By Marguerite Curran, Muskegon Museum of Art
The Muskegon Museum of Art presents Undying Traditions: Memento Mori this fall, bringing together work by artists from across the United States currently exploring themes of death and earthly pleasure. The exhibition includes paintings, photography, and sculpture and runs Sept. 12, 2019, through Jan. 5, 2020.
Opening Event: The exhibition opens with a public reception on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 5:30pm with a lecture by Art Martin at 7pm. Event admission is free.
Featured Artists: Landis Blair, David Cahill, Robert Steven Connett, David Gluck, Kate MacDowell, Jeanette May, Chris Peters, Daniel Sprick, Katherine Stone, Paulette Tavormina, Maria Tomasula, and Will Wilson.
Memento mori (which translates to “remember death”) is a Medieval Latin Christian philosophy that encourages reflection on mortality, on the inevitability of death, and the transience of mortal pleasures and accomplishments. The memento mori is typically expressed through the still life, incorporating the human skull with various symbols of time and decay. This tradition includes the danse macabre, a skeletal Death dancing away with the rich and poor alike, and the vanitas, a memento mori that depicts objects associated with physical pleasures such as musical instruments and food. In the Christian tradition, memento mori artworks were intended to remind the viewer that their death was assured and their focus should thus be on the spiritual and not the earthly.
MMA Director of Collections and Exhibitions/Senior Curator Art Martin said, “Contemporary artists continue to explore this rich tradition in images that strongly reference their precursors. Skulls and flowers continue to fascinate artist and viewer alike. From intricate painting, to photography, to sculpture, these artists offer us insights into our collective fascination with death.”
Undying Traditions: Memento Mori is organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art. Program support is provided, in part, through a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the arts.
RELATED PROGRAMS
Opening Event/Undying Traditions: Memento Mori
- Thursday, Sept. 12
- 5:30pm Reception | 7pm Lecture
- Event is free and open to the public
Enjoy refreshments and a lecture by Art Martin, MMA Director of Collections and Exhibitions/Senior Curator.
Open Mic Night with Kumasi Mack
- Thursday, Oct. 10
- 6-8pm, doors open at 5:30pm
- Free and open to the public
The MMA will present an open mic night hosted by local poet Kumasi Mack. Kumasi, alongside his DJ and two featured artists, will provide a night of spoken word pieces that relate to themes explored in the Undying Traditions exhibition. Crowd participation will be welcome.
Brown Bag Film
Food for the Ancestors: The Mexican Celebration of the Days of the Dead
- Thursday, Oct. 24, 12:15pm, doors open at noon
- Free admission, coffee, and cookies
- Paid admission required to enter galleries
This PBS film explores the fabulous Day of the Dead festival as it is celebrated in the culturally rich state of Puebla. Learn about special holiday foods, rituals, artwork, and more.
Passion and Perversity: The Inner Chambers of Edgar Allen Poe
- Saturday, Nov. 2
- 5pm Cocktail Hour
- 6pm Performance
- $12 advance / $10 MMA Member / $15 at the door. Call 231.720.2580 to order advance tickets.
Conceived, arranged, and performed by Tom Harryman, Tthis one-act play examines the inner workings of this master of suspense through Poe’s letters, stories, & poems including The Imp of the Perverse, Lenore, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and others.
