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BL AFFER From the Director Greetings, Welcome back to another exciting academic year! Changes abound these days at Blaffer Art Museum. Since we redesigned and launched our new logo and Blaffer magazine last May, I am delighted that many of you have expressed enthusiasm about our fresh look. In conjunction with the redesign, we recently introduced an online giving page on our website. Now a new chapter in Blaffer’s thirty-seven-year history begins as we work toward next year’s renovation. But before we begin knocking down walls, we are thrilled to present a lineup of terrific exhibitions. In the fall we open with Gabriel Kuri: Nobody needs to know the price of your Saab and Amy Patton; these shows are each artist’s first major solo museum exhibition in the United States. Nobody needs to know the price of your Saab, a ten-year survey of Gabriel Kuri’s work, is presented in conjunction with the Mexican Bicentennial celebrations. I am very pleased to introduce this important Mexican artist to audiences in Houston and beyond. After it closes at Blaffer, the exhibition will travel to the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, where it will be on view from February through July 2011. Amy Patton features two films: A Satisfied Mind (2005), comprising short excerpts from three unrelated films found tangled together in a garbage bag in Austin, Texas, and Oil (2010), which centers on a young woman’s preparation for her role in a theater production inspired by Upton Sinclair’s Oil! We tip our hats to the University of Houston’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts for commissioning Patton’s latest work through a residency at UH. In the spring, the films of Johan Grimonprez overtake most of the galleries. A product of his generation’s steady diet of television and homemade video, Grimonprez mixes postwar history and fiction in a multiperspectival context that reveals reality’s susceptibility to manipulation. We also continue our First Take series in the
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upstairs back gallery with Okay Mountain. The Austin-based collective has been commissioned to create a site-specific installation for this occasion, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us. In July, we lost a dear friend with the passing of Jane Blaffer Owen. Mrs. Owen was a longtime supporter of the museum that carries her maiden name. She enthusiastically embraced the institution’s mission and was uniquely Mrs. Jane Blaffer Owen at invested in its future. We a presidential reception in honor of YAAP will miss her dearly. I look forward to seeing you here at the museum. We have many programs lined up to encourage you to visit often over the course of the next few months. And while you’re here, don’t hesitate to come and knock at my door. I am always happy to see you in person. Take a minute as well to say hello to Viola Chavez, our new assistant curator of education.
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Hoping to see you very soon,
Claudia Schmuckli Director and Chief Curator
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BL AFFER Fall Exhibitions
Gabriel Kuri: Nobody needs to know the price of your Saab AUGUST 28–November 13, 2010
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Over the past decade, Gabriel Kuri has concentrated on
celebration of the Mexican Bicentennial. In the follow-
making sculptures and collages that zealously rum-
ing interview, originally published in the exhibition
mage through the realm of material consumption. Both
catalogue, Kuri talks about his work with art critic and
objects and images are often created from the residue
independent curator Elena Filipovic.
of monetary exchanges and consumed goods, which the artist collects on a daily basis. Kuri is a material
Elena Filipovic: In reading your titles, I often
archivist who extracts visual and linguistic value from
feel that they give access to the artwork outside of its formal or material qualities. . . . The title articulates your desire to insert the viewer into this operation—the performative feature of the artwork.
the tracking systems, retail supplies, and trivial marketing mechanisms that constitute our daily lives. Organized by director and chief curator Claudia Schmuckli, Kuri’s exhibition at Blaffer Art Museum is a ten-year survey presented in conjunction with the
AFFER Above and opposite page: Installation views of Gabriel Kuri: Nobody needs to know the price of your Saab. Photo © Tom DuBrock.
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Gabriel Kuri: Ideas come in words, and I would
like to think that there is no distinction between how words or ideas manifest.. EF: This relates to the way the artwork—but also everything around the presentation of the artwork—can be a form of address to a viewer. GK: Artworks often spell out their own rules for how they should be traveled through, read, experienced. And sometimes these rules are fair and inviting, and that’s when an artwork works well— when it says, “This is where you’re allowed to go, there’s this much you can interpret, and there’s a lot I shall give in return, but you have to play by certain rules.” Total relativity is not engaging. EF: Do you give yourself rules for making work? GK: Not so much in making the work, but I would hope that my artworks clearly express the rules by which they would like you to engage. Of course, any art is prone to any kind of interpretation, but you and I know that if there are no boundaries, there is no communication; there is no art. If there is no contract between the work and the spectator, there’s no aesthetic experience at stake. The clarity with which a piece—in any form—spells out its rules is crucial for its becoming, for the production of its reality. EF: Do you sense the rules that are given to you as a spectator of other artists’ works?
GK: Yes, and I feel rewarded when I find them in a highly abstract or seemingly chaotic work, or (at the other extreme) in a very programmed— almost marshaled—one. . . . Ultimately, what you want as a spectator is to learn something about yourself. Paradoxically, you can only learn about yourself by seeing your reflection in something else. But it’s all in this contract, in how ably each artwork issues its invitation, and the terms and boundaries of engagement, don’t you think? GABRIEL KURI: NOBODY NEEDS TO KNOW THE PRICE OF YOUR SAAB is organized by Blaffer Art Museum at the
University of Houston. The exhibition and publication are made possible, in part, by the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the
Consulate
General
of
Mexico
in
Houston, the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation, and Bank of America. Following its Blaffer debut, GABRIEL KURI: NOBODY NEEDS TO KNOW THE PRICE OF YOUR SAAB will be on
view at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston from February 3 through July 4, 2011.
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BL AFFER Fall Exhibitions
Amy Patton AUGUST 28–November 13, 2010
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Amy Patton’s recent experiments in performance and theater employ complex strategies of sound, text, and voiceover to explore the various ways images and meaning are constructed. Commissioned through a residency at the University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts and shot entirely in a black box theater at UH, the artist’s most recent film Oil (2010) centers on a young woman who is preparing for her role in a theater production inspired by Upton Sinclair’s Oil! Organized by associate curator and Cynthia Woods Mitchell fellow Rachel Hooper, Patton’s exhibition at Blaffer Art Museum also debuts a new series of photographs and selections from her earlier films. Christina Linden, the 2009–2010 curatorial fellow at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, sat down with Patton to discuss the exhibition at Blaffer. Christina Linden: Let’s talk about your new piece in
Houston—a kind of theater-in-film scenario. Approaching the screen, viewers enter in the middle of the performance of a play that is simultaneously its own rehearsal. We are guided through it via a meta-structure, which extends
the interest in voiceover and sound you’ve explored in past work. But while using these structural elements to direct the narrative experience is not new for you, the idea of theater is new. This is only the second time you’ve worked with professional actors. Can you talk about how you moved from working with found footage to writing material for actors, and your attraction to the idea of filming this material in a theater rather than some other kind of setting?
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Amy Patton: The element of theater emerged from
ideas that were theatrical to begin with—making connections where there were none before, and adapting the staging involved in exhibiting a work of visual art. Working with actors draws attention to script and frame: actors make sense of a fictional character, inhabiting words that are not their own to become an invented person. I am interested in this shifting back and forth between being something and performing it, and how this plays out in a particular setting, in this case a black box theater, the visual limitations of which
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Above and opposite page: Amy Patton, Production stills for Oil, 2010. Courtesy the artist, commissioned through a residency at the UH Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts with additional support from Blaffer Art Museum and the UH School of Theatre & Dance. Photo dabfoto creative
were so obvious that I felt I could tease elements out of it that I could not have in another scenario. For me, filming theater has to do with my particular relationship to the image. Actors are able to make you see things that aren’t there, which is visual in a certain way. The images are all in your mind. An actor on stage can be sitting on a table, but if he says, “I’m sitting in a boat,” you think, “Oh, he’s sitting in a boat,” and you see it. It demands an incredible suspension of disbelief, but it works. I was also attracted to theater as a form because it was a blank slate for me. I felt very free. But it’s not theater itself that interests me so much as the idea of the theatrical.
AMY PATTON is organized by Blaffer Art Museum at the
University of Houston. The exhibition and publication are made possible, in part, by The Cecil Amelia Blaffer von Furstenberg Endowment for Exhibitions and Programs, Centex Beverage, Inc., and Houston Endowment Inc. In-kind support is provided by Continental Airlines. Amy Patton was the spring 2010 artist-in-residence at the University of Houston’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. Additional residency support was provided by Blaffer and the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance.
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BL AFFER Spring Exhibitions
Johan Grimonprez january 15–april 2, 2011 opening reception: friday, january 14, 6–9 p.m.
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Johan Grimonprez achieved international acclaim with
dissemination of new media—from film, video, and
his film essay Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y (1997), which pre-
digital image and sound recording, on the one hand, to
miered at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and Documenta
theater, television, on-demand viewing at home, and
X in Kassel, Germany, followed by Looking for Alfred
the internet, on the other. Coinciding with the recent
(2005), which won the International Media Award from
release of Double Take, Blaffer Art Museum is present-
the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie
ing a survey of Grimonprez’ work including Dial H-I-S-
Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2005 and the European Media
T-O-R-Y and Double Take as well as Kobarweng or
Award in 2006, and Double Take (2009). Brought up on a
Where is your Helicopter? (1992), It will be all right if
diet of television and homemade video, Grimonprez
you come again, only next time, don’t bring any gear,
mixes reality and fiction in an innovative fashion and
except a tea kettle. . . . (1994/2003), and a work dubbed
presents contemporary history from multiple perspec-
a “YouTube-o-Theque/Petroteque.” The last, a compila-
tives, readily open to manipulation. The point of
tion of found materials drawn from the internet, cell
departure for Grimonprez’s work is the retelling of post-
phone videos, and online television that is to be
World War II history through the lens of technological
browsed on demand, is both a joyful affirmation of
progress and invention. He pays particular attention to
global disengagement and a catalyst for effervescent
the influence and history of the introduction and
criticism.
AFFER Johan Grimonprez, Still from Looking for Alfred, 2005. Courtesy of the artist and Zapomatik
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The exhibition is accompanied by a publication of selected texts and images related to the works in the exhibition. In one such essay, “Borges and Hitchcock’s Double Desire,” Dany Nobus explores doubles, identical twins, and other types of duplicates in the context of Grimonprez’s films. He writes:
“They say that if you meet your double, you should kill him or that he will kill you. I can’t remember which, but the gist of it is that two of you is one too many.” This provocative injunction, articulated by the voiceover in Johan Grimonprez’s Double Take, suggests that killing one’s identical other is nothing more, nothing less, than an act of self-protection or even self-preservation, which takes away the constant threat of victimisation at the hands of one’s counterpart, whilst releasing and restoring agency in the singular subject, from the moment the latter becomes a murderer. . . . Borrowing from Don DeLillo’s White Noise and Mao II, in his 1997 “film-essay” Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y, Grimonprez supported the cinematic narration with the lines, “Get killed, and maybe they will notice you,” and “Men have tried throughout history to cure themselves by killing others. The dier passively succumbs, the killer lives on.” If these lines, when taken together, seem contradictory, they can nonetheless be realised simultaneously when the other is the killer’s identical counterpart. Kill your double, cure yourself, live on, and they will notice you.
Three hijacked jets on desert Airstrip, Amman, Jordan, 12 September 1970. Johan Grimonprez, Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y, 1997. Photo: Johan Grimonprez and Rony Vissers © 1997–2003 Johan Grimonprez
JOHAN GRIMONPREZ is organized by Blaffer Art Museum
at the University of Houston. The exhibition is made possible, in part, by The Cecil Amelia Blaffer von Furstenberg Endowment for Exhibitions and Programs and Houston Endowment Inc.
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BL AFFER Spring Exhibitions
First Take: Okay Mountain january 15–april 2, 2011 opening reception: friday, january 14, 6–9 p.m.
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Okay Mountain is a collective based in Austin, Texas, consisting of ten artists whose projects play on the conventions and absurdities of contemporary consumer culture. The artists draw upon pop graphics and styling to create works that are scrappy, colorful, and, in their own words, “maximal.” For their exhibition at Blaffer, Okay Mountain is planning to create an immersive environment composed of multipart-installations featuring sculptures, videos, sounds, lights, and wall drawings that will explore sleeping as an altered state vulnerable to coercive persuasion. In an interview exclusive to Blaffer magazine, Blaffer Art Museum’s assistant director of external affairs Jeffrey Bowen sat
Carlos Rosales-Silva, Michael Sieben, Sterling Allen, Josh Rios, Tim Brown, Nathan Green, and Ryan Hennessee (left to right)
down with Okay Mountain co-founder Sterling Allen to discuss the new exhibition. Jeffrey Bowen: Let’s start with the basics. How
was Okay Mountain formed? Sterling Allen: Okay Mountain rose from the ashes of two Austin indie spaces, Camp Fig and the
Fresh Up Club, plus a few newcomers. In April 2006, we signed a lease and opened the gallery, which we run jointly. We started working as a collective in late 2007 with some informal collaborative drawings, and we had our first show in January 2008 at the Creative Research Laboratory in Austin. Currently, we have ten members: Tim Brown, Peat Duggins, Justin Goldwater, Nathan Green, Ryan Hennessee, Josh Rios, Michael Sieben, Corkey Sinks, Carlos RosalesSilva, and I. JB: What draws Okay Mountain to the Bayou City? SA: While we have never shown in Houston as a collective, a number of the members have shown works here in solo and group exhibitions. Houston is an important city in terms of art in the U.S. and definitely in Texas. The chance to work with the University of Houston was also appealing — I think it’s nice to interact with and inspire
AFFER Installation view of Okay Mountain’s Benefit Plate at Freight + Volume, New York, 2010. Courtesy the artists
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students. We have lots of friends here as well, which was a draw. JB: What can the Blaffer Art Museum visitor expect to see when First Take: Okay Mountain opens? SA: Viewers can expect to see a variety of media at play, including video, sound, sculpture, and installation/wall painting. We try hard to make the space feel like a different place when one enters it, and even if the effect is subtle, we shoot for an all-encompassing environment. They can also expect some humor, one of the things that give us energy. Also look for something that by the end of it will have had a LOT of hours put into it, considering ten people will have created the installation. JB: Your biography says that the collective plays upon the “conventions and absurdities of contemporary consumer culture.” What specific recurring topics that fall under this theme do the artists often explore? SA: We take a lot of our cues from advertising and television, music, products, and the sorts of crazy things that are thrown at Americans on a daily basis. I think that the space and city that we are showing in also informs what we end up
Okay Mountain. Trailer, 2010. Courtesy the artists
Okay Mountain. Puke 1, 2010. Courtesy the artists
working on. Oftentimes we select an idea or concept, and then from there just go out in the world and try to gather as much information about that topic as possible in order to make work about it. Much of that information comes from consumer culture. FIRST TAKE: OKAY MOUNTAIN
is organized by
Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston. The exhibition is made possible, in part, by The Cecil Amelia Blaffer von Furstenberg Endowment for Exhibitions and Programs and Houston Endowment Inc.
Okay Mountain. Trailer, 2010. Courtesy the artists
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BL AFFER UH Collection
Scott Burton 1939–1989
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One of the most inconspicuous artworks on the University of Houston central campus sits on the south side of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. Flanking the entrance are two granite benches created by Scott Burton in 1985 at the recommendation of Philip Johnson, the building’s architect. They are formal in style and simple in form, sharing many of the classical lines of the building. Made from a single block of pink Laurentian granite and weighing two tons each, they sit very quietly and blend in with the architectural environment, so much so that one might think Johnson himself designed them. Born in 1939, Scott Burton grew up in Greensboro, Alabama, before moving with his mother to Washington, D.C., when he was a teenager. In 1962, he earned a B.A. from Columbia University, and after earning an M.F.A. in 1963 from New York University, he stayed in New York to pursue a career in creative writing. Working at the membership desk at the Museum of Modern Art in
New York connected him with artists such as Edward Albee, Alex Katz, and Vito Acconci, who by the mid-1960s had helped him land a job as a freelance critic for Art News. When not writing, Burton created performance and conceptual art, and in 1970, he began to design furniture and sculpture for inclusion in his performances. His focus soon shifted to the sole production of sculptural design objects that blurred the boundaries between fine art and utilitarian works, and he was recognized almost immediately for his talents and progressive practice. By 1980, Burton was earning regular commissions to create sitespecific furniture and to design outdoor spaces, including the two benches at UH. Scott Burton passed away in 1989, three years after a major retrospective of his work at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Michael Guidry Curator, University of Houston Public Art Collection
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Scott Burton at the dedication ceremony. Photo courtesy Jonathan E. Jereb.
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NEWS
On Friday, April 30, 250 members of Houston’s and New York’s most electrifying arts communities celebrated Blaffer’s first ever soiree within the museum. Abracadabra raised nearly $150,000, partially due to the art auction (the best in the city) of over forty items, including top-selling works by Tony Feher, Hana Hillerova, Aaron Parazette, and Tomás Saraceno. Patrons Gordon and Terri Goodman, JB and Marita Fairbanks, John Blaffer Royall and his New York entourage, and many other members of the Blaffer family attended the gala. In the midst of beautiful floral arrangements courtesy of Buchanan’s and Nolan Keller, guests danced to the fantastic tunes of The FAB 5 and DJ Drew and partook of delicious goodies and libations courtesy of Prego, Dripping Springs Vodka, Glazer’s, Real Ale Brewing Company, and Starbucks. Many thanks to all of our sponsors and to everyone who contributed to the success of this enjoyable event. See you on April 15, 2011!
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NEWS Summer Programs Recap
Thanks to Our Interns!
In June, our popular children’s art-making workshop, Summer Arts, was filled to capacity. Led by Patrick Renner, children ages 6-12 created collaborative and individual sculptures inspired by Tomás Saraceno’s architectural forms. Summer Arts culminated with a cave painting in a simulated indoor cave.
Our internship program continues to flourish. Over the summer, Joe Gracely (New York University), Ryan Hernandez (UH), Catherine Krause (UH), Jennifer Wang (Boston University), and Sharon Woods (UH) contributed greatly to the staff’s efforts. Special thanks to advisory board member Judy Nyquist for generously opening her art collection to our talented interns.
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We also had an exciting lineup of programs for adults. In May, we partnered with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Latin American Art department to present Tomás Saraceno in Conversation with Yasmil Raymond. The summer’s Brown Bag Gallery Tours were led by Mary Magsamen, curator of Aurora Picture Show, and Blaffer’s own Rachel Hooper. And in June and July, two separate evening programs, held in conjunction with Tomás Saraceno: Lighter than Air, featured insights from architect Garret Finney and UH professors of architecture Larry Bell, Patrick Peters, and Michelangelo Sabatino.
A Summer Arts student shows off her work
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Katherine Veneman (left) and Mary Magsamen (right)
What’s Happening Now After winning a prestigious Coming Up Taller Award in 2009, the Young Artist Apprenticeship Program continues to grow as an exemplary resource for Houston’s teenagers. This fall and spring, participating schools are Austin High School, Cesar Chavez High School, Eastwood Academy, Milby High School, and Yates High School; artist mentors are Audry Herber and Michael Taylor. For the latest information on public programs associated with exhibitions or geared toward the university community or families, check out the calendar at www.blafferartmuseum.org. While online, be sure to sign up for our e-newsletter!
Lillian Warren (left) and Sallie Morian (right)
Blaffer Welcomes New Board Members, Says Farewell to Others Blaffer Art Museum would like to welcome four new board members and one returning member. Local oil executives Mark Galicia and Graham Snowden, along with artist and businesswoman Lillian Warren, as well as returning member and architect Andrew McFarland, began their terms in September 2010. Welcome! But this news is bittersweet, as five very special board members left us at the conclusion of their terms in August. Ignacio Carrion, Mike Casey, Ryan Gordon, Marilyn Miles, and Russell Sherrill have all contributed in so many ways over the past six years. You will be missed.
Request a Free Guided Tour Be sure to listen to Blaffer’s latest audio tours by calling 713.481.2811. Guided tours provide an engaging learning environment, along with the tours of the UH Public Art Collection. Tours are free to groups of ten or more, are guided by skilled docents, and can be tailored to meet specific needs. Request a tour online at: www.blafferartmuseum.org/guided_tours.html. Andrew McFarland
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NEWS Blaffer Introduces Online Giving Page In September, Blaffer launched its new online giving page, https://giving.uh.edu/blaffer/. Patrons can now purchase a membership, sponsor YAAP, or even donate to the renovation fund from the convenience of their computers. Our online donors will be happy to know that every transaction is safe and reliable: the University of Houston’s secure server software (SSL) is the industry standard and among the best software available today for secure commerce transactions. Blaffer has a reputation as one of the premier institutions for the presentation and interpretation of contemporary art in the country. We invite you to celebrate our successes, commit to our future, and help welcome us to the twenty-first century by making an online gift today! You can also find the link to the online giving page on our website, blafferartmuseum.org.
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Screenshot of https://giving.uh.edu/blaffer/, Blaffer’s new online giving page.
Blaffer Members Enjoy Exclusive Benefits In April, architect and art collector William Stern opened his doors for an exclusive Blaffer members-only reception. We thank him for his hospitality. On Sunday, October 3, Blaffer, Artpace San Antonio, and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston teamed up for a guided bus tour of Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Billboards. On Tuesday, November 9, Sissy and Denny Kempner will host a cocktail party and a tour of their collection for Blaffer members. And next year we’ll be hosting hard hat tours of the renovation progress. To make sure you receive an invitation to these and all upcoming member events, sign up for a membership today by calling 713.743.9528 or by visiting blafferartmuseum.org.
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BL AFFER Partners Lead Sponsors Anonymous Donor The City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Houston Endowment, Inc. John P. McGovern Foundation The W.T. and Louise J. Moran Foundation Major Contributors The Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation Sallie Morian and Michael Clark
The Mitsui USA Foundation Morgan Family Fund Susan and Edward Osterberg Minnette Robinson John Blaffer Royall Karen and Scott Rozzell Vreni and Jack Schmuckli Helen W. Drutt-English and Mr. H. Peter Stem Texas Gulf Bank Cynthia Toles Martha Claire Tompkins Mr. and Mrs. Wallace S. Wilson Founding Members Dr. Roger Eichhorn Victor B. Flatt Frost Bank, Medical Center Beverly and Wayne Gilbert Paula and John Hansen Nancy and Carter Hixon Joan Blaffer Johnson Lisa and William Mathis Scott A. Peveto Carson and Arthur Seeligson Scott Sparvero Vallette and Russell Windham
L AFFER Program Partners The Brown Foundation, Inc. Gastonia and Gordon Goodman Mica Mosbacher Occidental Petroleum Charitable Foundation Jane Blaffer Owen Dorothy C. Sumner Travelers Foundation University of Houston Student Fees Advisory Committee Director’s Circle Alvin and Lucy Owsley Foundation Anonymous Donor Claudia Schmuckli and Matthew Drutt Jo and Jim Furr Jennifer Smith and Peter Ragauss Shirley and Don Rose Texas Commission on the Arts Joanne and Derby Wilson Director’s Partners Bank of America Ignacio Carrion Katy and Michael Casey Linda and Simon Eyles Carol and Dave Fleming Karen and David Haug Kinder Morgan Foundation Nancy and Robert Martin Meg and Nelson Murray Judy and Scott Nyquist Sue and John Porretto Beverly and Howard Robinson Lisa and Russell Sherrill Christine and Jan Spin Stephen W. and Marilyn R. Miles Foundation Vitol Inc.
Blaffer Art Museum Members Alejandro Amelio Claire and Douglas Ankenman Catherine Anspon Carol and A. L. Ballard Cindi K. Strauss and Chris Ballou Devin Borden Mary Bou-Chebl Leslie and Brad Bucher Cynthia and Laurence C. Burns, Jr. Antoinette Calvert Peter Cohen Edward B. Cooper Helen and Jeremy Davis Stephen Derry Lynn Detrick and Harvey Marks Jennifer and John L. Elliott Barbara Fosdick Cathy Coers Frank O’Neal Furr Cullen Geiselman Beverly and Wayne Gilbert Zita Giraldo Joanne Goff Cynthia and Allen Graham Dan Graur Robert T. Greenstein Sara Haynes James Hickey Artie Lee Hinds Diana Hooyman Vivian Hordes Mr. and Mrs. Clay Hoster Kim and Mike Howard Maria and Michael Jadick Jackie Kacen Joan and Marvin Kaplan Mimi Kilgore Frazier King Julie Kinzelman Carol and R. P. Kors David H. Lake Philip Lamczyk Lawrence Markey, Inc. Liza and Lee Littlefield Victor A. Lundy Marsha Amdur Malev Gundi McCandless Catherine and William McNamara Dr. Matilda B. Melnick Clare Casademont and Michael Metz Helen Mintz Don R. Mullins Mari Omori
Marilyn Oshman Aaron Parazette Beverly Parker Elizabeth Gregory and Patrick Peters William H. Powell, Jr. Judy Reiner Suzanne and Mark Richards Caroline and David Roberts Edna and J. A. Robins Leslie and Russ Robinson James Rosengren James Rutherford Alan Sallwasser Tracy Saucier Carey C. Shuart Polly and John Smart Claudia Solis Mary Lou Swift Gabriela Trzebinski Michele and Don Van Nieuwenhuise Katherine Veneman Hector Villarreal Fabéne Welch Eleanor Williams Clint Willour Jo Zider Edith and Robert Zinn Linda and Peter Zweig In-Kind Sterling Allen Bergner and Johnson Design William Betts Natasha Bowdoin Elaine Bradford Bright Star Productions, Inc. Nathan Carter Continental Airlines DJ Drew Dan Fabian Tony Feher Christopher French G2 Graphics Gensler Michael Guidry Rachel Hecker Hana Hillerova Hedwige Jacobs Nicholas Kersulis Mindy Kober McClain Gallery David McGee Katrina Moorhead PaperCity Magazine Aaron Parazette Prego Jonathan Pylypchuk Real Ale Brewing Company Susie Rosmarin Saint Arnold Brewing Company Tomás Saraceno Amy Sillman Emily Sloan Starbucks James Surls Katherine Taylor The Art Guys Katherine Veneman Monica Vidal Wade Wilson Art Susan and John Watt Xpedite Coatings Eric Zimmerman
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Campbell Mr. and Mrs. Vance Campbell Alejandro Colon Nancy Illback Cook Jill Crawford Karin Daerr Cathy Coers Frank Christina Gee Maria Magdalena Gruneisen Linda and John Hagerman Sandra Herring Dorene and Frank Herzog Leslie and Mark Hull Shea and John Huser Kerry Inman Ryan Jones Lynn Kelly Julia Koivumaa Mary Lambert Mathilde Leary Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth E. Lehrer Robert Maloney Beau Mann Jeanne Marosis Mari Omori Alexis Pernas Jim Petersen, Jr. Kim Reynolds Richard Stodder Charitable Foundation Mindy Robinson Camilla Blaffer Royall John A. Royall Safeway, Inc. Louis Skidmore, Jr. Claudia Solis Frank Spicer Mary Van Pelt Lillian and Robert Warren Sabrina Warren Anny and Lawrence Whyte Wade Wilson Anna Wolcott Tanner Zucker Dr. Kelly J. Zuñiga Linda and Peter Zweig
AFFER Visionary Members Gail and Louis K. Adler Emily Baker and Gerardo Amelio Catherine Blaffer-Taylor Buck Family Foundation CenterPoint Energy Centex Beverage, Inc. Jereann Chaney Mr. and Mrs. Ali Davoudi Marita and JB Fairbanks Karen and Stephan Farber Ryan D. Gordon Cecily Horton Ann Jackson Mr. and Mrs. I. H. Kempner, III Gretchen and Andrew McFarland The Michael & Rebecca Cemo Foundation
Recent Gifts (as of September 15, 2010) David Ashley White and Alan Austin Ruth and Ron Billings Wirt Blaffer Christopher Breck Adam Gibson and Vernon Caldera Anne Cameron
All efforts are made to be accurate. If you identify incorrect information, please contact the Office of External Affairs at 713.743.9537.
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University of Houston 120 Fine Ar ts Building Houston TX 77204-4018 P 713 743 9521 F 713 743 9525 blafferartmuseum.org
Location Blaffer is located in the Fine Arts Building on the University of Houston’s central campus, Entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard, south of the intersection of Cullen and Elgin.
Parking Reserved parking for museum visitors is along the front of parking lot 16B directly across from the Fine Arts Building. Visitors parking in the reserved area should check in at the museum’s front desk.
AFFER L AFFER Directions From Downtown and points north: Take I-45 South toward Galveston. Exit #44C Cullen Boulevard. Turn right onto Cullen. Pass through the light at Elgin. Turn left into Entrance 16.
From points south: Take I-45 North toward Downtown. Exit #44A Elgin-Lockwood⁄Cullen Boulevard and continue on feeder road. Turn left onto Cullen Boulevard. Turn left into Entrance 16. 18
Hours Open Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am–5 pm Closed on Sundays, Mondays, University of Houston holidays, and during exhibition installations (visit the website or call to confirm) All exhibitions and related programs are free and open to the public. The museum is ADA compliant. For information call 713.743.9521 or visit us online at blafferartmuseum.org
BL AFFER Calendar Fall and Winter Events October 3 Sunday, 2–4 pm Membership Event: Bus tour viewing of Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Billboards. Presented in collaboration with Artpace San Antonio and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Ticketed event; meeting at Blaffer
2010–11
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Wednesday, 6:30 pm Contemporary Salon in conjunction with Gabriel Kuri: Nobody needs to know the price of your Saab Presented in collaboration with the UH Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts
Thursday, 12 pm Brown Bag Gallery Tour and open rehearsal for Dominic Walsh Dance Theater performance
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27 Wednesday, 6:30 pm Contemporary Salon in conjunction with Amy Patton. Presented in collaboration with the UH Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts
13 Wednesday, 12 pm Brown Bag Gallery Tour of The Statue of Four Lies with The Art Guys. Presented in collaboration with the UH Public Art Collection
November 3
9 Tuesday, 6 pm Membership Event: Collection tour at the home of Sissy and Denny Kempner. Call 713.743.9528 to become a Blaffer member
11 Thursday, 6:30 pm Performance by Dominic Walsh Dance Theater. Tickets: 713.743.9528
19 Friday, 5:30 pm Opening reception for the Young Artist Apprenticeship Program exhibition
AFFER 16
Saturday, 1–4 pm Studio Saturday
Wednesday, 6:30 pm Artist’s Talk with Gabriel Kuri, presented in collaboration with the MFAH’s Latin American Art Department and Latin Maecenas
December 3 Friday, 6–9 pm Opening reception for the 2010 School of Art Annual Student Exhibition
January 14 Friday, 6–9 pm Opening reception for Johan Grimonprez and First Take: Okay Mountain
April
April 15 Friday, 7–11 pm Annual gala Ticketed event; call 713.743.9537 for details
Front cover: Gabriel Kuri, detail of Column 2007–2008, 2008. Steel rod, concrete, collected receipts, 135 7/8 x 13 3/4 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London Back cover: Amy Patton, production still for Oil, 2010. Courtesy the artist, commissioned through a residency at the University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts with additional support from Blaffer Art Museum and the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance. Photo: dabfoto creative
All events are free and at Blaffer Art Museum unless otherwise noted. 19
Blaffer Art Museum University of Houston 120 Fine Ar ts Building Houston T X 77204-4018
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2010/11