Art@UMUC Magazine, Spring 2018

SPRING 2018

News and Perspectives for Friends of the Arts

4

Journey: The Artistry of Curlee Raven Holton

A RT S

P R O G R A M

12

U N I V E R S IT Y

Mike McConnell: Paintings, Drawings, and Constructions

O F

M A RYL A N D

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Arts Program Out and About: Richmond, Virginia

U N I V E R S IT Y

C O L L E G E

GREETINGS From the President Dear Art Patrons, On behalf of University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and the 80,000 students we serve each year, thank you for supporting our mission and our Arts Program.

As you may know, UMUC has focused for more than 70 years on bringing affordable, quality education within reach for women and men everywhere. Through our Arts Program, we are able to introduce the artistic work—and unique worldviews—of emerging and established Maryland and international artists to new and broader audiences, including our own local and regional community. As I have often said, art affirms our desire to discover and create, to learn, and to grow, and it reminds us of the creativity that dwells within each of us. Art fires our imaginations, drives innovation, and enriches our world.

To all of you who are patrons of the arts, to the artists and scholars who broaden and deepen our experience of art and the world around us, and to the generous donors who allow us to share that experience more widely, I say thank you!

I hope you will be able to join us at one of the wonderful exhibitions we have scheduled for 2018.

Sincerely,

Javier Miyares President University of Maryland University College

From the Chair Dear Art Lovers, All of us on the Art Advisory Board are so proud of the Arts Program at UMUC, and we would like to thank those who have made our accomplishments possible. Your support has made the visual arts exhibitions and our educational outreach activities so successful. On behalf of my fellow Art Advisory Board members, the staff, and the entire arts team at UMUC, I thank you.

UMUC ARTS PROGRAM

MISSION STATEMENT With a regional and national focus, the Arts Program is dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, study, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art of the highest quality in a variety of media that represent its constituents and to continuing its historic dedication to Maryland and Asian art.

Thank you for attending the receptions and visiting the visual arts exhibitions over the course of the Arts Program’s annual season. Also, thank you for sharing your experiences at UMUC art events with others who took time out of their schedules to visit the UMUC galleries. Because you appreciate the importance of the arts, you were in the audiences that set record numbers for our exhibition openings. Thank you for your financial contributions, especially during our most recent fundraising efforts. Your support enabled us to exceed our goal and, more importantly, to present some of the finest works of art from among the most creative members of our community—visual artists.

Thank you for your appreciation of the quality of our publications, including our invitations, exhibition catalogs, and support materials. According to the feedback we’ve received, our art catalogs rival the very best in the region. Lastly, thank you for recognizing the quality of our exhibitions and the effect they have on our community. Our mission is to present the works of artists, support their creative abilities, preserve their works for the future, and use the arts as an essential tool for the growth and development of our community. With your help, we will keep reaching new heights as an arts program. This is why I am taking this time to say thank you for your continued support of the arts at UMUC and in our community.

Thank you!

Anne V. Maher, Esq. Chair, Art Advisory Board University of Maryland University College

CONTENTS

12 4

Mike McConnell: Paintings, Drawings, and Constructions

Journey: The Artistry of Curlee Raven Holton

ON THE COVER

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Journey UMUC recently explored the works of Curlee Raven Holton in an exhibition titled Journey: The Artistry of Curlee Raven Holton. Find out more about the exhibition on p. 4.

Curlee Raven Holton, Quilt, Blues series, 1997, etching with collage elements, 22 x 30 inches

Arts Program Out and About: Richmond, Virginia

In Every Issue GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE CHAIR 2 COLLECTION SPOTLIGHT 3 DID YOU KNOW? 18 NEWS AND EVENTS 20 BECOME A FRIEND OF THE ARTS AT UMUC

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Princess Santeria by Curlee Raven Holton;

Mike McConnell’s 2016 BMRE award-winning artwork, Bear Carver; rendering of the Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, Virginia

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ALONZO DAVIS / BY JON WEST-BEY SPRING 2018 We are proud to highlight the generous donation of Power Poles by pioneering artist Alonzo Davis. Davis is a mixed-media artist who currently maintains a studio in Hyattsville, Maryland. He has been an active artist for more than 50 years and continues to create dynamic work.

Davis was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1942. His parents both

worked at Tuskegee University: his father was a professor of psychology, and his mother was a librarian. Their example fostered Davis’s lifelong fascination for learning. He received a bachelor’s degree in art education at Pepperdine University and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts from Otis Art Institute. He and his brother, noted artist Dale Brockman Davis, founded the Brockman Gallery in Los Angeles in 1969. Davis’s work has been influenced by his travels across the country, especially his experiences in Southern California. His work is primarily abstract and uses a variety of mixed media; the combination of these materials creates multiple layers, textures, and colors.

Davis is also a prolific muralist, printmaker, and painter. His work

has been shown widely, including at MoMA PS1 in Queens, New York; the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California; and the U.S. Embassy in Sierra Leone. In 2016 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the James A. Porter Colloquium on African American Art at Howard University.

In the early 2000s, Davis began working primarily with bamboo and

integrating its textures into his hybrid sculptural pieces. Power Poles is a great example of how Davis uses natural materials and incorporates Native American motifs and African, Asian, and Southwestern influences.

We welcome his donation and appreciate his artistry and generosity.

Managing Editor Eric Key Editors Sandy Bernstein Beth Butler Barbara Reed Director, Institutional Marketing Cynthia Friedman Graphic Designer Jennifer Norris Project Manager Laurie Bushkoff Arts Program Staff Tawanna Manago Rene Sanjines Jon West-Bey UMUC Art Advisory Board Javier Miyares, UMUC President Anne V. Maher, Esq., Chair Eva J. Allen, PhD, Honorary Member Myrtis Bedolla, Vice Chair Joan Bevelaqua Schroeder Cherry, EdD I-Ling Chow, Honorary Member Nina C. Dwyer Karin Goldstein, Honorary Member Juanita Boyd Hardy, Honorary Member Sharon Smith Holston, Honorary Member Pamela G. Holt Eric Key Thomas Li, Honorary Member David Maril, Honorary Member Christopher Shields Barbara Stephanic, PhD, Honorary Member Dianne A. Whitfield-Locke, DDS Sharon Wolpoff Elizabeth Zoltan, PhD University of Maryland University College is a constituent institution of the University System of Maryland. Art@UMUC is published twice a year by UMUC’s Art Advisory Board. Please send comments to arts@umuc.edu or mail to Magazine Editor Arts Program University of Maryland University College 3501 University Boulevard East Adelphi, MD 20783-8007 Phone 301-985-7937 • Fax 301-985-7865

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover John Woo; Inside cover

LEFT: Alonzo Davis, Power Poles (detail of one pole) 2016, mixed media, four poles, each 84 x 4 inches UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist ABOVE: Power Poles (details)

2 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Katherine Lambert, Tracey Brown; p. 1 (clockwise from top left) John Woo, John Woo, courtesy of Institute for Contemporary Art, John Woo; p 2. John Woo; p. 3 (left to right) Steven Halperson, Andy Warhol, Steven Halperson, Steven Halperson; pp. 4–5 John Woo; p. 6 courtesy of Curlee Raven Holton (top left by John Woo); pp. 7–17 John Woo; p. 18 (event photos) Tracey Brown, (Sheppard artwork) John Woo; p. 19 (top to bottom) John Woo, Bruce McNeil, John Woo

DID YOU KNOW? LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS IN THE UMUC PERMANENT COLLECTION

By Eric Key

Did you know . . .

Grace Hartigan served as the

Andy Warhol took countless

Keith Martin studied at the Art

Lila Oliver Asher was a professor

director of the graduate school

Polaroid photographs, and UMUC

Institute of Chicago and in Berlin,

of art at Howard University for many

at the Maryland Institute College

has 140 of his Polaroid images in

Paris, Vienna, and New York before

years and taught David C. Driskell?

of Art and has works in the

its permanent collection?

serving in World War II from 1941

permanent collections of the Art

to 1945?

Institute of Chicago, Museum of Modern Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum?

ARTWORK DETAILS ABOVE (left to right): Grace Hartigan, Dominique, 1986, watercolor

on paper, Maryland Artist Collection; Andy Warhol, not titled (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), not dated, Polaroid print, International Art Collection; Keith Martin, Escaping Deity, 1960, oil on canvas, Maryland Artist Collection; Lila Oliver Asher, The Kiss, 1970, linocut, ink on paper, Maryland Artist Collection

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Dream Bait, 2017, oil on canvas, 72 x 48 inches UMUC Permanent Collection, Gift of the artist

4 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Cycles of Life, 2000, relief wood cut, 40 x 40 inches

THE ARTISTRY OF CURLEE RAVEN HOLTON

BY WENDY WILSON-FALL, PhD Associate Professor and Chair, Africana Studies Lafayette College

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A LEGEND in your own time? A lot.

and more, who shows us glimpses of his strong spiritual world

One has to have one’s fingers on the pulse of the times and

Curlee Raven Holton is an artist with all these qualities

still have a nose for what is coming in the future. And to be this

while pulling us into materiality through line, color, and colliding

sort of person, one needs a strong spiritual foundation while

dimensions. The dimensions are of a diverse nature: there are

living with a strong love for the beauty and “terribleness,” to use

the surfaces and the depths of renderings on paper, canvas, or

the poet Amiri Baraka’s phrase, of the material world. The artist

other materials. There are also the social dimensions and stories

is a witness and a mirror the way a river reflects a changed im-

that emerge from these environments: stories about identity,

age, and the artist is also the town crier, sometimes the canary

love, anger, distress, loneliness or crowds, and being a human

in the mine, always the eye that looks deep.

classified as black, African American, or Other.

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Holton is a master printmaker who works in diverse medi-

ums. His distinguished career includes his leadership in creating the Experimental Printmaking Institute at Lafayette College in 1996, his appointment as the David and Linda Roth Professor of Art at Lafayette in 2010, and his exhibition of more than 50 solo shows within the United States and abroad. His work is in many private and public collections, including the Cleveland Museum

He creates exhibitions like he creates art, with a compelling force and directness.

FAITH RINGGOLD

of Art, Yale University Art Gallery, and Library of Congress. He has exhibited works in Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

He is a well-respected expert on the history of African American

does he or she draw from? How does it happen? What does

art, as well as on contemporary African American visual artists,

the black American experience have to do with it? How does

and has championed Latin American contemporary art consis-

African American art reflect dialogues within the African

tently and with enthusiasm during his career. Faith Ringgold has

American community, or between that community and others,

said, “He creates exhibitions like he creates art, with a compel-

if it does at all? In Holton’s work, we sense the pull of history,

ling force and directness.”

as we sense his work pushing against history and stereotypical

dialogue. At times his paintings and prints are speechifying,

1

A gifted teacher as well, Holton has led workshops through-

Where does an African American artist come from? What

out the United States and in the Caribbean and Latin America.

testifying, bearing witness, expressing and demanding humility,

In fact, Holton has presented more than 70 public lectures on

and also engaging us in existential questions of human fragility

his work, African American art, and contemporary printmaking.

and the human condition. After all is said and done, we know

He has been invited to contribute to scholarly journals and other

that we are looking at and experiencing visual narratives of the

collections and has traveled to Italy to present demonstrations

universal truth of the human condition. Holton suggests to us

and lectures on art making and the creative process.

the advantage of knowing one’s humanity, its limits, its secrets,

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT:

Curlee Raven Holton in his Easton, PA, studio, 2017; the artist giving a printmaking demonstration, 2010; Holton receives an award for his diptych painting Refugees Philadelphia, USA, 1988

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Blue Ananda, 2017, acrylic on board, 20 x 16 inches

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Intrusion, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24 inches

Shango and the American Dream, 1992, cut plate etching, 30 x 22 inches

and its futures and possibilities. His work entails the genius of

Kent State University, where he received his MFA. He quickly

looking through the window of one experience to the world, of

moved on to solo and group exhibits, and his work drew the

engaging the world through an experience of interpretation not

attention of collectors around the country.

based on doubt but on conviction that yes, I did see that. I did

feel that. That did happen.

moved north to Cleveland, Ohio, they did not leave the black

culture of the Deep South behind. The fertile environment of the

Holton says, “After boot camp training, I was stationed at

Holton was born in Mississippi, and though his family soon

Fort Hood, Texas, where I was assigned to the Second Cavalry

Black Belt has produced genres of American music, specifically

Mechanized Division. After completing my regularly assigned

jazz, the blues, and spirituals, just as surely as it has made a

duties, I would draw in my spare time. . . . I was selected to give

mark on many African American visual artists. In Holton’s case,

art lessons to soldiers who had just returned from Vietnam, who

we feel it in the bright colors, strong lines, and rhythmic repeti-

were either injured or addicted to narcotics. This connection,

tive patterns that characterize so much of his work. But we also

with what was called special services for GIs and their families,

see the art of storytelling, the oral text traditions that brought

led me to submit a painting for the 5th Army arts competition,

stories such as those of Brer Rabbit and other narrative imports

for which I received an award. I believe this was one of those

from West Africa. Many, if not most, of Holton’s pieces tell us

important moments of self-validation that helped me to establish

stories, or parts of stories, or perhaps are made to remind us of

a greater sense of self-confidence in my artistic talents.” The art-

important stories.

ist also confides that “as a young artist, I was often encouraged

to find my own voice. As a mature artist, it became clear that

colors and precise fields of dark hues, recalls the vibrancy and

it was not merely having a voice or a technique but a song to

lyricism of jazz and its predecessor, the blues. These qualities

sing, a subject to investigate, a project worthy of one’s sacrifice

come through in works such as Blind Spots II (2004), a litho-

This narrative strength, coupled with the use of primary

of time, energy, and passions. For me, that purpose has been to

graph; Close Quarters II (1990), a multimedia piece; Intrusion

better understand humanity by better understanding myself.”2

(2009), a painting; and in much of the work of his Blues series,

such as Quilt (1997). The haunting image in Shango and the

Holton went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Art,

where he received his BFA in drawing and printmaking, and at

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American Dream (1992) reminds us of stories of “haints” and

. . . as a young artist, I was often encouraged to find my own voice.

As a mature artist, it became clear that it was not merely having a voice or a technique but a song to sing, a subject to investigate, a project worthy of one’s sacrifice of time, energy, and passions.

CURLEE RAVEN HOLTON

spirits while also engaging us in difficult ideas about America and American symbols, in this case joined with a figure that seems to have wandered off an early 20th-century rural advertisement. The same diaphanous world returns in his paintings My Father’s Heart Is in My Chest (2012) and Apparition (2000). These scenes almost taunt the viewer and suggest that magical and portentous things are happening just beyond view.

Christine Oaklander wrote that “although Curlee grew

up in a close-knit community, hanging out on the streets with neighborhood kids, at home there were high expectations for proper behavior and academic success.”3 This push and pull of a close-knit, insular community and a somewhat raucous group childhood experience, of high parental expectations in contrast to enjoyment of music, dance, and other art making has been a common characteristic of the black community.

One could say that these experiences—and the art they eventually inspired—exist in the same epistemological universe as the texts by Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and Me, and the works of literary giants Richard Wright and James Baldwin. Certainly Holton’s watery, clouded, and dreamy works like Apparition are not without their thematic counterparts in Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. The kernel of Holton’s approach is somewhere between these ontologies of black

TOP: Silence, 2012, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches BOTTOM: Apparition, 2000, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

being and his own sensitivities as a trained, disciplined, and expressive artist who seeks the world through his own eyes, on his own terms.

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Patty, Save Me, 2016, oil on canvas, 60 x 40 inches

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ABOVE: My Father’s Heart Is in My Chest, 2012, oil on canvas, 32 x 26 inches LEFT: English Only, 2009, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

The theme of redemption also runs through Holton’s work.

the nuanced color palette of works such as English Only and

His corpus is not limited to visual conversations about the sad,

My Father’s Heart Is in My Chest in a strong and resolute way

the lonely, the angry, or the tragic. Much of his work engages in

that again puts us in front of the artist as witness and interpreter.

imagined tomorrows and the hopeful now, such as his paint-

ing Silence (2012); his work English Only (2009), where the

showing us the humanity of all human circumstances, big or

central figure seems to look out of the canvas with a reserved

small, known or mystery.

In all of his works, Curlee Holton engages a universal gaze,

smile; or the mixed-media Blessings from Foreigners (1997).

Likewise, while most would think of the images that he compiled on the theme of Othello as tragic, there is something triumphant

Article excerpted from the UMUC exhibition catalog Journey: The Artistry of Curlee Raven Holton.

in these renderings of the famous Moor from Shakespeare.

Holton’s Othello is solid; he is contemplative. He seems to

Notes

master his world and to own his destiny.

1 Faith Ringgold, introduction to Tellin' It Like It Is: The Art of Curlee

Raven Holton (Atlanta, Georgia: Hammonds House Museum, 2008).

Exhibition catalog.

Holton’s most recent work continues with this theme of

tragedy and triumph. One of the most exciting is his painting Patty, Save Me (2016). This work recalls earlier styles and places its subjects firmly in the center of the canvas; the two figures gaze directly out to the viewer. The colors and structure of this painting combine the complexity of composition (as well as the almost whimsical use of line) of the Othello series with

2

Curlee Holton, “When Did I First Become an Artist?” A Visit to My House: A Personal and Public Narrative, Thirty Years of Art by Curlee Raven Holton (Macon, Georgia: Tubman Museum, 2012).

Exhibition catalog.

3 Christine Oaklander, essay in In the Shadow of Contemplation

(Galloway, New Jersey: Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University,

2014). Exhibition catalog.

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MIKE McCONNELL PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, AND CONSTRUCTIONS LESLIE KING HAMMOND, PHD Senior Fellow, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation

MIKE McCONNELL’S JOURNEY to becoming a fine art painter

eye and the imagination. Each work celebrates commonplace

began with his early training as an illustrator and graphic

events that, under his technical prowess, become extraordinary

designer. More than thirty years of freelance commissions

interpretations of the environments in which we all live—and

honed and refined his skills, whet his appetite, and challenged

often take for granted, thereby missing the beauty, meaning,

him to pursue his deeper passion. In the last five years, he has

and importance of the ordinary.

produced a prolific body of work. McConnell deftly utilizes the

technical processes he learned as an illustrator and designer

of Art (MICA) and studied with Raoul Middleman, Peter Collier,

to create vibrant colors, textures, patterns, and constructed

Anne Tabachnick, Abby Sangiamo, and John Sparks, skillfully

forms that function as paintings but can also be manipulated

accomplished painters and printmakers who provided a rigorous

into sculptural installations or narratives in the art journals he

training in the classical beaux arts genres of drawing, painting,

also creates. For McConnell, the exhibition at UMUC was an

and printmaking. After graduating in 1975, McConnell found a

opportunity to present a range of works that speak to his deep

productive career as a freelance illustrator, which required him

passion for and love of painting and drawing.

to work alone on his commissions. As the demand for illustra-

tors declined and his desire to challenge himself to explore

McConnell’s imagery is drawn from his observations of

McConnell was educated at the Maryland Institute College

people, places, and activities, often in nature. He creates

new artistic terrain increased, he began to feel the need to be

remarkable scenarios of common occurrences by using bold

among a community of artists where he could interact, share

color contrasts, patterns, lines, and textures. McConnell uses

ideas, and be inspired by artists working in different genres.

a combination of cutting, tearing, collaging, scribbling, and

In 2015 McConnell was among the first group of artists in

scratching the outer layer of his chosen surface (handmade

residence in the Motor House, an arts hub located in the

wood panels, paper, or found materials), a technique that results

Station North Arts and Entertainment District of Baltimore.

in compositions that vibrate with visual energies that excite the

His studio overlooked Graffiti Alley, which offered a steady

LEFT: Henri in Mendocino, 2014, acrylic on panel, 60 x 48 inches

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infusion of ever-changing street art. McConnell was a critical

Leslie King Hammond | Please tell me about your earliest

member of this community, which continues to inspire his cre-

memories that inspired your interest in art.

ativity and propel his artistic vision to new frontiers of exploration and invention.

Mike McConnell | I was born in Mansfield, Ohio, to quintes-

sential WASPy post-war Ozzie and Harriet–type parents. They

The journey to becoming an artist is almost as curious and

interesting as the work an artist creates. Understanding that

didn’t push me toward art but supported my development and

journey can illuminate the intent of the artist’s imagery and bring

tolerated my years as a hippie. My grandparents probably are

viewers an awareness of the issues and experiences that have

the big reason I’m an artist. My grandmother was an avid

driven the artist to create. The following conversation provides

gardener. She was always making flower arrangements and

a glimpse into McConnell’s journey as an artist.

bringing home awards from the local garden club. The

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Art School Self-Portrait, 1973–74, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches; Untitled #1, 2017, acrylic paint on Sonotube and foam core 75 x 32 x 15½ inches; BMA Demo #1, 2016, acrylic on panel, 12 x 12 inches

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ABOVE: BMA Cats, 2017, acrylic on panel, 36 x 48 inches BELOW: Sketchbook drawing, not dated

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y paintings, drawings, and constructions are fueled by life experiences and nature.

I work intuitively, combining, editing, and recombining marks into compositions that are unexpectedly recognizable. I don’t set out to tell a story, but my many years as an illustrator inevitably weave their way into my work. I don’t want to learn anything from what I paint.

I often look at things in my work and wonder what I did to make them. What I want from finishing a piece is the confidence to start the next one and know it will end up making me happy. In the process of finishing a piece, I want to step back and giggle.

—Mike McConnell

basement of their house was filled with dried flowers and

Michael David Brown. At the time, he was a very successful

arranging materials. One of her dear friends painted birds on

illustrator transitioning to fine art. He showed me the crayon-

pieces of barn wood that decorate many houses in Ohio to this

and-ink technique I currently use. He got me to draw in public

day. My grandfather took me to lots of places, but my favorite

places and fill journals and sketchbooks.

was the wooded lot behind their house that always had blue jays calling out and flying between the trees.

LKH | Describe the technical processes you have developed in your work over the past five years. Who are some of the modern

LKH | What were your early formal art education experiences?

artists who have had the greatest impact on your artist psyche?

MM | I started college at the University of Denver. The biggest

MM | I had no idea what my work would look like when I

reason was not for an education, more that it was the number-

committed to fine art five years ago. I hadn’t painted for over

one school for hippies then. . . . I remember my first art class

thirty years. I had a phobia about starting again until I took a

where a model dropped her clothes. Studying art was some-

workshop in California. That’s where I learned to paint with

thing I immediately wanted to do more of. I wasn’t doing very

liquid acrylics on wood panels. I like hard surfaces that I can

good academically, and I was missing my friends and family

sand and scrape into. The acrylics dry fast, so I can paint over

in Maryland. I transferred to MICA the next year. I fell in love

something I don’t think is working—mistakes aren’t a bad thing.

with painting and printmaking. The teachers I remember the

They become foundations. The main influences for my art are

most are Raoul Middleman, Abby Sangiamo, John Sparks,

nature and personal experiences. My work is hugely driven by . . .

and Anne Tabachnik. I didn’t do any abstract work at MICA.

artists David Hockney, Henri Matisse, and Paul Klee.

Strictly landscape and figurative work. As I look back on Anne Tabachnik’s art, I realize that she probably planted the seed

LKH | What else would you like for your public, an audience, or

that grew into my combining abstract with figurative imagery

the casual viewer to know about your artistic intents?

in what I make today.

MM | I paint intuitively. Color, line, texture, and pattern are not

LKH | How and why did you become an illustrator?

things that I think about individually, but there’s lots of thought

MM | I consider myself fortunate that Jim Butcher, my brother’s

help viewers interact with my work, but they’re just another tool

best friend, was a MICA graduate with an established illustration practice in Baltimore. He took me under his wing, and I started to make money from day one. I was totally committed to being a successful illustrator but always kept in mind that I’d rather be a painter someday. I had a great run as an illustrator, but after a couple of decades, the business declined and my enthusiasm waned. The biggest catalyst for my switch was a continuing studies course I took at MICA taught by

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on how they interact and balance with each other. Narratives for me, like color, line, texture, and pattern. What I really do as an artist is paint space—the very real space of memories and dreams and fantasies. Space you can weave your way through and come out someplace unexpected. Space [that], after you find something that resonates, encourages you to look further.

Space that decants. Space you can come back to.

Article excerpted from the UMUC exhibition catalog Mike McConnell: Cutting Into Art.

Carrier Drawing #2, 2017, wax oil crayon and ink on paper, 60 x 40 inches

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NEWS AND EVENTS Reception Highlights

led the discussion and asked Holton questions about his art and career. In response, Holton explained in detail the inspiration behind his art and used the full-color printed exhibition catalog to interact with the standing-room-only crowd.

He had the audience turn page after page to

THE ARTISTRY OF CURLEE RAVEN HOLTON

see images of his works. One by one, Holton The UMUC Arts Program introduced a new

unveiled the seemingly hidden images and

artist to its audience at the opening reception

symbols in his paintings and talked about what

of Journey: The Artistry of Curlee Raven Holton

inspired him to create the works. The audience

on Sunday, August 27, 2017. Holton, who was

asked questions at the end of Holton’s talk.

a long-time resident of Easton, Pennsylvania,

calls Maryland home since taking over as the

endary colleagues in art as David C. Driskell,

executive director of the David C. Driskell

Sam Gilliam, Nelson Steven, Preston Sampson,

The reception was attended by such legA reception attendee examines Holton’s Color Struck Family artwork

Center on the campus of University of Maryland, College Park. Holton is a master printmaker

and Kevin Cole, all of whom expressed admira-

and painter whose works invite viewers to

tion for Holton as an artist, art administrator, and

examine their humanity. Through his works,

art historian. UMUC President Javier Miyares,

he speaks about being human in America,

who has an appreciation for the visual arts and

and he continued that theme in his artist talk

understands the vital role the arts play in educa-

at the reception.

tion, also attended the event.

During his talk, Holton was joined by Floyd

After the talk, guests joined the UMUC

Coleman, PhD, professor emeritus at Howard

family in the gallery to view the experiences,

University, and Wendy Wilson-Fall, PhD, asso-

travels, and journey through life that Holton

ciate professor and chair of Africana Studies at Lafayette College. Wilson-Fall and Coleman

Artist Curlee Raven Holton describes his creative process during the artist talk

expressed in his works. The exhibition ran from August 13 through November 26.

J O SEPH

SHEPPARD HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE UMUC COLLECTION

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Sheppard’s Untitled (woman reading);

reception attendees tour the varied collection; an art enthusiast admires Sheppard’s still life Watermelon and Fruit; UMUC President Miyares gives the opening remarks

18 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Art lovers attended a reception on October 29, 2017, celebrating the work of renowned artist Joseph Sheppard.

The reception marked the opening of a new exhibition featuring Sheppard’s pieces from the UMUC collection.

Attendees enjoyed a talk by Sheppard while touring the gallery. The exhibition runs through October 2018.

NEWS AND EVENTS Save the Date Biennial Maryland Regional Juried Art Exhibition (BMRE)

Upcoming Events

In 2011, UMUC organized and hosted its first biennial regional juried art exhibition.

The response was overwhelming: more than 1,000 entries were submitted by more than 400 artists. The result was a well-chosen exhibition by three jurors who embody the arts profession in the mid-Atlantic.

The Arts Program at UMUC is now pre-

paring for its 4th Biennial Maryland Regional Juried Art Exhibition (BMRE), which will be held in the fall of 2018. The BMRE is open to artists who are residents of Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and Northern Virginia at

THE LANGUAGE OF ABSTRACTION: ED CLARK, RICHARD W. FRANKLIN, AND KENNETH YOUNG UMUC Arts Program Gallery, Lower Level March 4–June 24, 2018 Opening Reception and Artist Talk Sunday, March 18, 2018 3–5 p.m.

Ed Clark, Untitled

Artists Ed Clark (New York, New York), Richard W. Franklin (Bowie, Maryland), and the late Kenneth Young (Washington, D.C.) have approached abstract art in different ways, but the work of each of them is structurally complex. This exhibition explores their different approaches to abstraction with the goal of unveiling the language within their work.

the time of the announcement. If you are an artist and want to receive notifications about this project, please call the Arts Program at 301-985-7937 to provide your name and e-mail address. Detailed information about the BMRE will be sent electronically and posted on the Arts Program website at umuc.edu/art.

We look forward to hearing from you and

THE CAMERA AND MORE: THE PHOTO WORK OF WILLIAM ANDERSON, BRUCE McNEIL, AND MIGNONETTE DOOLEY U.S. District Courthouse, Greenbelt, Maryland May–July 2018

reviewing your entry.

Opening Reception To be determined

Bus Trip to Richmond, Virginia Saturday, June 2, 2018

The Camera and More: The Photo Work of William Anderson, Bruce McNeil, and Mignonette Dooley will explore the artists’ use of the camera to capture a subject and their ability to manipulate images to create works beyond the basic process of producing photographs. These photographers are local artists who have used the environment and their travels as inspiration.

Join art patrons, collectors, and enthusiasts

Bruce McNeil, Anacostia Watershed

for a daylong educational art trip to Richmond, Virginia. The outing will include a visit to Virginia Commonwealth University’s new Institute for Contemporary Art as well as a private tour of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a visit to the studio of artist S. Ross Browne, and more.

The cost is $125 and includes breakfast, lunch, entry fees, and bus transportation.

Click here to register by May 4, 2018.

For additional information, please contact Arts Program Curator Jon West-Bey at jon.west-bey@umuc.edu.

This event is an activity of the University System of Maryland Foundation, Inc. (USM Foundation).

Funds earned or contributed will be managed by the USM Foundation for the benefit of the UMUC Arts Program. Please make your check payable to the University of Maryland University College Foundation or UMUC Foundation.

PAUL REED: WASHINGTON COLOR SCHOOL PAINTER UMUC Arts Program Gallery, Lower Level July 8–September 16, 2018 Opening Reception and Gallery Talk Sunday, July 15, 2018 3–5 p.m.

Thanks to the efforts of the Arts Program and Jean Roberts, Paul Reed, H II (diptych) the daughter of the late Paul Reed, the UMUC collection now includes approximately 200 of Reed’s works, which span more than 60 years. Reed, an original member of the Washington Color School, became known for moving beyond the traditional four-sided canvas painting to geometrically shaped canvas paintings.

Get the latest updates on the UMUC Arts Program.

Visit umuc.edu/art/newsonline

umuc.edu/art

art@UMUC

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Make an Annual Contribution to the Arts Program Art enthusiasts in the UMUC community help make the university’s visual arts exhibitions, educational lectures, book signings, symposiums, and meet-the-artist receptions possible. Through the Friends of the Arts program, our biggest supporters enjoy a variety of benefits as a thank-you for helping UMUC’s Arts Program become one of the most recognized

FRIENDS OF THE ARTS (JULY 1, 2016–DECEMBER 31, 2017)

in Maryland.

Sapphire-Level Friends

Simply commit to making an annual contribution at one of the following

Michael J. Batza Jr. Henry A. Rosenberg Jr. Wolpoff Family Foundation

levels and you can join our growing list of friends.

Platinum-Level Friends Associate ($35) Name recognition in the arts newsletter, invitation to exhibition openings

Friend ($50) Above benefits, plus 10 percent discount on specialty items produced by the Arts Program, 10 percent discount on tickets to nonfundraising events, Arts Program lapel pin

Bronze-Level Friend ($100) Above benefits, plus autographed poster from the Arts Program collection

Silver-Level Friend ($250) Above benefits, plus name recognition on the donors’ wall in the Arts Program Gallery

Gold-Level Friend ($500)

Michael Abrams Jere and Bonnie N. Broh-Kahn Robert L. Caret and Elizabeth Zoltan Gwendolyn B. Clark Leo A. Daly III Nina Dwyer Lisa Anne Jackson Michèle E. Jacobs and Joseph V. Bowen Jr. Eric Key Anne V. Maher Christopher A. Shields Stephen Stein

Gold-Level Friends Joan W. Lee Rene Sanjines

Above benefits, plus full-color art catalog from a major UMUC art exhibition

Silver-Level Friends

Platinum-Level Friend ($1,000)

Dawn Draayer William T. and Paula A. Mitchell

Above benefits, plus VIP invitation to dinner with the guest artist and the university president, 10 percent discount at The Common (the restaurant at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center at UMUC)

Citrine-Level Friend ($2,500) Above benefits, plus corporate name and logo listing on UMUC Arts Program webpage, name and logo listing on all printed materials for exhibitions and public relations materials for the season

Sapphire-Level Friend ($5,000) Above benefits, plus a corporate art exhibition by a local artist coordinated

by UMUC (Special requirements apply)

Visit our Friends of the Arts Program webpage or call 301-985-7937.

Interested in being added to our e-magazine list?

Send your e-mail address to arts@umuc.edu.

20 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

David C. Driskell John L. Milton Vannesia D. Morgan-Smith Bettye J. Robertson William C. Robinson Terrie S. Rouse Manpreet S. Sidhu Lynn Sylvester Lydia Christina Waddler Joan O. Weiss Starlene Williams

Friends David R. Bruss Doreatha Bush Floyd Coleman Deborah Grayson Theresa M. Lesko Sonya R. Pryor Kathleen Sobieralski Linda R. Tolbert Yoshiko Oishi Weick

Associates John S. Fortt Sergio N. Fresco Joseph M. Williams

Bronze-Level Friends Olakitan Akinmurele Marlene Blevins James T. Brady Tracey Brown

Gift-in-Kind Donors William Anderson Stephen and Carolyn Aoyama John and Doris Babcock Judith Benkendorf Larry M. and Susan K. Chappelear Gwendolyn B. Clark Sandra Cryder James Cusack Maria-Theresa Fernandes William A. Harris

Matthew Klos Ulysses Marshall Daniel Najjar Constance Pitcher Narendra D. Ratnapala Timothy and Martha Reese Jean Roberts and the Paul and Esther Reed Trust Elinor Seidel and Kathryn L. Seidel Michael J. Semyan Frances A. Volel-Stech