Throughout the program, O’Keeffe serves as a guide through the worlds of art and self-discovery. We adventure into her beautiful Abiquiú and hike through its warm-colored rocks, visit her Museum where we discuss her art, and create works of our own that bring together all of the inspirational prospects she provided for us. We look, we learn, and we express.

Each day of Art and Leadership begins with “opening circle,” when students and staff reintroduce themselves in a new way. Usually, the introductions are prompted by a question such as, “If you were an animal, what would you be?” This begins the day by getting everyone thinking about themselves and learning something new about others in the program. The opening circle is mirrored by a closing circle at the end of the day. These two rituals serve as bookends for each day, and for the program as a whole. They symbolize the balance between unity and individuality that the program fosters. Everyone shares and participates, and everyone’s voice is heard. Sometimes the questions asked during opening circle are fun, and sometimes they’re serious, introspective, even provocative.

The range of emotions and issues brought up during this program is beautifully vast.

Creating art and developing leadership skills are the

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objectives but not the limits of this program. Everyone does make art and learns the skills to become a successful leader, but through the summer, so much more is accomplished. Between each opening and closing circle was a day filled with learning, fun, art, friendship, and growth. As the participants in the program went around the circle and shared something about themselves at the opening and closing of each day, a tighter community was knit, and together everyone became budding leaders, burgeoning artists, and parts of Georgia O’Keeffe’s wonderful legacy.

Callé Hewett, the assistant site coordinator for the Art and Leadership Program for Girls, has also attended the program as a student and assisted it as an intern. “I feel that I have really grown as a professional in this space, and that the program is so powerful to all of the fortunate people involved,” she said. As she continues her career in Denver, Callé hopes to put to use her BFA in visual communication and BA in Spanish from Northern Arizona University.

Diego Medina, who graduated in 2015 from New Mexico State University with a BA in art, said that, as an assistant site coordinator for the Program for Boys, he felt for the first time that he was on the “right path.”

“I felt a revival in my passion and my creativity, and I was inspired to share that with the kids in the program,” Diego said. “The same love for art that I experienced as a kid in art camp all those years ago was resurrected in me as a facilitator for the program.”

Diego Suarez, who earned a BFA focusing on painting and photography from Cornish College of the Arts, in Seattle, enjoyed working as a site coordinator after interning for the program. “This group of staff did a wonderful job with being leaders and role models for the boy participants, and has made a significant difference in their lives,” he said.

The BF Foundation, the Tom and Charlene Marsh Family Foundation, and Kappa Delta Foundation make possible many of the internship opportunities at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. We are grateful for these organizations’ support.

The BF Foundation supports educational opportunities for individuals as well as programs based at cultural, educational, and scientific institutions. Since 2007, the BF Foundation has played an integral part in the development of the Museum’s internship program by underwriting 12-week internships for students seeking a bachelor’s or master’s degree in art or fine art. Thanks to the Foundation’s generous support, the O’Keeffe internship program has offered more than 50 students invaluable, hands-on experience that cultivates and enriches their specific areas of interest. (These interns are identified with the initials BF.) The Tom and Charlene Marsh Family Foundation was founded in 2007 by the Marshes to support diverse nonprofit initiatives in art, culture, museums, and education. The Museum partners with three universities identified by the Marsh Family Foundation—New York University, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Texas–Austin—to select graduate students for placement in 12-week internships. (These interns are identified with the initials MF.)

INTERNS AT THE GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM As part of its educational mission, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum hosts student interns each summer to work in all areas of the Museum, including Communications, Curatorial, Education, the Abiquiú garden, the Research Center, and the Art and Leadership Program for Girls and Program for Boys. In 2016, the Museum hosted a record number of interns—28 in all. Students ranged in age from high school through graduate school, and worked on various projects that support Museum staff and the Museum’s mission.

In return, interns gained real-world museum experience and educational opportunities in their fields of study.

In 1903, Georgia O’Keeffe joined Kappa Delta Sorority at Chatham Episcopal Institute, in Chatham, Virginia.

Kappa Delta now has 163 collegiate chapters, 200 alumnae chapters, and a membership of 230,000 women across the United States. To honor one of their most notable alumnae, Georgia O’Keeffe, the Kappa Delta Foundation has funded two internships since 2003 with the O’Keeffe Art and Leadership Program for Girls. This partnership helps Kappa Delta pursue its mission of “building confidence, inspiring action” by bringing college students to Santa Fe to serve as role models for the middle-school students in our program. (These interns are identified with the initials KD.)

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EDUCATION Claire LaRose, who holds an MA in art history from the University of Colorado–Boulder, led tours of the Museum for students from Girls Inc. and the City of Santa Fe Youth Programs, and designed teacher resources for the Museum’s website. She looks forward to teaching and making art while she explores Santa Fe. (BF)

RESEARCH CENTER Ysidro Barela worked on an oralhistory project, interviewing chef John Sedlar about his great-aunt Jeronima “Jerry” Newsom’s experiences working with Georgia O’Keeffe. Ysidro holds a BFA in photography from Santa Fe University of Art and Design, and plans to continue working on his photography.

RESEARCH CENTER Elizabeth Grab, a master’s student of library science and art history at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, processed O’Keeffe’s papers and edited transcriptions of O’Keeffe’s correspondence. She also helped work on a documentation system for internal decision-making and procedures. Her internship has informed the work Elizabeth will do on her master’s thesis beginning this fall.

CURATORIAL Isabella Caporuscio was part of the team that catalogued O’Keeffe’s clothing, accessories, and possessions, in an internship that required working at Ghost Ranch. “It is amazing to work on cataloging items that Georgia O’Keeffe or Juan Hamilton used as functional decoration, while surrounded by land formations that I can identify from her paintings,” she said. With a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and a minor in Arts Management, Isabella hopes to next work in New York City. (BF)

CURATORIAL Thomas Edwards, who holds a master’s degree in art history from the University of Texas–Austin, conducted background research for Cody Hartley, Director of Curatorial Affairs, that could shape future exhibitions. Thomas, who has now begun a job search, said he appreciates having gotten to spend time in New Mexico. “Though a bit sappy, I think just how beautiful everything is out here in New Mexico,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” (MF)

CURATORIAL Patrick Gora led the team of interns cataloging O’Keeffe’s possessions.

“The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum’s commitment to education and research has made it an excellent environment to continue developing my understanding of American Modernism,” he said. Patrick will next complete his master’s in Visual Arts Administration at New York University, beginning in the fall. (MF)

CURATORIAL Joseph O’Neill, who earned a BA in Art History and Communication Studies from American University, in Washington, D.C., was impressed by occupying a space once filled by O’Keeffe. “You can understand so much more about an artist’s work by seeing how they chose to live,” he said. Joseph will work while he decides whether to pursue a master’s degree. (BF)

CURATORIAL Esther Ramirez listed more than one takeaway experience from her internship, including “mudding a traditional adobe gate with friends in Abiquiú, and exploring the most beautiful city in the world.” Esther will teach a few art workshops in the near future, and is earning an MA in museum and exhibition studies from the University of Illinois–Chicago. (BF)

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COMMUNICATIONS Phuong Vu analyzed visitor comments on travel sites, then developed recommendations to improve visitor experiences.

She is earning an MBA in business analytics and an MA in arts management at Southern Methodist University. (MF)

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR GIRLS AND PROGRAM FOR BOYS

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR BOYS Jesus Avena was inspired by the children he worked with as he worked to inspire them, he said. Jesus will finish high school in the spring, and hopes to attend the Santa Fe University of Art and Design in Santa Fe—and return to the Art and Leadership Programs.

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR BOYS Jonathan Bordnick said of his experience, “Working and being an inspiration to the boys is spectacular.” Jonathan, a senior at St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe, is looking at various ways art can remain a part of his life.

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR BOYS Alcion Calderon brought to the program his people skills and knowledge of hip-hop.

He hopes to become a better photographer as he completes high school at Santa Fe High.

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR GIRLS Rémy Enoch, who earned a BA in Art History from the University of Virginia, was surprised to see how working with the students caused growth of her own.

“The entire experience strengthened my leadership skills, allowing me to become more confident,” she said. (KD)

Participants in Art and Leadership Program for Boys explore Ghost Ranch.

Interns with the Art and Leadership Program for Girls and Program for Boys engaged children ages 11–13 in art-making as they emphasized personal growth. Unless otherwise noted, these internships were sponsored by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

Art and Leadership Program for Girls participants create acrylic paintings inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe.

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR GIRLS Valerie Freeman enjoyed “meeting and working with so many inspirational people and making new friends of all ages.” After finishing high school at Santa Fe High, she intends to earn a degree in art.

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR BOYS Joshua Leib led boys in the program on tours of the Museum. “The boys always made interesting observations, and it was a pleasure to dissect works of O’Keeffe with them,” he said.

Joshua is earning a degree in art history at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville.

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR GIRLS Beth Link enjoyed “working with the other interns and talking with the girls about issues like resisting gender stereotypes, setting personal boundaries, and being an ally to yourself and others.” She is earning a master’s in art education at the University of Texas–Austin.

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR GIRLS Kassandra Mestemaker said that she “made incredible friendships with the other interns and was delighted by the creativity, wit, humor, and compassion of many of the girls I had the honor to work with.” After completing her bachelor of fine arts at Ohio State University, she hopes to open a gallery. (KD)

ART AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR GIRLS Denise Rascon was the youngest intern in the program. She attends Española Valley High School, and hopes to be an artist and art teacher and become the first person in her family to attend college. (KD).

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ABIQUIÚ HOME AND STUDIO The ten Abiquiú interns are all high school students who, with one exception, attend Española Valley High. They spent a summer planting, weeding, and harvesting fruits and vegetables at Georgia O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiú.

They also gained ideas about possible career paths from guest speakers. The interns were: Elizabeth Archuleta, who enjoyed learning how to garden, looks forward to furthering her education.

Isaac Baldonado enjoyed gaining leadership skills as the Intern Coordinator. A senior at Mesa Vista High School in Ojo Caliente, New Mexico, Isaac will start college at the University of New Mexico this fall, majoring in mechanical engineering.

Alexis Canales, who will be a high school junior next year, said that his favorite thing “was to transplant and get to know about the garden.”

Eduardo Canales said that he really liked to cultivate and transplant. He plans to major in mechanics after graduating from high school.

Riqué Fernandez-Lymon enjoyed watching the returns of her hard work in the garden and “how much fun it was!” Riqué plans to work toward a psychology degree after finishing high school this year.

Andres Garcia especially appreciated the guest speakers he met while interning. Through them, he “found more job options for different careers.”

Destiny Garcia enjoyed gardening because the experience will allow her to grow her own garden in the future. She plans to attend college after graduating from high school next year.

Phillip Grubbs enjoyed gardening, but doesn’t plan to keep his hands dirty. After graduating from high school next year, he wants to learn to be a computer programmer.

Bryan Sena named planting and harvesting as his favorite activities. After finishing high school, he plans to study welding.

Natalie Torres said she didn’t especially enjoy “bug patrol,” but described the summer of gardening as the “best summer I’ve ever had.” After graduating from high school next spring, Natalie plans to study cosmetology in California.

L EFT TO R IGHT: Elizabeth Archuleta, Alexis Canales, Natalie Torres, Eduardo Canales, Rique Fernandez-Lymon, Andres Garcia, Destiny Garcia, Bryan Sena, and Phillip Grubbs

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FA M I LY P R O G R A M S

FAMILY PROGRAMS Family Programs are free interactive activities designed for children and their favorite grownups. Come explore the world of art with your children.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 9:30–11:30 AM

Family Program: Bookmaking In celebration of National Archives Month, we will focus on bookmaking at the Research Center to view and learn about different bookbinding techniques. After our short visit, we will make our own simple books. All materials will be provided.

Meet at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, 217 Johnson Street SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 9:30–11:30 AM

Family Program: Autumn Antics Come join us for a free-for-all collage, coloring and drawing filled morning . We will create art inspired by O’Keeffe country, looking closely at trees, bones, and landscapes.

Led by Amy Paloranta, MA Art Therapy, art educator, artist.

Meet at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, 217 Johnson Street FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 5–7 PM

First Friday Art Activity Join us in the galleries and create your own drawings while exploring the use of color in modern artwork!

All ages welcome.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, 217 Johnson Street Free with Museum admission.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1–4 PM

Holiday Family Program Join us for this annual celebratory drop-in event and create personalized holiday crafts.

Museum Education Annex, 123 Grant Avenue Free for families. No reservation required.

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Creative Activity

CELEBRATE THE BARNS The Barns, Lake George (1926), the newest painting in the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum’s collection, is cause for a welcome celebration!

Georgia O’Keeffe was born and raised on a farm in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and felt a personal connection to the structures. “The barn is a very healthy part of me—” she said; “there should be more of it—it is something that I know too— it is my childhood.”

Take a good look at the painting above and think about what might be inside these barns.

Make a list of all the things that come to mind.

When your list is complete, get a piece of paper and draw all of the amazing things you’ve come up with!

COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Georgia O’Keeffe, Untitled (Barn), 1904. Graphite on paper, 81/2 x 11 in. Loan, private collection.

Georgia O’Keeffe, Red Barn in Wheatfield, 1928. Oil on canvas-covered board, 9 x 12 in. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Gift of The Burnett Foundation. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Georgia O’Keeffe, The Barns, Lake George, 1926. Oil on canvas, 21 x 321/8 in.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

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WHERE IN THE WORLD?

MAKING MODERNISM: GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MEETS AUSTRALIAN MODERNISTS MARGARET PRESTON AND GRACE COSSINGTON SMITH BY CODY HARTLEY, DIRECTOR OF CURATORIIAL AFFAIRS Australia is a fine place in which to think. . . . You do not get bothered with foolish new ideas. Tradition thinks for you, but Heavens! how dull! To keep myself from pouring out the selfsame pictures every year I started to think things out.

—Margaret Preston, 1923 It was in the fall of 1915 that I first had the idea that what I had been taught was of little value to me. . . . I had been taught to work like others and after careful thinking I decided that I wasn’t going to spend my life doing what had already been done.

—Georgia O’Keeffe, 1976 All form—landscape, interiors, still life, flowers, animals, people—has an inarticulate grace and beauty: painting to me is expressing this form in colour, colour vibrant with light—but containing this other, silent quality, which is unconscious, and belongs to all things created.

—Grace Cossington Smith, 1969 Making Modernism, which opens in Melbourne, Australia, in October 2016 and will travel to Brisbane and Sydney, is an exhibition about three remarkable artists. A joint exhibition of these artists is unexpected in that they are not bound by personal familiarity or direct correspondence with each other. If Georgia O’Keeffe and her Australian counterparts were aware of one another, it was only in the most general way—in all likelihood, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith never saw O’Keeffe’s work in person, and vice versa. Nonetheless, across the great distance of the Pacific Ocean, they were kindred spirits. Each was an innovative pioneer who forged a bold, original, and independent path for herself, and for the art of her times and homeland. Embracing an insistently modern art capable of conveying the excitement, contradictions, and complexity of life in the 20th century, each rejected what she perceived as the tired traditions of the past.

In turning away from their training and from convention, these three artists found new ways to communicate, new things to say, and new ways to make art significant to their national cultures. They left enduring legacies, and each has achieved a high degree of recognition within her country. Yet their reputations and fame have only rarely eclipsed those national boundaries.

Georgia O’Keeffe is the best known internationally, but even she is only just now receiving the attention of important global institutions like the Tate Modern, and few of her works can be seen outside the United States. While celebrated as their nation’s leading modernists, Grace Cossington Smith and Margaret Preston are little known and rarely exhibited outside Australia.

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Too often, calling these artists “great Australian artists” or a “great American artist” casts a slightly pejorative shade that minimizes their importance, much as calling them “great women artists” imposes an unnecessary distinction. As O’Keeffe herself remarked, “The men liked to put me down as the best woman painter. I think I’m one of the best painters.” While their understanding of the national spirit and desire to produce art that conveyed the distinct character of each land was an important factor in their careers, it should not limit our appreciation of their significance.

To be explicit, O’Keeffe, Preston, and Cossington Smith were not chosen for this show because they are women, but because they are among the most distinct and influential modernists of

TO P : Georgia O’Keeffe, Ram’s Head, Blue Morning Glory, 1938.

Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, gift of The Burnett Foundation. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

B O TTO M L E F T: Grace Cossington Smith, The Curve of the Bridge,1928–29.

Oil on cardboard, 110.5 x 82.5 cm. AGNSW © Estate of Grace Cossington Smith.

B O TTO M RI G H T: Margaret Preston, Implement Blue, 1927. Oil on canvas on board,

42.5 x 43 cm. AGNSW. © Margaret Rose Preston Estate, licensed by Viscopy, Sydney.

their respective nations. That said, their biographies do illustrate the opportunities and obstacles faced by professional women artists in the early 20th century. It would be disingenuous not to recognize that their experiences speak powerfully of the determination of women artists everywhere who have refused to accept conventional limitations, be they artistic or social. These artists were not just part of a broader artistic dialogue; they led the conversation.

The contributing curators in Australia and the United States brought these artists together in an exhibition to better understand modernism as a global phenomenon that represented reactions and artistic strategies that emerged as a means of making sense of modern life. Those reactions and strategies were adapted to the particulars of each artist and nation, certainly, but were also part of an international dialogue. In this broader context, the achievement of each artist is brought into its full, brilliant clarity.

This project began with a phone call. In 2013, Jason Smith, then director of the Heide Museum of Modern Art, just outside Melbourne, called to inquire about organizing an exhibition of Georgia O’Keeffe’s artwork in Australia. His request was elegantly direct: He wished to bring O’Keeffe to Australia, but not simply as an exhibition with only the well-known American artist on the marquee (the O’Keeffe Museum receives many such requests). His fuller ambition was to bring O’Keeffe to Australia so that audiences could better understand the significance and importance of Australian modernism.

As a scholar of American Modernism, working at an institution dedicated to a pre-eminent modernist painter and explicitly committed to the study of American Modernism, I found that the very notion of an Australian equivalent elicited my curiosity and excitement. I admit that I had an embarrassing ignorance of Australian modernism. It was little comfort that many of my American colleagues, on hearing about the project, echoed my own first thoughts: “What is Australian modernism, and why don’t I know about it?” Such responses illustrate how national bias has hindered the way art historians in the United States, especially those under the sway of Cold War exceptionalism, have interpreted the story of modern art, exaggerating the importance of their own nation and minimizing the substantial transnational conversations that were common among artists who traveled frequently and corresponded globally.

It seems as if a historical amnesia developed that obscured the degree to which modernism was a global experience.

O’Keeffe, Preston, and Cossington Smith traveled internationally, albeit at different times in their lives, and were fully cognizant of the artistic debates of their day, at home and abroad. They were citizens of their nations and the world at once, actively engaged with the ideas and work of their peers in many countries. Even as O’Keeffe and other members of the Stieglitz circle were seeking the Great American Thing, as she termed the search for authentically and uniquely American subjects, they were in contact with artists from many countries who were similarly seeking to create art that reflected distinct aspects of their national characters. For those from former

colonial states that had long lived in the shadow of European artistic dominance, the desire to differentiate themselves from Europe and establish a valid national culture was strongly felt. Even as they sought distinct subjects, turning frequently to indigenous cultures, unique flora and fauna, and the land itself, their ambitions and approaches were often shared across national boundaries.

Despite the distance between Australia and the United States, we are struck by some commonalities. Though the specifics vary, both are former British colonies overlaid on a land with an ancient and continuing indigenous presence inhabiting a diverse landscape of many geographies and climates. The lands are rich with abundant natural resources that fueled growth and expansion into the Industrial Age and beyond. Both nations preserve areas of unparalleled natural beauty, sites that have become parts of their national identities.

Though Australia is smaller in population, both nations are highly visible and influential actors on the global stage, through foreign policy but also as a result of being internationally recognized creative centers that produce vibrant art, music, cinema, and television. To this day, both continue to wrestle with devastating legacies from the past, the haunting national traumas resulting from centuries of exploitation and the systemic impoverishment of indigenous and minority populations. While our histories are distinct, nuanced and specific to the conditions and peoples of each land, we share substantial experiences, pressures, and ambitions.

Such parallels continually energized the research and collaborative planning among the curators in Australia and the United States. Over the course of several visits and work sessions, including an initial visit by Jason Smith to Santa Fe supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation, and conferences in Sydney and Santa Fe generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art, the team repeatedly experienced moments of insight and recognition. If we did not always know the specific artists, we recognized the impulse and understood the motivation from our knowledge of artistic practice in our home countries. And for all the similarities, there were also idiosyncrasies that served to bring into higher relief that which made each artist, and each country, unique.

Bringing together artists who otherwise might be considered an unlikely trio has allowed us to better understand and appreciate Australian and American modernist practices, and to more fully appreciate the contributions of Preston, Cossington Smith, and O’Keeffe. Holding them up to one another as mirrors allows us to more clearly recognize the specific outlines of their ambitions, their careers, and their lives, and to fully trace their significance as great artists of the 20th century. We can appreciate their accomplishments in ways that would be impossible without lifting them from their usual contexts. Doing so reinvigorates our thinking, opens dialogue, and helps us better understand the richness of modernism. It reveals the shared contours of artistic experience even as it reiterates the uniqueness, the originality, the enduring legacy of the individual artists.

OK EEFFEMU SEU M.ORG

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AMERICAN ARCHIVES MONTH October is American Archives Month, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is fortunate to have an extensive archive helping to support its installations and fuel scholarship about Georgia O’Keeffe and American Modernism. On Wednesday, October 5, at 9 AM, Breakfast with O’Keeffe presents Eumie Imm Stroukoff, Emily Fisher Landau Director of the Research Center, who will present the current status of the Research Center’s oral-history project and the role of individual voices in oral history and archival work.

Museum Education Annex, 123 Grant Ave. Reservations at okeeffemuseum.org.

DOUBLE COTTONWOOD

Don’t miss Georgia O’Keeffe while you’re on the road.

Georgia O’Keeffe is at the Tate Modern in London through October 30. Free admission to Museum Members with your membership card, only in London. The exhibition continues to the Bank Austria Kunstforum, in Vienna from November 30, 2016 through March 12, 2017, and finally to its only North American venue, the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto from April 1 through June 25, 2017.

Making Modernism (see page 18) opens at the Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne, Australia on October 12, 2016, through February 19, 2017. The exhibition travels to the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane from March 11 to June 11, 2017, and then to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Brisbane from July 1 to October 1, 2017.

MY FAVORITE TREE AND ME

TRAVELING?

The treemail project involving the double cottonwood in front of the Research Center was launched early this past summer. Favorite letters have included pictures of dogs and children in front of the tree. Got something to say to your favorite tree? Send an e-mail to doublecottonwood@gokm.org, or post on Instagram at hashtag #doublecottonwood.

#taketimetolook Georgia O’Keeffe was inspired by the landscapes around her. Share a snap of a landscape that inspires you by sending it via Instagram to @okeeffemuseum.

THE PEDERNAL SOCIETY

“It’s my private mountain. It belongs to me.

God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it.”

—GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

The Pedernal Mountain moved and inspired O’Keeffe as she studied and painted it from her studio at Ghost Ranch. After her death, her ashes were scattered atop Pedernal, as a testament to the bond she felt with the mountain.

As Pedernal inspired O’Keeffe, we hope the Pedernal Society will inspire you in your planned giving. We invite you to join this newly formed society, comprising donors who have named the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in their will, trust, retirement plan, life insurance policy, or financial accounts.

A bequest of any size will qualify you to join this special group. Your gift will help the Museum fulfill its vision to cultivate memorable, authentic experiences inspired by the life, work, and world of Georgia O’Keeffe.

For more information, or if you’ve already named the O’Keeffe Museum in your estate plans, please contact Betty Brownlee, Director of Museum Advancement, at 505.946.1023 or bbrownlee@okeeffemuseum.org.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum cannot provide legal or tax advice. Before making a gift, please consult your attorney or financial planner.

AB OVE : Georgia O’Keeffe, My Front Yard, Summer, 1941. Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

Gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

INSPIRED

BY AN ICON

Silver Alphabet Brooches A to Z $130

Kimono-Inspired Cotton Scarf $54

Chrysanthemum Plates $15 each

Unknown photographer, Georgia O’Keeffe in Abiquiu, 1972. Photographic print.

Gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

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