view magazine spring 2015

VIEWVIEW AKRON ART MUSEUM

SPRING 2015

AkronArtMuseum.org

1 | AKRON ART MUSEUM

DIRECTOR'S

MESSAGEMARK MASUOKA

Look Harder and Stay Longer

At the Akron Art Museum, we believe that art is for everyone and that our exhibitions, programs and events should be available to anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of what it means to live a creative life. By taking a harder look at the art in our galleries, you will discover that the Akron Art Museum is more than just a place to visit, but also place that you won’t want to leave.

“…we must continue to strive to make each and every public interaction memorable, meaningful and mindful...”We are committed to the conviction that the art museum’s research and development must continue to be informed by extensive community feedback. Your crucial input shapes our efforts to create relevant and authentic art experiences. In order for the Akron Art Museum to be successful, we must strive to make each and every public interaction memorable, meaningful and mindful of our mission to enrich lives through modern and contemporary art.

A recent survey conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts revealed that “adults who attended performances or visited museums as children were three to four times as likely to see shows and visit museums as adults. Exposure to the arts in childhood turns out to be a stronger predictor of adult art participation than education, gender, age, or income.” The report brings to light a deeper understanding of what motivates people to be active culture seekers, identifying that an individual’s stage in life —“pursuing higher education, marriage, child-rearing, and retirement—is more predictive than age alone, as a factor in attending the arts. For example, parents with young children under age six more often cited socializing with family or friends, learning new things and celebrating cultural heritage when they attended performances accompanied by their children.”

The Akron Art Museum understands the value of increasing its accessibility and broadening exposure to the arts. By expanding our art programming to a wider audience and taking art outside of the museum into neighborhoods and communities, the art museum enhances the relationship between art institutions and the conditions that motivate community residents to become culture-seekers.

This spring, the art museum will launch its Inside|Out civic art project that will take 30 high-quality reproductions of artwork selected from the museum’s collection and place them in the neighborhoods and parks of the city of Akron and surrounding areas. Ten art images will be placed in individual communities, often clustered within bicycling or walking distance, to enable residents to discover art in unexpected places.

“…creating opportunities for engagement and a high level of exposure to the arts.”Also this spring, the Akron Art Museum will break ground on its highly anticipated Community Space. Over the next ten months, we will develop property just south of the art museum, on what is currently a parking lot. The project will transform an asphalt desert into an urban art oasis and a new civic commons for Akron. As we finalize our planning and design process, we are guided by our mission to enrich lives through modern and contemporary art by creating opportunities for engagement and a high level of exposure to the arts.

With a year chock-full of community projects, innovative education programs and engaging exhibitions, the Akron Art Museum is prepared to continue fulfilling its mission and is committed to providing a quality art experience for everyone. Join us in making 2015 a year to remember by allowing the Akron Art Museum to be an essential part of your creative life.

SPRING 2015 | 2

AKRON ART MUSEUMOne South High

Akron, Ohio 44308AkronArtMuseum.org

TEL 330.376.9185FAX 330.376.1180

GALLERY HOURSWednesday – Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm

Thursday: 11 am – 9 pmClosed Monday and Tuesday Free admission for members

Closed Memorial Day

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and CEO Mark Masuoka

BOARD OF DIRECTORS I 2014 - 2015

Dianne R. Newman, PresidentAlita Rogers, Vice President

Jon A. Fiume, Vice PresidentChris Myeroff, Vice PresidentFred Bidwell, Vice President

Richard Harris, TreasurerC. Gordon Ewers, Past President

Elizabeth Brumbaugh Hackett, SecretaryDebra Adams SimmonsMyriam Altieri Haslinger

Myrna BerzonJeffrey Bruno

George DaverioDana Dickinson

Drew EnglesLinda Gentile

Cathy C. Godshall Nicholas Katanic

Pamela KanferSusan Klein

Philip A. LloydRory H. O’Neil

Steven RadwanyAndrea Rodgers Bologna

Duane C. RoeBruce Rowland

Michael D. RussellElizabeth Sheeler

HONORARY TRUSTEES W. Gerald Austen

Sandra L. HaslingerMichael Mattis

M. Donald McCluskyMargaret McDowell Lloyd

C. Blake McDowell IIIThomas R. Merryweather

DIRECTOR OF DESIGNJoseph Walton

VIEW ©2015, Akron Art Museum Accredited by American Association of Museums

Member Association of Art Museum Directors

STAGEDMay 2 - September 27, 2015

Sandy Skoglund, Revenge of the Goldfish, 1981, cibachrome print, 27 7/8 x 35 1/2 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Museum Acquisition Fund

ONVIEW

ON THE COVERNOTO Boutique model, Charlotte, dancing in front of Paul Henry Ramirez’s installation in Beauty Reigns: A Baroque Sensibility in Recent Painting. Photo by Joe Levack/Studio Akron.

ALTERED LANDSCAPESThrough July 12, 2015

Peter Dean, Doovekill Poppies, 1984, oil on canvas, 66 x 80 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Museum Acquisition Fund

CHRISTOPHER PEKOCHAND MADE Through April 26, 2015

Christopher Pekoc, I Heard the Noise of Wings, 2003–2004, mixed media assemblage, 19 x 19 ½ in., Collection of Conley and Elizabeth Engstrom, Bay Village, Ohio

BEAUTY REIGNSA BAROQUE SENSIBILITY IN RECENT PAINTINGThrough May 3, 2015

Rex Ray, Cyphellae, 2005, oil, acrylic, and cut paper on linen, 76 x 76 in., Courtesy of the artist and Conduit Gallery, Dallas

LIVING WITH ARTThrough April 5, 2015

Robert Natkin, Intimate Lighting, 1974, Acrylic on canvas, Collection Akron Art Museum, Gift of the artist

A BAROQUE SENSIBILITY IN RECENT PAINTING

beauty reignsThrough May 3, 2015Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries

Thirteen contemporary artists featured in Beauty Reigns share interests in vibrant color, layered surfaces, meticulous execution and abstraction. Characterized by vitality and exuberance, their work draws from sources including botany, astrophysics, archaeology and textile design. Displaying a high level of craftsmanship, their compositions are often developed with the aid of computer technology, as well as hand assembly. Each of the artists employs distinctive strategies to create his or her work. Ryan McGinness describes himself as always drawing, filling sketchbooks with symbols that come from dreams, song lyrics and books he reads. The artist scans these sketches, perfecting his forms into symbols that include stylized human and animal figures, abstract motifs and logos. McGinness uses these digital files to make the silkscreens that he repeatedly overlays and prints to develop his dense compositions. His flat application of color belies the depth implied by his superimposed icons. While the bright hues in The Lazy Logic of Ignava Ratio exude optimism, close inspection of the innumerable motifs reveals more nuanced undertones.

Kamrooz Aram combines allusions to his Middle Eastern heritage with references to western art and contemporary social issues in Incident at Varick and Harrison. The painting is one of a series featuring a floral motif from a Persian carpet that Aram photographed in a Madison Avenue store. After tracing this decorative element, he developed his composition by alternately layering oil paint, then wiping and sanding away the surface. The geometric shapes framing the flowers make analogies to early 20th-century European modernist art and to the diamond patterns that often anchor Islamic textiles.

Nancy Lorenz was introduced to Japanese aesthetics when she lived in Tokyo for five years as a teenager and gained understanding of decorative techniques while working for a lacquer conservator. More recently, Lorenz made extended visits to a remote site on the Irish coast, where she recorded steady rainstorms in drawings made with colored pencil, watercolor and ash. These became sources for large compositions Lorenz created in her studio, including Gold Sea with Cloud. The rich gilded surface embedded with mother-of-pearl captures fleeting weather conditions, conveying the artist’s appreciation for the complex and transitory qualities of nature.

Elegant paintings, collages, video, installations and sculpture by Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A), Charles Burwell, Annette Davidek, Fausto Fernandez, Beatriz Milhazes, Jiha Moon, Paul Henry Ramirez, Rex Ray, Rosalyn Schwartz and Susan Chrysler White likewise contain many layers of information and offer insights into each artist’s creative process.


EXHIBITIONS

Nancy Lorenz, Gold Sea with Cloud, 2014, red gold, moon gold, lemon gold, white gold, palladium, mother-of-pearl and clay, 102 x 72 in., Courtesy the artist and Morgan Lehman Gallery


SPRING 2015 | 4

EXHIBITIONS

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN BEAUTY REIGNS

How do you experience an art exhibition? You look, of course. You enter the galleries and spend time taking in the colors, textures and lines of the works in front of you. Maybe you even read the labels. During the Beauty Reigns exhibition, the museum invites you to take your experience a step further, and we’ve come up with some tools to help you do just that.

First, you can pick up a copy of the gallery guide as you stroll through the exhibition. This guide (a work of art in itself!) will let you in on the mysteries of the artistic process. The sketchbook-like booklet was created by local designer, artist and educator Micah Kraus. He was inspired by the artwork in the exhibition and the aesthetic of Field Notes notebooks. The guide looks like an artist’s

sketchbook, and it can become one, as there are blank pages in the back dedicated to your personal sketches and doodles.

As you finish looking at the exhibition and reading your gallery guide, you’ll be directed to a studio just outside of the gallery doors, in what we call the “video box.” Here, you’ll find a wealth of materials that will allow you to try out the techniques and processes you saw on display in the galleries. Continuing the theme of working with local artists, the studio includes an instructional film with original music and animation by Akron Art Museum staff member Gabe Schray, whose talents go far beyond his work in the museum’s External Affairs department.

Finally, you can take a walk through an artwork. Literally. The museum commissioned local artist Jessica Lofthus to create a large-scale interactive artwork for the lobby inspired by Beauty Reigns. The piece is a walkable labyrinth that takes cues from the patterns, textures and shapes found in the exhibition. Walking the labyrinth will add another dimension to your museum

experience as you physically wind through the curves and turns of Lofthus’ design.

So, visit the museum. Look. Make. Create. Feel. Take in the exhibition with all of your senses. It promises to be a beauty-full experience.

Beauty Reigns: A Baroque Sensibility in Recent Painting is organized by the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas with generous lead support from The Semmes Foundation, Inc.

Its presentation in Akron is made possible by a major grant from The Lehner Family Foundation.


EXHIBITIONS

CHRISTOPHER PEKOCHAND MADEThrough April 26, 2015Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Gallery

Day and Night represents a turning point among the assemblages featured in Christopher Pekoc: Hand Made. The artist’s use of joss paper from an Asian store for the sun and rays of light stoked his interest in using gold leaf in his compositions. Pekoc assembled this complex composition by pinning its components onto his studio wall before stitching them together. While its visual power was paramount for the artist, Pekoc also prized its symbolic content. The title and the black and gold ring that skirts the left fingers allude to the endless cycles that control our lives. Pekoc added stripes to the hands to emphasize their importance. The thorns, a recurrent motif for the artist, reference life’s painful moments and prickly nature.

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and made possible by generous gifts from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, the John P. Murphy Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.

Christopher Pekoc, Day and Night, 1993, mixed media, including paper, electrostatic prints and machine stitching, 13 ½ x 11 in., Collection of Susan and Michael J. Licciardi, Cleveland

LIVING WITH ARTThrough April 5, 2015Corbin Family Foundation Gallery

Museums are designed for the ultimate art-viewing experience. White walls, tall ceilings, perfect lighting. Yet, many people encounter art most often not in this kind of setting, but in their homes, filled with their furniture, decorations, knick-knacks, family members and friends.

Living With Art was dreamed up by the museum’s education department and designed by interior designer and owner of Hazel Tree Interiors, Karen Starr. Starr worked with local designers to select furnishings that would complement artworks from the museum’s collection, which she also chose. The artwork, including paintings, photographs, drawings and prints, is installed as it would be in a home—above a couch or behind a dining table.

Starr says, “I have had such an amazing time working on this exhibition over the last year with the museum staff, and also collaborating with local furniture and lighting designers. John Strauss and Kevin Busta worked with me to furnish the gallery, top to bottom, with locally-made furniture and lighting.”

Through this unique gallery experience, visitors can really imagine what it might feel like to live with artwork from the museum’s collection. Instead of standing in a gallery, visitors can pull up a chair, have a seat and spend some time with the art. Akron Art Museum Associate Educator Gina Thomas McGee adds, “visitors may anticipate a specific kind of experience in the galleries but the truth is, there is no right or wrong way to look at art. It seems like a dream to take your favorite museum pieces home and live with them, but this exhibition allows visitors to experience just that.” This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and supported by a gift from The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation.

SPRING 2015 | 6

EXHIBITIONS

Sandy Skoglund, Revenge of the Goldfish, 1981, cibachrome print, 27 7/8 x 35 1/2 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Museum Acquisition Fund 1982.1

STAGEDMay 2 – September 27, 2015Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Gallery

Just as theater directors orchestrate the stage, many photographers carefully construct scenes in front of their cameras. The resulting images are often as theatrical in their presentation as a Broadway play or a Hollywood film. Drawn primarily from the Akron Art Museum collection, Staged highlights the work of artists whose directorial involvement in the set-up of their photographs is essential to their practice. While some photographers utilize darkroom or digital manipulation to achieve their desired effects, others have planned every detail of their chosen environment prior to the snap of the shutter. Without using any digital technology throughout her arduous process, Sandy Skoglund captures dreamlike scenes with deeply saturated color palettes. To create Revenge of the Goldfish, Skoglund built a blue set in front of a large format camera, crafted and arranged 120 painted terracotta goldfish and directed live human models. The staged photographs of Skoglund, Cindy Sherman, Spencer Tunick, Carrie Mae Weems and others bring imagined scenes and narratives to life, often speaking to broader truths about human experience.

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and supported by the Ohio Arts Council.

GALLERY TALK: LIZ CARNEY, CURATORThursday, May 7 • 6:30 pm


EXHIBITIONS

ALTERED LANDSCAPESThrough July 12, 2015Judith Bear Isroff Gallery

As the Industrial Revolution spurred urban settlement, artists increasingly turned their attention to landscapes. Initially their work focused on pastoral views and topographically-accurate representation. More recently, artists worldwide have also used outdoor settings as sources for fanciful compositions, sharing personal perspectives or conveying social commentary. Altered Landscapes features artworks from the Akron Art Museum collection that take innovative approaches to this subject. Californian Wayne Thiebaud simplifies the Sacramento Valley vista in River and Slough while Peter Dean adds imaginative elements to his verdant surroundings in Doovekill Poppies. The industrial view Randall Tiedman invented in Limbus Patrum #7 vividly evokes the character of his native Cleveland. Also on display are photographs by Meridel Rubenstein and Barry Underwood, a sculpture by Mark Soppeland, a textile by Lilian Tyrell and other works in various media.

GALLERY TALK: JAN DRIESBACH, CURATORThursday, April 16 • 6:30 pm

Randall Tiedman, Limbus Patrum #7, 2010, acrylic and oil on paper, Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Gift of Susan Tiedman and Kokoon Arts Gallery 2014.49

Meridel Rubenstein, Temple Tree, Vietnam, 2000–2001, vegetable ink on paper coated with mica and gum Arabic, 41 7/8 x 29 5/8 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Gift of Brian Gross Fine Art in honor of Mitchell D. Kahan 2012.42

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and supported by the Ohio Arts Council.

SPRING 2015 | 8

EXHIBITIONS

PROOFPHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE COLLECTION

May 30 - October 25, 2015Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries

Photographs help create our collective memory. Images from news reportage and photographs that provide social commentary or promote personal agendas all shape how we see our world and alter our view of the past. Are these photographic documents proof of an event or place, or is the artist manipulating us?

Proof features photographs from the Civil War to the present. The exhibition highlights familiar favorites from the collection, including classic documentary photographs by Walker Evans, Lewis Hine and Weegee, as well as major series commissioned by the museum from Lee Friedlander and Robert Glenn Ketchum. Contemporary artists who have filtered these documentary styles to question photographic truth are represented by recent acquisitions by Jennifer Williams, Josh Azzarella and Barbara Probst.

Pictured here, we see the aftermath of the Civil War from Photographic Views of Sherman’s Campaign by George Barnard paired with one view of Richard Misrach’s three decade-long study of the desert from Desert Canto III: The Flood depicting the changes imposed on the Salton Sea by poorly managed irrigation systems.

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum.

Richard Misrach, Flooded House Foundation, Salton Sea, 1984 (printed 2001), chromogenic print, 45 1/2 in. x 57 1/2 in. Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Knight Purchase Fund for Photographic Media 2001.6

George N. Barnard, The “Hell Hole,” New Hope Church, GA, 1864-65 (printed 1866), albumen print, 10 1/8 x 114 1/8 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Gift of the Mary S. and Louis S. Myers Family Collection 1981.14.27


EXHIBITIONS

NIGHT@theMUSEUMThe Akron Art Museum recently played host to hundreds of talented local artists. Students from Hinckley Elementary held a super hero themed art show featuring their drawings, paintings, sculptures and animations. Parents, families and friends came to admire their work, which took up every square inch of the museum’s lobby. Visitors were even able to channel their inner super hero by striking a pose in a special photo booth designed by parents. The museum also held its first high school Night@theMuseum program, featuring the artwork of students from Archbishop Hoban High School. The variety and quality of artwork on display by these young artists astounded their families and the public. And, there’s more to come:

April 2 • Five Points I & II Head Start and Early Head Start April 30 • Akron Public Schools Art and Math Program

The NIGHT@theMUSEUM program is made possible with support by the OMNOVA Solutions Foundation.

ART BLOOMS 2015 BEAUTY REIGNSApril 17 - 19, 2015 • 11 am – 5 pm

Beauty will reign in art and flowers when the Akron Garden Club returns to the Akron Art Museum to produce Art Blooms 2015 Beauty Reigns, a Garden Club of America (GCA) flower show, with entries in floral design, horticulture, botanical arts and photography.

The show will take inspiration from the museum’s exhibition, Beauty Reigns: A Baroque Sensibility in Recent Painting, which features the work of thirteen emerging and mid-career abstract painters and celebrates the exoticism, exuberance and optimism found in their work. There will be 26 floral designs arrayed throughout the galleries; hundreds of prize plants, container gardens and horticultural cut specimens; three dozen nature photographs of fine-art quality; exquisite trinket boxes, ballet slippers and tiaras crafted entirely from dried plant material and more.

One special feature of the show will be an exclusive professional floral design class staged in the Beatrice Knapp McDowell Grand Lobby under Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #1240, Planes with broken bands of color (Akron), 2005. Five noted professional florists and designers from Northeast Ohio will present large designs interpreting the Beauty Reigns exhibition.

GCA shows are known for their exceptional entries, avant-garde use of flowers and creative designs. Members of GCA clubs from around the country will participate. Nationally accredited judges will award ribbons and honors on April 17.

You won’t want to miss this chance to see art interpreted in flowers. Museum admission fees apply for nonmembers. Art Blooms 2015 Beauty Reigns is made possible by a partnership with the Akron Garden Club.

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EXHIBITIONS

Spring • Downtown • Towpath/Summit Metro Parks • and North Hill

Fall • West Hill/Highland Square • University Park/The University of Akron • and Cuyahoga Falls

The Akron Art Museum is bringing art out of the galleries and to a neighborhood near you! Inside|Out, an exciting new public art project, will place 30 high-quality, framed reproductions of artwork from the museum’s collection in the streets and parks of Akron and surrounding areas. Six selected neighborhoods will have the opportunity to host their own open-air exhibitions of the museum’s art, while highlighting the unique qualities of their respective communities.

Two exhibition periods for 2015 will run approximately three months each. The Spring season (April through June) will include Downtown, Towpath/Summit Metro Parks, and North Hill. Fall (August through October) will include West Hill/Highland Square, University Park/The University of Akron, and Cuyahoga Falls.

Ten reproductions installed at outdoor locations in each neighborhood will often be within walking and biking distance of each other. Tours, programming, and events inspired by the art will be planned by community partners in each neighborhood, encouraging them to take ownership of their exhibitions.

Maps and information on programming, tours and events will be available on AkronArtMuseum.org and by following the Akron Art Museum on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Visitors are invited to participate on social media by using the hashtag #InsideOutAkron.

#InsideOutAkron


PROGRAMMING

LIVECREATIVE

KIDS STUDIO CLASSESSaturdays • 1 – 3 pmRecommended for ages 7-12

Venture beyond the ordinary classroom and explore real art up-close, investigate why art is made and decode the ideas behind imagery. Guided by artist educators, students create with unique materials, experimental processes and concepts that build their creative confidence.

Beautiful Creatures: Pokémon-Inspired Layered PaintingsSaturday, March 14

Minecraft Mansions: Decadent Architecture in Creative ModeSaturday, April 4

Comic Android Lab: Where Drawings Come Alive!Saturday, May 2

Cost per class is $10/member child, $15/non-member child. Parents are welcome but not required to stay. Registration is required at AkronArtMuseum.org/eventregistration or call 330.376.9186.

Kids Studio Classes are made possible with support from the Charles E. & Mabel M. Ritchie Foundation.

FAMILYDAYSFor all ages and their grown-ups

Family Open StudioSaturday, April 18 • 12-4pmJoin us in celebrating our youngest learners as we recognize the

Explore the galleries and make art in response to your family’s experiences. No registration is required for this program; just drop-in!

Free museum admission and activities. No registration required. For more information go to AkronArtMuseum.org/calendar or call 330.376.9186.

Family Days are made possible with support from the Dominion Foundation, the R.C. Musson & Katharine M. Musson Charitable Foundation, and George and Sue Klein.

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PROGRAMMING

CREATIVEPLAYDATESThursdays • 11:15 am – 12:30 pmFor 0-5 year olds and their grown-ups

Little ones learn best through intuitive, open-ended play that feeds their senses. Celebrate your child’s wonder by setting aside time for a play date together. Follow your child’s natural instinct to wiggle, squeal and make a mess while making new friends at the museum.

A Beautiful MessThursday, March 5 • 11:15 am – 12:30 pm

Growing-Up-Creative PartyThursday, April 16 • 11:15 am – 1:30 pmJoin us in celebrating our youngest learners as we recognize the

Namaste, Ladybug: Yoga in the GardenThursday, May 711:15am-12pm1pm-1:45pm

Free museum admission and activities. Registration required at AkronArtMuseum.org/eventregistration or call 330.376.9186.

Creative Playdates are made possible with support from the Robert O. & Annamae Orr Family Foundation.

STORYTIMEThursdays • 11:15 am – 12:30 pmFor all ages and their grown-ups.

Engage your tiny book lover in an interactive storytelling experience where art and story become one through song, rhyme and imagery. After the book ends, we’ll keep the story going with fun art activities in the lobby.

Tales of Beauty Thursday, March 19

Secrets Told in the Garden Thursday, April 9

Magic InventionsThursday, May 14

Free museum admission and activities. No registration required. For more information go to AkronArtMuseum.org/calendar or call 330.376.9186.

Story Time is made possible with support from the Robert O. and Annamae Orr Family Foundation.

ARTBABES11:15am-12:00pm; 1:00pm-1:45pmFor 0-18 month olds and their grown-ups

Awaken your baby’s early neuron connections with rocking rhymes and bouncy songs in the galleries. Look, listen and laugh together through playful small group interactions, and watch your baby’s self-awareness grow.

Baby Loves Bling: Shiny Objects and Art That Glows Thursday, March 26

Sense and Soothing: Pint-Sized Baby Massage Thursday, April 23

Reach, Breathe, Embrace: Baby Yoga Wednesday, May 21

Cost per class is $10/member child, $15/non-member child. Parents are required to stay. Registration is required at AkronArtMuseum.org/eventregistration or call 330.376.9186.

Art Babes is made possible with support from the Robert O. and Annamae Orr Family Foundation.


SYNAPSE LECTURE: MARK DIONMarch 5 • 6:30 pm The Synapse series explores enlightened collaborations between art and science. This initiative at the University of Akron probes the ideas, images and mutual interests connecting art and science professionals and disci- plines. The Synapse series is funded through the generous support of the Knight Foundation.

Dion’s sculptural work examines our understanding of history, culture and the natural world. His elaborate installations take the form of curiosity cabinets, science labs and classrooms. The job of the artist, he says, is to go against the grain of dominant culture, to challenge perception and convention. Appropriating archaeological and other scientific methods of collecting, ordering and exhibiting objects, Dion creates works that question the distinctions between ‘objective’ (‘rational’) scientific methods and ‘subjective’ (‘irrational’) influences.

http://synapseartscience.com/

HEALTH: YOGA IN THE GALLERIESMarch 12 • April 9 • May 14 • 6:30 pmThe transformational power of yoga for individuals, relationships, and communities comes alive in the Akron Art Museum galleries. Combine breath, flow and art in a beginner-friendly series taught by a certified Nirvana Yoga instructor. Bring your own mat. No water bottles allowed in the galleries.

FILM: CIFF - AKRONCLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALSaturday • March 21 Thanks to a generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Cleveland International Film Festival returns to Akron. A sampling of feature films and short subjects will be presented in the Akron Art Museum’s Charles and Jane Lehner Auditorium, the Akron-Summit County Public Library Main Auditorium and the Nightlight Cinema. CIFF patrons will be able to curate their own experience in the heart of downtown Akron. More information at ClevelandFilm.org.

FILM: NIGHTLIGHT CINEMA FILMSMarch 26 • April 30 • May 28 • 7 pmJoin us for a crop of freshly picked films curated by the Nightlight Cinema. From cutting edge releases to classic reboots, our monthly free film series is not to be missed. Visit akronartmuseum.org for film listings and showtimes.

PROGRAMMING

FREE EVERY THURSDAYSpend Thursdays at the Akron Art Museum – it’s free all day and all evening, from 11 am – 9 pm. Free Thursdays now include HAPPY HOUR in the iQcafé from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Enjoy $1 off drink specials, $2 bottles, appetizers, art, and atmosphere. Free Thursdays are generously supported by The J.M. Smucker Company, with additional support provided by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

SPRING 2015 | 14

PROGRAMMING

SLIDE JAM: BEAUTY REIGNSThursday, March 19 • 6:30 pm

What makes something beautiful? From different body types, fashion styles, plant arrangements and art aesthetics, the phrase beauty is in the eye of the beholder reigns true for this lineup of Slide Jam speakers. Hear six fun, moving, unexpected and accessible talks about beauty from artists and designers around Northeast Ohio.

TEACHER FLICK: HOW TO MAKE A REX RAYThursday, March 12 • 4:30 - 6 pm

How do they do that? Get some insider info on the process used to create amazing artworks in the Beauty Reigns exhibition. You’ll start with a guided tour of the exhibition, and then settle in to see the process in action through the film How to Make a Rex Ray, about the artist whose intricate cut paper artworks are featured in the exhibition. Cutting, pasting, gluing, painting, collaging, installing—not since The Mystery of Picasso has a documentary captured the grace and handiwork of an artist as casual and sophisticated as Rex Ray.

COUNTRYSIDE FARMERS’ MARKETApril 11 • 10 am - 1pmEnjoy a special installment of the Countryside Farmers’ Market at the Akron-Summit County Public Library’s Main Library and the Akron Art Museum. The market will feature more than 40 local farmers, food producers and artisans providing seasonal products and handmade gifts. Customers can expect to find in-season produce; pasture-raised beef, pork, poultry, lamb, and bison; artisan cheeses, handmade breads, pastries, and pasta; and much more.

READING UNDER THE ROOF CLOUD BOOK CLUB: MARY COINMay 28 • 6 pmJoin the museum’s Reading Under the Roof Cloud’s book club in the Martha Stecher Reed Library for a discussion of bestselling author Marisa Silver’s Mary Coin. Silver takes Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother photograph as inspiration for a story of two women—one famous and one forgotten—and their remarkable chance encounter. Silver creates an extraordinary tale from a brief event in history and its repercussions throughout the decades that follow—a reminder that a great photograph captures the essence of a moment yet only scratches the surface of a life. Discussion will include a preview tour of documentary photographs in the exhibition Proof.

Registration required at akronartmuseum.org/eventregistration

Mary Coin is available in the Shop $16



PROGRAMMING

Follow us on Instagram and hashtag your visit! #akronartmuseum #livecreative

@ferrerfoto

@asterandolive@nanerelly @colleenieweinie @rlshafferwrites

TALK BEFORE THE WALK @ THE AKRON ART MUSEUMFirst Saturday of each month • 4 pmStart your Artwalk evening off right with a fun, quick, guided tour of the Akron Art Museum. Your tour guide will lead you through the galleries on an artistic exploration of the museum’s collection and special exhibitions. Think of it as your art appetizer!

Free and open to the public. No RSVP necessary. Meet your tour guide at the museum’s front desk by 4pm to begin your tour.

CRAFTY MART PRESENTS: THE MOM & POP SHOPPE

Saturday, April 25 • 10 am - 5 pm

At THREE LOCATIONS: Musica, Summit Artspace and the Akron Art Museum.

To apply as a vendor, go to www.craftymart.org.

@laurabid27 @hhsphoto @matgilson

SPRING 2015 | 16

AT THE MUSEUM

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1 Night@theMuseum - Hinckley Elementary; 2 Night@theMuseum - Hinckley Elementary; 3 Jessica Loftus’ Akron Carpet Labrynth; 4 Night@theMuseum - Hinckley Elementary; 5 Carolers at Inside I OUT Gleitsmann installation; 6 Video Box Studio Activity - Beauty Reigns Opening; 7 Director Circle Event - Beauty Reigns Opening; 8 Beauty Reigns Opening; 9 Beauty Reigns Opening; 10 Akron Art Museum Lite Brite; 11 Akron Art Museum Lite Brite; All photos by Chris Rutan Photography


MEMBERSHIP

MEMBERS TRIP: COLUMBUSSaturday, March 21, 2015Meet us in Columbus for a special guided visit to the Pizutti Collection’s NOW-ISM: Abstraction Today exhibition. We’ll enjoy lunch at The Table, a collective of like-minded individuals who have the talent and desire to bring the freshest, healthiest and most vibrant food to Columbus. After lunch, we’ll meet at the Wexner Center for the Arts where two exhibitions are featured; Fiber: Sculpture 1960-Present and Hassan Hajjaj: My Rock Stars Experimental, Volume I, 2012.

Cost: $45 per member and includes admission to both venues and a gourmet lunch.

To reserve your space, contact Membership Manager Michael Derr at [email protected] or 330.376.9186 x214

Ride sharing is encouraged. If you are interested in driving or riding with other members, please let us know.

MEMBERS TRIP: DETROITSaturday, May 16, 2015Members will travel to Detroit to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts special exhibition, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit. The exhibition explores the tumultuous and highly productive year that Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo spent in Detroit, a pivotal turning point in each artist’s career. Later in the day we will travel to nearby Cranbrook Gardens. Tended by hundreds of volunteers throughout the year, the gardens are filled with colorful scented blooms and a tapestry of greenery, side by side with exquisite fountains, sculptures, shaded dells and mossy bogs.

Cost: $120 per member and includes chartered bus to and from Detroit, admission to both venues, lunch at the Detroit Institute of Arts, catered box dinner on the ride home and snacks throughout the day.

To reserve your space, contact Membership Manager Michael Derr at [email protected] or 330.376.9186 x214 by April 1, 2015.

RECIPROCAL MUSEUM AND INSTITUTION UPDATEWe’ve updated our Membership website to allow you easier access to full lists of reciprocal museum and institutions. Visit www.AkronArtMuseum.org/support and click on the Reciprocal Museums graphic. Members at the $100 level have reciprocal privileges at Ohio Art and ROAM institutions. In addition to those institutions, Members at the $150 level have access to the Mod/Co museums and institutions. Always contact the reciprocal museum prior to your visit as some restrictions may apply.

To increase your individual or household membership level to enjoy these reciprocal benefits at 285 museums around the country and Canada, please call 330.376.9186 x225.

NOW-ISM: Abstraction Today, installation view with Jacob Hashimoto, Untitled, 2005 and Tony Cragg, Lost in Thought, 2005, Photo by Alan Geho, Courtesy Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH

OHIO ARTROAMMOD/CO

Nickolas Muray, Frida with Diego and gas mask, 1938 (printed 1992 or later) gelatin silver print, 11 3/4 x 12 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Gift of Ellen Jo Myers in memory of her father, Louis S. Myers 1997.7

SPRING 2015 | 18

MEMBERSHIP

ARTWORKS BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPSInnovation and creativity – the arts and business have more in common than most people may think. The Akron Art Museum would like to partner with local businesses by offering the Art Works business membership program. Art Works members receive benefits for their business and free admission for their employees. Join the growing list of companies like Akron Children’s Hospital, Ohio CAT, Welty Building Company Ltd., Akron-Canton Dairy Queen Store Owners and the J.M. Smucker Company in supporting the arts in our community.

Whether your business has 15 employees or 1500, the Akron Art Museum has an Art Works business membership level for your size and budget.

Join online at AkronArtMuseum.org/memberships or call Membership Manager Michael Derr at 330.376.9186 x214.

ART & ALE Friday, March 13, 2015 6-9 PM Back for its 8th year, ART & ALE features locally crafted brews from Ohio’s best brewmakers, complemented by some of the region’s favorite local food.

TICKETS PURCHASED PRIOR TO MARCH 13$35 for members · $50 for nonmembers · $50 day of the event

Purchase tickets online at AkronArtMuseum.org/ale or by calling 330.376.9186 x214. To become a member, visit AkronArtMuseum.org/memberships

Art & Ale is generously sponsored by ACME Fresh Market.

Image courtesy of www.MakingTheMoment.com

MEMBERSHIP MATTERSThrough your membership support, the Akron Art Museum is able to present ground-breaking art experiences for all ages. Membership dollars go a long way in helping the museum become more accessible to all of our community through our popular Free Thursdays and free tours for school children.

Memberships begin at just $50 for an individual and $65 for a household. When you purchase your membership at the museum, we’ll include a copy of Akron Art Museum: Art Since 1850, An Introduction to the Collection that beautifully illustrates and discusses 100 works from the museum’s permanent collection.

• Call 330.376.9186 x 225 to renew by phone• Visit AkronArtMuseum.org/join to renew online• Stop at the Visitor Services desk • Monthly installment plans are available for

higher membership levels


AT THE MUSEUM

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: DREW ENGLESDrew Engles, M.D. - Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in Hand and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery.

“I was trying to explain, albeit poorly, the art of El Anatsui to a colleague when my daughter, who I believe was in the fifth grade at the time, interrupted me and went on to give a much more detailed description of his work and the objects he incorporated in his art. When I asked her how she knew all of this, she replied that her school had just been on a field trip to the museum. That exchange made me realize what an important role the Akron Art Museum plays in the education and ultimately the lives of our city’s youth.”

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: NEW FACESName: Roza MaillePosition: Inside|Out Project CoordinatorPlace of Birth: Salem, OhioFavorite Artwork in the Collection: Retrospective by La Wilson. I love all the small compartments of found objects and how they are arranged so beautifully. I always find something new every time I look at it.

Name: Theresa BembnisterPosition: Associate CuratorPlace of Birth: New London, ConnecticutFavorite Artwork: It’s a tie between Lee Bontecou’s untitled iron, fiberglass and fabric relief from 1966 and Donald Judd’s untitled anodized aluminum and Plexiglas sculpture from 1969. The cool, liquid green Plexi interior of Judd’s box makes a stark visual contrast to the aluminum exterior’s dull sheen. I love the way the sculpture has a different shape depending on where you stand. Taking in this work is a serene, contemplative experience. Bontecou uses industrial materials for a very different effect—her jaw-like saw blades emerge from dark recesses, creating an underlying feeling of anxiety.

Name: Michael DerrPosition: Membership ManagerPlace of Birth: Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFavorite AAM Moment: I’m fortunate to work just steps away from galleries overflowing with some of the most amazing artwork. One of my very favorite things about our museum is when the lobby is full of local student artwork hanging from, and on, every surface possible. Then getting to enjoy the site as they share their masterpieces with family, friends and museum visitors.

Name: Dominic CarusoPosition: Design, Marketing and Communications CoordinatorPlace of Birth: Youngstown, OhioFavorite AAM Experience: Attending a packed museum auditorium for Slide Jam and realizing during the course of the six fascinating presentations by Akron community members that Akron and the Akron Art Museum were together at an exciting crossroads of ideas, ingenuity and creation, and that I wanted to be a part of it.

From left to right: Roza Maille, Theresa Bembnister, Michael Derr and Dominic Caruso

2014 Auction Co-Chairs. Drew and Laura Engles

The Akron Art Museum extends its sincere appreciation to the following funders for their generous support this year:

SPRING 2015 | 20

AT THE MUSEUM

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE PLATINUMMr. and Mrs. Stephen E. Myers

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Wright

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE GOLDMrs. Cynthia Knight

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE SILVERDr. and Mrs. Drew Engles

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLEMr. Robert W. Briggs

SPONSERMr. Robert Kazar

Mr. Thomas R. Roese and Mr. William Franklin

SUSTAINERMrs. Christine Gable

CONTRIBUTORMr. and Mrs. Stephen Baker

Ms. Susan A. Belden

Ms. Roxanne Briggs

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Burdon

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gannon

Mrs. Nora Glauberman

S. W. Kertesz

Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Kinnamon

Mr. Steve Lederer

Mr. Dave Mardjanov

Mr. James E. McGrath

Ms. Susan L. Miller

Mrs. Theresa Minick

Ms. Teresa Nagy

Mrs. Lauren Richards

Mr. John Vollmer

CONTRIBUTOR-PLUSMr. Ralph Darr

Mr. and Mrs. John Dellagnese

Mr and Mrs. Brian Vogelsang

Mrs. Patricia F. Gross

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Saxon

Mrs. Mary Ann Sholtis

GENERAL/FAMILYMrs. Kasha Brackett

Mr. Josh Estafen

Ms. Brandy Gadd

Ms. Megan Gottschalk and Mr. Brian

Musci

Mr. Matthew Powell

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Puffer

Ms. Virginia Robinson

Ms. Toni Scherzer

Mr. Hank Schueler

Mr. Russell Sherman

Ms. Jessica Simon

Mr. and Mrs. Jack A. Sites

Mr. J. Cordell Slack

Mrs. Carol Ver Wiebe

Mr. Richard Walchalk

Mr. Jack Woodyard

INDIVIDUALMs. Linda Dietrich-Rios

Ms. Jodi Fill

Ms. Jennifer E. Gaylor

Ms. Shannon Goede

Ms. Susan B. Griffith

Ms. Marianne Gross

Susan Kelewae

Ms. Elaine Luck

Mr. Thor J. Mednick

Mr. Thom Pickton

Ms. Debra Racey

Mrs. Marjorie Ranftl

Mr. Bob Schimel

Ms. Amanda Strickler

Ms. Janet Varner

Mr. Mark D. Warrick

Ms. Lynne Weinberger

The Akron Art Museum extends a warm welcome to the following members who recently joined the museum or increased their membership level:

Akron Community Foundation

Art Works

B.W. Rogers Company

Berlin Family Foundation, Inc.

Burton D. Morgan Foundation

C. Blake Jr. & Beatrice K. McDowell Foundation

Charles E. & Mabel M. Ritchie Memorial

Foundation

Dominion Foundation

GAR Foundation

Gertrude F. Orr Trust

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

Sandra L. and Dennis B. Haslinger Family

Foundation

House of LaRose

Jean P. Wade Foundation

John A. McAlonan Fund

Sally A. Miller and Joseph G. Miller Family

Foundation

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Laura L. & Lucian Q. Moffitt Foundation

The Lehner Family Foundation

Lloyd L. & Louise K. Smith Foundation

M.G. O’Neil Foundation

Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation

Mary & Dr. George L. Demetros

Charitable Trust

The Mary S. & David C. Corbin Foundation

Ohio Arts Council

OMNOVA Solutions Foundation

PNC Financial Services

R. C. Musson & Katharine M. Musson

Charitable Foundation

Read Family Fund

Robert O. & Annamae Orr Family Foundation

Rogers Family Foundation

Sisler McFawn Foundation

The J.M. Smucker Company

The City of Akron

Toby D. Lewis Philanthropic Foundation

Welty Family Foundation


IN THE MUSEUM SHOP

Beauty Reigns, published by the McNay Art Museum, accompanies the Beauty Reigns exhibition. $29.95

These sweet bird earrings created by Ohio artist Kristen Cliffel are made of ceramic and painted in shiny vibrant colors. Cliffel’s work is represented in the Akron Art Museum’s collection. $40

REX RAY STUDIO has created a fun and sophisticated collection of fabulous silk scarves inspired by the bold color palette and textures of Rex Ray’s artwork. The scarves are hand-made in fine silk twill. $98

Everything Is Everywhere is a visual feast with outstanding graphic design and adventurous typography. The book features new works by Ryan McGinness from three different bodies of work – Mindscapes, Blackholes and Women – as well as site-specific work exclusive to this book. $40

Stationery Box measures 12.5” x 9.5” x 2.75” and features Rex Ray’s Bijouterie design. $198

Breakfast Tray measures 14” x 22” x 2” and features Rex Ray’s Bijouterie design. $360

This box measures 8” x 6” x 3” and features Rex Ray’s Fleuron design. $160

These highest quality, lacquer-finished products from Pacific Connections feature Rex Ray’s designs.

SPRING 2015 | 22

IN THE MUSEUM SHOP

Created by Los Angeles sculptor Peter Mayor, this beautifully simple toy has been designed to stimulate innovative play and increase children’s spatial skills and color awareness. Each set of ShapeScapes contains 96 pieces. Display your sculpture or take it apart to create your next masterpiece. $34.95

Recurring characters, locations and props encourage linking the Tell Me a Story cards from Eeboo in endless combinations for fresh, new stories every time. Volcano Island deck is illustrated by Alex Barrow. Suitable for ages 3 and up. Includes 36 cards and instructions. $9.95

The Animation Praxinoscope kit from Toysmith allows you to build a replica of an animation machine first invented 170 years ago. Kit contains praxinoscope to assemble, light bulb, ready-to-view animation movie disc, blank movie disc for your own creations and instructions. $12.95

Compose a pattern, make designs and arrange colors, shapes, and lines with Patchwork Design Tiles from Eeboo. Suitable for ages 5 and up. Includes 64 double-sided shapes and a pattern guide. $19.95

Animation Studio by Helen Piercy includes everything you need to create a stop-motion movie using your cell phone or digital camera. This set includes a mini stage, press-out puppet monster with movable parts, press out props, storyboard sheets and a director’s handbook with techniques from the professionals. Suitable for ages 8 and up. $19.99

Akron Art MuseumOne South High I Akron, Ohio I 44308

return service requested. postmaster: dated material. do not delay.

AkronArtMuseum.org

N O N - P R O F I TORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PA IDAKRON, OHIOPERMIT NO. 30

AUCTIONJUNE 13, 2015

XXJoin us for our 20th Year Celebration at the Annual

Auction to benefit the Akron Art Museum.

Art, fine wine, great food, tempting auction lots and some of the most exciting people in Akron contribute to one of the most successful events in our community. Event sold out early last year. For sponsorship information contact

[email protected].

view magazine spring 2015

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