Miami University Art Museum - Fall 2012 - visual arts @ miami

visual arts @ miami

Art Museum McGuffey Museum Hiestand Galleries Cage Gallery

fall

2012

Miami University School of Creative Arts visual arts @ miami | 1

visual arts venues @ miami Cage Gallery McGuffey Museum

visual arts @ miami is a publication of the Miami University Art Museum showcasing the visual arts at Miami University, Oxford for its members and the surrounding community.

Distributed in the Oxford Press prior to the Fall and Spring semesters, visual arts @ miami also serves as a unified resource for visual arts and culture within the School of Creative Arts.

Inside this issue: Directions 3 Featured Acquisition 4 Retiring but not Archived 5 Days of Old and Days to Be 6 Current Exhibition 8 Art Museum Programs 9 Hiestand Happenings 10 In the Cage 12 Frankly Speaking 15 Young at Art 16 Leica Exhibition 17 Symposium 17 Calendar at a Glance 19

Hiestand Galleries

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89

66

Blue Bus Stops at the Art Museum

Art Museum

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On the cover: Edward Youkilis, American (b. 1947); J, 1980; acrylic on canvas; 72” x 53 ¼”; gift of the artist; 1981.17

Art Museum - 8 Hiestand Galleries - 66

Miami University Art Museum

Hiestand Galleries

Cage Gallery

Dr. Robert S. Wicks, Director 801 S. Patterson Ave., Oxford (513) 529-2232 artmuseum@muohio.edu www.MiamiOH.edu/Art-Museum

Ann Taulbee, Director 124 Art Building, Oxford (513) 529-1883 sfagallery@muohio.edu www.MiamiOH.edu/ hiestandgalleries

Gallery hours: Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday Noon-5 p.m.

Closed Sunday-Monday

Gallery hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Other hours available by appointment.

Gallery hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Galleries closed: October 12-13, November 22-24 During exhibition installation December 9, 2012January 14, 2013

Galleries closed: During exhibition installation and September 3, October 12, November 20-23, and December 18, 2012January 4, 2013

See page 18 for staff list and more museum information.

John Weigand, Chair, Department of Architecture + Interior Design 101 Alumni Hall, Oxford (513) 529-7210 arcid@muohio.edu www.arts.MiamiOH.edu/ architecture-interior-design

Galleries closed: October 12-13, November 22-23

Cage Gallery - 5 McGuffey Museum - 89

McGuffey Museum

Stephen C. Gordon, Administrator 401 E. Spring Street, Oxford (513) 529-8380 mcguffeymuseum@muohio.edu www.MiamiOH.edu/ mcguffeymuseum Museum hours: Thursday-Saturday 1-5 p.m.

Museum closed: October 12-13, November 22-24

from the director

directions

By Dr. Robert S. Wicks

O

ne of the most important points in a university art museum mission is stewardship of the works of art placed in its care, or what one scholar has called “a museum’s genetic code.” Miami’s art museum, for example, has more than 16,000 objects in its collection, ranging from 4,000-year-old female fertility figures to a sculpture assemblage made just last year. Each work has a unique story to tell. These objects become the building blocks for many of our exhibitions.

Successfully implementing any museum installation requires foresight and careful planning. Until recently museum practice held that ultimate decision-making authority rested with the exhibition curator alone. At many institutions, including Miami, this introspective, solitary approach to exhibition development has been replaced by a more inclusive practice, one that engages multiple communities in the exhibition planning process.

University art museums are uniquely situated to collaborate with departments and disciplines across campus.

This community-curated model of exhibition development builds upon the combined efforts of scholars and students beyond the traditional discipline of art history. Our current exhibition series, Grass Routes: Pathways to Eurasian Cultures, is a good example. The final installation benefited tremendously from the insights provided by consulting archaeologists, anthropologists, historians and botanists, among others. Not only were these disciplinary specialists engaged in the work of researching objects for the exhibition, they were instrumental in developing the narrative themes, as well. Faculty and students alike ensured that what is presented in our galleries accurately reflects current scholarly understanding of the Asian grasslands culture.

As you experience Grass Routes take some time to tease out the multiple perspectives represented in the various exhibits. Explore the multimedia installations. Study even the smallest bronze artifacts and ask questions about how they were made. Consider the deprivations experienced by the early explorers.

Imagine what it would be like to live in the grasslands today. Participate in the educational opportunities that will be presented throughout the semester—you’ll be glad you did.

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featured acquisition

Sunflowers in Memory

By Laura Henderson

T

he Art Museum received an important addition to its collection this year, given in memory of Nancy Wilson Sommer. A diptych of color lithographs by Joan Mitchell, titled Sunflowers IV, was purchased through the generosity of the John D. Sommer family and the many friends and groups who made donations to the Commemorative Fund in memory of Nancy. The print was acquired from New York through the Carl Solway Gallery in Cincinnati.

Born October 6, 1930, in Urbana, Illinois, Nancy Sommer graduated with a B.S. in Education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She married John D. (Jack) Sommer of Peoria, Illinois, in December 1950, and in 1963 they moved to Oxford, where Jack taught philosophy at Miami University and The Western College. Nancy was a lover of the arts and a patron of local artists. She was an avid supporter of the art museum, and her degree in education prepared her well for the docent activities and museum outreach programs.

Joan Mitchell was Nancy Sommer’s favorite artist, making this work an appropriate tribute to Nancy for her many years of service as a museum docent.

The print was unveiled in a memorial dedication on April 6, 2012, on the one-year anniversary of Nancy’s death.

Joan Mitchell, one of the most prominent abstract painters of the 20th century, was part of the second generation of Abstract Expressionists based in New York City. She has been compared to French Impressionist Claude Monet for her exuberant and energetic style and her ability to use color in complicated layers to achieve emotional compositions. In fact, in 1959 she moved to Paris and then relocated in 1968 to Vétheuil, where Monet lived and painted in the 1880s. Mitchell remained there until her death in 1992.

Born in Chicago in 1926, Mitchell was raised in a cultured household by talented parents who valued art and literature. After two years at Smith College, she transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago. She studied art in 1943 and 1944 at the Art Institute summer school in Saugatuck, Michigan, and later in Guanajuato, Mexico, completing the requirements

Joan Mitchell, American (1925-1992); Sunflowers IV, 1992 Diptych, color lithographs; No. 4, edition of 34 + 8 artist’s proofs; 57 ½” x 82”; Miami University Art Museum purchase through the Commemorative Fund, made possible by generous donations from the John D. Sommer Family and others in memory of Nancy Wilson Sommer (1930-2011); 2012.1

for a B.F.A. in 1947. She lived in Europe in 19481949 and traveled to Paris frequently during the 1950s.

Mitchell wanted to teach and earned her M.F.A. from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1953.

By then, her career as an artist was already launched by group exhibitions with abstract expressionists, including the famous Ninth Street Show in 1951, curated by Leo Castelli and featuring artists such as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Hans Hofmann, Philip Guston, Helen Frankenthaler and Robert Rauschenberg.

She exhibited at the Whitney Museum in 1951 and the Museum of Modern Art in 1955 and was collected by major corporations such as Chase Manhattan Bank and Union Carbide.

Pop Art, Conceptual Art and other trends in the 1960s and 1970s obscured abstract expressionism, but Mitchell continued exhibiting her paintings in major art centers and was rediscovered by a new generation in the 1980s.

A large retrospective of her work was held at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York in 2002, creating a renewed interest and appreciation of her accomplishments.

Art Museum Staff Spotlight

Retiring but not Archived M

iami University Art Museum Collections Manager/Registrar Laura Henderson began working at the art museum in 2001. As she prepares for retirement at the end of this year, we reflect upon her time here.

Her most memorable experience was working on the Myaamia (Miami tribe) exhibitions, learning about their culture, handling the beautiful artifacts, problem solving and making new friends.

She credits the small size of the museum and her varied background for keeping her job interesting and fun, “Each day is different and challenging. I’ve had the opportunity to use my crazy combination of experience and abilities in just about every aspect of museum operation, filling in when necessary as exhibitions curator, conservator, writer, editor, tour guide, event planner, you name it. Plus I love working with McGuffey Museum,” said Laura.

McGuffey Museum Administrator Steve Gordon shared, “Laura brings a rare blend of pragmatism and professionalism to her work. She has a deep appreciation for diverse expressions of material culture and how art in its many forms can enrich all of us. Her work in support of the McGuffey Museum is much appreciated as well.”

When asked about her favorite acquisition she shared, “Until recently it was Frank Stella’s The Whale Watch, a very complex and fascinating print. Now I would have to say it’s the Joan Mitchell diptych, Sunflowers IV (left). I have always

loved her work and am so pleased that we were able to acquire it.”

Laura especially enjoys Asian art, material culture and folk art from all periods, although she admits to also being partial to late 19th century and contemporary art.

Among her many accomplishments, Laura considers the collections digitization effort still underway to be the one project that will have a lasting impact and will benefit her successor the most. “We started from scratch to enter data and photograph objects to completely digitize our collection. We still have a long way to go, but we’ve made great progress. The ultimate goal is to make the collections accessible online to students, scholars and researchers.”

Beyond her work at the art museum Laura volunteers for civic and community organizations, such as the Historic & Architectural Preservation Commission (currently Vice-chair), the Housing Advisory Commission, the Oxford Museum Association and others. She was instrumental in developing a historic marker program, guided walking tours of historic districts and relocating the historic Township House from High Street to the Pioneer Farmstead in Hueston Woods. She also enjoys traveling, opera, antiques, cooking, entertaining, swimming and gardening.

“Laura’s drive and perfectionism make us all strive for improvement with each new installation. We are proud of what she has accomplished during her time here. She will be greatly missed,” said Director Bob Wicks.

Above: Laura Henderson next to Someone Has a Napoleon Complex, 2010, by Cincinnati artist Rondle West.

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mcguffey moments

Days of Old and Days to Be

The Lives of Andrew and Henrietta McGuffey Hepburn

By McGuffey Museum Graduate Student Aide Erin Toothaker and Administrator Steve Gordon

W

riting to a young Andrew Dousa (A.D.) Hepburn in 1855, Professor William Holmes McGuffey confided, “I have long since learned to look upon you as my son.” Such a candid admission was understandable, since McGuffey and his wife had lost their three sons. The warm relationship between McGuffey and his future son-in-law was mutual and deepened over the years.

Henrietta McGuffey was born to William Holmes and Harriet Spining McGuffey in Oxford in July, 1832. Described as studious and serious, Henrietta attended boarding school before her marriage to A.D. Hepburn in Philadelphia in 1856.

In her journal, Henrietta wrote, “On the 10th of July I was married to Mr. Hepburn. The marriage was a very quiet one on account of Anna’s recent death. Only the members of the Faculty were invited it was about 10 oclock [sic] Friday morning July 10th, 1857. It may seem strange that Friday was the day - Mr. Hepburn wished it on that day because it was my birthday.”

Like her father and her uncle, Alexander McGuffey, Henrietta married well. Hepburn was a graduate of the University of Virginia and Princeton Theological Seminary. With the help of his father-in-law, Hepburn began his pastoral work in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Hepburns soon moved to Chapel Hill and the University of

North Carolina, where during the Civil War, A.D. was a member of the faculty and served as a chaplain for Confederate soldiers. In 1868, A.D. Hepburn joined the faculty of Miami University. From 1871 to 1873, Hepburn served as the last president of “Old Miami,” and also was the last Presbyterian clergyman to hold the office at Miami.

After Miami closed in 1873, the Hepburns returned to North Carolina when A.D. was appointed president of Davidson College. In 1885, the Hepburns moved back to Oxford, where Andrew served as chair of the English Department and from 1902 to 1908 was Vice President and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Life in Oxford for the Hepburns revolved around spending time with grandchildren, entertaining and participating in university affairs. During the early years of “New Miami,” a few women were admitted to the University as “special students.”

In 1905, Miami dedicated its first women’s dormitory and named it Hepburn Hall. Henrietta wrote in her diary, “Monday, Nov. 7th. Weather clear with a brisk cold wind. Etta [their daughter] and I attended the ceremonies of the laying of the cornerstone of “Hepburn Hall” on the campus of Miami University. Hepburn Hall is the name the Trustees of Miami have given the hall which is being erected for the residence of the young women pupils of Miami.”

The story often told but still undocumented is that Hepburn did not approve of co-education. Research will be conducted to further explore this assertion. It is known that Henrietta expressed reservations about women’s suffrage.

After retiring in 1908, Hepburn was awarded a Carnegie pension of $1,700 annually. Henrietta, A.D. and their daughter Henrietta, or “Etta,” lived most of their remaining years in a new brick house on North Elm Street. In 1919 Etta wrote, “We live a very quiet life and do the same things every day.” Both the “Grand Old Man of Miami” and the daughter of William Holmes McGuffey lived to be 91 and are buried in the Miami plot of the Oxford Cemetery. In 1964, “New” Hepburn Hall was erected and today it anchors the North Quad of Miami University’s Oxford campus.

Erin Toothaker (MU ‘13) is a graduate student in the History M.A. program at Miami University. She is currently developing an exhibit that will focus on Henrietta McGuffey Hepburn’s journals. She is using primary sources and records available at the King Library, Special Collections, Miami University Archives, McGuffey Museum and the Smith Library of Regional History to determine the direction of the project.

Erin reports: This project has been profoundly influenced by my work at the McGuffey Museum this summer. Almost every tour that I’ve given has sparked questions about the Hepburns or their era that have led me to research. McGuffey Administrator Steve Gordon has tremendous knowledge about both Miami University and local history and is always willing to answer my questions or point me in useful directions. The museum also has a file related to the Hepburns and their time in Oxford. The museum volunteers have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they are more than willing to share. Additionally, the McGuffey Museum currently has a number of photographs of A.D. and Henrietta at significant points in their lives, as well as their parlor chair and some McGuffey silverware. The journal entries below indicate that not only was the family silver a prized heirloom, but that it was used at important social events.

Referring to the silver currently on display at McGuffey Museum, Henrietta wrote: “Saturday, July 5th, 1902 - Weather clear and warm. President Benton and his young secretary Mr. Kay dined with us today, six oclock [sic] dinner. Mary Cheeks waited on the table and did it well. We had mutton steaks, tiny green peas, mashed potatoes and a tomato salad. Used my fine plain white china and my McGuffey silver. The table looked very pretty. Had the fine french [sic] gilt band coffee cups for the coffee a glass bowl in the center of the table filled with nasturchans [sic] looked pretty it was Mary Cheeks that suggested having the flowers and gathered them from her own gardens. We are much pleased with Dr. Benton, he is a young man of 38 years a whole soul hearty go ahead kind of a man we think he will make a good president. I forgot to write that we had cake and sliced pineapple for dessert.”

On the following day she wrote: “Sunday, July 6 - Weather warm and slightly cloudy. It took me some time to put back the fine china and silver this morning. I intended going to church but there was so much to do that I was not willing to leave it all for Etta to do.”

visual arts @ miami | 7

ART museum fall exhibition

August 21-December 8, 2012

The exhibition

G rass Routes: pathwaystoeurasiancultures C

urated by a collaborative team of art museum staff, university faculty and students in history, anthropology, archaeology, botany and zoology, this exhibition features ancient bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collection and provides an exploration of Eurasian nomadic cultures.

In the first two galleries the exhibitions titled Exploring Eurasia and Life in the Grasslands invite visitors to discover the work of early explorers, the lay of the land and the cultures of the Steppes. This background creates the context for the traveling exhibition, Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands.

On display is an array of materials, including 19th century maps, historical books, botanical specimens, a study of body art, ancient burials and objects relating to domesticity. These materials, compiled and documented by historians from the 19th century to the present, offer great insight into the habitats and lifestyles of people throughout the Eurasian Steppes. Geographically, the Steppes cover a region extending from northern China westward through Mongolia to the plains of Eastern Europe. As a whole, Grass Routes focuses on the eastern or Eurasian Steppes, where rolling grassy plains are punctuated by snow-topped mountain ranges like the Tien Shan (Heavenly Mountains) and the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts.

Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands presents a major sampling of Steppe art from the collections of the late Arthur M. Sackler, M.D. Curated by Trudy S. Kawami, Ph.D., Director of Research for the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, the exhibition presents 85 works illustrating the personal decorations and equipment of the horse-riding Steppe nomads of the second and first centuries BCE, illustrating a wealth of untapped clues into cultures so long misunderstood or obscured by a lack of primary source material.

A symposium organized by Dr. Daniel Prior, Department of History, titled The Steppes: Crucible of Eurasia, will offer a two-day academic opportunity for increased learning about the Eurasian Steppes. Programs throughout the semester include lectures, student forums and a bronze-making demonstration. If you would like to receive updates regarding programming for this exhibition, please contact Cynthia Collins at collinc5@muohio.edu or Sherri Krazl at krazlsa@muohio.edu.

http://muamgrassroutes.wordpress.com/

Gallery hours:

Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday Noon-5 p.m.

Closed Sunday-Monday

Galleries closed:

October 12-13, November 22-24 During exhibition installation December 9, 2012-January 14, 2013

The Programs Tuesday, August 21, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, October 9, 6 p.m.

Dr. Trudy Kawami, Director of Research for the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

Dr. Robert Wicks, Director, Art Museum

Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands Curator Trudy Kawami will present an illustrated lecture on ancient Eurasian bronzes on display in the current exhibition on loan from the Sackler Foundation. She will examine how the animal world became a source of symbols to indicate tribe, social rank and connection to the spirit world among the equestrian cultures of the Asian grasslands of Mongolia and Central Asia.

Tuesday, September 11, 6 p.m.

The Ecology of the Eurasian Grasslands: A Case Study of the Mongolian Steppes Dr. Richard Munson, Lecturer in Botany and Manager of The Conservatory, Miami University Hamilton During a visit to the Central Steppes and the Gobi Desert in 2007, Dr. Richard Munson was struck by the stark beauty of the landscape. The Mongolian Steppes were degraded significantly during the Soviet era by forced collectivization, but efforts are now underway to restore the Steppes to support the nomadic lifestyle of sheep, goat, yak and camel herders.

Tuesday, September 18, 6 p.m.

Contemporary Geography of the Eurasian Grasslands

Victor and Vanquished: Animal Encounters in Ancient Eurasian Art This illustrated lecture explores the widespread theme of animal combat in personal adornment and small-scale portable sculpture. Chiefly in the form of bronze or gold belt ornaments, this art tradition often features tigers, bears, wolves and raptors engaged in battling other animals and humans. The geographical distribution of this tradition will be examined, with an emphasis on archaeological discoveries from the nomadic world of the Eurasian steppes, migration-period Europe and the frontiers of early dynastic China.

Tuesday, November 13, 6:30 p.m.

Horizons of Oral Tradition in Inner Asia: Analyzing History, Myth and Folklore Dr. Daniel Prior, Assistant Professor of History, Miami University Nomadic herders of the Eurasian steppes used oral traditions together with material arts to convey their unique cultural heritage and values. Dr. Prior will use examples from the Eurasian steppes and beyond to draw cross-cultural connections between narratives and images over vast stretches of time and space.

Tuesday, November 28, 6 p.m.

Dr. Stanley W. Toops, Associate Professor of Geography, Miami University

Iron Age Textiles of Ancient Siberia

The recent co-author of the book, The Routledge Atlas of Central Eurasian Affairs, Dr. Toops will discuss the geography of the Eurasian grasslands during the 20th and 21st centuries.

Riding Through a Kirghiz Epic Poem

Lois Hale will discuss her recreations of ancient textiles used by Iron Age peoples who inhabited the Altai Mountain region in Siberia (6th-3rd centuries BCE). To maintain the historical integrity of the material culture, Hale researches existing objects in museum collections and strives to use materials authentic to the region in which the original artifacts were produced.

Dr. Daniel Prior, Assistant Professor of History, Miami University

November 30-December 1

Tuesday, September 25, 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Prior will talk about the traditions and culture of the people he met during a six-week horseback journey through the Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan and southern Kazakhstan, tracing the itinerary of the hero of the epic poem, Bok Murun.

Lois Hale, Hale! ART, Portland, Oregon

The Steppes: Crucible of Eurasia Symposium (see page 17)

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Hiestand Galleries Showcasing student and visiting artist works School of Creative Arts, Miami University

North Gallery August 29–October 11

Department of Art Graduate Exhibition Thursday, August 30 Artist reception: 4:30–5:30 p.m.

With works in metals, painting, printmaking and sculpture, this exhibition celebrates our Department of Art M.F.A. students.

October 19–November 7

Something (abstract and painterly) This Way Comes A New Installation Project by the Smith Townsend Collaborative Thursday, November 1 Artist reception: 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Public lecture: 6 p.m., ART 100

In this fifth installation project by Brandon C. Smith and Travis Townsend, wooden tool-like contraptions interact with large painterly meat bags/pods with the goal of creating a visually engaging environment that is both meaningful (with many open-ended associations and metaphors) and a manifestation of the collaborative creative process itself.

November 15–28

B.F.A. Capstone Exhibition

Tuesday, November 27 Reception: 4:30–6 p.m.

Department of Art senior studio majors participating in the semester-long Capstone course feature their latest visual investigations.

December 13, 2012–February 15, 2013

2013 Miami University Young Painters Competition for the William and Dorothy Yeck Award Friday, January 25 Juror lecture: 4 p.m., Art Museum Auditorium Reception: 5:15–6:15 p.m., Hiestand Galleries Award Ceremony: 5:45 p.m., Hiestand Galleries

The generous gift from William (MU ‘36) and Dorothy Yeck of Dayton, Ohio, provides Miami a unique opportunity for students and the community at large to develop a critical understanding of painting in the 21st century. The competition winner will be awarded the $10,000 William and Dorothy Yeck Award, and the painting will become part of Miami University’s permanent collection. This year’s competition focuses on representational realism. This year’s juror, Lance Esplund, is the U.S. art critic for Bloomberg News. He has written previously for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Sun and other publications such as Art in America and Modern Painters.

Smith Townsend Collaborative Installation detail

For full details visit www.arts.MiamiOH.edu/architectureinterior-design Gallery hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Other hours available by appointment.

Galleries closed: During exhibition installation and September 3, October 12, November 20-23, and December 18, 2012-January 4, 2013 Receptions are at Hiestand Galleries except as noted.

hiestand happenings

August 29–October 11

Bridget Murphy Milligan Fireside Tales: a convergence of fact and fiction Thursday, August 30 Artist reception: 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Public lecture: 6 p.m, ART 100

Robert E. & Martha Hull Lee Gallery

We welcome back Bridget Milligan (B.F.A., 1997) with an exhibition of her recent works. Milligan’s imagery remarks on one of the oldest art forms, storytelling. This exhibition of two visual portrayals examines and preserves the tradition of Irish storytelling through the language of photography. Together the images recreate popular stories of faith, mystery, myth, humor, history and fairy legends.

Background header image: Bridget Murphy Milligan The Little Land, 2011; archival digital print; 32” x 16” (diptych) October 19–November 2

Barnes and Scheurich As the Cold Wind Blows: Tales of Halloween Thursday, October 25 Artist reception: 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Public lecture: 6 p.m., ART 100

Cincinnati artists Matt Barnes and Kelly Scheurich will debut new works for this exhibition.

Hollis Hammonds Aftermath: Home Sweet Home, 2011; ink on mylar; 18” x 22”

November 8–16

Hollis Hammonds In Ruins

Thursday, November 15 Artist reception: 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Public lecture: 6 p.m., ART 100

Destructive forces, both man-made and natural, have torn apart our homes, cities and villages since the beginning of civilization. Hammonds’ constructed drawings document our collective losses, including piles of rubble, empty shells where structures once stood and landfills filled with memories and artifacts.

Dana Oldfather Forgettables, 2012; oil, acrylic, spray paint, marker, colored pencil on panel; 18” x 36”

November 30, 2012–February 8, 2013

Dana Oldfather Taming of the Unrelenting Empty

Thursday, January 24, 2013 - Public lecture: 7 p.m., ART 100 Friday, January 25, 2013 - Artist reception: 4:30–6:15 p.m.

Dana Oldfather, the winner of the 2012 Young Painters Competition, returns with new works created especially to highlight her studio practice during this past year. Through an emotive abstraction, Oldfather examines the transitory nature of comfort, power and security. Drawn to the combination of sweet and dangerous, solid and ephemeral, full and empty, natural and man-made, physical and architectural, her work combines diametric elements resulting in a bio-mechanical environment and organism as one; something that has no birth or death and is beginning to show signs of autonomy.

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Cage Gallery Exhibitions

August 20-24 Grad Summer Sketch Assignments September 10-21 Summer Workshop September 24-October 5 Fallingwater Design/Build October 8-19 Ghana Design/Build October 22-November 2 Summer Scholar

Lectures / Presentations

August 29, 4 p.m.

Doug Johnston + Andy Jonic ’97 of William Rawn Associates, Architects September 17, 4:30 p.m.

Marilys R. Nepomechie, FAIA, Architect and Associate Professor at Florida International University, Graduate thesis respondent + Maxfield Speaker October 17, 4 p.m.

Barbara E. Wilks FASLA, W Architecture & Landscape Architecture, New York October 29, 4 p.m.

Jon Holzheimer + Mike Hemme, Corgan Associates, Inc, Dallas November 5, 4 p.m.

Undergraduate Student Scholars Presentations November 12, 4 p.m.

Adam Farmerie, and Kristina O’Neal, or William Harris, AVROKO. Interior architecture, furniture, food, books and fashion For full details visit www.MiamiOH.edu/cagegallery

12 | visual

arts @ miami

Showcasing Architecture + Interior Design School of Creative Arts, Miami University

Ghana Design/Build

By Professor J. Elliott In Summer 2012, 16 Department of Architecture + Interior Design students completed the six-week Ghana Design/Build Studio, constructing a teacher’s cottage for two single teachers. Having explored the capitol city of Accra, the group traveled to the rain forest to learn more about their project and the village of Abrafo-Odumase.

After visiting the site, meeting with the village council, and defining the brief, the students spent two and a half weeks touring Ghana learning all they could to respond appropriately to the context of Sub-Saharan Africa, its architecture, building methods and materials.

Thus informed, they worked in groups to present the village with four proposals. After a design presentation/review, the council selected a scheme, which was begun as soon as picks and shovels could be brought to the site. Working alongside local Ghanaian carpenters, masons and friends, and despite heat, rain, snakes, bugs, rain, blood, sweat, malaria, rain, and food poisoning, a mere 21 “daze” later, during a village celebration recognizing the group’s work, the students presented their house to the Chief and the village of Abrafo.

Visit an exhibition of their work in Cage Gallery October 8-19.

Pictured (top to bottom) -Students and carpenter installing fascia boards -Site cast concrete slab placement -Roof and translucent screening

IN the cage

Fallingwater Design/Build Studio and Modern Vernacular Seminar

By Seminar Director and Instructor, John M. Reynolds

Pictured (top to bottom) -Architectural screen from entry gate -Student Caylan Evans resolves lap joint with instructor Ted Wong -Student Lauren Kelly at work

Co-Instructors: Ted Wong, Miami University; Michael Gibson, Kansas State University, and Bill James of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

The Fallingwater Institute Design/Build Studio explores issues in environmental stewardship, sustainable design and building craft through collaborative design and construction, publication and symposium programming across the Design Arts. The Studio advances the objectives of Fallingwater’s mission to “preserve Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, conserve the site for which it was designed, and interpret them and their history for present and future generations of the world community” while “demonstrating leadership and creativity, engaging the public, and celebrating the power of design in harmony with nature.” This is accomplished through architectural, landscape, and interior design, using Fallingwater as an ever relevant, dynamic, living laboratory of sustainable lifelong learning with the design arts.

The studio is a hands-on opportunity allowing undergraduate and graduate students to explore sustainable design, construction and architectural craft practices at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. The summer 2012 studio designed and constructed two architectural screens and developed a design proposal for a three-season social space addition to student residence. Offered as an optional co-curricular companion seminar to the Fallingwater Studio, Modern Vernacular Architecture pursues the extant relationships between enduring North American vernacular architectural traditions and current directions in Late Modern Architecture.

Visit an exhibition of their work in Cage Gallery September 24-October 5.

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Coming in 2013...

Department of Art Exhibition

January 8–May 11, 2013 High School Art Show

May 24–June 29, 2013 Collections Highlights

May 24–June 29, 2013 Art Therapy

August 20–December 7, 2013

Save the date Beer Tasting Ad

“Art on Tap”

Miami University Art Museum Beer Tasting Fundraiser event Saturday, September 22 5:30 p.m.

Grandfather’s Barn Watch for more details and ticket sales at MiamiOH.edu/art-museum

Cultivating the next generation of art enthusiasts

A free program including storytime led by the Lane Public Library children’s department, paired with a related craft.

For children ages 3-5, accompanied by an adult.

Free

When:

cosponsored with

10 a.m.-Noon

and open to the public

Lane The

Libraries

Fall 2012 September 27 October 25 November 15

Location:

Miami University Art Museum

105 MacMillan Hall, Miami University (513) 529-8309

October 15-November 16 Ess Quam Videri: Muslim American Self-Portraits

Tuesday, October 16 5 p.m.

Exhibit opening, reception and gallery talk by photographer Todd Drake MacMillan Hall Gallery and 212 MacMillan Hall For more information about the exhibition and other programs, visit our website: www.cawc.muohio.edu

featured collector

Frankly Speaking A

retired Miami University English professor, Frank Jordan is an organist, world traveler, art collector, long-time Art Museum member and generous donor.

One of the best undergraduate courses he ever took was a two-semester course in art history. He exclaimed, “I had never really studied art at all so I had everything to learn!” Raised in a family more focused on music, his earliest memories related to the visual arts include stays with his aunt and uncle in New York and visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a professor of literature, he has “always been a sucker for scenes of reading.” The Reading of Tasso,

by Cincinnati artist Frank Duveneck, was his first significant painting purchase (shown at right).

While he was a student at Duke University, Frank discovered a bronze expressionist sculpture, Reading Monks III, by Ernst Barlach, which became his all-time favorite.

His advice for others interested in collecting art is to collect art that has meaning for you, take a risk if you can and, especially, spend time with the art before making your decision. Many items in his collection are souvenirs of his world travels.

Everyone’s approach to experiencing art is different. When attending an exhibition, Frank goes right to the artists, styles and pieces that he likes. “I don’t read about the exhibition first, but I do have some idea of what I am going to see—I have certain things I enjoy looking at.”

Combining his love of literature and art, one of Frank’s favorite authors is William Blake, a seminal romantic age poet and visual artist.

In his retirement Frank continues to play the organ at his church and has taught several courses for the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR) featuring contemporary women poets.

The Art Museum’s collection of over 16,000 works of art has largly been built through gifts in kind and selected purchases made possible by member donations and endowments. For more information about supporting the Art Museum through membership contact Sue Gambrell at (513) 529-1887 (gambresw@muohio.edu). For collections information contact Laura Henderson at (513) 529-2235 (henderlb@muohio.edu).

“

I have always been a sucker for scenes of reading.

”

15 visual arts @ miami | 15

volunteer spotlight

Carol Kane—Young at Art A

docent since 1983, just five years after the museum opened, Carol Kane admits to knowing little about art when she first started volunteering after encouragement from some friends. Some of her fondest memories in her docent role involve teaching children and giving talks on some of her favorite objects.

“Working with kids at the Art Museum has always been a terrific experience for me—you get more out than you put into it,” shared Carol.

A guest speaker for the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR) program, Carol bases her talks on papers she wrote on permenant collection objects such as Hans Hofmann’s abstract expressionist painting, Blue Spell, and Old Woman Knitting, by Cincinnati artist Elizabeth Nourse, as well as 19th century etchings by James McNeill Whistler.

When asked why she has been a docent for over 29 years, Carol responded, “I enjoy it a lot, and I’ve given a lot of hours to it—but it has never felt like work.” In addition to serving in every position in the docent leadership and the museum membership organization then known as the Friends of the Museum, Carol also served on the Performing Arts Series Board.

Together with her husband Rob, a retired classics professor at Miami, she has traveled the world, acquiring an eclectic assortment of art that includes Chinese ceramics, Japanese paintings and prints, and works by Ray Parker and Roy Lichtenstein.

Her advice for people visiting a museum is to take a docent-led tour.

She likes to observe docents in other museums. “We started taking tours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York—they are wonderful—especially because the docents highlight pieces they have chosen, which makes it particularly interesting.”

From the docent point of view, Carol feels that one of the best things about our museum is that as the exhibitions change, she is constantly learning different things about art and culture.

16 | visual

arts @ miami

About the Art Museum Docent Program: Meeting weekly when school is in session, the Docent Program is coordinated by the Curator of Education, Cynthia Collins. Docents lead tours, provide classroom based instruction demonstrating artistic methods and more. Any individual interested in becoming a volunteer or docent should contact Cynthia at collinc5@muohio.edu.

Exhibition Symposium The Miami University Art Museum is proud to be a Cincinnati FOTOFOCUS venue with its Charles M. Messer Leica Camera Collection exhibition and guest lecture. FOTOFOCUS, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit organization championing photography, announces programming highlights at 70+ participating venues for its first biennial month-long celebration of historical and contemporary photography and lens-based art.

Visit FOTOFOCUScincinnati.org for details of this exciting regional photography event.

People | Places | Photography

Come to see the Charles M. Messer Leica Camera Collection, revived and reinstalled at the Miami University Art Museum.

The most complete privately assembled collection of Leica cameras and accessories in the United States, the Messer collection was donated to the university between 1970 and 1978.

Opens August 21 as an ongoing display.

Lager on Leica

Tuesday, October 16, 6 p.m.

James L. Lager, Leica expert and author Internationally recognized as an authority on Leica cameras and systems, James Lager will share his personal stories about his relationship with Charles M. Messer and the advisory role he played in assisting him with his collection of Leica cameras.

@ Miami University

ArtMuseum and Sculpture Park

The Steppes:

Crucible of EURasia NOVEMBER 30 - December 1

Join scholars from around the world in the fields of history, archeology and art history for discussions on different steppe regions and time periods, from the Bronze Age through the era of the Turkic empires (1000 BCE-1000 CE).

This unique international event is intended to foster a lively exchange of views on current problems such as pastoral land use and technology, state formation, social history and cultural exchange.

Find out more at: http://muamgrassroutes.wordpress.com

Gpathways rassRoutes: to eurasian cultures August 21- December 8

Symposium organized by Dr. Daniel Prior, Assistant Professor, Department of History

visual arts @ miami | 17 17

Art Museum Staff: Robert S. Wicks, Ph.D., Director Jason E. Shaiman, Curator of Exhibitions Cynthia Collins, Curator of Education Laura Henderson, Collections Manager/Registrar Mark DeGennaro, Preparator/Operations Manager Sherri Krazl, Marketing Communications Coordinator Sue Gambrell, Program Coordinator Debbie Caudill, Program Assistant Curatorial Interns: Krista Dunkman Jacqueline Wallace

Student Workers: Ja’Shaun Clark Sha-Toree Crutchfield Isaiah Fleetwood Melissa Krueger Jessica Mickley Morgan Murray Cara Norton Sayalia Sakhardande Lauren Simon

We encourage you to cut out and keep the comprehensive visual arts @ miami Fall Calendar of Events on the last two pages of this publication.

Call, email, or stop in to let us know what you think of the visual arts @ miami.

Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! f: facebook.com/MiamiUniversityArtMuseum t: twitter.com/MiamiUArtMuseum p: pinterest.com/MiamiUArtMuseum

events @ a glance

visual arts @ miami

August August 20 - VIP / Members Preview Reception. Art Museum, 5-7 p.m.

August 21 - Extended Gallery Hours, Art Museum, 5-7:30 p.m.

Ancient Bronzes of the Eurasian Grasslands. Dr. Trudy S. Kawami, Art Museum, 6 p.m.

August 24 - Lawn Party / Exhibition Opening. Art Museum, 3:30-7:30 p.m.

August 29 - Lecture. Doug Johnston + Andy Jonic (MU ’97) of William Rawn Associates, Architects. Cage Gallery, 4 p.m.

September

September 11 - Extended Gallery Hours, Art Museum, 5-7:30 p.m.

The Ecology of the Eurasian Grasslands: A Case Study of the Mongolian Steppes.

Dr. Richard Munson, Art Museum, 6 p.m.

September 17 - Lecture. Marilys R. Nepomechie, FAIA, Architect and Associate Professor at Florida International University.

Cage Gallery, 4:30 p.m.

August 30 - Bridget Murphy Milligan, Fireside Tales: a convergence of fact and fiction. Artist reception: Hiestand, 4:305:30 p.m. Public lecture: ART 100, 6 p.m.

August 30 - Department of Art Graduate Exhibition. Artist reception: Hiestand, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

September 18 - Extended Gallery Hours, Art Museum, 5-7:30 p.m.

Contemporary Geography of the Eurasian Grasslands. Dr. Stanley W. Toops, Art Museum, 6 p.m.

September 25 - Extended Gallery Hours and Open House, Art Museum, 5-8 p.m.

October 16 - Ess Quam Videri: Muslim American Self-Portraits. Gallery talk

by Todd Drake and opening reception, MacMillan Hall, 5 p.m.

October 25 - Barnes and Scheurich, As the Cold Wind Blows: Tales of Halloween.

Artist reception: Hiestand, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Public lecture: ART 100, 6 p.m.

September 22 - Art on Tap, Miami University Art Museum Beer Tasting Fundraiser event.

Grandfather’s Barn, 5:30 p.m.

Riding Through a Kirghiz Epic Poem.

Dr. Daniel Prior, Art Museum, 6:30 p.m.

September 27 - Art Explorers, Art Museum, 10 a.m.-Noon

October

October 9 - Extended Gallery Hours, Art Museum, 5-7:30 p.m.

Victor and Vanquished: Animal Encounters in Ancient Eurasian Art. Dr. Robert Wicks, Art Museum, 6 p.m.

October 16 - Extended Gallery Hours, Art Museum, 5-7:30 p.m.

Lager on Leica, Charles M. Messer Leica Camera Collection / FOTOFOCUS event.

James Lager, Art Museum, 6 p.m.

October 17 - Lecture. Barbara E. Wilks FASLA, W Architecture & Landscape Architecture, New York.

Cage Gallery, 4 p.m.

November

November 1 - Smith Townsend Collaborative, Something (abstract and painterly) This Way Comes. Artist reception: Hiestand, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Public lecture: ART 100, 6 p.m.

November 5 - Undergraduate Student Scholars. Cage Gallery, 4 p.m.

November 12 - AVROKO. Adam Farmerie, Kristina O’Neal, William Harris, Cage Gallery, 4 p.m.

November 13 - Extended Gallery Hours, Art Museum, 5-8 p.m.

Horizons of Oral Tradition in Inner Asia: Analyzing History, Myth, and Folklore.

Dr. Daniel Prior, Art Museum, 6:30 p.m.

November 15 - Hollis Hammonds, In Ruins. Artist reception: Hiestand, 4:305:30 p.m.; Public lecture: ART 100, 6 p.m.

November 15 - Art Explorers, Art Museum, 10 a.m.-Noon

October 25 - Art Explorers, Art Museum, 10 a.m.-Noon October 29 - Lecture. Jon Holzheimer + Mike Hemme, Corgan Associates, Inc., Dallas. Cage Gallery, 4 p.m.

November 27 - B.F.A. Capstone Exhibition Reception: Hiestand, 4:30-6 p.m.

November 28 - Extended Gallery Hours, Art Museum, 5-7:30 p.m.

Iron Age Textiles of Ancient Siberia. Lois Hale, Art Museum, 6 p.m.

November 30-December 1 - Symposium, The Steppes: Crucible of Eurasia. Art Museum

visual arts @ miami | 19

exhibitions @ a glance

visual arts @ miami

August August 20-24

Grad Summer Sketch Assignments (Cage Gallery) August 21-December 8

Grass Routes: Pathways to Eurasian Cultures (Art Museum)

Global Perspectives, Art History @ A Glance and Leica Exhibition (Art Museum) August 29-October 11

Bridget Murphy Milligan, Fireside Tales: a convergence of fact and fiction (Hiestand Galleries)

Department of Art Graduate Exhibition (Hiestand Galleries)

September

September 10-21

Summer Workshop (Cage Gallery) September 24-October 5

Fallingwater Design/Build (Cage Gallery)

October October 8-19

Ghana Design/Build (Cage Gallery) October 15-November 16

Ess Quam Videri: Muslim American Self-Portraits (MacMillan Hall) October 19-November 2

Barnes and Scheurich, As the Cold Wind Blows: Tales of Halloween (Hiestand Galleries) October 19-November 7

Smith Townsend Collaborative, Something (abstract and painterly) This Way Comes (Hiestand Galleries) October 22-November 2

Summer Scholar (Cage Gallery)

November

November 8-16

Hollis Hammonds, In Ruins (Hiestand Galleries) November 15-28

B.F.A. Capstone Exhibition (Hiestand Galleries) November 30-December 1

Symposium, The Steppes: Crucible of Eurasia (Art Museum) November 30, 2012-February 8, 2013

Dana Oldfather, Taming of the Unrelenting Empty (Hiestand Galleries)

December

December 13, 2012-February 15, 2013

2013 Miami University Young Painters Competition for the William and Dorothy Yeck Award

(Hiestand Galleries)