| On Paper: The Lincoln Center List Art Collection Kalamazoo Institute
of Arts
Through Aug. 14
Free! kiarts.org (269) 349-7775
|
The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) hosts On Paper: The Lincoln Center/List Art Collection now through Aug. 14. Brought to the KIA by New York City's prestigious Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, this exhibition is packed with posters, limited-edition prints, and photographs created by some of the art world's most well-known masters.
Tom Lollar, director of visual arts at the Lincoln Center and collections committee member at the KIA, commissioned all work in the exhibition, some of which goes back to 1962.
"You can pick out signs of the times by walking through," Lollar said. "It reads like a record of what has happened in Pop Art in the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century."
The exhibition's 108 pieces come from the List Collection, which was founded by Albert and Vera List, who wanted to create a printed poster program that would serve as a gift to decorate the walls of the Lincoln Center. The collection would also be a gateway to include a younger demographic in the expensive art world, allowing them the opportunity to purchase posters at a lower cost than the limited-edition signed and numbered prints.
Much of the collection revolves around advertisements, such as Andy Warhol's Untitled (1967), an enlarged theatre ticket for the New York Film Festival at Philharmonic Hall, complete with Warhol's unmistakable Pop Art twist.
As 2009 was the Lincoln Center's 50th Anniversary, Lollar chose which pieces in the collection would represent and celebrate the Lincoln Center in the On Paper exhibition. Almost all that have not been damaged are included.
Vicki Wright, director of collections and exhibitions at the KIA, says the On Paper exhibition is demonstrative of the colorful, large-scale advertisements that were common in Europe.
"It's cutting-edge contemporary with interesting images," Wright said. "Many are abstract- they grab your eye and your attention- the color and size of them are great for the summer."
Lollar encourages anyone to see the exhibition while they can; it is highly unlikely to leave the Lincoln Center's archives again.
Photo: Louisa Chase, Untitled, 1981, screen print, List Collection, © Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
See, hear and experience the trials of life as a foster care youth during "My Story Through Art," an art exhibition that will be held July 8 at the UICA.
The project, which is sponsored by Bethany Christian Services (BCS), the Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, was launched to provide a creative outlet for the youth to express themselves by sharing their experiences with the community.
Ten foster children, ranging in age from 11 to 18, were selected through an application process, and each was matched with a local artist by project coordinators from BCS. Each child and artist duo collaborated to tell a story through photography, ceramics, music, film, painting, sculpture or creative writing.
"We wanted to link community members and get them to meet the youth and support their interest and passions," says Ashley Batenburg, a mentor coordinator and AmeriCorps Member with BCS. "With Grand Rapids really coming up as an arts community, we wanted to build on that and show our youth what the city has to offer them."
The art pieces highlight the unique challenges and opportunities of acclimating to a new environment. One child chose to reflect on the past when her biological family was together, and another focused on his future as a track star. One female created a piece based on the journey she's taken to finally gain a sense of self-confidence.
| My Story Through Art UICA, Grand Rapids July 8, 6:30-8 p.m. uica.org, (616) 454-7000 |
"We're teaching the youth that they don't necessarily have to use words, because there are so many other ways to convey your point and express yourself," says Batenburg.
Community members can view the art, meet the children and artists, and vote for their favorite piece based on the portrayal of the story, creativity and quality. Refreshments will be provided and the winner will be announced at 7:45 p.m.
Support the potential of future artists by attending this free showcase. For more information, contact Ashley Batenburg at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (616) 284-3287.
The Grand Rapids Art Museum hosts the largest collection of Dutch paintings in the United States. Dutch Utopia: American Artists in Holland, 1880-1914 features the large-scale works of 40 American artists who traveled and lived in Dutch colonies in the late 1800s.
The rapid growth of technology in late nineteenth-century America spurred a longing for a pre-industrial way of life and a close relationship with nature, leading these American artists to travel to the Netherlands to paint and study.
|
Dutch Utopia: American Artists in Holland, 1880–1914
Grand Rapids Art Museum Through August 15 Members Free, Adults $8, Seniors/Students $7,Youth $5 artmuseumgr.org, (616) 831-1000 |
"The fact that these artists chose to seek this out in the Netherlands rather than the American countryside is one of the most intriguing aspects of these paintings," said GRAM Associate Curator Cindy Buckner.
These American artists, along with Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondrian, were influenced by The Hague School.
Since The Hague School focused on the use of somber-colored palettes, it has also been referred to as The Gray School. It was named after a group of artists who lived and worked in The Hague between 1860 and 1890.
The 40 American artists featured in the exhibit were among hundreds of Americans who traveled to the Netherlands between 1880 and 1914 to paint and to study.
"Some lived in Holland for decades, while others stayed only a week or two, but most passed quickly through the major cities to small rural communities where they created picturesque idylls on canvas," said Buckner.
Dutch Utopia: American Artists in Holland, 1880-1914 boasts more than 70 paintings- mainly oil on canvas, with a handful of watercolors- depicting scenes like women at work, and boats on the Dutch sea or resting in a marina. Dutch Utopia marks the first exhibition of this Dutch-American art to be exhibited in both the U.S. and Holland. It features works drawn from 12 European lenders from five countries including the Singer Laren Museum (The Netherlands), The National Gallery (Berlin), and The Tate Museum (London).
The exhibition also features the paintings of Grand Rapids native Mathias Alten, whose piece "The Broken Mast," owned by GRAM, is included in the exhibition and the international tour.
Dutch Utopia: American Artists in Holland, 1880-1914 is organized by the Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Ga., in association with the Singer Laren Museum, the Netherlands. This exhibition is made possible through the support of the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Henry Luce Foundation, with additional support provided by the Telfair Academy Guild and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
William Henry Howe
(1846-1929)
Evening at Laren, the Meadows-Cattle (Evening-Laren Meadows), 1890
Oil on canvas on panel
33 x 42 ½ inches
Collection of the Union League Club of Chicago, Illinois, UL1908.4
Gari Melchers
(1860-1932)
The Sermon, 1886
Oil on canvas
62 ⅝ x 86 ½ inches
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
July 4, 1 p.m., Free!
meijergardens.org, (616) 957-1580
Celebrate patriotism with strollers. This Fourth of July, enhance your time with siblings, kids and grandkids by decorating their strollers, and entering your best creation into this annual parade. The three most original strollers will be posted on Fredrik Meijer Gardens’ Facebook page.
Brown Bag Film/American Visions: The Republic of Virtue, Part 5
Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon
July 8, 12:15 p.m., Free!
muskegonartmuseum.org, (231) 720-2570
Part 5: A Wave from the Atlantic — Robert Hughes, renowned art critic for Time magazine, guides viewers through 200 years of American culture, art, and history. Take a look at Colonial era portraits to more complex present day visions, as well as work of early American landscape artists. View 19th-Century America as it appears in the paintings of John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, and Winslow Homer. Discover how Modernism was introduced to Americans, and muse over the creativity of American artists who blossomed during the 1920s, the Depression years, and the exciting, innovative periods following World War II. This eight-part series will continue through the summer. Running time for each part is approximately one hour.
Curator’s Choice with Heidi Holst and Laurene Grunwald
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
July 12, 7 p.m., August 13, 12 p.m.
Price TBA
meijergardens.org, (616) 957-1580
Follow the curator of arts education and assistant curator of sculpture exhibitions along the path of the colorful and exciting exhibition, Chihuly: A New Eden. Learn about the process of creating the twisted glass, the teams that put it all together, and more. This tour involves 45 minutes of walking outdoors, so dress accordingly.
