Exhibition Provides Extensive Look into Tsar Nicholas II’s Life

Portrait of Nicholas II

When asked to describe the Georgia Museum of Art’s newest exhibition, “The Reluctant Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II,” head preparator Todd Rivers said that it stands out to him in two distinct ways. First, the show consists of “artifacts from all walks of Nicholas II’s life: birth, childhood, coronation and legacy,” he said. Rivers also noted the show is comprehensive in that it “encompasses almost every form of art including ceramics, lithographs, photographs, icons, medals, uniforms, paintings, jewelry, coins and more.”

The exhibition, which focuses on Alexander III and the final Russian emperor, Nicholas II, opens this Saturday, December 22. It is arranged in a logical, easy-to-follow design across five galleries for all visitors to enjoy, regardless of their level of background knowledge. “I love this show because it tells such a clear story,” preparator Elizabeth Howe said, “You get to see the same people, the same clothing and the same imagery across all of the different works, and you can easily recognize the narrative.”

For visitors who wish to gain a deeper understand of the show, however, Howe strongly recommends attending one of Asen Kirin’s tours. The Parker Curator of Russian Art has a detailed familiarity with not only the works of art, but also the subjects and events surrounding them.

Visitors can come to Kirin’s “Tour at Two” on January 23 at 2 p.m. should they want to witness this extensive knowledge firsthand. Other programs related to this exhibition include Elegant Salute XVI, 90 Carlton: Winter, Toddler Tuesday: Treasure Hunt and Family Day: Russian Embroidery.

The holiday season is in full swing, and this free exhibition is the perfect experience for both friends and families who are in Athens for a few days and locals who are looking for fun destinations this winter. The museum will be closed on December 25 and January 1, but will otherwise hold normal hours. “The Reluctant Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II” will be on view December 22, 2018, through March 17, 2019.

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Taylor Lear

Department of Communications

Additional Measures Taken in Assemblage of El Taller de Gráfica Popular Exhibition

 

Todd Rivers installs wall vinyl next to Arturo García Bustos’ poster.

El Taller de Gráfica Popular, also known as the TGP, is a Mexico City-based print workshop, founded in the 1930s, that focused on Mexican and global issues in its heyday. From linoleum prints to woodcuts, the TGP created hundreds of pieces that brought political issues to the Mexican people.

Through September 13, the Georgia Museum of Art presents a collection of nearly 250 posters, flyers, fine prints and other works on paper produced by the TGP. Such a large exhibition (taking up seven galleries) as well as the fragility of the works, many of which were created for ephemeral purposes, required special measures in the matting and framing process as well as the exhibition design.

Todd Rivers, chief preparator at the museum, explained: “A lot was involved in framing the 205 works for this exhibition [that are hung on the wall; others are installed in cases]. Each piece was a different size and needed to be framed and matted accordingly.”

Works of art in exhibitions at the museum are normally matted and framed to fit predetermined stock frames, but four of these works needed custom frame sizes due to unusual dimensions.

One of these, the largest work in the collection, created by printmaker Arturo García Bustos in two pieces and joined, required special attention. Due to its size, the preparators could not mat it by hinging the front and back mats. Instead, the mat package was sandwiched, so as not to damage the tissue-paper-thin material. Rivers also hand cut the extra-large mat. Moving the matted work into the frame required many sets of hands, to keep it level and stable, and the process of actually framing it took about four hours, much longer than usual.

Rivers designed the exhibition as his thesis project for his master of fine arts degree, with a concentration in interior design, from UGA, and he considered framing methods and their aesthetic appeal extensively. To highlight the works of art instead of overwhelming them, he chose blond wooden frames with beige mats so as to mimic the yellowed paper of the works.

Rivers also selected wall colors to reflect the subject matter of the exhibition. Anti-Nazi and anti-Fascist works inspired a brown used in some galleries, drawn from the colors of Nazi and Fascist uniforms. Red symbolizes Communism, which the workshop supported. Even the shapes that serve as backdrops convey meaning. A red wedge in the background represents how communistic ideals wedged their way into nations all over the world.

The matting, framing and color schemes all aim to complement the works of the TGP and the messages they conveyed. With so many different images in the exhibition, these elements of design aim to help the visitor leave the exhibition with a better sense of what the TGP is and the issues for which it stood.

Tomata du Plenty's Art Comes to the East Coast at the Georgia Museum of Art

Joe Louis, painted by Tomata du Plenty. This work can be seen in the Boxers and Backbeats exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Ga. 

West Coast punk art created by a countercultural musician heavily involved in the drag world and the development of the synth-punk music scene, whose visual artistic career really only began when he found old paint supplies in a Hollywood alleyway, may seem like a strange exhibition choice for an art museum in a Southern community. However, this is exactly one of the upcoming exhibitions at the Georgia Museum of Art because here in Athens, and especially at the museum, originality and innovation is celebrated.

"Boxers and Backbeats: Tomata du Plenty and the West Coast Punk Scene" is on display at the Georgia Museum of Art from Oct. 4-Jan. 4. The exhibition includes portraits of boxers and musicians created by Tomata du Plenty, as well as a number of prints and zines from various other artists influential to the West Coast punk scene, such as Mark Vallen and Ray Pettibon.

Tomata du Plenty (known as David Xavier Harrigan before he adopted his new identity)  helped define the "punk rocker" that became popular in the West Coast in the 1970s. He was a founder of the drag theatre group Ze Whiz Kidz and the singer of the synth-punk band the Screamers. He began to delve into painting in the 80s. He welcomed his "outsider" status due to his lack of training, claiming that he would prefer to sell 100 paintings priced at $25 each than a single painting for $2500. 

This exhibition intimates one of the most unique characteristics of Athens -- its prominence in the music world and its interdisciplinary involvement with the arts. In tandem with the concurrent exhibition, "The … of E6," Boxers and Backbeats demonstrates the trans-American nature of cultural arts and helps contrast two very different but equally vivacious examples of the intersection between music and visual art. The works of art were donated by collector Gordon W. Bailey in honor of R.E.M. members and Athens musicians Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry.

A number of Georgia Museum of Art events will feature this exhibition:

• Oct. 8- Curator Lynn Boland will lead a public tour at 2 p.m.
• Oct. 10- 90 Carlton: Autumn (event is $5, free for members)
• Oct. 11- Music-themed Family Day where children can make their own band poster
• Nov. 6- Teen Studio, where teenagers can work with a local artist to create their own original art
• Nov. 20- screening of punk rock musical "Population: 1" starring du Plenty at 7 p.m.

NY Fashion Week nods to Pucci's bold designs

With New York Fashion week upon us, there are plenty of notable looks on and off the runway. The Spring 2015 collections flaunt bold floral prints, dreamy pastels and strong lines for days. The colorful, fun garments combine the conceptual with the conventional as we ooo and ahh at the creative, theatrical runway shows.

Here are some of our favorite looks from 2014 NY Fashion Week:

 

Zero + Maria Cornejo Spring 2015

Cushnie et Ochs Spring 2015

 

Jason Wu Spring 2015

Victoria Beckham Spring 2015

Carolina Herrera Spring 2015

These inspiring looks from Fashion Week resemble the sleek designs and bold patterns of Emilio Pucci, whose designs will be featured in an upcoming exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art.

"Emilio Pucci in America" will be on view Oct. 18, 2014 - Feb. 1, 2015, in the museum's Charles B. Presley Family and Lamar Dodd galleries. The exhibition celebrates of Pucci's short tenure at the University of Georgia as well as his 100th birthday.

The Italian designer's easy-to-wear, comfortable fashion may be a few decades old, but his designs still retain relevancy in the fashion world.

"Machine Wall Drawing" Exhibition Combines Order and Chaos

Tristan Perich’s “Machine Wall Drawings” are one of the first exhibitions visitors to the Georgia Museum of Art encounter, on display on the Patsy Dudley Pate Balcony from March 20 to Nov. 18, 2014. Repeat visitors may notice something particularly unusual about these works of art: they change over time. The New York-based contemporary composer and artist has created a uniquely self-directed work of art that combines the control of a coded machine and the randomness of the influence of physical elements to highlight the role of both in visual compositions.

The drawings take up a 60-foot wall, on which they are completing themselves over the course of six months, using a machine designed and coded by Perich to introduce the impact of a carefully planned system while allowing physical elements to interfere at random and alter the final creation.

Perich explains on his website: “Varying levels of randomness — the probability the pen will change directions — produces the difference between straight lines or dense frenetic motion. While the motors’ movements are the result of the code executed precisely by machine, the final drawings come from the motion of pen on surface, and are wedded to the effects of the physical world: the ripple of the string connecting pen to motor, the gradual depletion of ink, the texture of the paper.”

This month, on Sept. 17, the museum is offering a Tour at Two focusing on “Machine Wall Drawings” for visitors interested in learning more about this exhibition. The museum is also hosting a special event the following day at 5:30 p.m. to premiere director Russell Oliver’s documentary about the drawings. The screening will conclude with a live Q & A with Perich.

Newcomb Pottery exhibition ends with curator lecture

Spread throughout multiple galleries of the Georgia Museum of Art are a variety of hand-crafted and beautifully decorated objects that range from pottery and metalwork to bookbinding and textiles. These objects all have one special thing in common.

They all originate from the Newcomb Pottery, where women were not only able to create these objects to sell and to support themselves financially, but also to make great contributions to American art.

The Newcomb Pottery was a social and artistic experiment from 1895 until 1940 at the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College (now part of Tulane University) in New Orleans. The program allowed women to support themselves financially while they trained to become artists.

In addition to producing highly coveted, iconic art, the program helped facilitate the betterment of women as well as the New Orleans community through art education.  

The current exhibition, "Women, Art and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise," is part of a national tour organized by Tulane and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition, which is the largest comprehensive showing of the pottery in 25 years, will travel to nine different cities through 2016.

And although the exhibition will close at the Georgia Museum of Art after Sunday (Aug. 31), there is still opportunity to see it and learn about it. The museum will host the lecture “Newcomb’s Designers: A Conscious Revolution” by Sally Main, senior curator at the Newcomb Art Gallery at Tulane University, this Thursday at 5:30 p.m., followed by a reception.

Main will speak about the societal and artistic impact of this revolutionary social experiment. The event is the perfect opportunity to experience this unique exhibition before it continues on its tour.

 

When New Meets Old: Lithographs and New Media Technology

This summer, the Georgia Museum of Art is featuring the exhibition "The Lithographs of Caroll Cloar" but is providing new media to juxtapose with Cloar's age-old method of printing. Two iPads are placed in the exhibition and give viewers a chance to interact with the images in a new way.

One iPad contains information about the process of lithography, including a video produced by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The second device includes an application that allows visitors to type in their own titles for the exhibition and read the titles others have suggested. This feedback opens up the lines of communication with visitors and lets their thoughts and ideas become an active part of the display.

Responses to the iPads have been extremely positive. Exhibition viewers have been forthcoming with their thoughts about their own names for Cloar's works, with responses ranging from poetic captions such as "The Haunted Pencil" and "Dreamscapes of Memory" to simpler, straight-to-the-point titles like "Old Days" and "Innocence." The spectrum of answers demonstrates how Cloar's hauntingly beautiful works evoke powerful reactions in each individual. In the past, the museum has offered a more traditional way to respond via pen and paper, but the use of the iPads is a compact and nondisruptive way to promote dialogue, not only between the museum and its guests, but among viewers.

Mixing new media technology with art is becoming a more common trend in galleries. The quick and easy access to information, combined with the ability to tailor it to the individual observer, allows for a new way to experience the art. This year, the museum has also featured other new media exhibitions such as "Machine Wall Drawing" by computer programmer and artist Tristan Perich and the work of University of Georgia master of fine arts candidate Lyndey Clayborn, who manipulated iPhones to create technology-inspired art.

"The Lithographs of Carroll Cloar" is on display through Aug. 10. For more information on the exhibition or other new media programs at the museum, visit, www.georgiamuseum.org.

Summer Art Adventures at the Museum

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Art Adventures! The time of year is here again when pint-size visitors descend on the Georgia Museum of Art for Art Adventures, the June and July day camp excursion for elementary school-age kids that promotes critical thinking skills through interactive gallery activities.

Every year, this award winning educational program picks a theme to inspire students on vacation to think about art in a different way. This year's theme is "Becoming an Art Museum Superhero" and takes off from the exhibition "Women, Art and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise." When observing these textiles or pieces of pottery, the kids are asked by members of the museum's educational team to engage their other senses, not just sight.

At first, the kids are skeptical: We can't hear art! But then, to fine-tune their superhuman powers of hearing, the team leader plays different instrumental songs while the students observe the works of art. The kids are then asked which song they think fits better with a particular work. The goal is to have the participants think about all the unique ways art impacts their lives by explaining their choices. The Wonderwomen and Supermen in training receive tokens at the end of each of the five stations set up in the exhibition–one each for superhuman touch, sight, hearing time travel and mind reading.

When the group is done in the galleries, they head down to the Michael and Mary Erlanger Studio Classroom to create their own works of art with their newly sharpened superhero skills. As this year's activity is inspired by the Newcomb Pottery exhibition, kids paint ceramic plates with their own superhero emblems, even though recreating Batman's logo is inevitably a crowd favorite.

Regardless of theme, Art Adventures focuses on fostering critical thinking skills in a fun and creative manner. This summer's Art Adventures is booked to capacity, but if you're interested in learning more about this activity, other museum educational programs or reserving a spot for next year, visit www.georgiamuseum.org

Behind the Scenes: Newcomb Pottery

As “Art Interrupted” is being packed away, don’t fret because the Georgia Museum of Art is making way for an exhibition of Newcomb Pottery, opening May 17. Newcomb Pottery is one of the most significant styles of American art pottery produced in the 20th century. These objects balance form and decoration as they highlight the nature found in the Gulf Shore region where the pottery was located. The objects in this exhibition come from the Newcomb Art Gallery, private collections and the Smithsonian Institute, but the museum is working to create a unique experience for its patrons.

The exhibition, titled “Women, Art and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise,” is the largest presentation of Newcomb arts and crafts in more than 25 years. It emphasizes women in the arts and their impact in post-Civil War society. The women who worked at the Newcomb Pottery helped advance their economy, and their art made a lasting impact on American history.

At the Georgia Museum of Art, the preparation department is working on layout for the exhibition. The preps will create special mounts for the pottery along with handcrafted pedestals. The museum’s main goal is to create an exhibition and color scheme that is aesthetically pleasing. “We are currently trying to create a layout that works with the flow of our galleries and is pleasing to the eye, said Todd Rivers, chief preparator at the museum.

The exhibition is on view May 17 through August 31, 2014, with numerous associated events that can be seen on the side of its page here.

Organized by the Newcomb Art Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, it is sponsored nationally by the Henry Luce Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works, and locally by Dr. and Mrs. George Rives Cary, Ceramic Circle of Atlanta, Inc., the Piedmont Charitable Foundation, the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.

Artist Blends Media, Technology and Art

Lyndey Clayborn was born in an isolated Lousiana town 4 hours away on all sides from any significant stimulation. Her family remedied this void by connecting to the Internet in 1996. As she has aged, her web has become integral to her waking life as well as her art practice.

Clayborn says that "inspiration awakens whenever I notice a pattern or system manifesting itself within a digital context. Whenever a 'low brow' application such as snapchat or tumblr gains popularity, I have to wonder why."

These investigations into contemporary culture drive her art practice.  The gaze exchange between device and user penetrates and reveals.​ Clayborn attempts to blend her installations seamlessly into the public consciousness by using her constant companions, the iPhone and Macbook.

The “Master of Fine Arts Degree Candidates Exhibition” is on view at the Georgia Museum of Art from April 12 to May 4, 2014, with a free preview opening reception Friday, April 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. MFA Speaks is scheduled for Thursday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m. and will feature the artists discussing their work.