ARTiculate Feb/March 2019

MEMORIAL ART GALLERY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

FREDERICK DOUGLASS

"LESSONS OF THE HOUR"

FUA KREW

ROCHESTER LEGENDS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2019

A N A RT I S T S ’ A F FA I R

V O I C E S I moved to Rochester to pursue my BFA in photography and graduated from RIT in 2008. I left to earn an MA in Art History at Stony Brook University and graduated in 2010.

I moved back in 2013 and I threw myself into getting involved with the various art organizations and events this great city has to offer. I volunteered at the 2015 Clothesline Festival and I have been hanging around the MAG ever since. You may have seen me teaching children how to draw and paint in the Creative Workshop, greeting visitors at the admission desk, or ringing up customers at the Store @ MAG. I am now pursuing an MS in Library and Information Science at the University at Buffalo and I was able to do a practicum this summer with Lu Harper, MAG’s librarian and archivist for 27 years.

We, along with Assistant Curator of Academic Programs, Sydney Greaves, inventoried and photographed over 2,000 objects that have been used through the years to educate children about art and the different cultures they come from. Lu retired in September and a few weeks later I joined the Academic Programs department as MAG's new Curator of Interpretive Resources.

I have had a lifelong love of museums and libraries, and to be able to have a job that intersects with both has given me a sense of fulfillment beyond my wildest dreams. Cultural institutions like the MAG are such a treasure and I look forward to spending my time in this position helping visitors gain a deeper connection with our collection and learn new things.

Eboni Pearl Jones Curator of Interpretive Resources COVER: ISAAC JULIEN, "LESSONS OF THE HOUR," 2019. COURTESY THE ARTIST, METRO PICTURES NEW YORK AND VICTORIA MIRO LONDON/ VENICE.

CALENDAR

Saturday, February 2 “Lessons of the Hour”: A Discussion with Isaac Julien, artist, and Hazel Carby, Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of African American Studies and American Studies, Yale University 2:00 PM Pioneering media artist Isaac Julien and the University of Rochester’s Distinguished Visiting Humanist Hazel Carby discuss Julien’s “Lessons of the Hour,” a multi-screen film and video installation inspired by the life of Frederick Douglass, which will debut at MAG on March 3.

Free with museum admission Thursday, February 7 Cocktails with Creatives 5:30–8:30 PM Amanda Chestnut | Danielle Ponder | Bradd Young Join us for an evening of inspiration. This cast of creatives will share their genius through lightning-fast presentations. $15 (presale) $17 (day of) | 21+ | Includes museum admission Sunday, February 17 12:00–5:00 PM Black History Month Celebration Series Celebrate Black History Month with art activities, music and dance performances, and more. Event sponsored by The Gallery Council and presented in cooperation with 103.9 WDKX. Suggested donation of $5 per family Tuesday, February 19 11:00–5:00 PM MAG Open - Kids Free!

Celebrate February Break with us! The MAG will be open special Tuesday hours, and children 18 and under get in for free for the whole week (2/19-2/24). Children free with paid adult admission Saturday, March 2 5:00–8:00 PM "Lessons of the Hour"–Frederick Douglass Opening Party Open to Patron-level members and above. Contact Valerie Pasquarella to register. 585.276.8939 or vpasquarella@mag.rochester.edu.

In lieu of an opening party for Individual, Family and Reciprocal-level members, we will have special members-only hours on Saturday, April 27 and Friday, May 10.

Sunday, March 3 "Lessons of the Hour"–Frederick Douglass opens to the public On view in the Docent Gallery through May 12, 2019 2:00 PM Meet the Artist: Isaac Julien in Conversation with John G. Hanhardt Groundbreaking media artist Isaac Julien and MAG’s Senior Consulting Curator of Media Arts John G. Hanhardt discuss Julien’s new MAG commission, “Lessons of the Hour,” a multi-screen film and video installation inspired by the life of Frederick Douglass. Free with museum admission Saturday, March 9 1:00–4:00 PM Creative Workshop Open House Meet teachers and the staff of the Creative Workshop and explore the selection of winter classes! $5 off registration if you sign up for classes during the open house. Free and open to the public 6:30–10:00 PM An Evening on the Iron Throne: A Game of Thrones Themed Devour Event All Ages Welcome | $75 per person | includes museum admission Wednesday, March 13 4:30–7:00 PM ESPECIALLY FOR EDUCATORS Drawing in the Galleries Spend an evening looking at and creating art using works from MAG’s renowned collection! This professional development workshop begins with helpful hints on anatomical proportions and a brief demonstration in silverpoint by artist Chelsea Anderson, followed by an opportunity to try to silverpoint technique in MAG's permanent collection. Drawing materials will be provided. $15 (Art, Classroom Teachers 6–12) Contact Chelsea Anderson to register. 585.276.8971, cander35@mag.rochester.edu.

Sunday, March 17 Peter Fischli & David Weiss: The Way Things Go closes Last day to view in the Media Arts Watch Gallery Saturday, March 23 6:00–11:45 PM An Artists' Affair Join us and nine regional artists for an evening of wining, dining, bidding and collecting! This event benefits MAG's academics programs, which serve nearly 12,000 schoolchildren annually and are strengthening the future of the arts in Rochester. $200/person, call 585.276.8942 for tickets.

Thursday, March 28 The Collecting Series: World Class Collecting on a Budget 7:00–8:00 PM Join us for an exciting discussion on the ins and outs of collecting with the local art community, and awakening your inner art collector, with panelists Nigel Maister, Kenneth Montague and Ian Wilson. Free with museum admission Sunday, March 31 Modern Czech Photography: A Portfolio closes Last day to view in the Lockhart Gallery

ONGOING THURSDAYS

5:00–9:00 PM 1/2 Price Admission

• Docent-led Tours - 6:00 PM (no tour 2/21 & 3/21) • MAG DeTOURSM - 6:00 PM/$12 | includes museum admission

Purchase tickets online: mag.rochester.edu/events/detours February 21: Musically MAG DeTOURSM

Take part in an immersive arts experience! The modern chamber music quintet fivebyfive, with special guest Ben Proctor on banjo, will couple fine arts with the majesty of music. Enjoy performances in our museum space, learning together, laughing, exploring, and more.

March 21: Badass Babes: Women of MAG DeTOURSM

Celebrate the women in MAG's collection who made MAGnificent muses, painted perfect portraits, altered our perceptions of feminism and the art world, and gave women the rights of agency. We will reveal the secret lives of females from our past, share fun facts about present-day artists, and celebrate all the wonders women have provided the art world and beyond.

• Special Events - 7:00 PM February 7: Cocktails with Creatives | 5:30-8:30 PM | $15-$17/per person | 21+ February 21: Alternative Music Film (free) March 21: Alternative Music Film (free) March 28: Concert: Landscape/Soundscape | 5:00 PM | Support provided by Art Bridges.

Hear students from the Eastman School of Music debut compositions inspired by works of art in MAG’s collection during a special concert in the museum galleries. Free with museum admission

• Food & drink available for purchase from Brown Hound Downtown • The Store @ MAG open for shopping FRIDAYS

1:00 PM Docent-led tour of the museum and collection Free with museum admission

$5 Friday! 5:00–9:00 PM

February 15: Fred Astaire Dance will perform in the M&T Bank Ballroom from 6:00–8:00 PM ART SOCIAL — 6:15–8:15 PM/$20 PER PERSON Escher-inspired Zentangles March 8:

Scio Quartet will perform in the Vanden Brul Pavilion from 6:00–8:00 PM ART SOCIAL — 6:15–8:15 PM/$20 PER PERSON Creative Collage

SCIO QUARTET SATURDAYS 1:00–3:00 PM

Kids Create Dates - $10/Child

Fun hands-on art projects for kids ages 4–14 in the Vanden Brul Pavilion

SUNDAYS 1:00 PM

Docent-led tours | Free with museum admission 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM

Going For Baroque Organ Concerts |

Free with museum admission

ISAAC JULIEN: "LESSONS OF THE HOUR"

Written by John Hanhardt | Consulting Senior Curator of Media Arts MAG is proud to premiere “Lessons of the Hour,” a multi-screen, multimedia meditation on the life of Frederick Douglass (1818–1895).

The second exhibition to be presented as part of “Reflections on Place,” a series of media art commissions inspired by the history, culture, and politics of Rochester, “Lessons of the Hour”−Frederick Douglass brings to the fore issues of social justice that are an integral part of Rochester’s place in American and world history.

Julien’s installation, a non-linear and poetic portrait of the visionary African American abolitionist, is informed by some of Douglass’ most important speeches, such as “Lessons of the Hour,” “What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?” and “Lecture on Pictures.” In the latter, Douglass connects picturemaking and photography—he was the most photographed person of the 19th century—to his vision of how technology can influence human relations. Through extensive use of Frederick Douglass’ “timely words,” Isaac Julien gives expression to the zeitgeist of his era, legacy, and ways in which his story may be viewed today.

Isaac Julien is a pioneer of the art of the moving image. His films and installations demonstrate a complete command of the medium. In an extraordinary body of work spanning almost three decades and including such masterpieces as Paradise Omeros (2002) and Ten Thousand Waves (2010), Julien has created installations that bring history and individual stories alive. There is no artist working today who makes such compelling and powerful statements about global forces shaping history and our world. His moving images astonish and inform, and demonstrate how art can speak to all of us.

“Lessons of the Hour”−Frederick Douglass is on view in the Docent Gallery from March 3−May 13, 2019.

The “Reflections on Place” series of media art commissions by the Memorial Art Gallery is made possible with support from the Zell Family, and Deborah Ronnen and Sherman Levey.

The “Lessons of the Hour” commission is also funded by Mark Falcone and Ellen Bruss, Ford Foundation, VIA Art Fund, and Lori Van Dusen, with additional support provided by Barbara and Aaron Levine. The commission is also made possible by the Maurice and Maxine Forman Fund, the Marion Stratton Gould Fund, the Herdle-Moore Fund, the Strasenburgh Fund, and the Lyman K. and Eleanore B. Stuart Endowment Fund. In-kind support is provided by Eastman Kodak Company, on whose film the installation was shot, and production of the work is also supported by the Arts Division of the University of California Santa Cruz.

In Rochester, the exhibition is made possible by the Margaret Davis Friedlich and Alan and Sylvia Davis Memorial Fund, the Robert A. and Maureen S. Dobies Endowment Fund, the Kayser Fund, the Elizabeth and Eric Rennert Family Foundation, the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Fund, and an anonymous donor.

IMAGES, RIGHT: ISAAC JULIEN, "LESSONS OF THE HOUR," 2019. COURTESY THE ARTIST, METRO PICTURES NEW YORK AND VICTORIA MIRO LONDON/ VENICE.

Written by Jonathan P. Binstock & Margot Muto The collective FUA (pronounced “fwah”) Krew, a Rochester graffiti legend, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2019. Though many members of FUA have dispersed across the country and abroad, garnering national and international recognition for the group, Rochester remains home and the epicenter of their work. In recognition of their growing significance, MAG has invited FUA Krew to paint a new mural for the Hurlbut Gallery in April, create a table at An Artists’ Affair fundraiser on March 23rd, and design the t-shirt for the M&T Bank Clothesline Festival.

Graffiti writing emerged in the 1960s largely as a way for kids to mark territory or “turf,” and to communicate with friends and enemies. Some became well known beyond their own neighborhoods for extraordinary feats and unique forms of expression. Over time, graffiti evolved into murals, and from vandalism into art. Rather than having to work under cover of night, these “writers” were given walls by building owners who served as patrons.

Some artists, such as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Christopher “Daze” Ellis, whose painting The 7 Yard (2011) is on view in MAG’s Hawks Gallery, successfully made the transition from the wall to the canvas, and from the street to the gallery.

Graffiti grew out of a culture that also embraced music, especially rap, and fashion, all propagated by an edgy urban youth. This ethos has come to define American culture more broadly. Pop music today is rap. Urban street fashion pervades the commercial sector from Urban Outfitters to haute couture, and graffiti is widely recognized as one of the most influential visual art forms to emerge since the 1970s.

IMAGE, RIGHT: Image courtesy of FUA KREW. Pictured in color, in memory, Bones.

Written by Jessica Marten | Curator in Charge/Curator of American Art

Meet our newest acquisition.

Nam June Paik (1932–2006) is referred to as the “Father of Video Art” because he transformed the medium of video into an art form, starting in the 1960s. MAG’s major acquisition, Bakelite Robot, comes from a late, productive period of the artist’s life, only four years before his death. Paik used found objects—Bakelite radios popular in American homes from the 1930s to 1950s—to form a humanistic robot, adding screens with looped videos created by the artist.

MAG’s Senior Consulting Curator of Media Arts John G. Hanhardt is the leading authority on Paik and has organized major retrospectives at the Whitney Museum (1982), Guggenheim (2000), and Smithsonian American Art Museum (2013).

IMAGE: Nam June Paik, Bakelite Robot, 2002. Mixed media. Purchased with Marion Stratton Gould Fund,Women’s Council by exchange, funds from deaccessioning, bequest of Isabel Herdle by exchange, Thelma M. Knapp Fund, Fernando Zobel by exchange, John Dowe by exchange, Strasenburgh Fund, Lewis Norry and Jill Katz by exchange, R. T. Miller Fund by exchange, and Maurice R. and Maxine B. Forman Fund, 2018.34.

Image courtesy of Andy Olenick/Fotowerks.

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Thursday (no tour 2/21 & 3/21): 6:00 PM

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Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester 500 University Avenue Rochester, NY 14607 585.276.8900 | mag.rochester.edu

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CHERYL DINOLFO COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Thank you to our Sponsors ARTiculate is underwritten by Helen H. Berkeley, and the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, with additional support from Janet S. Reed. The Memorial Art Gallery is supported primarily by its members, the University of Rochester, and public funds from Monroe County. The Memorial Art Gallery is also supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Accessibility Wheelchairs are available in the Vanden Brul Pavilion coatroom. The auditorium is equipped with an assistive listening system made possible by the Mark and Bobbie Hargrave hard of hearing fund of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, the MAG community access endowment fund, and an anonymous donor. To schedule a sign language interpreter or touch tour for the blind, or to request a braille or text calendar, contact cander35@mag.rochester.edu (585.276.8971). People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call via relay service. We also offer a special cell phone tour for the visually impaired.

For more information For more information about programming, events, tours, and all things MAG, visit our website at mag.rochester.edu, or follow us on social media!