EXHIBITIONS Our yearlong celebration of the arts in Alabama concludes with the works of thought-provoking contemporary artists and historic 19th-century Alabama ceramics. Visit the museum this fall to view the repurposed sculpture of Auburn alumna Janet Nolan, the compelling interplay of poetry and visual arts in The Unfolding Center, the magnificent Southern pottery featured in our 1072 Society exhibition and the return of our biennial outdoor sculpture exhibition,
Through January 5, 2020
Out of the Box.
PLEASE PLAY AGAIN The Art of Janet Nolan
Louise Hauss and David Brent Miller Audubon Galleries
C E L E B R AT I N G T H E A R T S
Janet Nolan takes discarded, commonplace objects found on the streets of Manhattan—from aluminum cans to tin Altoid cases to colorful plastic bottle caps—and repurposes them into whimsical sculptural works inspired by the objects Presented in part with generous support from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Alabama Bicentennial Commission.
themselves. The Montgomery native and Auburn alumna’s installations reveal art’s power to redeem Janet Nolan, Cancan (detail), 2010, recycled plastic bottle caps, wire and straws. BOTTOM: Janet Nolan with High Tide in progress, 2015. TOP:
and elevate the everyday items our world typically casts aside.
Through January 12, 2020
THE UNFOLDING CENTER
Art and Poetry by Susan York and Arthur Sze Noel and Kathryn Wadsworth and Chi Omega–Hargis Galleries
In 2010, poet Arthur Sze and artist Susan York collaborated on a project pairing linguistics and visual media. The result, The Unfolding Center, is a sequence of 11 densely layered graphite-on-paper diptychs by York paired alongside Sze’s polyvocal verses. Together, the works represent their independent interpretations of critical lines of tension. Susan York; photo by Eric Swanson.
October 4, 2019—October 4, 2020
OUT OF THE BOX: A JURIED OUTDOOR SCULPTURE EXHIBITION Juried by Patrick Dougherty Arts District grounds
This year’s Out of the Box exhibition—the fourth in our biennial showcase of outdoor sculpture—is our most captivating yet, with 15 new works displayed on the grounds of both the museum and the new Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center. Selected artists from across the country will present concurrently with world-acclaimed environmental sculptor Patrick Kevin Vanek (Mississippi, b. 1987), The Screws that we Lose are the Hardest to Replace, 2012, aluminum and bronze; Roger Halligan (South Carolina, b. 1948), O K Buoy, 2009, steel, Portland concrete products, and paint; Hanna Jubran (North Carolina, b. 1952), 3 Planets, 2019, steel, stainless steel, and paint. LEFT TO RIGHT:
November 19, 2019—February 2, 2020
VESSELS AND THEIR VOICES The Legacy of Alabama Pottery Bill L. Harbert Gallery and Gallery C
1072 Society campaign co-chairs Guin Robinson and Tim Parker’s generous gift of two exquisite 19th-century pieces of Alabama pottery inspired the collecting focus for this year’s 1072 Society exhibition. Relics of Alabama’s agricultural past, these graceful, utilitarian works speak to an artistic heritage deeply resonant of our region’s history and culture. Vessels and Their Voices marks more than a decade of exhibitions and collections stewardship supported by the 1072 Society. To learn more about how you can support the 1072 Society and other programs at the museum, contact Leah O’Gwynn at 334.844.1287 or leah.ogwynn@auburn.edu. LEFT TO RIGHT, BACK ROW: Zachar y (Zachariah) Taylor “Zack” Usser y, Bacon Level, Randolph Co., AL, single loop handle one-gallon jug, ca. 1890—1910, salt glaze over Albany slip; Attributed to Cicero Demosthenes Hudson, Hickory Flat, Chambers Co., AL, single loop handle syrup jug, ca. 1850s—70s, alkaline glaze with iron oxide; Attributed to Jackson Cogburn/Joseph Rushton s hop, Cedric, Randolph Co., AL, double lug handle jar, ca. 1841—43, ash/alkaline glaze; LEFT TO RIGHT, FRONT ROW: Pittman Brothers, Rock Mills, Randolph Co., AL, pitcher, 1900—10, salt glaze over Albany slip; J e s s i e J a m e s We a t h e r s , Ro c k M i ll s , Ra n d o l p h Co. , A L , s h av i n g m u g , 19 0 4 , s a l t g l aze ove r A l b a ny s l i p; William Davis “Will” Pound shop, Rock Mills, Randolph Co., AL, single loop handle jug, 1890—1910, salt glaze with cobalt streak.
Dougherty, who will create and debut a fantastical, site-specific installation for the museum.