Media
Gravity and Grace Travels to Brooklyn, NYC
By: Arnold Tunstall, Collections Manager
We’ve begun the next phase of our El Anastui exhibition, Gravity and Grace – after its premiere here in Akron. Since the exhibit closed last October, the staff has been working nearly every day to prepare it for the national tour. Our preparators re-designed existing crates, new ones and developed packing methods.
And I went to Brooklyn to assist with the installation.
Watching Brooklyn Museum’s curatorial team re-imagine some of the works was very exciting. A few pieces were literally turned upside down, parts of Peak were turned into a forest of tin can tree forms and most dramatically, the installation piece Gli (wall) went from a maze of screens visitors walked around in Akron to soaring translucent pieces climbing up the height of the impressive rotunda in Brooklyn.
While in New York, I was able to check in at Jack Shainman Gallery on the last day of Anatsui’s wonderful exhibition of new works. Later, I climbed up on the High Line to see how Anastui transformed the side of a building into a work of art with mirrored panels and rusty metal plates. If you are in New York for the exhibition in Brooklyn, make sure to see this fantastic piece on the High Line (near 20th st.)
The Brooklyn Museum has posted a number of images and a wonderful stop-motion video of the installation process check it out:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwV9FsetUEI&feature=player_embedded]
Read MoreA Week In Denver Part Two: …and ALE
By: Corey Jenkins, Communication Volunteer/Visitor Services
Those of you who read my previous blog know that I recently spent a week in Denver, during which I was fortunate enough to experience some of the city’s art offerings. The art was only part of the experience. This particular region of Colorado is home to several breweries, two of which I visited.
My first night in Denver I was treated to dinner at the Breckenridge Brewery. Breckenridge is a microbrewery, and much like you might find at Goose Island in Chicago or Great Lakes in Cleveland, they operate a restaurant with their brewery. I enjoyed a platter of smoked wings and pork covered in a unique sauce that complimented the Breckenridge Agave Wheat ale that I had chosen to try. The Agave Wheat is an unfiltered American style wheat ale with a hint of agave. This particular ale was flavorful and bitter, yet still refreshing and light. Although I did not tour Breckenridge, it was an excellent experience and introduction to Colorado brew.
A couple of days later I made it the largest single site brewery in the world, Coors of Golden, Colorado. I realize that those of you with sophisticated beer palettes may not be excited by Coors, however in terms of an everyday beer of choice Coors Banquet is my go to, so I was particularly excited for the tour. The brewery looks exactly like the Coors mythology would lead you to believe, nestled in the Rocky Mountain Foothills with a fresh flow of mountain stream water running beside it.
Coors offers free tours that guide the visitor through their entire process and history. From their beginning in 1873 with founder Adolph Coors to their survival during Prohibition making malted milk, to Bill Coors’ innovation of aluminum cans in the 1950’s all the way up through their merger will Miller and their latest offerings.
MillerCoors produces and feature a large variety of products including Coors Banquet, Coors Light, Keystone Light, the Miller Family of Beers, Killian’s Irish Red, Blue Moon, Colorado Native, Leinenkugel and Batch 19 among the others that they either produce, import or have partnered with. Midway through the tour, visitors of age are offered a sample of fresh beer. I opted to sample Banquet, and I can honestly say that it may have been the best sip of beer I have tried. It carried a quality that I have never experienced in any beer I have found at the store.
The end of the tour also included free beer, at which point I had the chance to enjoy Colorado Native, a superb lager that Colorado is apparently keeping to themselves, Batch 19, a lager brewed according to a Pre-Prohibition recipe, and of course a mug of fresh Banquet beer.
I would encourage any beer lover to check out the local flavors of any given region they are visiting, as well as the ones that may be in your own back yard that you never considered visiting. Many breweries and distilleries for that matter offer free tours along with free samples, and typically only take up forty-five minutes of your day.
Some of you might be wondering what this has to do with the museum. It has everything to do with Art and Ale on March 8, 2013. Each year some of the greatest local brewmasters in the region bring their beer to the museum for adults to sample while enjoying the museum and for the first time, the galleries will be open for the first hour. The sooner you purchase your tickets, the cheaper they are. Also, a “green” membership for the year is including in the price!
Read MoreAkron Film+Pixel
It’s that time of year when film critics release their lists of the best movies of the past year. But many of the films listed won’t play in the Akron area until months later, if at all! Since it’s more exciting to see films when the rest of the world is talking about them, Akron Film+Pixel began a new series that brings current, critically acclaimed films to the Akron Art Museum. The first film, Miguel Gomes’s TABU, was warmly received, and we continue on Thursday, January 24th with NEIGHBORING SOUNDS by Kleber Mendonça Filho.
“We’re filling a gap for ‘arthouse’ cinema,” says Akron Film+Pixel Film Curator Tim Peyton. “Cleveland has the Cinematheque and Cedar Lee Theatre, but until now there’s been no place in Akron to see new festival films on the big screen, with an audience.”
NEIGHBORING SOUNDS deals with the fallout of a series of petty crimes in a seaside community, and the private security firm that is brought in to solve the problem. The Akron premiere is at 6:30pm on January 24th, and is free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Get full details here, or watch the trailer below.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/42286779 w=600&h=338]
Read MoreA Week in Denver Part One: ART
By: Corey Jenkins, Communication Volunteer/Visitor Services
In December, I completed my B.A. in Communication Studies at Kent State University, and I decided it was time to take a short break. Two of my close friends had relocated to Denver last year, so I chose the Mile High City as my destination.
The Denver area has many geographic and cultural offerings, including everything from the Rocky Mountain foothills to Coors, the world’s largest single site brewery. One thing evident in the city is a strong commitment to art. In the late 1980’s Denver established a percent for art ordinance in which one percent of the design and construction budget of any single City capital improvement project over $1 million must be set aside for the inclusion of art in the new project. I was lucky enough to experience some of the city’s art offerings during my week in the area.
I happened to be in town for First Friday in the Santa Fe Art District. The area reminded me of the Chelsea Art Galleries on a smaller scale and offered a wide variety of art. A highlight of this experience was my time at the Denver Art Society, an open-minded co-op in which many of its members keep workspaces. The artists involved in the Denver Art Society work in a wide range of mediums, and one member, Bill Manke creates “Tipsies” which are wooden toys that walk down a ramp. I was fortunate enough to purchase a piece from Travis Hetman, a Minnesota native who is an artist in residency at the Denver Art Society.
“My work is more or less a visual continuation of existential curiosity. The treat of visual art to me is the privilege of making wild associations and the general lawlessness that comes with creative thinking.” –Travis Hetman
I purchased a print of a drawing Hetman completed in 2009 titled The Volunteer and I returned later in the week to photograph several of his new works so that Hetman can upload them online.
Additionally, on my First Friday art walk was a visit to Core New Art Space, which was exhibiting Juego by Lola Montejo. Juego featured vibrant works that feel very active and full of motion. According to Montejo, the “work is about the process, the play.” The artist functions on intuition and considers the image to be “secondary to the art making.”
During my visit to the Denver Art Museum, their staff was in the process of taking down their Anatsui exhibit and the major exhibition was the world exclusive “Becoming Van Gogh.” Unfortunately, “Becoming Van Gogh” was sold out on the day of my visit. Fortunately, the Denver Art Museum is enormous and plenty of exciting exhibits were available to view.
I loved walking through Fox Games by Sandy Skoglund, the opportunity to view Oceanic art and the museum’s wonderful displays of design before and after 1900. The exhibit that left the most lasting impression with me however was the historic Western American art. Located on the top level of the North Building, the pieces are displayed along with small windows that do not affect the lighting within the gallery space, but provide stunning views of the Rocky Mountains. The museum makes fantastic use of its space, and provides many fun hands on activities, for example: I made a postcard!
Finally, I made my way to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. Of the several exhibitions at MCA Denver, I favored Pie-Fights and Pathos. The paintings, by Adrian Ghenie are complex, thought provoking and pull inspiration from a range of sources such as early cinema pie fight film stills to twentieth-century acts of extremism. MCA Denver also offered hands on activities including a Bubble Garden for relaxing and an area to create a butterfly to pin up on the wall. The building also boasts a deck providing a great view of the city.
Denver is a town with a deep commitment to art; however, viewing art was only part of how I spent my time. Stop back next week to read about my experience having dinner at the Breckenridge Brewery and my visit to the Coors Brewery in nearby Golden.
Read MoreToday’s Bride Bridal Show 2013
By: Sheri Stallsmith, Special Events Manager
*Sheri Stallsmith will be writing a blog post about special events at the Akron Art Museum.
On January 6, 2013, I participated in my first bridal show as an employee of the Akron Art Museum. Sarah Burris and I worked a booth at the Today’s Bride Bridal Show at the John S. Knight Center.
Sarah is a renaissance employee of the Akron Art Museum. She volunteers in the library, is working on her practicum with Digital Archivist Coordinator Keith Freund, occasionally helps the preparators and can be found behind the Visitor Services desk in our lobby. She was the perfect fit because not only is she knowledgeable about the museum and our events, but often Visitor Services staff field questions from prospective brides who are visiting the museum.
It was so much fun to talk with brides and their entourages. We met fiancées, mothers, bridesmaids, aunts, friends, grandmothers and the occasional father.
Our booth was a collaboration of museum staff and local vendors. Lost Tribe Media, the museum’s preferred vendor for lighting and all audio/visual needs provided the television monitor. House of Plants, one of the museum’s favorite florists, provided the gorgeous arrangement for the booth.
Don’t you love the details in these flowers? Each one has a sparkly gem in the middle and the hearts made from the Bells of Ireland are adorable without being kitschy.
The two pedestals were built by Joe Walton, the museum’s chief preparator, and Assistant Preparator Chris Ross. The pedestals they designed are the shape of the Newman Elevator that graces the museum’s McDowell Grand Lobby. Creating the design and layout of the bridal show was my first opportunity to work with Joe and Chris and I have to say that their creativity and talent blew me away. They would make great special event designers, but I don’t think that falls within their job descriptions.
Of course, we wanted our booth to reflect art. Some colorful books and sculptural toys from the museum’s gift shop were the perfect touch. These little elements added dimension, color and texture to our overall display.
Our booth was filled with amazing photographs provided by area photographers including Carman and Pugh Photography, Ken Love Photography, Linczak Photography, Rentham Creative, Spencer Photography, Studio Elle Photography and Todd Hunter Carlson.
In addition to our booth, we decorated a table for the Gallery of Tables. A big thank you to Sitting Pretty Linens for providing us with gorgeous table linens and Miller’s Party Rental Center for providing the table, chairs, china and glassware.
The chairs are Chiavari chairs with a white spandex cover. A black and white print table runner was draped over the back of the chairs and then tied with a ruby sash. The table runners were the perfect length to drape over the Chiavari chairs. The effect this created is simple, elegant and striking.
Ruby napkins accented the chair sashes and centerpiece. And speaking of the centerpiece – isn’t it gorgeous? It was provided by the florists at House of Plants. I provided them with colors, a brief description (“something with height”) and ask that it be “artsy” to reflect the fact that we are an art museum. I was so happy with the results and we had numerous bridal show attendees comment on this gorgeous centerpiece.
I’d love to hear from you! Let me know if you were at the bridal show and let us know what you think of our booth and our table.
Want to learn more about weddings and events at the Akron Art Museum? Visit www.AkronArtMuseum.org/rentals or email Special Events@AkronArtMuseum.org.
Read More2012 in Review
By: Bridgette Beard Klein, Communications Assistant
2012 has been an exhilarating year for the Akron Art Museum. We continued to launch our new visual look, celebrated 90 years in the community, exhibited monumental art and made major leadership changes.
We really kicked off the year with our 90th anniversary celebration in February. The performance included abstract painter Al Bright in concert with the Jesse Dandy Band. In March, Ray Turner: Population opened featuring an ever-expanding series of portraits, including key Akronites from the University Park neighborhood and even some Akron Art Museum staff.
April and May saw the staff preparing for the sale of Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #96 at Christie’s Post War and Contemporary Art – Evening Sale on May 8, 2012. The money raised from the sale created a new acquisitions endowment. We retained another 1981 masterpiece by Cindy Sherman from the Centerfolds series, Untitled #93 (Black Sheets), subsequently named Sherman the 2011-2012 Knight Purchase Award recipient and purchased several works from her Bus Riders series.
Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui opened in June with the artist present in Akron! The Akron Art Museum was the first modern and contemporary art museum in the US to collect Anatsui’s work and is thrilled to organize the major traveling exhibition. Huffington Post recently called its presentation at the Brooklyn Museum one of “The 25 Most Anticipated Exhibitions of the New Year.” You can catch the exhibition on its national tour through 2014.
The summer sizzled with the always popular Downtown@Dusk concert series and the new to 2012 ArtCamp@Dusk for kids to enjoy while their parents listen and embarrassingly dance to music. In July, we launched our completely redesigned website and enacted two major admission changes. Children 17 years and younger are now admitted FREE to the museum’s galleries. Beginning in July, visitors receive FREE admission to the collection and exhibition galleries all day from 11 am – 9 pm, on the third Thursday of every month.
After 26 years as director, with one of the longest tenures of any art museum leader in the country, Dr. Mitchell D. Kahan announced to the Akron Art Museum’s Board of Trustees that his resignation, effective January 2, 2013, and assume the title of Director Emeritus. Janice Driesbach joined the staff in August after a yearlong national search, as the museum’s new Chief Curator and was named Interim Director in December.
The colder weather hasn’t slowed down this mammoth year. Sculpture exhibitions Adolph Gottlieb: Sculptor and New Artifacts: Works by Brent Kee Young and Sungsoo Kim opened in late October. In November, tribute was paid to Dr. Mitchell D. Kahan during a formal dinner on November 10 and a community day on November 11. Holiday mART expanded its hours to reach more people this year and the popular Island of Misfit Toys once again sold out.
You might think all of this is enough for one year, but think again. Just as many people were planning their final holiday shopping or how to best spend the time off with family, the Akron Art Museum announced a pledge from museum supporters Rick and Alita Rogers as the lead gift for the design and construction of its long awaited outdoor sculpture garden. The completed outdoor gallery and multi-use space will bear the name of Bruce and Susanne Rogers, Rick’s parents, who are among Akron’s most devoted community boosters.
From September to December, we added 131 new objects, many of which were donated in honor of Mitchell. The museum’s commitment to photography holds strong and over half of the works in the collection are photographs. You can check out the museum’s collection at www.AkronArtMuseum.org/collection.
As for the blog, some of the most popular posts have been The Q is Blue!, Staff Interview: Special Events Manager Sheri Stallsmith and Photographic Masks from the Collection. We have some posts planned for the next couple of months that we can’t wait to share with you.
Don’t think the Akron Art Museum will rest on its laurel in 2013. As the search for a new director continues, the museum will open some amazing exhibitions and put on some great events.
The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats pays tribute to award-winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983), the first to feature an African-American protagonist in modern full-color picture books and will open on March 16, 2013. The exhibition Draw Me a Story (February 9 – August 4, 2013) will celebrate Keats’s legacy and the power of visual literacy and multiculturalism. Elementary students from area schools will created collaborative picture books. The student artists will also meet and work with award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh, who will be here in the spring.
Drawn entirely from the museum’s collection, Danny Lyon: Bikeriders highlights one of the artist’s most celebrated bodies of works. Now, nearly 50 years after their creation, the images retain their original power and raw energy. Line Color Illusion: 40 Years of Julian Stanczak showcases paintings and prints collected by the Akron Art Museum since 1970. The exhibition documents both Julian Stanczak’s impressive career as a master of color and the museum’s longstanding commitment to his work.
Art and Ale returns this year on March 8 and the galleries will even be open for the first hour! Get your tickets now to take advantage of special pricing. Meanwhile, kids and teens will be delighted with our studio class offerings, but don’t wait to sign up because these classes are in demand.
As always, check out the website, Facebook, Twitter and this blog for the most up-to-date Akron Art Museum information.
Read MoreExciting Museum News
Right as we approach the holidays, the Akron Art Museum has made to significant announcements. Below you will find snippets from the press releases and the links.
“At the conclusion of its 90th anniversary year, the Akron Art Museum is pleased to announce a pledge from museum supporters Rick and Alita Rogers as the lead gift for the design and construction of its long awaited outdoor sculpture garden. The completed outdoor gallery and multi-use space will bear the name of Bruce and Susanne Rogers, Rick’s parents, who are among Akron’s most devoted community boosters.” – https://akronartmuseum.wpengine.com/newsroom/details.php?unid=3537
“The Akron Art Museum Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Janice Driesbach as the museum’s interim director, effective January 3, 2013. Current Director and CEO Mitchell D. Kahan’s ends his 26-year tenure on January 2 and will assume the role of Director Emeritus.” – https://akronartmuseum.wpengine.com/newsroom/details.php?unid=3538
Read MoreStaff Interview: Special Events Manager Sheri Stallsmith
Sheri Stallsmith joined the Akron Art Museum family this past August as the new special events manager. Recently she sat down to answer a few questions with Communications Intern Corey Jenkins.
What is your background?
I have been involved in event planning my entire life. I was always a kid who was putting together parties for my friends. As an adult, I officially got involved in event planning in my hometown of Orrville, Ohio, when my mother volunteered me to plan an event. Professionally, I held a similar position at Hale Farm and Village before coming here.
What appealed to you about the position at the Akron Art Museum?
I enjoy working in museums and I enjoy planning events, so this was a good fit for me. Akron is my home now; my kids go to school here and I wanted a job in this area. I also wanted to develop a career that would allow me to meet members of the community and to be involved in the community on a professional level.
What is your favorite piece in the collection?
Bordner Mural by William Sommer. I like the vibrant, happy colors and the shapes. I like that it is an unusual interpretation of a farm. It is a happy painting and part of me wants to be the kid in the painting because it looks like a pleasant, carefree place to be.
What type of events are you currently developing?
Right now I’m focusing on weddings. I’ll be at the Today’s Bride Bridal Show on January 6 at the John S. Knight Center. I’m also making connections within the community to expand the number of corporate events held at the museum.
What do you enjoy most about working at the Akron Art Museum?
People. I like to be around people and I enjoy working with the staff and getting to know the clients. I enjoy getting to know people and it is a wonderful experience to be involved in someone’s special day or big event.
What type of events would you like to see developed in the future?
In the short time that I have been here we have received a number of inquires from people who are interested in filming at the museum. We are housed in an amazing structure with fabulous architecture, so there is a lot of potential for utilizing the space for all kinds of film, print and virtual media. The museum’s rental business is only five years old, so there is a lot of room to develop and grow. Many people still don’t even know that they can have an event here. I’m working on changing that…
Is there any information you would like to share with the public about the Akron Art Museum’s special events department?
The space is very flexible and works very well for small and large groups alike. Since the architecture is so distinctive and visually interesting you are able to have an event here without splurging on decorations. Just don’t put a wedding cake in the front window on a sunny day or it will melt!
Holiday Hours 2012
This year museum visitors are lucky because Christmas and New Year’s fall on days the museum is already traditionally closed — Mondays and Tuesdays.
Though office staff are normally on site on Mondays and Tuesdays, we will not be in the offices on December 24-25. The museum will reopen to the public on Wednesday, December 26 at 11 am.
On New Year’s Eve (Monday, December 31) join us for First Night Akron. From 6 — 10 pm enjoy music, theater and a hands-on activity in the museum’s lobby and auditorium.
Read MoreBehind the Scenes: Installation of “New Artifacts”
By: Danielle Meeker, Curatorial Assistant
Does looking at these photographs of the exhibition New Artifacts: Works by Brent Kee Young and Sungsoo Kim make you curious about the installation process?
We started planning the installation of New Artifacts over the summer. At the time, several works in the show were still in progress, so we had to base our layout on the artists’ estimates for the works’ dimensions. We made several studio visits to check on the progress of the artwork and then came up with a list of what to include in the show. We tried to keep the amount of work by both artists roughly equal. Although Sungsoo Kim has more individual pieces, Brent Kee Young’s sculptures are larger. Similarly, when we were designing the show’s layout, we tried to intermix the artworks so that viewers could compare the two artists’ work.
This was one of those exhibitions where we weren’t sure what it would look like until we had all the art unpacked and placed on the pedestals (which we had been building for weeks). Artworks that we felt should be framed by doorways for maximum impact ended up occupying too much space in the center of the room, restricting visitors’ movement around the gallery. We either had to rearrange the layout, or include fewer works in the show! On top of that, security personnel were very nervous about damage to the artwork because of the tight quarters. In the end, we figured out that by placing more works along the walls of the gallery, we could accommodate all the artwork we had planned to use and keep the work safe.
While the Akron Art Museum’s show change team mounted all 150 shelves used in artist Sungsoo Kim’s wall compositions, the artist wanted to arrange the glass pieces himself. So Kim figured out where he wanted each piece to go, sometimes stepping back to get a better view of the entire composition. After Kim had placed all the work, museum staff carefully secured each piece to its shelf.
Did you know that we built a new pedestal for Kim’s three towers after this photo was taken? The height of the first pedestal just didn’t feel right with the rest of the works in the room, and we wanted the towers to be experienced at eye-level. Come visit the exhibition in person and see if you notice the difference!
Artist Brent Kee Young has specified that his monumental Cubism, Contiguous Lineage… Interrupted can be shown many different ways. We hope to rearrange the eight pieces halfway through the exhibition. Do you have any ideas?
Did this summary of the installation process raise any questions for you? Post your questions for the curator in the comments section below.
Read More