As part of its upcoming 100th anniversary celebration, the Muskegon Museum of Art hosts Tiny Treasures, an exhibition featuring some of the museum collection's smallest and most intricate assets.
Since its dedication nearly one hundred years ago on June 21, 1912, the Muskegon Museum of Art continues to impress with its permanent collection and changing exhibitions featuring work by national and international artists. Tiny Treasures is no exception.
Collections Manager and Assistant Curator Art Martin handpicked pieces from the museum's permanent collection to be displayed as part of Tiny Treasures. He chose aesthetically pleasing pieces crafted by well-known and anonymous artists alike, and predicts the diverse exhibition will capture the imaginations of those who view it.
"[Tiny Treasures] grew out of us having a large number of pieces in our collection that were very small and that would normally get lost in an exhibit with larger pieces," Martin said. "I think that sometimes you will see things in a museum and they are easy to miss in the context of a show or bigger space; but in this more intimate space, they really get to be appreciated more for their intricacy. Here, you can appreciate them more for their scale and the work that went into them."
The exhibition features 72 pieces crafted between the 1400s and the late 1990s. To showcase the diversity of the museum's collection, Tiny Treasures has on display prints, paintings, sculptures and decorative objects. But Martin stresses the fun and quirkiness inherent in the exhibit.
| Tiny Treasures Muskegon Museum of Art Cooper Gallery Through Feb. 19, 2012 $5-$7, free for members muskegonartmuseum.org, (231) 720-2570 |
"What I hope the casual viewer takes away from it is the sense of fun. To see somewhat casual subjects done so intricately ... Many of them are from a woman's collection of boxes from around the world. You can see something smaller than an acorn, a bowl of fruit that is blown glass ... odd, quirky little things."
Open docent-led tours of Tiny Treasures are offered on Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are not required.
In addition to Tiny Treasures, the museum will also host numerous other celebratory exhibitions throughout 2012, including New Art for the New Century, a collection of works not previously viewed by the public, and 50by50, a studio glass exhibit featuring 50 works by 50 artists who are said to shape the next 50 years of the movement.
"It really is going to be pulling out all the stops and touching on the past and what were hoping to do in the future," Martin said of the museum's momentous year ahead.
Pictured: Mabel Nano Keating Box Collection, Octagonal Box, Not dated, Silver. Bequest of Mabel Nano Keating
Other Art Events
By Kristin Visser
Warrington Colescott: Cabaret, Comedy and Satire
Grand Rapids Art Museum
Through Jan. 15, 2012
$8, free for members
artmuseumgr.com, (616) 831-1000
As a celebration of Colescott's 60 years in print production, this exhibit of historical and contemporary events is full of his imagination as an artist. Colescott, a well-respected artist throughout the world, is known to be full of wit and complex techniques to interpret the historical and contemporary events.
Shimmerings of Light, Mysteries of Shadow
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Through Nov. 27, 2011
$5 suggested donation
kiarts.org, (269) 349-7775
Etching began in the 17th century then soon after fell into a lull. The art was revived in the 19th century, as it began to capture the moods of landscapes by just using lines and textures. The Shimmerings of Light, Mysteries of Shadow exhibit captures the etching that came about in the revival of the 19th century, it includes etches from James McNeill Whistler, Charles Meryon and Samuel Palmer. See how these artists are showing new ways of perceiving the world.
