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Downtown@Dusk ft. Robin Stone

Thursday, July 19
6:30 – 8:30 pm

Come see Robin Stone perform live at the Akron Art Museum Thursday from 6:30 – 8:30 pm as part of the museum’s popular Downtown@Dusk concert series. Also enjoy a lecture from Kent State University art history professor Fred Smith, ArtCamp@Dusk for the kids, hot dogs and a cold beer from Elevator Brewing for adults.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90iuULebqDw&list=UUVy1qHceFv3zK6SfOfqG5fg&index=6&feature=plcp]

The Cleveland native voted “Best Vocalist” at the Free Times Music Awards in 2009 almost wasn’t. After being diagnosed with a tumor on her vocal cord in 2008 and a rare auto immune disease in early 2009, Stone battled back to not only release a new record and a live album but start her own record label, She Loves You Records. The acclaimed singer’s soulful lyrics are drawn from her personal hardships and over 10 years of experience performing. For more information on Robin Stone or She Loves You Records, visit her website at www.shelovesyourecords.com/.

Professor Fred Smith will focus on the development of El Anatsui’s work in terms of influences and issues, connecting some elements of tradition-based art and the work of other contemporary artists and movements that impacted the artist.

Bring the kids down for the first ArtCamp@Dusk! Children7-12 years old will explore fun and wacky hands-on art making in the museum classroom. Registration is required for members and nonmembers. Sign-up today at http://akronartmuseum.ticketleap.com/artcampdusk/#view=calendar.

Concert goers may also visit the museum galleries to view Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui for free as part of the museum’s Third Thursday program. Enjoy free admission to collection and exhibition galleries on the third Thursday of each month. Galleries are open 11 am – 9 pm every Thursday. For detailed information on this and other museum events, visit the calendar of events at www.AkronArtMuseum.org/calendar.

Downtown@Dusk 2012 is made possible by The City of Akron. It is presented in cooperation with 89.7 WKSU.

ArtTalks@Dusk are made possible by a gift from the Sam & Kathy Salem Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Board of Akron.

ArtCamp@Dusk is made possible by a gift from the Harris-Stanton Gallery.

Third Thursdays are made possible by a generous gift from the Goodyear Rubber & Tire Company.

Downtown@Dusk ft. Lost State of Franklin

Thursday, July 12
6:30 – 8:30 pm

Come see Lost State of Franklin perform live at the Akron Art Museum Thursday from 6:30 – 8:30 pm as part of the museum’s popular Downtown@Dusk concert series. Also enjoy a lecture from artist Michelle Stitzlein, ArtCamp@Dusk for the kids, hot dogs and a cold beer from Elevator Brewing for adults.

Lost State of Franklin, the name comes from a footnote in American history, will play their unique blend of jazz, country, rockabilly, rock and bluegrass. The band is comprised of J. Scott Franklin on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and trumpet along with Tyler Postma on vocals, drums, washboard and harmonic, and Jeremy Cottrell on upright bass. The band has been nominated for numerous awards, such as Scene Magazine “Songwriter of the Year.”

Michelle Stitzlein has been creating sculpture with recycled materials as a full-time artist since 2000 in her Baltimore, OH, studio. Her work has been shown in art and craft museums nationally. She has visited over 50 elementary schools and organizations as an artist-in-residence and continues to share her passion for creating with humble materials in her books, workshops, presentations and exhibitions.

Concert goers may also visit the museum galleries to view Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui and String of Hearts: Photographs by Bea Nettles during the evening. Gallery admission is required. For detailed information on this and other museum events, visit the calendar of events at www.AkronArtMuseum.org/calendar.

Downtown@Dusk 2012 is made possible by The City of Akron. It is presented in cooperation with 89.7 WKSU.

ArtTalks@Dusk are made possible by a gift from the Sam & Kathy Salem Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Board of Akron.

ArtCamp@Dusk is made possible by a gift from the Harris-Stanton Gallery.

Downtown@Dusk ft. Blue Lunch

Thursday, July 5
6:30 – 8:30 pm

Come see Blue Lunch perform live Chicago Blues and Jump & Swing at the Akron Art Museum Thursday from 6:30 – 8:30 pm as part of the museum’s popular Downtown@Dusk concert series. Also enjoy a lecture from Kent State University jewelry and metals professor Kathleen Browne, ArtCamp@Dusk for the kids and a cold beer from Elevator Brewing for adults.

Blue Lunch is a seven piece Northeast Ohio band that plays 1950’s era swing and blues along with Chicago-style blues. The band includes bass, drums, guitar, harmonica, keyboards and a full horn section. Since 1984, Blue Lunch has been playing steadily at clubs, colleges, festivals, resorts, weddings and at other private functions. They have opened shows for well known artists like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Robert Clay and The Beach Boys. Blue Lunch is known to be one of the most entertaining blues-based groups in the Cleveland-area and keep a dance floor full wherever they go.

Kathleen Browne examines the art of several makers, including El Anatsui, that are sometimes labeled obsessive or whose practice boarders on the extreme in terms of creation, repetitive actions and/or physical labor.

Downtown@Dusk 2012 is made possible by The City of Akron. It is presented in cooperation with 89.7 WKSU.

ArtTalks@Dusk are made possible by a gift from the Sam & Kathy Salem Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Board of Akron.

ArtCamp@Dusk is made possible by a gift from the Harris-Stanton Gallery

El Anatsui: The Educator (Part 2 of 2)

By Jennifer Stavrianou

The gastric juices of my stomach enter the back of my throat as I walked into the intensity of the gallery on June 14. It was the day that El Anatsui came to see the perilous installation work that the curatorial and installation teams have accomplished over the last 10 days or so. Will he be pleased? Will he see the attention to the details that everyone has put into the show? Everything from the brochures to the artwork itself has been carefully orchestrated to create a true El Anatsui experience for the visitor.

A thought is hurled into my brain. This is my chance of a lifetime to meet the artist that I am studying for my thesis; to become personal with the artists thoughts and feelings behind the massive metal tapestries that now grace the walls at the museum. And, a rare opportunity as most art historians can only dream about meeting their thesis artist because they are typically dead. These thoughts are not helping my nervous angst at all. Until, at last the artist arrives. Not in flashing lights and hype but in the humble graces of creativity, one step at a time.

Yes, humble. The world-renowned artist that has successfully created works for the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, and Venice, Italy is not about bling and splendor but about solitude, sincerity and schooling. Ultimately by coming to the Akron Art Museum, El wanted to teach us to be artists, to look at his work and be inspired to think about the history of his country and ours; and to instruct us as viewers to know that alone we are small but together in a community we can become great.

Many interviews were conducted while Mr. Anatsui was here, but there was a particularly inspirational one done by WKSU. In the interview, El discussed his lifelong passion of teaching and how it transcends into the art that he creates. He stated that, “As a teacher everyone has to awaken the artist in anyone and teach others to create a two way exchange.” Without a doubt he has accomplished this goal by allowing the Museum to sculpt his metal works. When looking back on the experience, I think that the most rewarding part of meeting EL was seeing the amazement on his face as he strolled up to the title wall for the show and gasped, “wow, this is a painting?”

Learning from the Akron Museum of Art’s curatorial team and installation team as well as the artist himself was a priceless experience that I was truly privileged to experience! Thank you Akron Art Museum and Mr. Anatsui for your willingness to let me observe and fall in love again with the creative process of art!

*Jennifer Stavrianou is an up and coming art historian, specializing in contemporary African art. She has traveled nationally and internationally to: New York, Washington DC, London, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco to study contemporary artists. Her art historical writing focuses on the identity issues that multicultural artists face in today’s artistic world. She is currently writing her master’s thesis for Kent State University, focusing on contemporary artist EL Anatsui. Recently, she was awarded an internship with the Akron Art Museum to help the curatorial team with Gravity and Grace: The Monumental Works of El Anatsui.

An Awakening of our Creative Side (Part 1 of 2)

By Jennifer Stavrianou*

After recently returning from a trip to New York City, where I got to meet the original art dealer for EL Anatsui’s artwork, I learned that the Akron Art Museum was working on an exhibition of his work. Aggressively, I began hunting for the staff member who could help me become a part of this grand event. My search lead me to Interim Chief Curator Ellen Rudolph who explained that this particular show did not follow the museum’s typical installation pattern because it was being produced in just 3 weeks.

The first day that I encountered the curatorial team wrangling this installation project was a day in early June. They were installing Peak, a sculpture by the artist that consisted of 75,000 Milk can lids. They mulled over the sculpture, making sure that each mound, mold and divot were to their liking. After they were satisfied with mounds that they had created, the team explained to me that the artworks were shipped to them in large wooden crates, from New York, where they had been awaiting exhibition from the Jack Shaiman gallery. Arnold Tunstall showed me how they arrived in sheets with plastic in between them, flat like a tapestry, WITH NO INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS! When I learned this, my mind began turning….an excellent shipping solution, but I wondered how efficient this solution was for the curators who are required to install the work. After a few days of watching the installation I’m not sure that was ever a goal of the artist. To inspire the people who install his work was definitely the goal, and a successful one too.

Each time a piece was installed it challenged the curatorial team to create, by sculpting brilliant turns and sways in the metal tapestries, finding unique ways to present each piece so that the show did not become stagnant and repetitious. At one point Ellen and Arnie (the collection’s manger at the museum) both exclaimed, “I can’t believe this is so much fun”!

One of my favorite pieces to watch the installation of was Amemo. It has an ambiguous shape, created by the pinwheel pieces that make up this 18 foot tall sculpture. It lies on the wall as if it were a winter cable knit sweater piled upon the floor they way my daughter’s end up after she comes home from a fall football game. At times there were 5 people pushing and scrunching the tapestry to create its sense of relaxation, visible in its dramatic sagging undulation. Here, over the course of two weeks, I watched the completion of El Anatsui’s vision take us all to a place of awakening. We were able to bring alive the artist in all of us….what a gift!

Check back on Friday for Part 2 of Jennifer’s Anatsui experience!

Downtown@Dusk ft. Anne E. DeChant

Thursday, June 28
6:30 – 8:30 pm

Come see American/Pop/Country singer Anne E. DeChant perform live at the Akron Art Museum Thursday from 6:30 – 8:30 pm as part of the museum’s popular Downtown@Dusk concert series. Also enjoy a lecture from Christy Gray of ZeroLandfill, ArtCamp@Dusk for the kids and a cold beer from Elevator Brewing for adults.

Since the 1990’s Anne E. DeChant has been writing songs about the feelings of having a broken heart and social injustice. DeChant is a 5-time winner of Cleveland’s Best Singer Songwriter award (Cleveland’s Scene Magazine), and 2007 inductee into The Cleveland Free Times Magazine’s All Star Musician Category. She has performed at Lilith Fair, The White House, opened for Nora Jones, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Train, Vonda Shepard, 10,000 Maniacs and Guster, among others. As a storyteller, she creates characters as diverse as the landscapes in which she perfoms.

ZeroLandfill is an award winning upcycling program held seasonally that supports the supply needs of local artists and arts educators while reducing pressure on local landfill capacity. Since 2006, the ZeroLandfill project team has partnered with the architectural and interior design community in identifying, diverting from local landfills and re-purposing back into the community over 500,000 pounds of expired specification samples that hold value for other audiences.

Concert goers may also visit the museum galleries to view Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui and String of Hearts: Photographs by Bea Nettles during the evening. Gallery admission is required. For detailed information on this and other museum events, visit the calendar of events at www.AkronArtMuseum.org/calendar.

Downtown@Dusk 2012 is made possible by The City of Akron. It is presented in cooperation with 89.7 WKSU.

ArtTalks@Dusk are made possible by a gift from the Sam & Kathy Salem Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Board of Akron.

ArtCamp@Dusk is made possible by a gift from the Harris-Stanton Gallery.

First Downtown@Dusk of the Summer ft. The Wanda Hunt Band

Thursday, June 21
6:30 – 8:30 pm

Kick off the summer with the soulful sounds of The Wanda Hunt Band, a talk from Akron Art Museum Director & CEO Mitchell Kahan, an ArtCamp@Dusk preview for the kids and a cold beer from Elevator Brewery and Draught Haus.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MUm8E1GKSs&feature=related]

A fan favorite of past Downtown@Dusk series, The Wanda Hunt Band has been known throughout Northeast Ohio for a great live performance of old school R&B and blues. Wanda Hunt’s terrific vocals lead the band, consisting of solid rhythm and horn sections, in classic songs, distinctive renditions of recent songs and original compositions.

In celebration of the 90th anniversary Director & CEO Mitchell Kahan will talk about the museum’s past, present and future.

Bring the kids down for a preview of the new ArtCamps@Dusk program! Children7-12 years old will explore fun and wacky hands-on art making in the museum classroom. Registration is not required for the camp preview, but is required for subsequent sessions. Sign-up today at http://akronartmuseum.ticketleap.com/artcampdusk/#view=calendar.

Downtown@Dusk 2012 is made possible by The City of Akron. It is presented in cooperation with 89.7 WKSU.

ArtTalks@Dusk are made possible by a gift from the Sam & Kathy Salem Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Board of Akron.

ArtCamps@Dusk are made possible by a gift from the Harris-Stanton Gallery.

Gravity and Grace Opening Party This Weekend

Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui
Opening Party
Saturday, June 16

Internationally renowned artist El Anatsui transforms discarded objects into shimmering, richly colored, luxuriously textured tapestries and sculptures of monumental splendor. Visit and be awed by an exhibition so large in scale that it overflows throughout the museum.

Dialogue with the Artist, 6 pm

See why El Anatsui is one of the leading artists of our time during his talk with curator Ellen Rudolph in the Akron-Summit County Main Library auditorium. Members $7, Nonmembers $15 (includes admission to the Opening Party).

Opening Party, 7-10pm

The national premiere at the museum. Be the first to see this exhibition that everyone will be talking about. Party Only admission: Members FREE, Nonmembers $10 and may be purchased that evening at the museum’s Visitor Services desk.

Click Here to Purchase Dialogue Tickets

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum with major support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The opening reception for the exhibition and El Anatsui’s visit and lecture have been made possible by The Lehner Family Foundation and The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation.

#CindySale Tomorrow!

Tomorrow night Christie’s will auction Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #96 on behalf of the Akron Art Museum. You can learn more about the sale on our previous post, Akron Art Museum to Auction Contemporary Masterpiece. Several members of the staff and Board of Trustees will be in New York City at the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale.

We will be tweeting using #CindySale to post about the auction, results and everything else related to the NYC trip.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or “Like” our Facebook page.

Art: 21- Change

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFltJ1JtW9w&list=UU6Z_Gbfo7xwSMs6Ahkv-m3Q&feature=plcp]

In one week (April 13) the sixth season of “Art in the Twenty-First Century” premieres with the episode “Change,” which features international artists El Anatsui, Ai Weiwei and Catherine Opie.

This is perfect timing because for the museum’s 90th anniversary celebration, it is organizing the national tour of Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui in conjunction with the artist and his dealer, Jack Shainman. The exhibition will premiere in Akron June 17 – October 7, 2012 with the artist’s most recent work including twelve monumental wall and floor sculptures widely considered to represent the apex of his career. In addition, a series of drawings illuminates the artist’s process and wooden wall reliefs reference his earlier work in wood.

To kick off the opening festivities of Gravity and Grace El Anatsui will participate in a dialogue with Interim Chief Curator Ellen Rudolph at the Akron-Summit County Public Library’s Main Library-Auditorium on June 16. Tickets are $7 for members and $15 for nonmembers (includes admission to the Opening Party). Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity are now available!

“Art in the 21st Century”, often referred to as “Art:21,” is a PBS series, educational resource, archive and history of contemporary art. Art:21 is the only series on United States television to focus exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists. It is a part of a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 to make contemporary art more accessible to the public and to document 21st-century art and artists from the artists’ own perspectives.

Art:21 has profiled several artists in the Akron Art Museum collection, including Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Yinka Shonibare and Richard Tuttle.

Local Airings:

Western Reserve PBS: April 13 at 9 pm
WVIZ/ PBS ideastream: April 13 at 10 pm

*UPDATE*

Experience El Anatsui in Akron on June 16! Buy your tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event now. http://akronartmuseum.ticketleap.com/dialogueanatsui/

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