Sunday, July 24, 2011

Ohio: Museum rediscovers its antique instruments

From The Columbus Dispatch: Museum rediscovers its antique instruments

CINCINNATI — The recent rediscovery of a collection of more than 800 antique musical
instruments, stored beneath the Cincinnati Art Museum and largely forgotten for decades, has caught the attention of curators in some of the nation’s top museums.

The items span four centuries and represent more than 20 countries, making the collection important in the eyes of museum officials and instrument specialists, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported yesterday.

The instruments include African drums, a Burmese crocodile zither, a Chinese version of a hammered dulcimer and a native American ceremonial rattle.

“You don’t find these things in many places,” said J. Kenneth Moore, curator in charge of the musical-instruments department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “You just find them in a handful of places.”

Aaron Betsky, director of the Cincinnati museum, said the instruments, like other collections, had not been given due attention because there wasn’t enough room for them at the museum, which put off a planned expansion and has laid off workers.

Conservators plan to clean dozens of the instruments to use in an exhibition to go along with the 2012 World Choir Games next summer in Cincinnati. Some of the pieces might then be integrated into the museum’s collection but likely won’t be displayed in a dedicated gallery.

“This is really about instruments from around the world,” Betsky said. “And it was collected for the visual intensity of the pieces, not necessarily for their functionality.”

Many of the pieces came from wealthy Cincinnati industrialist William Howard Doane, who collected instruments as he traveled around the world. He started lending them to the Cincinnati museum in 1887, a couple of years before the Metropolitan Museum of Art began its instrument collection, and he ended up donating about 650, the newspaper reported.

MoMA Exhibit “Talk to Me” Captures Innovations in Communication Design

NY Convergence.com: MoMA Exhibit “Talk to Me” Captures Innovations in Communication Design
A new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in NY called, “Talk to Me” is opening today. The main theme of the exhibition is that communication is now the dominant force in design. The exhibition will show how different innovations in communication design are transforming the way we live. Paola Antonelli, senior curator of architecture and design at MoMa, told The New York Times in a phone interview, “We went through so many changes in the definition of design in the 20th century with all the clichés about form following function, and the addition of meaning in the 1960s with post-structuralism, but what is really important right now is communication.”

A project called EyeWriter will be featured in “Talk to Me,” and is a result from a software developed for a recently paralyzed graffiti artist. Tony Quan, known by the the tag name TEMPT1, contracted amyotropid lateral sclerosis which paralyzed the artist’s body except for his eyes. Teams from the Free Art and Technology lab. Graffiti Resrarch Lab and other organizations joined together to create a program that would allow Quan to continue his work.

The exhibits in “Talk to Me” will range from cash and ticket machines to a new proposal to improve the efficiency of a 911 emergency command center. The planning and presentation of the exhibition has also gone along with the premise of new communication techniques. The process of researching and planning the exhibits were documented on an open source web site. They have also added Quick Response tags that allows people to swipe the bar-code of a specific exhibit with their smart phone, which leads them to a special section of MoMa’s web site.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Former MFAH curator becomes deputy director of Fort Worth's Kimbell Art Museum

Houston Culture Map: Former MFAH curator becomes deputy director of Fort Worth's Kimbell Art Museum

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston vet George T.M. Shackelford is making art world headlines, moving from curator at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to the role of senior deputy director of the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

For 11 years, the Louisiana native worked under the leadership of late MFAH director Peter Marzio as the curator of European painting and sculpture. Since his move to Boston's MFA in 1996, Shackelford has overseen the reinstallation of the museum's European art galleries, as well as such major exhibitions as Gauguin Tahiti and Van Gogh: Face to Face. Shackelford's Monet in the 20th Century was recognized as the most highly attended exhibition in the world in 1998.

Incidentally, Shackelford returned to the MFAH in February to present a lecture on van Gogh's self-portraits as part of the 35th Annual Ruth K. Shartle Symposium.

Shackelford is entering the Kimbell at a critical moment for the museum. In 2013, the internationally respected institution will break out of its iconic Louis I. Kahn building into an expansion designed by Renzo Piano (who first gained recognition in the United States with the Menil Collection commission). Kimbell director Eric M. Lee is dubbing Shackelford "one of the most talented curators there is," suggesting that the new deputy director will shape the museum's future.

With an ambitious starchitect-envisioned expansion in the works, will the MFAH follow the Kimbell's lead and secure a museum mastermind for the vacant director role? The Kimbell is following the pattern of the San Antonio Museum of Art, which in May found its new director in Philadelphia Museum of Art European paintings curator Katherine Luber. As a UT graduate, Luber comes with some Texas cred, and like Shackelford, she logged time in the MFAH offices.

Time will tell if the MFAH search committee will also nab a professional with Texas ties from an East Coast old guard institution. Or perhaps, a true cultural pioneer is to be found in the wild West.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Insurance company disputes Pebble Beach art heist claim

Mercury News: Insurance company disputes Pebble Beach art heist claim


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Insurance company disputes Pebble Beach art heist claim
By LARRY PARSONS - Monterey County Herald


Posted: 07/09/2011 07:47:37 AM PDT
Updated: 07/09/2011 07:47:37 AM PDT


MONTEREY -- The saga of the great Pebble Beach art heist marches on -- in court.

The owner of a reputed world-class collection of art reported stolen in a September 2009 burglary of a rented Sunridge Road home is suing the company that issued his renter's insurance policy.

The suit filed in Monterey County Superior Court by Ralph Kennaugh accuses Farmers Insurance Group of breach of contract and breach of good faith. It accuses the insurer of wrongfully accusing Kennaugh's associate, Angelo Amadio, of complicity in the theft and failing to conduct a thorough investigation.

The insurance company rejected the claim based on "concealment or fraud," according to court papers.

The suit, which seeks $500,000 the policy limit, general damages for emotional distress and $1.5 million in punitive damages, accuses the insurance company of making unreasonable demands for information, documents and testimony to simply harass the plaintiff.

Kennaugh, a retired Harvard Medical School physician, and Amadio caused a sensation after they reported the loss of millions of dollars of artwork including works by Jackson Pollock, Van Gogh, Miro and Rembrandt. A website devoted to the case claims the theft ranked as the second-largest art heist in U.S. history.

They sued the Monterey County Sheriff's Office in September, accusing the agency of defaming them through statements about the case by a former spokesman. A Superior Court Judge dismissed the suit in December, a ruling Amadio said would be appealed.

The suit filed June 30 on Kennaugh's behalf contained an exchange of three letters between a Farmers Insurance zone manager and Kennaugh's attorney, Christopher Cayce. The letters show a deep gulf between the parties about lost artwork.

An April 22 letter from Farmers Insurance denying Kennaugh's claim details nine areas where the insurance company said there were "misrepresentations and concealment of material facts."

Some of the specifics cited by the insurance company include: a lack of appraisal documentation, third-party witnesses who cast doubt about the existence of the Jackson Pollock painting at all, fabricated letters about a security system, and misrepresentations about how the artwork was transported from Boston to Pebble Beach.

"It is our belief that the misrepresentations and concealment were intentionally committed by the insured and Angelo Amadio in order to obtain insurance benefits in excess to which they would otherwise be entitled," said insurance company manager Bruce Litton in the letter.

Cayce responded in a May 12 letter in which he asserted there was no evidence of concealment or fraud by Kennaugh. Farmers Insurance's claim denial "is solely based on its inadequate investigation of the loss of the Pollock artwork," Cayce said.

Kennaugh's attorney said the insurance company failed to interview witnesses who knew about the stolen art and had all the documents pertinent to the claim.

"To put it bluntly you have more work to do before you just out of hand deny Dr. Kennaugh's claim," Cayce wrote.

In a June 10 letter, Litton responded to the assertion the insurance company hadn't done a thorough job. "Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.

He said sworn statements were taken from more than 20 people, thousands of pages of documents were reviewed and "countless hours performing art research have been spent."

"Seemingly with each attempt to validate the artwork, more questions than answers were obtained," Litton said.

The insurance company had trouble with Amadio's account that he installed a climate control system in a rental truck to transport the artwork across country to Pebble Beach.

"The technical description of the climate appears impossible," Litton said. Moreover, he said, Amadio's co-driver "denies any climate control."

A case management conference is scheduled for Nov. 4.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Cy Twombly, titan of modern art, dies at 83

Los Angeles Times: Cy Twombly, titan of modern art, dies at 83

Cy Twombly, one of the most prominent figures in the world of modern art, died Tuesday at age 83. The American artist died in Rome after a battle with cancer, according to reports.

Twombly is known for his abstract paintings and other works that use repetitive lines and calligraphy-like writing. His often challenging style made him a favorite among other artists, but it kept him at arm's length from the general public. Critics were often divided on the merit of this work, but he eventually became regarded as a key figure of 20th century modern art.

Born in Virginia, Twombly became associated with the New York School early in his career. During the late 1950s, Twombly moved to Italy, where he spent much of the rest of his life. The artist never fit neatly into artistic categories, flirting with various movements including abstract expressionism and minimalism. His unclassifiable nature is partly what kept him from achieving the same level of fame as contemporaries such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns.

Notably shy of the media, Twombly rarely gave interviews and kept a low public profile. Nonetheless, his art was exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. In 2010, he was invited to paint a ceiling in Paris' Louvre Museum, a rare honor in the art world.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Iowa war veterans lean on experience to produce art work for new exhibit in Johnson County

Los Angeles Times: Iowa war veterans lean on experience to produce art work for new exhibit in Johnson County
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Justin Rominger shredded his old military uniform, beat it into pulp, blended it with out-of-circulation currency and formed it into a paper canvas.

On it, he painted three pieces in a series he called "Fire for Effect," a military term for adjusting fire onto a target until the desired effect is reached.

"I just tried to capture something that was an emotion to me," said Rominger, 30. "I think I accomplished that, although I am not sure that is for me to decide. But I feel good about it."

Rominger, an Iowa City resident who served as a scout in Bosnia before leaving the U.S. Army in 2004, contributed his work to an exhibit that opened Thursday at the Johnson County Historical Society Museum.

Called the "Combat Paper Project: Iowa," the show is part of a national effort that uses art workshops to help veterans reconcile and share their personal experiences and generate discussion about service and military culture, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported.

The exhibit, which runs through Nov. 30, grew from a series of workshops in the spring of 2010 in which veterans from multiple wars worked with artists from the University of Iowa Center for the Book.

The participants started from the same point of making their old uniforms into paper, but their work grew from there.

The Johnson County exhibit had one wall featuring images of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and human rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Other pieces took on the form of assault rifles and a helmet, and another titled "Flak Jacket" had a uniform set into the specially made paper.

Leigh Ann Randak, the museum curator, said the project was unique and unusual and would be a good display for the museum.

"Johnson County history is full of people who have served the country. I imagine even though times change some experiences may be the same," Randak said. "It's hard to comprehend their experiences, and it's hard for veterans to share that.

"My hope is that people not in the service, but (who) are grateful, can somehow make the connection and understand where they are coming from."

Photography in the spotlight at St. Tammany Art Association

Nola.com: Photography in the spotlight at St. Tammany Art Association
Many say that technologies, including the digital camera, provide the perfect medium for the time in which we live. The camera may be the most ubiquitous. Not only do most of us record the world with our cameras, but we constantly experience a huge number of images coming our way over the Internet, in print, and on television. All copy work which documents other mediums is accomplished by use of photography, and every image can be manipulated in some way by the novice.

There was a time when the function of photography outweighed its creative use in the mind of the average person. But then, as Bob Dylan reminded us, “Times have changed.”

Our concept of what constitutes art that is meaningful to us is more inclusive than ever. Experienced jurors have a broad knowledge base in all mediums, including photography, and one may expect to find a fair number of photographs on display with the more traditional mediums, a reflection of the significant role photography has assumed in contemporary art.

The 46th Juried Artists Exhibition, an annual national competitive show hosted by the St. Tammany Art Association, would certainly provide a strong case for such a statement if we examine a number of photographs included in Summer Show 2011.

Of the 27 works in all mediums on display, seven are photographs and four of the photographers live in St. Tammany Parish: Andrew Boyd, Covington; Charles E. Leche and Izzy Percy, Mandeville; and William Schuette, Folsom.

“Fourth Street Pier,” an archival pigment print by Andrew Boyd, captures a sense of place that transcends documentation. Boyd’s image is part of an ongoing series. He creates expansive space by selecting a minimum of visual elements and contrasts the geometric shape of the pier in the foreground, directing the eye to the organic atmospheric presence of the tree line in the distance.

The sharp focus of the pier and the projection into the water is action contained. Boyd implies a human presence, perhaps, that of the viewer as our eye follows the direction laid out for us. We feel what it is like to be at the end of the pier, the sharp edge touching the soft reflection of trees in water. Here is a fine example of photographer as artist.

Charles E. Leche’s photograph, “Moonwalk Moments,” actually includes the human figure. A mood of solitude is implied not only by the solo form seated on the bench but in the spacing of the formal elements of verticals and horizontals present in the street lamps, bench, and barriers. Leche uses light, both atmospheric and subdued in forming a visual triangle between the radiant light in the distance and the enclosed light in the two lamps.

Folsom photographer William Schuette introduces the viewer to strong contrasts in composition and texture with ‘Truckin.’

Schuette places the flat hood front of the truck against the left side of the picture plane and compresses the space between the windshield of the cab and the intricacies of the grill.

The grass in the foreground, the sliver of light in the middle ground, and the tree line in the background create a feeling of desertion, suggesting that nature possesses the ability to reclaim what humans have manufactured.

The sky appears ominous and though it foreshadows a sense of abandonment, it also pulls the eye of the viewer from light to dark, from the bottom of the image to the top. It is perhaps a scene beyond human control, in the hands of powers greater than our own. Schuette takes us a step further in printing on aluminum, a nontraditional industrial surface that lends itself to his theme.

Visit the St. Tammany Art Association to experience these works of art in person and spend some time with Summer Show 2011. The opening reception will be on July 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Art House at 320 North Columbia St.

The exhibition will remain in the gallery through Aug. 13.