Fall 2009 Newsline

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fall 2009

NE W S L I n E

the Art Museum of the University of Houston


f rom th e director Welcome to our new season! It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to two new staff members: James Rosengren joined the museum as its deputy director and Jonathan Hopson has taken on the role of museum preparator. With the Blaffer’s finances, operations, security, and installation in their good hands, our team is now poised to tackle all kinds of challenges. I would like to thank all of our supporters who attended RenGen Remix. The evening was a great success and raised $100,000 for museum programs. Quite different in format from previous years, it was the perfect event for these difficult economic times, and we will look back on it as a model for future fundraisers. Next year we plan to bring the party back home and celebrate all things Blaffer where it all happens: in the galleries. After the incredible success of Existed: Leonardo Drew, I am excited to announce the openings of Josephine Meckseper and Jon Pylypchuk, the first major solo museum exhibitions to showcase the work of these two artists in the United States. While Meckseper explores the intersection of commercialism and politics in advertisement and the news media, Pylypchuk looks more inward, laying bare the underlying frailty of human existence and social relationships. A contemporary fabulist, Pylypchuk creates heart-wrenching stories of pleasure and pain, love and loss, triumph and failure. Meckseper’s subversive critique of how politics play out in the public sphere combines a documentary approach to manifestations of social protest with the direct examination of commercial interests in the war in Iraq. Both exhibitions raise important issues that affect us as individuals and a society, and we look forward to sharing their artistic visions with you.

Claudia Schmuckli Director and Chief Curator

Upcoming Events Friday, September 11 6 – 8 p.m. Opening Reception for Josephine Meckseper and Jon Pylypchuk Wednesday, September 23 6:30 p.m. Guest Lecture, “The Junkman Cometh: Jon Pylypchuk and the Saving Art of Impoverishment” Professor Robert Enright, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada Thursday, October 1 4 – 7 p.m. Blaffer Student Association Red Block Bash Wednesday, October 14 6:30 p.m. Living Archives Series with Andrea White, Author and Houston First Lady Sponsored by the Friends of Women’s Studies Seating is limited; register by calling 713.743.3214 Saturday, October 17 1 – 4 p.m. Studio Saturday, held at Smith Neighborhood Library, 3624 Scott Street Friday, October 30 5:30 p.m. Opening Reception for Young Artist Apprenticeship Program Exhibition Thursday, November 12 6:30 p.m. Artist’s Talk and Video Screening with Josephine Meckseper Friday, December 4 6 – 8 p.m. Opening Reception for 2009 School of Art Annual Student Exhibition


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10. 1. Leonardo Drew leads the Artist and Curator’s Talk for Existed: Leonardo Drew 2. Patrick Renner leads the Existed: Leonardo Drew Brown Bag Gallery Tour

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11. 3. J.B. Fairbanks at RenGen Remix 4. Cynthia Ferrell (left) and Susan Conaway at the Artist and Curator’s Talk for Existed: Leonardo Drew

7. 5. Kay Lowe (left) and husband Michael Rierson with Claudia Schmuckli at the Existed: Leonardo Drew opening reception 6. Wilbert Taylor and Vonda Mays at the Artist and Curator’s Talk for Existed: Leonardo Drew 7. Alton LaDay (left) and Jonathan Glus (right) at RenGen Remix 8. Michelle Barnes and James Rosengren at the Artist and Curator’s Talk for Existed: Leonardo Drew 9. Kristen and David Buck at RenGen Remix 10. Jennifer Smith and Peter Ragauss at RenGen Remix 11. Linda and Simon Eyles at RenGen Remix

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josephine meckseper September 12 – November 14, 2009

Josephine Meckseper’s first solo museum exhibition in Texas opens at Blaffer Gallery this fall. Exhibition curator Rachel Hooper interviewed the artist to discuss her Houston premiere.

RH: American politics is a major theme in your exhibition at Blaffer. Is there an identifiable moment or event in the past that motivated you to address U.S. politics in your work, or has your interest gradually evolved over time?

Rachel Hooper: Your installation contains a wide variety of contrasting objects, ranging from glamorous silver mannequins and photographs of muscle cars to raccoon tails and even toilet brushes. Why are you drawn to these contradictions, and how do they fit into the larger concepts in your work?

JM: I was a student at CalArts during the onset of the first Gulf War. The school campus was suddenly invaded by right-wing local residents waving American flags, cars on the freeway rushed by with “Kill Saddam” stickers, and the news seemed very propagandistic compared to European television. I became interested in Situationist strategies and collaborated on actions with other students that revolved around those techniques. The last “happening” accidentally merged with the Rodney King riots. That, of course, forced us to interact with reality — I ended up filming the fires and riots.

Josephine Meckseper: There is no affirmative reassurance in the seemingly benign display forms and the objects that are presented in them. The emphases on display configurations in the form of shop windows, shelves, platforms, etc., are intended as artificial ignition points and triggers for destruction and repulsion. They represent the moment right before a demonstrator picks up a stone and vandalizes a store. They are signifiers of consumerism. This is key to the work: the objects themselves are mere signs of capitalism. It’s a different process from appropriation. Instead, I create a sense of “de-fascination” and instability through nonaffirmative representation of consumer products. Above: Untitled (Mustang), 2008 (detail) Mixed media on canvas wrapped in plastic 60 x 48 inches Collection of Charlotte and Bill Ford Courtesy of the artist and Elizabeth Dee, New York

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During the George W. Bush administration, events in the United States presented a different political challenge. My work started to reflect on the experience of living in a country that foments global wars for oil and that violates its own Constitution. New York at the same time had become an incarnation of consumption at its most extreme. Its countless showcases and advertising posters, which I walked by daily, appeared more and more in my works. RH: Why do you feel it is important to think about the Iraq war in an art or museum context?


On Vie w potential to capture and preserve a perspective on the present for a future viewer. George Grosz or Otto Dix’s paintings are good examples to consider in this context. RH: Your work is primarily based on a critique of capitalism. Do you think the current economic crisis has altered the public’s perception of your artwork from 2005 to 2008? Has the crisis affected the work you’re currently creating? JM: The current crisis is only a symptom of the ups and downs of the free market system, not an indicator of its total demise. Nothing has really changed; it’s just more of what it already was.

JM: I am deliberately taking the risk of confronting the radical indeterminacy produced by the capitalist system on its own terms. Contemporary art doesn’t possess a universal language yet because it’s economically tied to an elitist structure. By addressing timely subject matter [like the Iraq war], I point out how capitalism creates an unequal imbalance of power, down to the very form of commercial products. I look for cultural and sociological “end points” as a platform from which to subvert reality into fiction and vice versa. My recent exhibition at the migros museum für gegenwartskunst in Zürich was a representation of relics from a war fought for oil; life-sized oil rigs and a military bunker tied into an overall installation that represented a decaying consumer society. My recent film 0% Down, made with found car commercials, negates the manipulative force of advertising by exposing the potential for violence in the products. When you address current issues and topics in an art context, the work always runs the risk of appearing too literal or becoming quickly dated. On the other hand, it has the

Above: Untitled (March on Washington 9/24/05, Kids with Scarves), 2005 Color print, 30 x 40 inches Collection of the artist Courtesy of the artist, Elizabeth Dee, New York, and Arndt & Partner, Berlin

I’ve explored the downside of capitalism for many years by means of a non-affirmative usage of slick surfaces and imagery. The reading of the work, though, remains circumstantial, as it reflects the respective degree of criticality that the viewer brings to it. The fundamental principle of my art is a conceptual way of thinking and formulating ideas. I’m interested in a language that can articulate concepts in diametrical, abstract, and fictitious ways. It’s a way to process and reflect on the world without being tied to overly determined forms and meanings. Josephine Meckseper is organized by Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of 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, Houston Endowment Inc., and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, with in-kind support provided by Neiman Marcus. The Children’s Crusade, 2006 Aluminum, Plexiglas, glass, lights, gouache on plastic sign, toilet brush, metal display stand, rabbit furs, C-print, plastic mannequin hand 89 1/4 x 46 x 18 inches Collection of Dean Valentine and Amy Adelson, Los Angeles Courtesy the artist and Elizabeth Dee, New York

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jon pylypchuk September 12 – November 14, 2009

Jon Pylypchuk draws upon threadbare animal characters to create heart-wrenching stories of attraction and repulsion, love and loss, pleasure and pain, triumph and failure. Curated by Director and Chief Curator Claudia Schmuckli, the exhibition at Blaffer — the artist’s first solo show in a U.S. museum — includes sculptures, paintings, and drawings created since 1999, as well as a new installation. Exclusive to Newsline, Blaffer Gallery brought in special guest writer Daniel Fuller to provide his personal insights into Pylypchuk’s exhibition. Fuller is Senior Program Specialist at the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, where he works as a curatorial consultant on behalf of the region’s visual arts community. He is also an independent curator/ writer and holds a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Syracuse University. My first experience with Jon Pylypchuk’s work came in 2004 when I accompanied an artist co-worker to China Art Objects Galleries in Los Angeles. Having essentially mortgaged the farm to put a small work by Pylypchuk on layaway, my co-worker led me up the stairs to the office where he made his frequent “conjugal” visits. I was instantly captiAbove: vated. This particular piece was cut the act you phony cripple / a small mixed-media work on you try living with your legs bent up, 2005 Mixed media panel featuring two tough, 21 x 30 x 16 inches Private collection

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flea-bitten latchkey kids with razor-sharp wit pouncing on each other’s slightest inadequacies, a story that is played out by menacing adolescents in every schoolyard, apartment complex, and shantytown across the world. I immediately wanted a Pylypchuk of my own. Pylypchuk first gained you are going to feel like shit tomorrow / i feel like shit right now, 2005 notoriety when he, Mixed media on paper 14 1/8 x 14 inches Michael Dumontier, Collection of Andrea Teschke, New York Marcel Dzama, Neil Farber, Drue Langlois, and Adrian Williams — fellow graduates from the University of Manitoba — formed the famous Royal Art Lodge. This arty brat pack created thousands of fantastical “exquisite corpse” drawings in which one artist would add to a drawing and pass it down the line, each addition tumbling further down the rabbit hole. They created sublime pseudo-narratives, some with a seemingly infinite number of characters.


On Vie w Isolated on the prairies of the Great White North, Winnipeg has garnered attention for producing terrifically fearless artists. But it shares the unfortunate fate of many midsized cities where creativity runs high and opportunities run low: artists have become its greatest export. Before he left Winnipeg for UCLA where he earned his M.F.A., Pylypchuk was already constructing scrap art assemblages with pairs of critters spouting sarcastic banter — characteristic Royal Art Lodge work. In Los Angeles, Pylypchuk developed a signature style of his own. Charmingly clumsy, his collages show rips, frays, and glue-gun dots. Though they have been generically compared to Muppets, his characters remind me more of Bill the Cat from the comic strip “Bloom County.” Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed once described his Bill the Cat as an “attempt to create a character so repulsive that it would have absolutely no merchandising potential.” In Pylypchuk’s art, as with Ugly Dolls and the characters of South Park, we identify with the satires of our own follies. The exhibition at Blaffer Gallery includes a sampling of Pylypchuk’s works from graduate school on. The collage you are going to feel like shit tomorrow / i feel like shit right now (2005) depicts a barbaric world in which the odds are stacked against the young. The warning is the best sage guidance a younger degenerate can hope to get. In this collage, as in others by Pylypchuk, the parental figure embodies a live-and-let-learn mentality, offering nonjudgmental advice in a nonchalant way that disregards normal social values. In blame yourself fuckface / yeah i’m blaming you (2005), a couple of evil fabric constructions — one with a bloody gauze pad draped across its face — argue in front of a snowy backdrop. Their words, lightly inscribed in miniature pencil prints, display an easy betrayal and rough reminder that only the strong survive. A seemingly misfortunate feline is exposed as a fraud in cut the act you phony cripple / you try living with your legs bent up (2005), reminding me of the opening scenes

in the 1983 comedy Trading Places, in which Eddie Murphy’s character kneels to appear legless in a panhandling scam. Here, the mangy cat stumbles along in a junk-pile wheelchair, seemingly constructed in shop class, with two spindly crutches. Rather than give away his loose change, a passerby snarkblame yourself fuckface / yeah i’m blaming you, 2005 ily exposes the Mixed media on paper con, while the 19 3/4 x 18 inches Courtesy of the artist cat delivers an equally curt retort. All pathetic creatures indeed. Pylypchuk seems to gain a sense of catharsis from chronicling the stories of the everyday absurd. His concoction of dry one-liners or traded insults and his boundless fantasies assume the burden of many personal stories. By employing humor, he makes one empathize and even fall in love — as I have done — with deplorable figures in a bleak, disharmonious world. Daniel Fuller, Senior Program Specialist, Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative Jon Pylypchuk is organized by Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of 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 and Houston Endowment Inc.

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Blaffer Gallery; honoree Claudia Schmuckli, director and chief curator of the museum, with her husband Matthew Drutt; incoming board chair Gordon Goodman and his wife Gatsonia; outgoing board chair Russell Sherrill and his wife Lisa; and a host of other art world luminaries.

Blaffer Gallery hosted its annual benefit gala on Friday evening, May 15, 2009. RenGen Remix raised just over $100,000 to help further Blaffer’s mission to present intellectually stimulating exhibitions that promote a spirit of investigation, collaboration, and dialogue. Held at the New World Museum, the event attracted 225 supporters. The evening began at 8 p.m. with margaritas, beer, and wine, plus a buffet dinner catered by Armandos. Guests had their choice of entrees — grilled barbecue ribs or chicken and steak fajitas — served with sweet fried plantains, shrimp cocktail, and nachos topped with chili con queso. Dessert included cream-filled churros and other pastries. During the first two hours of the event, guests danced to the sounds of Houston Cuban band Siákara and bid on works in the silent auction. At 10 p.m., the evening spiced up when after-hours ticket holders arrived and DJ Patrick Drew began spinning energetic dance music. In addition to gala hosts Judy and Scott Nyquist, Patrick Drew, Karen and Steve Farber, Ryan Gordon, Michelle Aviña and Steven Hempel, and José Solis, special guests included John Antel, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost for the University of Houston, and his wife Susan; honoree Leonardo Drew, exhibiting artist at 8

This year’s theme was rebirth and regeneration, corresponding to topics found in Blaffer’s summer exhibition Existed: Leonardo Drew. In this, his first mid-career retrospective, the artist used media such as rust, wood, and paper to suggest the cyclical nature of existence. Further conveying this idea, many of the works in the exhibition literally incorporated parts of earlier works. Yet, new beginnings were not limited to the art found at Blaffer: Schmuckli assumed directorship of the museum early in 2009 and Goodman begins his new role as board chair this fall. Pictures from the event are available at the photographer’s website. Go to https://www.pwlstudio.com/webprints to view them, enter the login information (registration is free), and then click on “Blaffer Gallery New World Museum 2009.05.15.”

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1. Jana Cothren, Russell Sherrill, Judy Nyquist, and Lisa Sherrill (left to right) 2. Jo and Jim Furr 3. Claudia Schmuckli (left), Shirley Rose, and Leonardo Drew 4. Katy and Michael Casey 5. Penelope and Lester Marks 6. Michelle AviĂąa and Steven Hempel 7. Kim Baldwin and Ryan Gordon 8. Susan and John Antel 9. Patrick Drew 10. Gordon Goodman 11. Stephan Farber, David Ashley White, and Alan Austin (left to right) 12. JosĂŠ Solis (left) and Matthew Drutt (right)

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artist contrives environments that anticipate new sociocultural platforms for experiencing and interacting with our surroundings. Following in the tradition of architects and theorists such as R. Buckminster Fuller, Peter Cook, Yona Friedman, and other visionaries, Saraceno looks to scientific principles and technological innovations to develop ideas for future sustainable communities and new models for social interactions. Conceived by the artist as an entire organism, the exhibition Lighter than Air closely integrates the displayed works formally and structurally to create a network of relationships as well as illustrate the breadth of his practice.

Tomás Saraceno: Lighter than Air January 16 – March 27, 2010 This winter Blaffer Gallery presents Tomás Saraceno: Lighter than Air. Organized by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and showcasing Saraceno’s installations, sculptures, and photographs made since 2003, the touring exhibition is the artist’s first large-scale museum presentation in the United States. By reexamining the conventions of art and architecture, and their capacities, Saraceno suggests imaginative solutions to complex questions about how we populate and coexist in the world. His architectural proposals use the interdependencies of systems to ponder ecological questions that go beyond the natural world. Specifically, the

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Two of the works in the exhibition will be powered by solar panels connected to a web of wires, receivers, and generators. One is 32SW Stay Green/Flying Garden/Air-Port-City (2007), a self-sustainable greenhouse outfitted with an irrigation system that waters grass on a cluster of inflatable spheres. Also on view are photographs as well as a wallsized drawing, Air-Port-City (2009), depicting the artist’s vision for a floating city. Challenging concepts of nationhood and land ownership with his freely flying cities, Saraceno has created an urban form where residents are not bound to geopolitical borders. Tomás Saraceno was born in Tucamán, Argentina, in 1973, and lives in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Tomás Saraceno: Lighter than Air is organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. The exhibition is made possible by generous support from John Taft. Additional support is provided by the Harpo Foundation. Tomás Saraceno’s artist residency at the Walker was made possible by the Nimoy Foundation. Artist materials were provided by 3M.

32SW Stay Green/Flying Garden/Air-Port-City, 2007 Pillows with pressurized air, webbing, black felt, grass, flexible solar panels, electrical cables, battery, solar pump, water supply system 192 15/16 inches, diameter Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York


special f e atu re

Jim Love One of Texas’s most celebrated artists, Jim Love was born in Amarillo in 1927 and earned a bachelor’s in Business Administration from Baylor University in 1952. But a theater class Love had enrolled in while at Baylor inspired the future artist to change his career path. After moving to Houston in 1953, Love made his living first by designing sets and lighting for local theater companies, and then by installing exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. His engagement with the Houston art world exposed him to artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Jean Tinguely. It was also during these formative years that Love met influential local artists, as well began his longtime friendship with arts patron Dominique de Menil. In 1957, Love started to pursue a career as an artist, making works from found objects and scrap metal. Collectors quickly embraced his work, first exhibited locally and then appearing in the 1961 landmark exhibition The Art of Assemblage at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, which featured artists such as Georges Braque, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and fellow Texan Robert Rauschenberg. Love’s work mixed folk and pop art styles with repeating imagery of bears, flowers, and birds — formal elements that would be signature trademarks in his art throughout his career. Portable Trojan Bear, his first public commission for the city of Houston, was installed in 1974 at the CAMH, although it now resides in Hermann Park. Many local residents are familiar with his pumpjack/airplane sculpture Call Ernie, installed at Hobby Airport, which was commissioned in 1985. The first survey of Love’s work was co-organized by Dominique de Menil and Rice University in 1980. The year after Love’s death in 2005, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston opened a major retrospective of his work. He bequeathed his art to the Menil Collection.

Jim Love created Landscape with Blue Trees for the University of Houston in 1983. It is located in the courtyard of the Cullen College of Engineering just south of the Architecture Building on the central campus. The sculpture consists of a peculiar, six-foot tall, blue-spotted red bird (wearing a fisherman’s hat) that stands between two sixteen-foot tall, abstract, geometric steel trees painted blue. (Love collaborated with the College of Engineering on the construction of the trees.) Landscape with Blue Trees is different from most of Love’s work because it is not one discrete object. Instead it is a sculptural environment where viewers can interact with the various elements. This quirky, humorous artwork is a favorite among many on campus. Michael Guidry, Curator, University of Houston Public Art Collection

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Listen While You Look Learning about the exhibitions on display is now easier than ever. By downloading a podcast of the exhibiting artist’s comments, dialing into the free cell phone tour, or following behind a knowledgeable docent, you can get an insightful, behind-the-scenes look at the current exhibitions. To access the podcasts or register for a guided tour, visit www.blaffergallery.org. To listen to the cell tour, simply dial 713.481.2811 from any phone and follow the voice prompts.

Members of the UH Black Alumni Association at the Artist and Curator’s Talk for Existed: Leonardo Drew

Summer Programs Bring New Speakers, Audiences Each season, the museum brings in guest speakers to present their viewpoints on current exhibitions. This summer was no exception. On June 3, professional artist and educator Patrick Renner (M.F.A., Alfred University; B.F.A., Kansas City Art Institute) led the Existed: Leonardo Drew Brown Bag Gallery Tour, guiding guests through the exhibition and providing his interpretation of the process and inspiration behind the work. The Existed: Leonardo Drew Artist and Curator’s Talk on June 24 was led by Leonardo Drew and Director and Chief Curator Claudia Schmuckli. Co-hosted by the UH Black Alumni Association and attended by more than 100 people, the event gave visitors an in-depth view of the exhibition’s realization and the artist’s creative practice.

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Children participate in the “archeological dig” during the Summer Arts Workshops

Kids are “Lost and Found” at Summer Arts In June, our popular children’s summer program, Summer Arts Workshops, provided an engaging summer experience for seventy children ages 6–12. Entitled “Lost and Found,” this year’s program was led by Patrick Renner and featured projects inspired by themes found in Leonardo Drew’s Blaffer exhibition. Among other activities, students made recycled paper, collectively painted Jackson Pollock-style drip paintings, and built sculptures with items found in an “archeological dig.”


E Du cation/de v e lopm e nt

Blaffer Welcomes New Board Members, Says Farewell to Those Who Finished Their Terms

Carol and Dave Fleming

Blaffer Gallery would like to welcome three new board members to the family. Businesswoman and artist Carol Fleming, and educators Susan Snider Osterberg and Christine Spin, begin their first term in September. Sue Porretto also rejoins the board this fall. Welcome!

Blaffer Members Take Day Trip to San Antonio In July, Blaffer Gallery took members on a day trip to San Antonio for guided tours of Artpace, the Linda Pace Collection and CHRISpark, Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, and the Unit B, Sala Diaz, and Lawrence Markey galleries. This memorable, rare experience — the Linda Pace Collection isn’t even open to the public — is but one of many that Blaffer will continue to bring to its members. To ensure your membership is current and you don’t miss these exclusive opportunities, contact Jeff Bowen at 713.743.9528 or jbowen2@uh.edu.

But this news is bittersweet as four very special board members leave us at the conclusion of their terms in August. David Buck, Claudia Hatcher, Andrew McFarland, Jane Scott (left) with Christine and Jan Spin and Lester Marks have given of themselves in so many ways over the past six years. You will all be missed. National and Local Groups Show Support for Blaffer Blaffer Gallery is proud to announce a recent generous grant from the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation in support of Gabriel Kuri: Nobody needs to know the price of your Saab, as well as in-kind support from Neiman Marcus for the exhibition Josephine Meckseper. We also extend our thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts for its recent gift in support of staff salaries through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We are deeply appreciative and extend our thanks to all for recognizing the importance of exhibitions and programs that operate on the cutting edge of contemporary culture.

Blaffer Gallery members tour CHRISpark and the Linda Pace Collection (housed at 114 Camp Street, seen in the background) in San Antonio

2009/2010 Annual Fund to Focus on Education Blaffer Gallery is gearing up for its annual appeal, centered this year on Blaffer’s Art Focus education program. Please help us to reach our 2009/2010 Annual Fund goal of $50,000. Be on the lookout for more information soon. As usual, you can donate online through the giving website of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences at https://giving.uh.edu/class/, or contact Susan Conaway at 713.743.9537 or seconaway@uh.edu. 13


B laf f e r Par tn e rs LEAD SPONSORS The City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Houston Endowment, Inc. The City of Houston through the National Endowment for the Arts through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act PROGRAM PARTNERS Baker Hughes Foundation Allen Bennett MD The Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation Marita and JB Fairbanks Harpo Foundation Institute of Museum and Library Services Linda Pace Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Louisa Stude Sarofim Sikkema Jenkins & Co. Travelers Foundation University of Houston Student Fees Advisory Committee The Visionary Initiatives Fund Vicky and Don Eastveld, Miranda and Dan Wainberg, Founding Members DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE John P. McGovern Foundation Lester Marks and Penelope Gonzalez Marks Jane Blaffer Owen Red Claw LLC Shirley and Don Rose Chris and Don Sanders DIRECTOR’S PARTNERS Andrews Kurth LLP Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Linda and Simon Eyles Jo and Jim Furr Gastonia and Gordon Goodman Kinder Morgan Foundation Jeanne and Michael Klein Cornelia and Meredith Long Gretchen and Andrew McFarland Nancy and Robert Martin Sallie Morian and Michael Clark Guillermo Nicolas The Nightingale Code Foundation Judy and Scott Nyquist Richard Stodder Charitable Foundation Lisa and Russell Sherrill Texas Commission on the Arts The TOBY Fund 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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VISIONARY PARTNERS Anonymous Donor Emily Baker and Gerardo Amelio William Betts Buck Family Foundation Kristen and David Buck Dr. Fran Sicola Cardwell Katy and Michael Casey Karen and Stephan Farber The Fifth Floor Foundation Victor B. Flatt Flemish Government Claudia and David Hatcher Dorene and Frank Herzog Ann Jackson Melanie Marino Meyer & Ira Gordon Foundation The Michael & Rebecca Cemo Foundation Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. The Mitsui USA Foundation Morgan Family Fund Meg and Nelson Murray Occidental Energy Marketing, Inc. Jennifer Smith and Peter Ragauss Karen and Scott Rozzell Stanford and Joan Alexander Foundation Stephen W. and Marilyn R. Miles Foundation Cynthia Toles Joanne and Derby Wilson FOUNDING PARTNERS CenterPoint Energy Claudia Schmuckli and Matthew Drutt Dr. Roger Eichhorn Marion Barthelme-Fort and Jeff Fort Global Impact for UBS Foundation Pablo and Maria Henning Christopher C. Hill David Jameson Scott Sparvero Helen W. Drutt-English and Mr. H. Peter Stern THE MARTHA MEIER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND Andrew T. Anton Lavinia and Stephen Boyd Mary Ann and Robert Brezina Linda Buchanan Peggy and Thomas Caskey Grayson Cecil Michael Chmiel Sallie Morian and Michael Clark Mabeth and Kenneth Coleman Nancy and Bert Corkill Joan K. Bruchas and H. Philip Cowdin Dean DeVoss Dianne and Robert Edmonson Jennifer Fichter Carol and Dave Fleming Michael France

Cathy Coers and Jay Frank Edward Gomulka Caroline Caskey Goodner Paul D. Grossbard Amir Halevy Warren Haley Tissy and Rusty Hardin Helene and Tod Harding Adana and Chris Haynes Marilyn Hermance Bonnie Hibbert Julia Jervis and O.L. Kirkpatrick Billie Koetter Jim Kollaer Shirley A. Kopecky William Lewis Linda and David Lynn Gundula McCandless Terry S. Mahaffey Marsha Amdur Malev Pat Malone Marie Mansour-Partridge Martha Meier Family Estate Clark Martin Nancy and Robert Martin Emily Miller Betty Moody Nancy and Lucian Morrison National School of Public Relations Association Nolan-Rankin Galleries, Inc. Marilyn O’Connor and Don Gill Custom Homes Monica and Mark Oathout Janet and Tony Parisi Ada Perry Terri and David Peterson Earline Jones and Mike Prescott Sally and Norman Reynolds Norma and Davis Richardson David W. Roark Shirley and Donald Rose Billie and John Schneider Natalie C. Schwarz Carolyn and Calvin Simpson Mary Ann and Neal Simpson Gina and Kenneth Sones Grayson and John Stokes Gwyn and Tolis Thanos Ann and David Tomatz Corinne and Charles Tracy Peggy Vineyard and Jim Pruitt Mary Faye and Peter Way Linda J. Webb Nancy and Jim Willerson Clinton T. Willour Dorothy Wright William A. Zugheri IN-KIND Armandos Bergner and Johnson Design Melissa Borrell Bright Star Productions, Inc. The Center for Land Use Interpretation DJ Drew

Leonardo Drew Masterson Design Josephine Meckseper Mixed Emotions Fine Art Neiman Marcus Peel Gallery Jonathan Pylypchuk Saint Arnold Brewing Company Tootsie’s Tupelo Grease Co. RECENT GIFTS (As of July 21, 2009) Claire and Doug Ankenman, Jr. Aaron Ball Cindi Strauss and Chris Ballou Toni and Jeffery Beauchamp Wirt Blaffer Mary C. Broussard Laurence C. Burns, Jr. William E. Colburn Edward B. Cooper Patricia Cravens Susie and Sanford Criner Collette and William Durbin Katherine Easterby Catherine Essinger Richard D. Fish Cullen Geiselman Wayne Gilbert Gaelyn Godwin Jonathan Glus Robert T. Greenstein Mary Heathcott Artie Lee Hinds Rose Hochner Kim and Mike Howard Leslie and Mark Hull Fredericka Hunter Kerry Inman Helen B. Joyner Joan and Marvin Kaplan Mr. and Mrs. I. H. Kempner, III Mimi Kilgore Kinzelman Art Consulting Alixe Laughlin Helen Lessick Liza and Lee Littlefield Brett Littman Anstis and Victor Lundy Nancy Luton Mackay and Associates Megan Malone Matilda Melnick Melissa Miller Peel Gallery Beth and Wayne Pickett Beverly and Howard Robinson Tracy Robinson John Royall Safeway, Inc. Candace Schlief Brian Shaw Leigh and Reggie Smith Barbara and Tom Solis José Solis Trisha Tanner

Gabriela Trzebinski Lillian and Bob Warren Eleanor Williams Clint Willour Xiaojing Yuan


B laf f e r G alle ry Par tn e rship s $35+ Community Partner

$250+ Leading Partner

$2,500+ Corporate or Director’s Partner

• 10% discount on museum catalogues and purchases • Advance notice to all exhibition previews, lectures and events • Invitations to select museum programs • Subscription to Blaffer Gallery’s newsletter, Newsline

All of Supporting Partner benefits plus: • Complimentary copy of any one Blaffer Gallery publication • Invitation to two special events organized by Blaffer Gallery

All of Visionary Partner benefits plus • Complimentary copies of select exhibition catalogues • Recognition on promotional literature for twelve months • Special cocktail reception with the Director

$100+ Supporting Partner All of Community Partner benefits plus: • 25% discount on museum catalogues and purchases • Invitation to one special event organized by Blaffer Gallery • Invitation to members-only day trip and travel opportunities

$500+ Founding Partner All of Leading Partner benefits plus: • Complimentary copy of any one exhibition catalogue • Recognition in Newsline

$1,000+ Visionary Partner All of Founding Partner benefits plus: • Invitation to private events to meet visiting artists and curators • Recognition on the museum’s entry wall

$5,000+ Corporate or Director’s Circle All of Corporate or Director’s Partner benefits plus: • The opportunity to host a private function at Blaffer Gallery • Dinner with the Director for two

Exclusive benefits for $10,000+ Program Partners, $25,000+ Major Contributors, and $50,000+ Lead Sponsors are available. Please call 713.743.9537.

M e mb e rship –  Join th e B laf f e r ❑ New Membership

❑ Renewal Membership

Name (please print name as you would like to be listed)

❑ A check for made payable to University of Houston Blaffer Gallery is enclosed. ❑ Credit Card Number (MC, VISA, AmEx.,Disc.)

Address

City State Zip

Email

❑ Supporting Partner $100+ ❑ Leading Partner $250+

Expiration Date

❑ Founding Partner $500+

Name (as it appears on card)

❑ Visionary Partner $1,000+

Signature

❑ Corporate or Director’s Partner $2,500+ ❑ Corporate or Director’s Circle $5,000+

Phone Fax

❑ Community Partner $35+

Please complete and mail to:

Membership Office Blaffer Gallery, The Art Museum of the University of Houston 120 Fine Arts Building • Houston, TX 77204-4018

ABCAE 00730⁄4041⁄H0097⁄C0717⁄NA⁄41311-42904

For more information call 713.743.9528 or visit us online at www.blaffergallery.org


Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Houston, TX Permit No. 5910

Jon Pylypchuk September 12 – November 14, 2009 2009 School of Art Annual Student Exhibition December 5 – 19, 2009 Tomás Saraceno: Lighter than Air January 16 – March 27, 2010 2010 School of Art Masters Thesis Exhibition April 10 – 24, 2010

For information call

713.743.9530 or visit us online at www.blaffergallery.org

Entrance 16 Cullen Boulevard

From I-45 South

Location

Parking

Blaffer Gallery is located in the Fine Arts Building on the University of Houston’s central campus, Entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard, near the intersection of Cullen and Elgin.

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.

Directions

Hours

From Downtown and points North: ntown Ho

uston

Elgin Avenue

Blaffer Gallery

To Do w

Exhibitions

Josephine Meckseper September 12 – November 14, 2009

45 From I-45 North

Open Tuesday – Saturday. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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.

Closed on Sundays, Mondays, and University holidays.

From points South: Take I-45 North towards Downtown. Exit #44A Elgin-Lockwood⁄Cullen Boulevard and continue on feeder road. Turn left onto Cullen Boulevard. Turn left into Entrance 16.

Front Cover :

Top: Josephine Meckseper Untitled (%), 2005 Mixed media on wooden shelves 111 x 320 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches Courtesy of the artist and Elizabeth Dee, New York Photo by Tom Powel Imaging Inc., NY

All exhibitions and related programs are free and open to the public. The museum is ADA compliant.

Bottom: Jon Pylypchuk good morning tiger, 2002 (detail) Mixed media Height: variable, base: 113 x 53 inches Courtesy of the artist


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