Tag: inspiration
Venice Biennale, Part One
Chief Curator Janice Driesbach recently traveled to Italy where she experienced the Venice Biennale 55th International Art Exhibition. Our first afternoon we made our way via a short vaporetto ride and on foot to two of the collateral Biennale exhibitions—both in palazzi (palace-like buildings) along the Grand Canal. We saw a section of Glasstress: White Light/White Heat in elegant rooms, each adorned with amazing chandeliers (most of which were part of the original decor, it seemed). Rina Banjeree‘s multimedia installation (photo below) was a highlight
Surrealist Game: The Exquisite Corpse
By: Alison Caplan, Director of Education The Surrealists didn’t have Apples to Apples or Pictionary in their day, but they did participate in parlor games that helped get their creative juices flowing. In the 1920’s, surrealist artists played a game based on chance and accident called Exquisite Corpse. The goal of the game was to make a kind of collaborative collage using words or drawings. The name Exquisite Corpse is the result of an early game, where the finished sentence read “The exquisite corpse will
A 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
Photographic Masks from the Collection
By: Eric Parrish, Curatorial Research Assistant In the spirit of Halloween, the Akron Art Museum offers its patrons a slideshow of photographic masks ranging from the literal to the abstract. You can also visit many of these works at www.AkronArtMuseum.org/collection. Perhaps the most innocent mask-wearers in the collection are the three young children – depicted wearing paper cut-out masks and standing patiently on a door-step – in Helen Levitt’s New York (1939). In contrast, Ralph Eugene Meatyard’s 1960 photograph of a boy with a masked
Studio Glass Movement
Take a peek inside a glass studio in this short video chronicling the humble beginnings of the Studio Glass Movement in a Toledo, Ohio garage under the guidance of Harvey Littleton and Dominick Labino. Learn more about the rise of the studio glass workshop in 1962 and get a look at several beautiful pieces made throughout the history of the movement. Stop into the museum to view our collection of glass sculptures by Paul Stankard and current exhibition New Artifacts: Works by Brent Kee Young
The Q Is Blue!
By Corey Jenkins, Communications Intern One of the first things visitors to the museum see is Claes Oldenburg’s bright pink sculpture Inverted Q. However if you are Vincent van Gogh, who one vision expert believes suffered from “protanopia,” the Q would appear to be blue. The Chromatic Vision Simulator app for iOS/Android was developed by Japanese vision expert, Kazunori Asad. After viewing some of Van Gogh’s pieces in an exhibition where the lighting and environment was designed to display pieces the way a colorblind person
Last Downtown@Dusk of the Summer ft. Zydeco Kings
Thursday, August 9 6:30 – 9:30 pm Come see the Zydeco Kings perform live at the Akron Art Museum on Thursday from 6:30 – 8:30 pm as part of the museum’s popular Downtown@Dusk concert series. Also enjoy a lecture from Collection Manager Arnold Tunstall, ArtCamp@Dusk for the kids, hot dogs and a cold beer from Elevator Brewing for adults. This is the LAST Downtown@Dusk of the season and is also a great chance to purchase work from local artists. The Zydeco Kings have been celebrating
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
90th Anniversary
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5GBnqUiFMA] By Antoinette George, Communications Intern On February 1, 1922, the Akron Art Museum opened its doors as the Akron Art Institute in two borrowed rooms in the basement of the city’s public library. In the past 90 years, the museum has survived and grown despite significant hardships including the Great Depression a disastrous fire, World War II and multiple moves. Today, the Akron Art Museum occupies two iconic buildings and boasts a world-renowned collection of over 5,000 objects. The dream of the Institute’s founding
The Sixth Floor Trio at the Akron Art Museum
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLkMKcu0dvI&list=UUExlvD8C0lQ9XPyhe4vdL2A&index=6&feature=plpp_video]By Antoinette George, Communications Intern Come see The Sixth Floor Trio perform live at the Akron Art Museum Friday, March 16 at 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm as part of Tuesday Musical Association and the museum’s popular FUZE! concert series. The Sixth Floor Trio is a chamber group dedicated to the creation and performance of music that furthers a dialogue between different musical communities and other artistic disciplines. Their vision places musical traditions from around the world on one continuum as part of the same great