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Frederik Meijer Gardens unveils landmark exhibition David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture

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David Smith’s Helmholtzian Landscape, 1946 (Courtesy, FMG)



By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is proud to announce the groundbreaking exhibition David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture, showcasing the prolific and inventive work of David Smith (1906–1965). This landmark exhibition, the first to explore Smith’s deep engagement with nature, will open on Sept. 23, 2024, and will be on view through March 2, 2025.

The art of David Smith is profuse and inventive. Working in multiple media, formats, and scales, he blurred boundaries between painting and sculpture and between traditional genres such as landscape and figuration.

Smith’s bountiful oeuvre has secured him a firm place within art history, and his adventurous approach to three-dimensional form has permanently expanded the vocabulary and range of sculptural practice.

Forging new ground

Smith is widely hailed as the first American artist to make welded metal sculpture and to absorb industrial methods and materials into his creative repertoire. His inventiveness and contributions to sculptural practice extend far beyond machine vernacular and technique, however. Many have traced the origins of modern sculpture parks to Smith’s unprecedented outdoor installations on his Bolton Landing property in upstate New York.

David Smith’s Raven IV, 1957 (Courtesy, FMG)

For Smith, nature was not only a source of inspiration but also served as studio, accomplice and staging ground for his complex sculptural works.

“While David Smith is recognized as the most important sculptor of the 20th century, there is still much to be learned about his expansive art, especially as it relates to the natural world,” says Suzanne Ramljak, Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs at Meijer Gardens.

“We are excited to reveal this crucial and lesser-known aspect of Smith’s career at Meijer Gardens, where sculpture and nature are so intimately bound.”

What to expect:

David Smith’s Cubi XII, 1963 (Courtesy, FMG)

David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture will feature a selection of some 40 sculptures, alongside related paintings, reliefs, and works on paper, providing an in-depth exploration of Smith’s sustaining connection with nature.

Uniting key loans from major lenders—including The Whitney Museum of American Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and Storm King Art Center—the exhibition will be arranged in loose chronological order, beginning with Smith’s earliest sculptures from 1932 to the year before his accidental death in 1965.

Viewers will encounter nature-based work from every decade of Smith’s career, including:

  • 1930s constructions with stones, shells, coral, and wood, along with biomorphic cast metal sculptures.
  • 1940s and 1950s pictorial sculpture landscapes, a genre of Smith’s own invention, which he enlisted to address an array of themes—from autobiography, House in a Landscape and his epic Hudson River Landscape; to color theory, Helmholtzian Landscape; to social norms, Cloistral Landscape.
  • Mid-1950s bronze reliefs depicting botanic motifs such as Rose Garden, Wild Plums, and Skull and Tree.
  • Late 1950s and early 1960s avian sculptures, including a series focused on ravens.
  • A selection of outdoor works that find their completion in the company of sky, wind and earth, as Smith intended.

This exhibition will have a particularly strong resonance at Meijer Gardens, where Smith’s work will be in direct dialogue with the natural environment, including larger pieces situated out of doors. Witness David Smith’s thrilling sculptural translations of the natural world he knew and loved in this exclusive Grand Rapids exhibition.

For more information, click here.

Exhibition Catalogue:

David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture will be accompanied by an exhibition catalogue co-published by Meijer Gardens and Hirmer/University of Chicago Press.

The publication will feature contributions by the artist’s daughters, reflecting on Smith’s lived domestic experience of nature; an essay by curator Suzanne Ramljak, surveying Smith’s engagement with nature as material source, subject matter, and preferred site for his sculpture; appreciations by contemporary artists Beatriz Cortez and Mark di Suvero, addressing Smith’s contributions and connections to current art practice; and an illustrated artist’s chronology highlighting key nature-based events in David Smith’s life and art.

David Smith’s Steel Drawing, 1945 (Courtesy, FMG)

Exhibition Programming:

Unless otherwise noted, programs are included in the cost of admission and registration is not required.

Moving Out: David Smith & Outdoor Sculpture

Join Suzanne Ramljak, exhibition curator and Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs, and Amber Oudsema, Curator of Arts Education, on a walk to explore David Smith’s lasting legacy. Discover his influence on sculpture parks as we know them and the many successful artists who followed in Smith’s creative footsteps.

This event will take place Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 2-3 p.m.

A full list of exhibition-related activities can be found here.

Extending gratitude

David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture is made possible by the Louis and Helen Padnos Foundation, Meijer Foundation, Bill Padnos and Margy Kaye, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Foundation and Botanic and Sculpture Societies of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

New multi-sensory exhibit at GRAM aims to spark conversation about Mexican-American border

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A discarded teddy bear in Sunland Park, NM (Courtesy, GRAM)


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


Guillermo Galindo playing an instrument inspired by desert effigies (Courtesy, GRAM)

A multi-sensory exhibition addressing the complexities of the Mexican-American border is now on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM).

Border Cantos / Sonic Border is a collaboration between photographer Richard Misrach and composer/artist Guillermo Galindo. Misrach and Galindo came together in 2011 after discovering they were both creating work related to the border.

Composed of photographic landscapes, sonic composition, musical sculptures, found objects and interactive elements, Border Cantos introduces distinct yet interrelated ways of experiencing the human consequences of immigration policies.

“It provides a platform for us to talk about a really difficult issue – what’s happening along the U.S. – Mexican border,” said GRAM Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Jennifer Wcisel.

Richard Misrach (Courtesy, GRAM)

Wcisel went on to say that the artists are not making overt political statements with their work. Rather, they are attempting to communicate the experience of crossing that border region.

“Art is a powerful tool for creating conversations, challenging perspectives, and encouraging empathy,” said Wcisel.

Though Michigan is geographically removed from that border region, Wcisel believes in the importance of bringing Border Cantos to West Michigan.

“This is a conversation that our whole country should be engaged in,” said Wcisel. “I’m hoping that the show provides some understanding, some empathy, and starts to get people thinking about the circumstances of their own lives. And how the circumstances for others could be different based on nothing but chance or where they were born.”

More than just beauty

As a photographer, Misrach was drawn to the beauty of the desert.

While working in the desert, Misrach began seeing evidence of people, changes to the landscape – and then sections of border wall being built.

Border wall at Jacumba in 2015 (Courtesy, GRAM)

The artist could no longer think of the desert in relation to beauty only.

While both men have spent time in the border regions, most objects are collected by Misrach and sent to Galindo. Galindo then transforms those objects into musical instruments.

A photographic revelation

Portion of border wall in Los Indios, TX (Courtesy, GRAM)

Entering the Border Cantos exhibition, visitors will encounter ten of Misrach’s large-scale photographic works, organized in order of human intervention.

Guests will see the beauty that originally drew the artist, but also the border wall cutting through the landscape.

One photograph features a small section of wall standing alone in a remote location.

“At the time, it had just been erected and [Misrach] took a photograph assuming they were going to build more,” said Wcisel. “He returned three years later expecting it to look different. It did not.”

Another photograph captures drag tracks. Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) drag heavy objects behind pickup trucks to create smooth paths in the sand, making it easier to spot footprints.

Effigies found by Misrach (Courtesy, GRAM)

“They’re deliberately making it difficult for migrants to conceal their paths when they cross,” Wcisel said. “In response, migrants create booties made out of carpet, foam, anything to obfuscate their paths.”

One photograph contains a mystery that the artist hasn’t been able to solve.

The effigies, as Misrach and Gilando call them, resemble stick figures dressed in discarded clothing. 

“Richard came across these and doesn’t know if they were grave sites, or memorials, or warnings. But whoever made them clearly stopped and took a lot of time to construct these,” said Wcisel, adding that she was unable to find any examples of similar effigies.

A symphony of objects

Border Cantos is one of the first times GRAM has incorporated a musical composition as part of an exhibition.

One of Gilando’s instruments created from found objects (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Eight instruments continuously play a composition created by Gilando in the gallery space as visitors walk through. Speakers inside each instrument pedestal play notes and rhythms from that instrument.

“If you’re standing in the middle, it’s like being surrounded by an orchestra,” said Wcisel.

Digging deeper

At first glance, Gilando’s instruments formed from found objects simply seem creative. A closer look, however, gives a disturbing revelation.

Instrument inspired by desert effigies (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Several found objects used as integral parts of the instruments are vertebrae and shotgun shells.

“When you really think about what [the instrument] is made out of…I think that’s very unsettling,” said Wcisel.

Vertebrae, shotgun shells, and rocks comprise this musical instrument (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Wcisel revealed that many migrants die from dehydration while trying to cross the border. A bottle wrapped in a towel shows attempts to prevent water from evaporating in the desert heat.

Water station near Calexico, CA (Courtesy, GRAM)

Humanitarian groups create water stations by placing barrels labeled Agua/Water in the most dangerous regions. However, BPAs often shoot at the barrels, or stop and empty the water.

A landscape that appears to be decorated with confetti is actually littered with thousands of shotgun shells from a BPA practice range.

A Border Patrol target range near GulfCoast, TX is littered with thousands of empty shotgun shells (Courtesy, GRAM)

“As you think deeper about all of these things,” Wcisel said, “you’re like, why are they doing this, why are they armed, why are they practicing?”

The connection between Misrach’s photographs and Gilando’s instruments is unique, said Wcisel. “Even though they might not have been creating the work together, there’s a sense of dialogue between the works.”

Increased danger

A large map of the border shows strategic placement of the border wall.

Sections of wall were built in areas with cities on either side of the border because those were more common crossing sites. This has forced migrants to cross in other areas.

Colorful shotgun shells were used in Galindo’s musical creations (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

“People are going to these blank sections where there are no cities, they are far less populated, and it is far more dangerous to be out there in the desert so far away from any help,” said Wcisel. “It has really made the crossing all that more dangerous.”

Time for reflection

The final portion of the Border Cantos exhibit offers a chance for reflection and sharing.

Benches allow seating for guests as they watch videos of Gilando playing the exhibit instruments.

An interactive section allows visitors to share their migration story by writing or drawing about their family’s experiences moving to a new place on sticky notes, then placing them on a map.

Drag marks made by BPAs to better see footprints (Courtesy, GRAM)

“It gets at the idea that we all came from somewhere,” said Wcisel. “Migration is such an integral part of humanity. Humanity is always moving and responding to crises and change.”

The Hispanic Center of Western Michigan helped immigrants who made the border crossing, and are now living in Grand Rapids, tell their stories of migration.

“Those also will be added to this experience, but in a more permanent way,” said Wcisel.

A migration story on canvas

As guests prepare to leave the exhibit, a large oil painting by Michigan State University art professor Teresa Dunn tells one last migration story.

El Corrido De Javier Salas Vera details the journey of a man named Javier as he crossed the border into the United States.

  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
  • (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Every image incorporated into the canvas has meaning.

Dark and light portions of the painting represent the three day and night cycles of Javier’s crossing from Mexico. Depictions of a coyote, skull, and grave represent danger and death.

Captured in vibrant color is Javier’s arrival to the United States, meeting his wife, a time of deportation to Mexico, and the birth of his son.

A song in the bottom left corner of the canvas touches on a Mexican musical tradition of epic hero stories told through song.

“That was sort of her touch point for telling this story,” said Wcisel. “Javier’s story is like one of these heroic songs from Mexican culture.”

Dunn painted Javier’s story, Wcisel said, to encourage people to put themselves in someone else’s shoes for a moment, and remember that no one is truly removed from this situation.

Still doing the work

A unique Galindo musical creation (Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

As Wcisel helps give voice to the thousands of people who have journeyed through the borderlands in hopes of a better life, she admits her job as curator can be emotionally difficult at times.

“It always feels very personal, whatever it is, because the artists are doing such meaningful things and trying to put these meaningful messages out into the world,” said Wcisel. “It’s hard not to make it personal.

“But what’s also lovely is getting to know these artists. It’s nice to see how optimistic and still hopeful they are about these things. They’re still out there, they’re still doing the work.”

Wcisel encourages GRAM visitors to reflect on the humanity shown in the Border Cantos migration experiences, and have empathy for the plight of migrants everywhere.

Exhibition details

Border Cantos / Sonic Border can be viewed through April 28, and is presented in both English and Spanish.

For more information about the exhibit and related events, click here.

Gardens set to open new exhibit on environment

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The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park will present the exhibit “Double Take: Mel Chin an Elizbeth Turk” from Nov. 18 through March 26.

Elizabeth Turk, Evaporated River (detail)2, 2015, marble and limestone, dimensions variable (Photo courtesy of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park)

This exhibition presents works from these two award winners of the MacArthur Fellowship—sometimes referred to as a “genius grant”—in a variety of techniques and media, including wood, stone, aluminum, water, and sound. Chin and Turk’s work selected for this exhibition focuses on sculpture dealing primarily with the natural world.

Environmental issues have been central to Mel Chin’s work for many years. Most notably is his 1990 Revival Field, a pioneering project in “green remediation,” which uses plants to extract toxic metals from soil. Two pieces tied to this ongoing project are included in the exhibition: Revival Field diorama and Revival Ramp etching. Themes of revival and recovery are often present in Chin’s work, including many shown at Meijer Gardens.

Elizabeth Turk is also inspired by the natural world, most recently in her Tipping Point: Echoes of Extinction series that brings light to extinct and endangered birds through a series of totemic Sound Columns. These sculptures visualize the voices of lost or threatened birds. Her Evaporated River installation similarly gives form to an absence within nature, here showing the diminished water that used to flow freely through our nation’s riverbeds.

Together, the art of Mel Chin and Elizabeth Turk provides new takes on important issues of the day, including environmental hazards, endangered species, memorialization, and lost or hidden histories.

Spring blooms early at Grand Rapids Art Museum hosts biannual event

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For the 2019 Art in Bloom event, WKTV got the opportunity for a sneak peek at how a floral design created her piece. (WKTV)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) announced today the return of its biannual celebration and competition, Art in Bloom(March 19-21). For one-weekend-only, visitors are invited to explore the galleries and view floral designs inspired by artwork from the Museum’s permanent collection.

Art in Bloom highlights the creativity of West Michigan’s most talented floral designers. The arrangements will be presented alongside the artwork in GRAM’s Level 3 galleries, where guests can cast their vote for their favorite floral arrangement for the selection of the Public Vote Winner.

“The Grand Rapids Art Museum is thrilled to kick off the spring season withArt in Bloom,” commented GRAM Communications Manager Elizabeth Payne. “We look forward to welcoming guests to GRAM’s galleries and encourage everyone to participate in a weekend of floral-inspired fun through our in-person and virtual experiences.”

The 2021 Art in Bloom line-up features 15 floral designers and their interpretation of 15 works from the Museum’s collection—with artwork spanning a wide range of painting, sculpture, mixed-media, and design.

Art in Bloom entries will be eligible for two awards: The Public Vote Award and Juried Award. A panel comprised of floral and art experts from the Grand Rapids community will select the Juried Award Winner, which will be announced on Friday, March 22 at 2 pm. The three-day exhibition and competition include a floral-focused schedule of in-person and virtual offerings.

Weekend Schedule:

Friday, March 19 

Public Hours: 12 – 6 pm, Level 3 Galleries

Juried Winner Announcements: 2 pm, Virtual via Facebook Live

Saturday, March 20

Member Hours: 10 am – 12 pm, Level 3

Public Hours: 12 – 6 pm, Level 3 

Floral-themed Gallery Chats: 1– 3 pm, Level 2

Drop-in Studio: Flower Making: 12 – 6 pm, Cook Auditorium

Floral Design Demonstration with Fleurology Designs: 4:30 – 5 pm, Virtual via Facebook Live

Sunday, March 21

Member Hours: 10 am – 12 pm, Level 3

Public Hours: 12– 6 pm, Level 3 

Public Voting Closes: 1:30 pm

Public Vote Winner Announcement: 2 pm, Virtual via Facebook Live


Visitors are encouraged to reserve timed tickets to Art in Bloom in advance and view the Museum’s health and safety guidelines before visiting. GRAM’s guidelines include face mask requirements, reduced capacity, social distancing measures, regular cleaning and sanitization efforts, and more. For GRAM’s hours and admission fees, call 616.831.1000 or visit artmuseumgr.org.

At the GVSU Art Gallery: Mathias J. Alten, An Evolving Legacy

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By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University

 

The German-born American artist Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) is often referred to as the dean of Michigan painters. Working in a traditional representational style, Alten incorporated the aesthetics and techniques of the Impressionist Movement in paintings infused with light and punctuated with deft brushwork. Based in Grand Rapids, Alten created more than 3,800 works over a more than 40-year career, including landscapes, seascapes, portraits and florals.

 

Grand Valley State University holds the largest public collection of Alten’s work in the world.

  • What: ‘Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy’
  • When: Exhibition dates: ongoing
  • Where: George and Barbara Gordon Gallery, DeVos Center, Building E, Room 103 and 202, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
  • Hours: Gordon Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.; closed on holiday weekends

For more information about Art Gallery exhibitions, visit gvsu.edu/artgallery or call 616.331.3638. 

2017 SeoulTech & GVSU Art & Design Student Exchange Exhibition thru Dec. 8

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Nau Kim, Balloon Pop, digital image (photo supplied)

 

By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University

 

This exhibition continues the collaboration between Grand Valley State University and Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech) that was started in 2008. It features 40 photographs of artwork by SeoulTech art students, while a similar number of photographs by GVSU art and design students were sent to South Korea for a partner exhibition.

Exhibition Dates: September 29-December 8

Location: Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall (first floor), Allendale Campus

Great Lakes Pastel Society Juried Exhibition draws a vibrant crowd

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By Jeremy Witt, West Michigan Tourist Association

Experience the remarkable textures, range of color, and immediacy of 49 pastel works at The Great Lakes Pastel Society Juried Member Exhibition currently on display at the South Haven Center for the Arts. The exhibition, co-chaired by GLPS member artists Mary Ann Pals and Jim Henke, opened on May 26 and runs through July 8, 2017.

 

Award-winning master pastel artist William Schneider juried the exhibition and prizes were awarded at the opening reception on May 26. Edward Kennedy of Saline, MI won the Gold Award for Western Pastures; the Silver Award went to Susan Perrish of Livonia, MI, for The Mentor; and Barbara Wise of Ann Arbor won the Bronze Award for her piece, Sleeping with Nutmeg.

 

Gold award winner Edward Kennedy is a self-taught artist and has exhibited his artwork at the Butler Institute of American Art. His piece, Winter’s First, was featured in the February 2017 issue of the Pastel Journal. Inspired by pastel artist Albert Handell, Kennedy sketches daily and continues to expand his understanding of color, values and edges to create his works of art.

 

Silver award winner Susan Perrish has been working in pastels since 2014, using small sticks of vibrant color to capture the unique story of each of her subjects. “I’ve found jewels in every painting, every drawing I’ve done. It is all joy.” Susan has exhibited in numerous shows and is the recipient of many awards for her work.

 

Upon retirement, Bronze award winner Barbara Wise began to seriously put her artistic talent to work and has won numerous awards. Of her work Barbara said, “I have always been particularly fascinated by the uniqueness of individual people, and the nuances of form and expression that enable that to be captured in a work of art. With very little exception, my art is portraiture.”

 

Melody Allen of Kalamazoo, MI, Laurel Kuehl of Portage, MI, and Louise Pond of Kewadin, MI received Merit Awards for their pieces Golden Pears, Take Wing, and The Faithful, respectively. And Mary Ann Pals of Chesterton, IN received the Terry Ludwig Pastels Award for her piece, Dancers from the Deep.

 

SHCA Executive Director Thea Grigsby commented that, “These are exceptionally professional and beautiful works of art. We’re amazed at the affordability of the artwork created by the Great Lakes Pastel Society and hope people will consider purchasing one of these wonderful pastel paintings.”

 

Juror William Schneider will present a live pastel portrait demonstration at the exhibit’s closing reception, Saturday, July 8 from 1-4 pm. William trained at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, is a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies’ Master Circle, and has won numerous awards for his artwork. The event is $5 at the door and SHCA members are free.

 

For more information visit Southhavenarts.org, email info.shca@gmail.com, or call 269.637.1041.

Annual Exhibition Week at KCAD is May 2-6

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Work by Bradley Shiel, 2017 graduate of the Master of Architecture program (Image courtesy of the artist)

By Elena Tislerics, KCAD

 

Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University’s (KCAD’s) invites the public to join in celebrating KCAD’s annual Exhibition Week, Excellence Awards Exhibition, and Masters Thesis Exhibitions, showcasing the best and brightest KCAD has to offer.

For five days, May 2-6, 2017, the entire campus opens to the public as an exhibition center and celebration of art and design. Opening reception: Tuesday May 2, 4-7 p.m. The Excellence and Masters Thesis exhibitions are on view through May 18. All exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

Dates to remember:

  • Exhibition Week: May 2-6
  • Exhibition Week, opening reception: Tuesday May 2, 4-7p
  • Excellence Awards Exhibition: May 2-18
  • Masters Thesis Exhibition: May 2-18

Exhibition explores the question: Who is a hero?

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‘Cost of Social Justice’ by Donna St. John

Artist and art educator Donna St John explores the provocative question, “Who do we consider worthy of the title ‘hero?’” in her assemblage exhibition at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts (400 Culver Street). She asks the viewer to consider whether we truly honor the people who have made extraordinary contributions in our society.

 

 

Tributes of Authentic Heroism: Investigation of Grace, Vision, Clarity, and Purpose highlights nine men and women from around the globe, who have been labeled as heroes. This exhibition will be available for viewing from Nov. 11- Jan. 14, Mon.–Fri. during business hours. There will be an opening reception for the exhibition on Nov. 11 from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm. For more information please visit sc4a.org or call 269.857.2399. 

 

Some of the “heroes” in St. John’s exhibition have been internationally recognized and some are unknown to the average American. Each subject is blemished with doubts, imperfections, frustrations and the very same human qualities that are balanced within their own lives. Yet each individual was capable of seeing beyond their personal existence and was determined to improve the human condition.

 

As our world continues to blur the lines between simulated and authentic realities, St. John poses questions about the value and perceptions of honor and heroism in our contemporary society, as we struggle to cultivate social justice and recognize interconnectivity.

 

Donna St. John is currently an Associate Professor for Art Education at Kendall College of Art and Design. Before becoming a professor she taught in the K – 12 setting for 27 years. She has been named ‘Teacher of the Year’ by two separate districts and has been named ‘Most Inspirational Teacher’ nine times by Coopersville Public Schools.

 

St. John’s pieces will be on display in the gallery until December 15. Then half of her exhibit will be removed to make room for student-created pieces. After working with St. John, students from Hope College, Black River and Saugatuck High School will create assemblages based on their own “heroes” or social justice issues searching for champions to elevate awareness.

 

This exhibition is sponsored by Allegan County Community Foundation & Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.

 

About the Saugatuck Center for the Arts

The Saugatuck Center for the Arts, located at 400 Culver Street, Saugatuck, is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a more vibrant lakeshore community in West Michigan and beyond. For more information about the SCA and upcoming events, visit www.sc4a.org or call 269.857.2399.

Renée Stout: ‘Tales of the Conjure Woman’ opens at KIA July 23

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Photograph of Renée Stout by Mary Noble Ours
Photograph of Renée Stout by Mary Noble Ours

The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) opens a new exhibition on July 23: Renée Stout: Tales of the Conjure Woman. The artist will visit the KIA for a reception and exhibition preview Thursday, July 21, 5:30-7:30. The event is open to the public and included with $5 admission.

 

“Tales of the Conjure Woman offers a peek into a world ruled by superstition and ancestral wisdom,” said Karla Niehus, Associate Curator of Exhibitions. “Stout’s work explores African cultural and spiritual traditions with humor and affection, through her alter-ego Fatima Mayfield — a New Orleans herbalist and fortuneteller. Visitors will step into the illusion of another time and place to enjoy ‘artifacts’ of conjuring and hoodoo practices.

 

Stout explores an underground system of African-derived folk beliefs, transmitted from slavery to the present, which have morphed and adapted to cultural conditions including plantation life, Christianity and the modern urban existence. Through found objects, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, glassblowing, installation and compelling storytelling, Stout creates a lair where Fatima helps people get where they want to be, using charms, amulets, powders, oils, goofer dust*, candles and roots. One client may be looking for love while another seeks good luck with the lottery, but there is always trouble to be managed.

 

renee stout ginseng extract 2005 acrylic oil stick and mixed media on wood 24x24 inches
Renée Stout ‘Ginseng Extract’, 2005 acrylic, oil stick, and mixed media on wood, 24×24 inches

Stout has said, “The thing that continues to influence my interest in the history of root-working and conjure is that it hasn’t been as fully researched and documented in the way other belief systems in the world have been … It’s my way of honoring the ancestors.”

 

“Renée Stout has been exploring this conjuring cosmology through her art since the 1980s,” said Niehus. “Through her art, we are provided a lens through which we can view some of the rich traditions and cultural practices of African America.”

 

*Goofer dust is a compound used by Southern root doctors and conjures to work Enemy Tricks. A proprietary mix of graveyard dirt, sulphur powder, rattlesnake skin and powdered herbs, goofer dust is alleged to jinx an enemy in family, money, job and health matters.

 

strange oracle 2005 wood paint found african head and mixed media 28 x 9 x 11 inches
Renée Stout ‘Strange Oracle,’ 2005 wood, paint, found African head, and mixed media, 28 x 9 x 11 inches

About the artist

Renée Stout grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 1980. Originally trained as a painter, she moved to Washington, D.C. in 1985 where she began to explore the spiritual roots of her African-American heritage through her work. Her exhibition history includes solo shows at Hemphill Fine Arts in Washington, D.C.; The Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, LA; David Beitzel Gallery in New York, NY and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

 

Stout has been included in group exhibitions at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh; The Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore; the High Museum of Art in Atlanta; and Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.; among several others. She has been the recipient of awards from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Bader Fund, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation and the High Museum’s Driskell Prize. Most recently, Renée Stout received the 2012 Janet and Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize.

 

 

‘Common Ground’ African American Art Exhibition through March 20 at Muskegon Museum of Art

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Crossroads, 2010
Karsten Creightney, ‘Crossroads’ 2010. Collage, water, acrylic, oil and wax on wood panel. Flint Institute of Arts

By Victoria Mullen

Treat yourself to a visual feast! Common Ground, an amazing exhibition of African American art, is a collaborative effort between the Flint Institute of Arts, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and the Muskegon Museum of Art. The exhibition showcases the best of each museum’s renowned collections of African American works dating from the 19th century to the present–60 paintings, sculpture, and works on paper that chronicle a cultural history of nearly 200 years.

Five thematic areas—Examining Identities, New Self-Awareness, Towards Abstraction, Gaining Access and Political and Social Expressions—give a broad overview of African American art history from the talent and determination of the earliest artists to internationally acclaimed work by leading contemporary artists.

Charles Henry Alston, Untitled (Couple), 1945-50, oil on canvas, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Charles Henry Alston, ‘Untitled (Couple)’ 1945-50. Oil on canvas. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

Artists represented include Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Henry Ossawa Tanner and Jacob Lawrence. Works by Michigan artists are included as well, among them Richard Hunt, Senghor Reid, Hughie Lee-Smith and Charles McGee.

The Muskegon Museum of Art is located at 296 W. Webster Ave., in downtown Muskegon. Hours are Sunday 12-5pm, Tuesday through Saturday 11am-5pm, Thursday 11am-8pm, closed Mondays.

General admission: $8 adult, $5 adult student with I.D, free for ages 17 and under and for MMA members. Free admission Thursdays, from 4pm to 8pm only, compliments of Meijer. More visitor information may be found here.