Tag Archives: Marguerite Curran

Pop, Rock, and The Prize at the Muskegon Museum of Art

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By Marguerite Curran, Muskegon Museum of Art


Summer at the Muskegon Museum of Art starts in May and celebrates Pop Culture and Rock ‘n’ Roll, along with displays from the permanent collection and paintings by first-ever Bennett Prize finalists. An array of special programs accompany the gallery shows.

Pop

Replay: The Exhibition celebrates American Pop and Geek culture through a variety of media, including large-scale LEGO® brick sculptures. The galleries housing the colorful show have been newly refinished with walls resembling giant LEGO bricks to make a backdrop for artwork that explores how iconic cartoons, video games, movies, and comic heroes and villains influence our culture. Kids of all ages can enjoy racing LEGO brick cars on a downhill racecourse, draw self-portraits on a mirror, practice figure drawing with wooden models, and build their own plastic brick creations. A $5 admission upgrade will be applied for entrance to the Replay exhibition galleries. Replay opened on May 9 and will run through Aug. 18, 2019.

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Photo credit: Paul Jendrasiak

Lights, Camera, Rock ‘n’ Roll: Music Photography by Paul Jendrasiak spans the career of the veteran Michigan concert photographer. Stunning front-row photographs of rock stars performing at venues throughout the state over the past two decades will bring back memories for many viewers. The exhibition runs May 23 through Sept. 1, 2019.

Programs

Paul Jendrasiak will be at the MMA to talk about his work and experiences at the opening of the show on May 23.


A Rock Star Super Saturday family program on Aug. 10 will give budding artists a chance to create their own limelight-worthy artwork.


Guitar with Wings: The Photography of Laurence Juber features photographs by Juber from his 2014 book Guitar with Wings, which showcases the intimate photographs he took of the McCartneys during his days with Wings. The exhibition runs May 16 through September 1, 2019.

Photo credit: Laurence Juber

Laurence Juber in Concert: “A Master” – Pete Townshend (The Who) Laurence Juber will perform in concert at the MMA on June 14. $25 Advance Tickets are available at the MMA by phone at 231.720.2580 or online HERE. Tickets will be $30 at the door.


Juber was lead guitarist in Paul McCarney’s band Wings and has since established himself as a world-renowned musician, winning two Grammys. He fuses folk, jazz, and pop to create a multifaceted performance.


Ticket includes a 5:30 pm pre-concert reception.

The Bennett Prize

Margaret Bowland, Detail of White Fives, 2012. Oil on linen, 84 x 70 in.

Rising Voices: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters opened May 2 with an announcement of the first-ever $50,000 prize winner, Aneka Ingold of Tampa, FL. Twenty-nine paintings by the winner and the other nine finalists from across the country comprise the show. The works exemplify universal issues as well as stories specific to the artists. The finalists were chosen from a field of over 600 entries. The Bennett Prize exhibition project and accompanying show catalogue were organized by the MMA, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and Steven Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt—avid collectors of and advocates for women artists painting in the figurative realist style. Special films, a figure drawing workshop, and an original theatrical performance will accompany the exhibition. Rising Voices runs through Sept. 8, 2019.


The Muskegon Museum of Art is located at 296 W. Webster Ave. in downtown Muskegon. The Museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and closed Mondays. Parking is free and bus parking is available. Go to www.muskegonartmuseum.org for up-to-date visitor information, including gallery and store hours.


A ‘Fantastical Holiday Adventure’ at the Muskegon Museum of Art, Nov. 21-Dec. 2

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Muskegon Museum of Art (Courtesy photo)

By Marguerite Curran, Muskegon Museum of Art

 

The Muskegon Museum of Art’s 14th Festival of Trees runs Nov. 21 through Dec. 2, 2018. Each year, MMA volunteers and staff transform gallery spaces with festively designed Christmas trees and decorations, many of which can be purchased through the silent auction during the Festival. The Festival has become a local community holiday tradition that offers special events, holiday music, visits with Santa, Money Tree and special gift raffles, and holiday shopping. Festival of Trees looks different every year; this year’s theme is “A Fantastical Holiday Adventure.”

 

Funds raised through tree and decoration sales, raffles, sponsorships, and ticket sales benefit the museum. For information on sponsoring an event or tree in 2019, call 231.720.2573.

 

Hours

The Festival will be open Wednesday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Dec. 2 and will be closed on Thanksgiving. Open daily 10am to 5pm and Sundays noon to 5pm.

 

Admission
Purchase tickets at the door: $10 Adult, $5 MMA Member, $3 child 3-17 years (under 3 free); $15 Every-Day Festival Pass. To purchase gift passes, call 231.720.2580 or purchase at the Museum Store.

Special Festival of Trees Events

First Day Food Drive — Wednesday, Nov. 21

 

Special half-off adult admission: $5 with a food donation for Loaves and Fishes food pantry, just in time for the holidays. Regular adult admission: $10.

 

Family Day — Friday, Nov. 23, 10am-5pm

 

Santa will stop in for a visit from 2-4pm and the fun will include a kids’ craft activity, scavenger hunt, and performances from The Nutcracker by the Michigan Youth Ballet Theatre from 1-3pm. Call 231.720.2571 for group bookings. Special Family Day half-off adult ticket price: $5.

 

Teddy Bear Breakfast — Saturday, Nov. 24, 8:30–10:30am

 

Teddy Bear Breakfast is especially fun for kids ages 3 to 8 years old, with a full family breakfast; visit with Santa, teddy bear checkup (by a certified teddy bear nurse), Teddy Bear Parade, and more.

 

Tickets: Adults $15, Kids 12 and younger $8. Tickets include breakfast, all activities, and Festival of Trees admission. Tickets are limited and sell out early. Call 231.720.2580 to purchase tickets in advance.

 

Deck Your Halls: DIY Holiday Project Demo — Sunday, Nov. 25, 1–3pm

 

Floral designers Deb Moon from Lefleur Shoppe and Skeeter Parkhouse from Wasserman’s Flowers and Gifts will demo how to create unique holiday décor during this event. Ticket includes a take-home DIY kit, refreshments, and Festival of Trees admission. Items created during the demo will be raffled to the audience. Holiday Cheer, from 1:00 to 1:30 pm, will include a light snack, coffee, and cash bar.

 

Space is limited.

 

Advance Tickets: $35 per person/$30 MMA member. Call 231.720.2580 to purchase. Purchase tickets by Nov. 18.

 

Senior Day — Tuesday, Nov. 27, 10am-5pm

 

Special Senior Day half-off ticket price: $5 for ages 65+. Free coffee and cookies, vendor samples, door prizes, and more. For large groups, call 231.720.2571.

 

THE SANTALAND DIARIES by David Sedaris, Presented by Andrew Zahrt
Friday, Nov. 30 & Saturday, Dec. 1, 6:30pm Cocktail Hour | 7:30pm Performance

 

(ADULT CONTENT: For mature elves only). THE SANTALAND DIARIES is the story of a Macy’s elf during the holiday crunch. At first, the job is simply humiliating, but once the thousands of visitors start pouring through Santa’s workshop, he becomes battle-weary and bitter. When a new Santa is ushered into the workshop, one who seems to care about and love the children who come to see him, our hero experiences an uncharacteristic moment of goodwill, just before his employment runs out. Arranged by Joe Mantello

 

Ticket includes cocktail hour with a complimentary drink and refreshments in the Festival of Trees galleries. $12 adult, $10 MMA Member, $15 at the door.

 

Call 231.720.2580 to order advance tickets.

 

Santa at Festival of Trees
Santa will be at the museum on Family Day and on Saturdays during Festival of Trees:

  • Family Day Friday, Nov. 23, 2–4pm
  • Saturday, Nov. 24, 12–2pm
  • Saturday, Dec. 1, 2–4pm

The Muskegon Museum of Art is located at 296 W. Webster Ave. in downtown Muskegon. Visitor information at www.muskegonartmuseum.org or 231.720.2570. Membership information: 231.720.2571. Museum Store and Event Ticket Sales: 231.720.2580.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FantasMenagerie: The Art of Nat Rosales at MMA, through Jan. 13, 2019

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, , ,

‘Wheel Horse’ by Nat Rosales (Photo supplied)

By Marguerite Curran, Muskegon Museum of Art

 

The Muskegon Museum of Art will present the sculptures of Michigan artist Nat Rosales in a one-person show from Oct. 18, 2018 through Jan. 13, 2019.

 

FantasMenagerie: The Art of Nat Rosales features the fantastical vehicles and creatures Rosales creates from scrap metal, found and manipulated objects, and mechanical parts. Rosales assembles his sculptures using cast bronze and brass animal sculptures, door and drawer knobs, decorative lamp bodies, gears and drives, various housings, and a host of decorative metal, plastic, and ceramic bric-a-brac.

 

According to MMA Senior Curator Art Martin, “The resulting combinations are a blend of Alice in Wonderland and H.G. Wells, an amalgam of whimsy, fantasy, and mechanics.”

 

FantasMenagerie features over a dozen of Rosales’ recent works, a menagerie of vehicles, contraptions, and mechanical-animal hybrids. Formed from found objects and scrap, and inspired by Rosales’ life and culture, these fantastical creations invite the viewer along on a journey of magic and exploration.

 

By Nat Rosales (Photo supplied)

Rosales has been drawn to sculpture since childhood, an ideal expression for his fascination with taking things apart and exploring how the resulting pieces might be reconfigured and assembled. His current body of work began in 2004, with one of his earliest creations, Hog I, appearing in the Muskegon Museum of Art’s annual juried Regional Exhibition in 2005. His Mexican and Catholic heritage combine with a life-long interest in Cubist and Modern sculpture to form the foundation of his artistic expression.

 

Nat Rosales will make a second appearance at the MMA in a gallery “Crash Course” on Thursday, Nov. 8 from 6-7pm. He will point out features of his works in the show and discuss his techniques at this free public event.

 

FantasMenagerie is underwritten by the Van Kampen Boyer Molinari Foundation. The Michigan Artist Series Media Sponsor is Blue Lake Public Radio. Additional support is provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

The Muskegon Museum of Art is located in downtown Muskegon at 296 W. Webster Ave. Visit www.muskegonartmuseum.org or call 231-720-2570 for more information.

Call for entries for first-of-its-kind prize to propel careers of women artists

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Susanne Mitchell, Waiting (from the Silence of the Ordinary), 2015, 2015, oil and mixed media on canvas, 65 x 60 in.

By Marguerite Curran, Muskegon Museum of Art

 

Women who paint in the figurative realist style are invited to apply for the $50,000 Bennett Prize, the largest ever offered solely to women painters.Women who paint in the figurative realist style are invited to apply for the $50,000 Bennett Prize, the largest ever offered solely to women painters.

 

The call for entries runs from April 13-Sept. 28, 2018. Details are at www.thebennettprize.org.

 

Endowed by art collectors Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt at The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Bennett Prize aims to spotlight women artists who are, or seek to become full-time painters but have not yet reached full professional recognition.

 

“The Bennett Prize is seminal at this moment when it’s harder than ever to pursue a career as a painter or artist of any kind,” said renowned American painter Alyssa Monks. “Artists are being pushed to the fringes and art markets are making it more and more difficult for any artists to feel secure.” “A prize at this level of value and seriousness can propel an artist’s career at a time when so many quit or lose faith or stamina,” Monks said.

 

The winner of The Bennett Prize will create her own solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which will first be shown at the Muskegon (Michigan) Museum of Art and then travel the country.

 

The Prize is also designed to create opportunities for the public to learn more about the creative vision of talented women painters in the increasingly popular style of figurative realism.

 

“Women are creating important figurative realist paintings that should be seen by a wider audience,” Bennett said. “Figurative realist painters portray the diverse human form, and have much to say in a society struggling to understand human differences, including race, gender and social status.”

 

American painter Aleah Chapin echoed those thoughts. “A prize such as this is a microphone for women’s thoughtful and unique voices,” Chapin said. “We paint because we have something important to say. When the world listens, that is life-changing. The Bennett Prize amplifies that voice, telling the world that what women have to say is valid.”

 

Bennett and Schmidt, of San Antonio, Texas, have endowed a $3 million fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation to ensure the prize will be awarded every two years in perpetuity. “The Pittsburgh Foundation has a history of funding artists whose work and unique perspectives might otherwise be overlooked,” said Maxwell King, foundation president and CEO. “The Bennett Prize establishes an ongoing mechanism for recognizing and elevating the work of women painters.”

 

A four-member jury, including renowned realist artists Maria Tomasula and Andrea Kowch, will select 10 painters from among the entrants. The 10 finalists will each receive $1,000 to participate in an exhibition opening May 2, 2019, at the Muskegon Museum of Art, where the winner will be announced.

 

“The Muskegon Museum of Art looks to showcase innovative programs, and we expect The Bennett Prize to be a tipping point for the artists’ careers,” said Kirk Hallman, executive director of the museum.

 

The winner will receive $25,000 annually for two years, so she can devote the time necessary to mount a solo exhibition, which will open in Muskegon in 2021 and then travel the country.

 

The Bennett Prize is not open to hobbyists, students or artists who have been paid or received an award of $25,000 or more for any single work of art.

 

Schmidt and Bennett are among the country’s top collectors of figurative realist art and are committed to seeing that talented women painters receive long-overdue recognition.

 

“We’re aiming to help ensure that there are as many paintings by women as men in museums, commanding the same prices and critical esteem,” Schmidt said.

 

Women artists appear ready for the challenge of making that happen. “The Bennett Prize validates and encourages artists who are placing all their chips precariously on their dreams,” Chapin said. “A prize like this tells them that what they are doing is valuable and important – to go ahead and buy that big canvas and big tubes of paint and spend time making the thing you want to exist. It’s worthwhile.”

Muskegon Museum of Art winter exhibitions and the questions and toil of cotton

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Sarah Wagner

By Marguerite Curran, Muskegon Museum of Art

 

The Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA) opens two new exhibitions, Sarah Wagner: Vegetable Lamb of America and Southern Roots: The Paintings of Winfred Rembert, on Thursday, Dec. 14. The MMA invites the public to an opening reception and a talk by artist Sarah Wagner that evening. The reception will run 5:30-7 pm and Wagner’s talk will begin at 7 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

 

The exhibitions examine, in various ways, the influence of cotton upon history, economics and the environment.

 

Sarah Wagner: Vegetable Lamb of America

 

Sarah Wagner sculpts in wood, metal and fabric, creating animals and environments that address the fragility and resilience of Nature and humanity’s impact on its surroundings. Her art is inspired and informed by the City of Detroit, where she lives and works. For her MMA exhibition, Wagner is creating a new installation of capitalism and industrialism around the world.

 

Southern Roots: The Paintings of Winfred Rembert

 

Winfred Rembert works in the medium of carved and dyed leather, creating vibrant and rhythmic imagery of his life in 1950s Georgia. A storyteller, Rembert reveals images of culture, community, family and struggle through intense color and repeating patterns. His most recognizable pieces depict pickers at work in the cotton fields, a grueling task the artist himself experienced in his childhood and later on a prison chain gang. Over 25 works, including the premiere of several recent paintings by the artist, are featured in the exhibition.

 

The MMA will present a screening of the documentary about Rembert’s life, All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert, following a special reception on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. The reception will start at 5:30 pm and the film will start at 7 pm. Rembert has a lot of stories to tell, from his childhood on a cotton farm to his near lynching during the Civil Rights Movement; his life experiences are the bed of work that inspires his artwork. This film documents Rembert’s life and how his tooled leather artwork has become his biography and therapy. The film was directed by Vivan Ducat of Ducat Media. She and Rembert will be at the screening, followed by a Q&A with the artist.

 

The Muskegon Museum of Art is located next to Hackley Public Library in downtown Muskegon. Call 231.720.2570 or go here for visitor information.