Category: Akron Art Museum
A Conversation with Wiggle, Giggle, Jiggle Artist Jimmy Kuehnle
Interview conducted by Alison Caplan, Akron Art Museum Director of Education You develop your works on a computer. What is it like to not fully experience them until they reach a gallery or museum? When I come to the gallery to install, it really feels like I have been walking around the space for a long time virtually in the computer. I know the places and can recall them. It is a strange sensation in the beginning to have most of my memories of the
An Interview With Our Land Artist, Bob Herbst
Interview conducted by Theresa Bembnister, Akron Art Museum Associate CuratorAkron Art Museum: Can you explain to me your interest in photographing the American West, specifically the national parks?Bob Herbst: In 1993 I decided to take a photography workshop in southern Utah which involved camping out in the desert and photographing for a week. My wife and I were raised in camping-oriented families and had done canoeing expeditions for the 10 years prior in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, so it sounded like something I would enjoy.
This Land Is Your Land… (Finding Photographs on the Run) Part 2 of 2
Editor’s note: Akron Art Museum board member Sue Klein has visited—and photographed—every single one of the national parks. She wrote the following account of her journeys for the Garden Club of America’s Focus magazine. The GCA generously granted permission to republish Klein’s article in conjunction with Our Land, an exhibition of photographs of areas under the management of the National Park Service. Organized in celebration of the centennial anniversary of the NPS, Our Land is on display through February 12, 2017 in the Fred and
This Land is Your Land… (finding photographs on the run) Part 1 of 2
Editor’s note: Akron Art Museum board member Sue Klein has visited—and photographed—every single one of the national parks. She wrote the following account of her journeys for the Garden Club of America’s Focus magazine. The GCA generously granted permission to republish Klein’s article in conjunction with Our Land, an exhibition of photographs of areas under the management of the National Park Service. Organized in celebration of the centennial anniversary of the NPS, Our Land is on display through February 12, 2017 in the Fred and
Snack Recipes
by Theresa Bembnister, Associate CuratorWhile conducting studio visits in preparation for Snack, which runs through September 3 in the Judith Bear Isroff Gallery, conversation inevitably meandered toward the edible. Pizza, milk, tater tots and deviled eggs are just a few of the foodstuffs that came up for discussion. With those exchanges in mind, I invited participating artists to submit recipes for the museum blog. To my delight, Brandon Juhasz and Kristen Cliffel responded with lists of ingredients and instructions for foods with strong conceptual links
Stephen Tomasko’s Fairgrounds
By Theresa Bembnister, Associate CuratorThis season marks Stephen Tomasko’s seventh summer photographing county fairs throughout Ohio. Three of the artist’s untitled photographs of foodstands appear in Snack, which runs through September 3 in the Judith Bear Isroff Gallery. The Akron Art Museum blog chats with Tomasko about his current work as well as projects the artist pursues far from the fairgrounds. Akron Art Museum: Fair season seems to really pick up in August. Which fairs do you plan to visit this month?Stephen Tomasko: August is amazing
From Rattles to Rothko: Art Babes at Akron Art Museum
by Dominic Caruso, Design, Marketing and Communications CoordinatorIn a recent online article (“From pacifiers to Picassos: Museums cater to a younger clientele”) for the Washington Post, contributor Vicky Hallett wrote about the growing trend for museums of all kinds to offer programming and specially-designed spaces for children as young as newborns. While some institutions have been at it for some time (the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia has been running a baby-tour program since 2007), others have created programs relatively recently, for number of different
Great Moments in Art #038; Ale
by Theresa Bembnister, Associate CuratorIn anticipation of this Friday’s Art & Ale (get your tickets here), I’ve assembled this list of three instances where beer inspired artists to create remarkable works of art. Jasper Johns casts beer cans in bronze to spite fellow artistTitle: Painted Bronze/Ale CansMedium: Oil on bronzeYear: 1960According to the now legendary story, Willem de Kooning, a painter known for his large-scale, gestural canvases, badmouthed gallerist Leo Castelli, exclaiming the “son-of-a-bitch” could sell two beer cans as art. When word reached Jasper
NEO Geo Studio Visits
By Theresa Bembnister, Associate CuratorIf philosopher Alan Watts is right, and museums are the places art goes to die, then the artist’s studio must surely be the birthplace of a work of art.For the record: I disagree with Watts. But I do relish the opportunity to see art in its native studio environment, before it’s displayed on the museum’s pristine walls. The context of an artist’s workspace offers clues as to how or why a particular artwork was made.Studio visits made up a large part
Art in New York City, Part 2
by Janice Driesbach, Chief CuratorAs with other members of our curatorial department, I regularly visit galleries and museums, attend artist talks, and meet with collectors, both as part of my job and pursuing my personal interests. In that regard, I spent several days in New York City in October to see some of the many exciting exhibitions on view at galleries and museums (including ones featuring a number of northeast Ohio artists) and to work on Intersections: Artists Master Line and Space, an exhibition I