INTRODUCTION

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

MARILYN LAUFER, PhD

INTRODUCTION

As we begin our 15th year of serving the Auburn University campus and regional community, we want to take the opportunity to reflect upon the innumerable activities of this past year and to recognize and thank the many students, faculty, volunteers, museum members and patrons who have participated in and supported these efforts. Making each visitor’s experience exceptional and meaningful is a primary objective of our strategic plan. As you peruse these pages, we hope you agree that even though we were closed for renovations for four months, we have successfully met our goals.

Central to all we do is JCSM’s exhibition program which reflects our sincere commitment to address a wide spectrum of relevant ideas in an often perplexing and ever-shifting environment. This was evidenced in our exhibition of eight video artists entitled Camera Lucida. Viewing videos is an entirely different museum experience that demands a commitment of time on the part of our audiences, something that only happens if the work is compelling and engaging which these were. The museum explored pop cultural references and underlying ethnic differences in the exhibition Jiha Moon: Double Welcome, Most Everyone’s Mad Here. The work of this Korean-American artist exploded expectations of traditional imagery and stereotypic myths engaging viewers to consider and question their personal perceptions and understanding of art. Finally, we also challenged audiences to contemplate issues of racial violence, the urgent need for change and the possibility of healing and redemption with the exhibition, Leo Twiggs: Requiem for Mother Emanuel. Dr. Twiggs’ creation of nine works of art, one for each victim of the 2015 murders that took place at a Bible study class in Charleston, South Carolina, seized our hearts and minds and helped open an honest and vital dialogue across our community and campus. With the ongoing support of donors and our 1072 Society, we continue to see the legacy of the museum’s collections as a visual arts educational resource evolve to serve our students and faculty. Some of the more outstanding pieces that have entered the collection during this period include an anonymous gift of a 1986 painting/wall relief by Sam Gilliam entitled Leah’s Other Rabbit and a staged largescale 1991 color photograph by Sandy Skoglund entitled Gathering Paradise, a gift of the parents of Carr Kortan McCuiston ’85.

Preparing an annual report ensures that we examine what the museum has achieved and directs us to consider the future. After 12 years serving as the director of JCSM I take this to heart. First and foremost I want to properly acknowledge the many people who have made our successes possible through their continued generosity. As I prepare to retire this summer I am grateful to all of you for your part in making our university art museum the tremendous cultural asset it is. It is all of you, the people who love and support this flourishing institution who I will miss most. I am certain that our museum will continue to provide significant educational, inspirational and challenging experiences as well as meet your expectations in every way.

INTRODUCTION

EXTREME MAKEOVER: MUSEUM EDITION

The museum underwent some extensive renovations during the summer of 2017 that necessitated the museum be closed for four months. While closing the museum for the summer was a challenge, our staff used the time as an opportunity to engage our diverse audiences through outreach. We knew the closure was worth the effort after hearing our visitor feedback in September. The improved acoustics in the Grand Gallery, Helen and Dwight Carlisle Lobby and Rotunda are phenomenal. Fewer reverberations make these public areas much more userfriendly. Eating in our Museum Café is a whole new and even more enjoyable experience, and the late afternoon western light exposure is considerably less than it was before. We also took the opportunity to lower and clean the Dale Chihuly glass sculpture, Amber Luster Chandelier, which has never looked better. The acoustics project was made possible in part with allocations

from the Office of the Provost, the Facilities division, museum endowments and past events like Art in Bloom. Private donors like Carolyn and Nick Davis and Julian Haynes also supported the improvements.

Being closed to the public for renovations also allowed us to use the galleries as temporary art storage while we made some long-needed updates to the permanent collection storage areas. With the input of curatorial staff, we were able to redo the art vault area and secure 75% more storage within the same footprint, which will allows us to continue to grow in that area over the next 15 to 20 years.

And though it actually happened during the summer of 2016, another important improvement was hard-surfacing the walkways in the immediate garden areas to the north and south of the central entrance to JCSM. As we improved the Susan Phillips Gardens, we realized that the original pea gravel walkways were not wheelchair accessible and it was in part through the generosity of Julian Haynes that we were able to rectify the situation. We thankfully acknowledge all that Julian did for JCSM while he was alive and will always remember him for his humor and generosity. He truly believed that art changes lives.