PRESENTED BY THE RICHARD AND CAROLE COCKS ART MUSEUM
MAJOR GIFT AND NAMING
PAGES 8-9
SPRING 2023 | VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2
FEATURED EXHIBITIONS
PAGES 12-15
HIESTAND GALLERIES
PAGES 20-21
EVENTS AT A GLANCE
PAGES 26-27
PRESENTED BY THE RICHARD AND CAROLE COCKS ART MUSEUM
MAJOR GIFT AND NAMING
PAGES 8-9
SPRING 2023 | VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2
FEATURED EXHIBITIONS
PAGES 12-15
HIESTAND GALLERIES
PAGES 20-21
EVENTS AT A GLANCE
PAGES 26-27
What a year! It was wonderful to have so much activity and energy in the museum this last semester as we proudly displayed and celebrated two of my favorite types of exhibitions (ok I love them all): photographs and student work! The year ended on a high note with our exciting news of a major gift from our longtime donor Richard Cocks. What a way to end a fantastic year! Other highlights for me personally were celebrating the student exhibition and one particular program that I will NEVER forget! If reliving the story of Freedom Summer through the lens of legendary photographer Steven Schapiro wasn't powerful enough, then standing amongst his works with a gallery full of people singing "This Little Light of Mine" blew me away! I always love it when music makes its way into the exhibition-viewing experience! Another exciting project has been working with the student content team as we ramped up our video content strategy which included us diving into TikTok! Lastly, we added two new colleagues to our team and they have been FANTASTIC to work with - thank you Stevie and Hope for your teamwork and fresh new ideas! I share here our most recent staff picture with one of my favorite sculptures, Barnswallow by recent Sculpture
Lifetime Achievement award winner Deborah Butterfield. We ALL look forward to seeing you at the museum this Spring!
From the Director
About the Art Museum
Upcoming Exhibitions
Collection News: 2022 Highlights
Major Gift and Naming
McGuffey Moments
Student Highlight: Jillian Schwab
Exhibition: Current Forms
Exhibition: Experiencing the Divine
Featured Docent: Ellen Buerk
Hiestand Galleries
Ongoing Exhibitions
In
Frank Jordan
Visual Arts at Miami (VAAM) is a bi-annual publication of the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum showcasing visual arts at Miami University for members and the arts community.
Distributed to the sustaining members of the Art Museum and placed in coffee shops and arts centers, Visual Arts at Miami is also available digitally through the companion blog at blogs.MiamiOH.edu/VisualArts.
Check the back cover for a detailed map, contact information and hours.
On the cover: Edward Henry Potthast (American, 1857-1927)
Sailing Canoes on a Beach, ca. 1920; Oil on canvas mounted on fiberboard, 8 1/2 x 11 inches; Gift of Richard and Carole Cocks, 2022.19
Art MuseumWe’re pleased to share this magazine with you as we look forward to exciting exhibitions and public programs this Spring. In recognition of a major gift towards a future renovation and expansion, we have a new name: the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, which honors long standing supporters Richard and his late wife Carole. Looking back, 2022 was a major year for artwork acquisitions with gifts from Richard Cocks among others, including a painting by Elizabeth Nourse, which strengthens our collections of works by 19th and early 20th century Ohio women artists.
Our Fall 2022 exhibitions particularly engaged new audiences. I won’t ever forget the inspirational Professor of Music Tammy Kernodle at the Freedom Sounds event, which included us linking arms and singing together among civil rights photographs by Steve Schapiro. A memorable occasion was our unveiling of our museum’s Land Acknowledgment panel with members of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Myaamia Center as part of Miami University’s FOCUS on Tribal Sovereignty at the Student Response Exhibition awards. The exhibition PhotOH: Photographers in the Heartland allowed for regional contemporary photographers to display their work and reach new audiences as part of the FotoFocus Biennial. We also have a lot to look forward to with exhibitions this Spring – Current Forms: Ohio Figurative Ceramics and Experiencing the Divine: Devotional Practices of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. These exhibitions and associated programs will be a great source of creativity, inspiration, and reflection.
We remain committed to high standards in the quality of educational programs, collections, and exhibitions, while fulfilling our core mission as a teaching museum. Our recent re-accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the national gold standard for
museums is testament to our ongoing commitment to excellence. While we retain our mission, vision, and values, our recent major gift provides an opportunity to look to new horizons. It’s long been our vision to be a regional leader contributing to the educational and cultural enrichment of Miami University and Southwest Ohio communities. Now, through this gift, we will aspire to become a more widely recognized leader among the best college art museums across the country. To help achieve this goal, we’ll be seeking further support for our building renovation and expansion project, as well as funds to endow a future Associate Curator of Education.
We continue to celebrate global artistic and cultural diversity, and behind the scenes, as part of the College of Creative Arts, we’ve been hard at work with team members, students, university colleagues, and advisory bodies on the topic of diversity and inclusion, resulting in our Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI) statement and commitments. We look forward to an exciting and enriching year, and we want to have you be part of our community and part of the conversation. Looking forward to a fulfilling year filled with art and ideas!
John (Jack) D.M. Green Jeffrey Horrell ‘75 and Rodney Rose Director and Chief Curator of the Richard and Carole Cocks Art MuseumThe Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, completed in 1978 as the Miami University Art Museum, was designed by Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in Chicago, and is situated on three acres of scenic sculpture park grounds. It houses five galleries of changing exhibitions and a growing permanent collection of more than 17,500 artworks. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and is a proud member of the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM).
Where is the Art Museum on Campus?
For starters, you can’t miss the large, industrial red sculpture by Mark di Suvero on the front lawn. The Art Museum is also just a 7-minute walk from the Armstrong Student Center, diagonally across from Tappan Hall, at the intersection of S. Patterson Ave. and Chestnut St., right when you enter Oxford off of State Route 27.
What can the Art Museum do for Students?
Lots of things! The Art Museum is a great place to see diverse exhibitions and explore outstanding works of art. You can also work, intern, volunteer, join the Art Museum Student Organization (AMSO), and attend lectures and social events.
What can the Art Museum do for the Public?
The Art Museum and Sculpture Park are FREE & OPEN to ALL and is an excellent venue for exploring arts and culture from around the world. Membership in support of programs and exhibitions is available at varying levels. Each one offers a higher level of engagement with the museum via special-invitation-only events and special programs. More information on the member program is available on our website via the Members link.
Hours
Tuesday–Friday: 10 AM–5 PM Saturday: 12–5 PM
Second Wednesdays: 10 AM–8 PM
Closed: Sunday, Monday, national holidays, university closures, and during installation (more info on website.)
FREE & OPEN TO ALL!
Website
MiamiOH.edu/ArtMuseum
Location & Contact
Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum at Miami University
801 S. Patterson Ave. Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 529-2232
ArtMuseum@MiamiOH.edu
Museum Staff
Jack Green, Jeffrey Horrell ‘75 and Rodney Rose Director and Chief Curator
Hope Cook, Senior Program Assistant
David Dotson, Preparator/ Building Manager
Sherri Krazl, Marketing/ Communications
Jason E. Shaiman, Curator of Exhibitions
Laura Stewart, Collections Manager/Registrar
Stevie Woolf, Administrative Assistant
The Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum has achieved re-accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Art Museum at Miami University was initially accredited in 1984 and was the first university museum to be accredited by the AAM in Ohio. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain accredited status. To find out more about the importance and value of accreditation, please visit the AAM website.
www.aam-us.org/programs/accreditationexcellence-programs/accreditation/
Please join us in welcoming Hope Cook to the Art Museum team as Senior Program Assistant. She came to the Museum in September 2022 after working more than 20 years at McNichols Company in Texas and Florida.
In her role at the Art Museum, Hope is responsible for guest services, scheduling, and front desk operations. One favorite part of her job is working with the student workers and interns on projects and events in support of the museum’s mission.
Born in Michigan to artist Patt AuBuchon, Hope spent her early years gaining an appreciation for all forms of artistic expression. Her blended family now includes husband Fred, an alumni of Miami University, their eight children, and five grandchildren. In her free time she enjoys being with family, gardening, boating, and photography.
Please join us in welcoming Hope! We're excited to be working with you and getting to know you!
August 22–December 9, 2023
In this 8th juried Student Response Exhibition (SRE), Miami University students are called upon to creatively respond to a theme - the Environment. It's Our World, is one of two exhibitions in 2023-24 developed in conjunction with the University's FOCUS theme of Sustainability led by the Institute for Environment and Sustainability. Students will creatively reflect and respond to our changing environment, illustrating how creative expression can be used to observe, understand, represent, and draw attention to environmental issues that face individuals and the collective in this one world we share. Interpretations are subject to the student's personal perspective, major/minor, year of study, culture, age, and experiences.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a golden time for artists across Ohio. In particular, many women with strong Ohio connections, including Elizabeth Nourse, Alice Schille, and Maria Longworth Nichols Storer (founder of Rookwood Pottery) helped propel the state to national attention. It was also a remarkable time for women who gained much respect and recognition for their own artistic merits. Painting, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, and furniture and woodworking, were the most widely produced and celebrated art forms. In addition to the rise of women artists in Ohio, many important art institutes and museums were founded to promote educational opportunities and venues for public appreciation of the arts.
Representations of the past, whether real or imagined, have long been the focus of artists and craftspeople through the ages. Heritage explores how traditions have been reinvented and reimagined over time, from mythologizing to romanticizing, along with attempts to document and conserve in tandem with dismantling the past on to contemporary artists who are exploring new ways of representing, reinventing, and deconstructing cultural heritage in present day and future pasts. Heritage will feature diverse voices from Miami University faculty and external scholars who will contribute interpretive writings in response to select works relevant to the themes of the exhibition and their academic disciplines.
The Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum at Miami University was a destination for many acquisitions this past calendar year. In addition to a number of exciting purchases and a commission, the museum received a generous bequest of several items of American art by regionally significant artists along with some noteworthy East Asian ceramics and a Southeast Asian sculptural piece. Other paintings and works on paper recently added to the Art Museum’s holdings include those from the collection of the major benefactor and now namesake Richard (and his late wife Carole) Cocks. A few of these works are highlighted on the next page.
Highlights of gift in-kind donations, purchases and commissions include the following:
[1] Francisco José de Goya y Luciente (Spanish, 17461828); Hilan Delgado from the Caprichos series, c. 1797-99., etching, aquatint, drypoint and burin on laid paper, Art Museum Purchase; 2022.1
[2] Barbara Gonzales (San Ildefonso Pueblo, b. 1947) Black-on-black Pot, 1984, ceramic; Gift of Richard and Kathy Sollmann in memory of Peter Dahoda; 2022.3
[3] Rosemary Burkholder (American, 1921-2001) Sailing, date unknown, acrylic on canvas; Art Museum purchase through the Commemorative Fund, made possible by generous donations from William J. Serraino, Lisa Serraino, the Art Museum Docents, and others in memory of Barbara M. Serraino (19302021); 2022.4
Avie Biedinger (American, 1924-2017); Streetscape at Dusk, date unknown, watercolor; Art Museum purchase through the Commemorative Fund, made possible by generous donations from William J. Serraino, Lisa Serraino, the Art Museum Docents, and others in memory of Barbara M. Serraino (19302021); 2022.5 (not pictured)
[4] Richard Hamilton (British, 1922-2011); Kent State, 1970, color photo-screenprint and color screen print from 13 stencils; Art Museum purchase with support from the College of Creative Arts; 2022.6
Chief Ekpeyong Bassey Nsa (Nigerian, b. 1973); Ukara wrapped Ekpe Idem Nkanda Masquerade Costume, handdyed cloth and synthetic materials; Museum commission through the Orpha Webster Fund with support of the Provost’s Office and the College of Creative Arts at Miami University, Ralph Bresler and
Barbara Drake Bresler and William Brenner; 2022.15 (not pictured)
[5] Anne Noggle (American, 1922-2005); Agnes in a Fur Collar, 1979 (signed) silver gelatin print; Gift of Cal Kowal and Anita Douthat; 2022.36
Frank Duveneck (American, 1848-1919); Study for Reading of Tasso, circa 1884, oil on canvas; Bequest of Frank Jordan, Jr.; 2022.39 [see pg 23]
[6] Elizabeth Nourse (American, 1859-1938); Constanynouja (Ukraine), 1939, gouache with charcoal/ink on paper; Bequest of Frank Jordan, Jr.; 2022.49
[7] Romare Bearden (American, 1911-1988); Carolina Memory (Tidings) 1970-72, Ed. 65/125 (signed and numbered), screenprint; Bequest of Frank Jordan, Jr.; 2022.45
Learn more about these, other recent acquisitions and our collection of over 17,500 works on our web site at www.MiamiOH.edu/ArtMuseum. Make arrangements to study works not on view by contacting Collections Manager/Registrar Laura Stewart at (513) 529-2235 or stewarle@MiamiOH.edu.
Through a major gift, the Art Museum is now named the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum at Miami University. A naming event took place on December 2, 2022 with Miami University President Gregory Crawford, Acting Dean of the College of Creative Arts John Weigand, and Jeffrey Horrell ‘75 and Rodney Rose Director and Chief Curator Jack Green introducing Major Benefactor Richard Cocks who gave a speech during which he shared his personal experiences in collecting art. The unveiling took place in the presence of members of the Cocks family, present and former directors and staff, partners and supporters of the museum, as well as Miami University faculty, staff and students.
The total amount of the gift is private, but is the largest outright gift in the museum's history. Richard and his late wife Carole have been long-standing members and supporters of the Art Museum over many years. Since the early 1980s, the Art Museum received gifts from Richard and Carole of fine porcelain, as well as paintings and drawings largely by Ohiobased artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They also established the Richard and Carole Cocks Endowment for Art Museum Curatorial Activities in 1994.
Through this generous and transformational gift, the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum Fund will help support renovations and future expansion of the museum, as well as support acquisition and maintenance of collections. In addition to his interests in art, Richard is an engineer and has a special interest in the museum’s architecture and its setting within this unique landscape.
There's been much discussion with stakeholders and users about the kinds of enhancements that could expand our audiences, improve our exhibitions, and better preserve our collections for future generations. This provides a starting point towards a future phased project of renovation and expansion, taking into consideration the unique architecture of the Walter Netsch building and its surrounding sculpture park grounds. A key goal is for the Art Museum to become more of a destination for visitors, while fulfilling our mission as a teaching museum for the 21st century that engages in dialogue with and about visual culture.
A total of 13 works recently donated to the museum strengthen Miami University's collection of American art of the 19th and early 20th centuries by artists
from the Cincinnati region, including a portrait by Frank Duveneck, entitled Italian Girl. A painting by Elizabeth Nourse, entitled Shelter (Mother and Baby) adds to works in our collection by this important 19th century female Ohio artist. The Edward Henry Potthast painting, Standing Woman, and his painting Sailing Canoes on a Beach complement two other works by the same artist in the museum’s collection. We’re looking forward to being able to use these newly acquired works in teaching, research, and also in our exhibitions. The gift also includes four statues gifted to the College of Creative Arts (CCA).
The Art Museum and College of Creative Arts extend a huge thank you to Richard and Carole for this gift and their support over many years. This milestone sets us on course towards future enhancements to make the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum a center for excellence in collections-based teaching and a destination for exhibitions, programs and events for everyone across the university and the wider community. Watch this space for future updates!
401 E. Spring St.
Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 529-8380
Thursday-Saturday 1-5 PM
McGuffeyMuseum@MiamiOH.edu
MiamiOH.edu/McGuffey-Museum
BY STEVE GORDON, ADMINISTRATORTo the casual observer, the top hat and leather box might just be seen as period museum pieces. Yet both objects come with a compelling story. They tangibly tell the remarkable saga of Peter Bruner (1845-1938) who, after freeing himself from enslavement, served in the Union Army during the Civil War, then made Oxford his home for 73 years. Born into slavery in Clark County, KY, Bruner escaped bondage and repeated torture by enlisting in the US Heavy Artillery at Camp Nelson, KY. After moving to Oxford, Bruner married Fannie Procton in 1868 and worked as a farm laborer and quarry operator. Later, he worked as a night watchman, building maintenance engineer, and laborer for Western Female Seminary and Oxford Female College, and from 1893-1906 for Miami University.
Bruner was a beloved figure in Oxford. In 1893, Oxford College hosted a celebration in honor of the Bruner’s 25th wedding anniversary and gave the couple a set of silver. Later, in appreciation of Bruner’s service to Miami, President Thompson and Professor Roger Johnson reportedly gave Bruner the top hat and hatbox now displayed in the McGuffey House and Museum. Bruner proudly wore the hat on numerous occasions, including William Howard Taft’s visit to Miami’s Commencement in 1905.
Bruner died in 1938, five years before the Oxford NAACP was chartered. His daughter Stella Bruner Hasty placed the application for Bruner’s military headstone for his grave in Oxford’s Woodside Cemetery. Bruner’s life story is notable, beginning when the nation was half enslaved, passing through civil war and racial segregation, and ending with his being recognized by Verlin Pulley as Oxford’s “Mayor for a Day” in 1938.
Bruner’s life story is compelling because of his fortitude in overcoming brutality while enslaved, his hardships during the Civil War, and the years of demanding physical labor. “You certainly have a wonderful disposition,” wrote President Hughes to Bruner in 1925, “to be the cheerful optimistic fellow you have always been after living the first twenty years of your life as you did.” Whether among family, friends, and students, Bruner was able to touch many people, black and white. He epitomized Lincoln’s memorable words “With malice toward none; and charity for all…”
The Art Museum is so excited to introduce Jillian Schwab, the inaugural McClure Textile Fellow. The Fellowship was made possible by the Jerry W. and Frances McClure Fund for Preservation of the Textile Collection.
Upon learning of being named the McClure Textile Fellow for 2022-23, Jillian expressed her sincere gratitude for the opportunity. “I am just thrilled,” she said. Majoring in anthropology and minoring in both fashion and museums and society, Jillian will graduate with a unique experiential learning opportunity under her belt.
During Fall semester, Jillian conducted inventories of the garment boxes, documenting states of condition, taking photographs and updating database and hardcopy object files. During spring semester 2023, she will continue this work, moving to the Art Museum Textile Loft’s metal cabinets before preparing a summary report of recommendations for prioritizing stewardship activities in the preservation of the textile holdings.
On December 2, Jillian met the fellowship’s benefactor, Frances McClure, and learned more about Frances’ long service to the University in the Walter Havighurst Special Collections, her love for weaving, and her numerous areas of interest, especially in regards to social justice issues. Frances’ late husband, Jerry McClure, was a professor in the Department of Botany at Miami University, and had shared interests in research on textiles. Frances also spoke with Jillian about a 2016 donation of a woman’s dress and headscarf collected while spending time in Ethiopia. Shortly thereafter, Jillian got up close and personal with the garment, remarking about the beautiful, handwoven decorative bands, wider above the hemline of the skirt but also included in the gorgeous wrap on this simple yet extraordinarily elegant dress.
Jillian wants to continue her studies in the world of museums, fashion and textiles. She is planning to go to graduate school to do just that, and the McClure Fellowship has helped not only to fill her toolbox in this regard, but has also fueled her passion for future learning.
The figure has been represented in the ceramic arts for thousands of years. Most common depictions of the figure offer an understanding of how the artist reflects on gender, societal roles and status, politics and religion. Increasingly, and featured in Current Forms, ceramic works are exploring topics of the self through introspective renderings or those about the outside or external world. Artists are delving deep into psychological and sociological understandings of the individual and the collective.
Current Forms is co-curated with Kourtney Stone, an Assistant Professor at the Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania, and Richard W. James, Assistant Professor of Art at Miami University. The exhibition originated out of a 2021 conversation Richard James had with Curator of Exhibitions, Jason E. Shaiman, while working on the Spring 2022 ceramics exhibition, From the Ground Up. James recommended creating an exhibition in association with the March 16-20, 2023 NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) conference in Cincinnati, OH. Referencing the conference theme of ”Current,” James suggested centering the exhibition around figurative ceramics to showcase the strength and history of the art form in connection with Ohio artists. A special event is being organized to welcome NCECA conference attendees to Miami University to see this exhibition, as well as a second exhibition of ceramics by MU alumni on display at the Department of Art’s Hiestand Galleries.
Stone and James, both figurative ceramists, recommended each of the invited artists based on prior engagements and recognition of work. Artists were invited to submit up to 2 works produced within the past 3 years. After receiving submissions from 15 artists, Current Forms will feature 25 works, including two by James. The exhibition will be on display in the Art Museum’s first two galleries. All of the 15 artists have connections with Ohio, either as working artists, students, or faculty at Ohio-based universities. Works range in scale, with some approximately life-size, and will be either wall-mounted or displayed on pedestals in-the-round.
To support the development of the exhibition and associated programming, staff of the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum submitted an ArtSTART grant proposal to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), and was generously awarded $3,041. The awarded funds for the exhibition will go largely towards associated programming. Such opportunities will include guest speakers, and hands-on experiential learning opportunities for local children and the Oxford Senior Center. Programming will be presented in collaboration with the Art Museum’s education intern.
SUPPORT FOR THIS EXHIBITION AND PROGRAMMING PROVIDED BY: Art Museum Members Association
JAN 24-JUN 10, 2023
Blue Collar Ceramics by Kelly and Kyle Phelps
WED, APR 12 | 5PM
Building on their youth, raised in a blue-collar/ factory environment in Indiana, identical twin artists and educators Kelly & Kyle Phelps produce art about the working-class, race, and the everyday struggles of the common man and woman. Everyday people who worked at various factories, steel mills, foundries, coal mines, and railroads of the American rust belt, and Appalachian regions of the United States, provide inspiration for the creation of their mixed-media ceramic works. Join us for their discussion of inspirations, works, and approaches to art making.
JAN 24-JUN 10, 2023
The Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum is pleased to present the 12th annual exhibition organized by students in the Senior Art and Architecture History Capstone Seminar. The ART498 Capstone seminar course that resulted in the development of the exhibition was led by Andrew Casper, Associate Professor of Art and Architecture History. Art Museum staff supported the development of the exhibition by providing educational introductions to exhibitions development, collections care and registration methods, installation practices, graphic design, and marketing and communications.
Experiencing the Divine: Devotional Practices of Islam, Judaism and Christianity explores the function of religious devotional objects in the three Abrahamic faiths within three contexts: “The Question of Images” navigates the varying ways each of these religions have interpreted the Second Commandment and its prohibition against the making of images. “Tangible Devotion” features objects that worshippers may have held or interacted with during moments of personal or collective devotion. “Sacred Spaces” demonstrates how many of these objects would have been used concurrently to create a devotional space.
There will be a public opening reception on Wednesday, February 8 from 5-7pm, where the Capstone students will present their research, followed by a reception and presentation of the exhibition.
SUPPORT FOR THIS EXHIBITION AND PROGRAMMING PROVIDED BY:
Department of Art, College of Creative Arts (Miami University)
Clockwise top left: Katib (scribe) unknown (Persian) Illuminated Manuscript, ca. 1780 Ink on paper, 9 7/8" x 6 3/8" Miami University purchase, de Cinque Graphic Art; 1963.M.4.2
Artist unknown; Menorah, 1913 Silver, 17" x 15"; On loan from Cincinnati Skirball Museum, B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum Collection, gift of Elizabeth S. Plaut; 1991.001
Francesco Bissolo (Italian, 1470/721554); Madonna & Child, 16th century Oil on board, 10 1/8" x 11 3/4"; Gift of Gregory M. Bishop and Jeffrey B. Bishop; 2014.B.E.L.15
Capstone Reception and Student Gallery Talks
WED, FEB 8 | 5PM
Join us for a special reception with Capstone students and hear them discuss their research and curatorial experiences. This in-gallery program is supported by the Department of Art at Miami University.
Interfaith Dialogue: Abrahamic Faiths
WED, MAR 8 | 5PM
Join us for an interfaith dialogue program with local religious leaders of the three Abrahamic faiths.
• Imam Sh. Hossam Musa, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati
• Sr. Rabbi Meredith Kahan, Kehal Kodesh Bene Israel (Rockdale Temple), Cincinnati
• The Reverend Julie Blake Fisher, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Oxford
This panel program is organized in conjunction with the Art and Architecture History Capstone exhibition.
Through consultation with museum and university staff, faculty, students, and advisory body members in 2022, the Art Museum recently published its statement and commitments on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI). This will form the basis for further planning and goal setting for DEAI initiatives to be outlined in 2023.
The Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, as part of the College of Creative Arts and Miami University, commits to address issues of social justice, racial equity, and promotion of dialogue to share knowledge and celebrate diversity through global visual culture. We aspire to be an institution in which the values of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) are fully present in all that we do. Our DEAI commitments are further outlined online in the following five areas:
If you are interested in learning more about DEAI and the Art Museum, please contact us at artmuseum@ miamioh.edu. You can watch a recent video posted on our YouTube channel and visit the About Section of our website [www.MiamiOH.edu/ArtMuseum/About].
In addition to becoming a Member of the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, there are various ways you can financially support the Art Museum, whether it’s a one-time or sustaining gift.
The easiest way to give is to make an unrestricted gift to the recently launched Art Museum Support Fund. We are especially seeking support for education staffing and programs at the Art Museum, and your gift could make a real impact.
You can make a check payable to “Miami University” along with your contact information and indicate "Art Museum Support Fund" in the memo. All gifts are tax-deductible.
For further information about support for the Art Museum please contact Jack Green, Jeffrey Horrell ‘75 and Rodney Rose Director and Chief Curator: Jack.Green@MiamiOH.edu
-Point
Miami University has many museums, libraries and collections across all campuses (Oxford and Regionals) all are free resources for exploration, enjoyment and research.
MUSEUMS MIAMI is a collaboration of these collecting units.
Learn more at: www.tinyurl.com/ MuseumsMiami
A docent since 2019, retired physician Dr. Ellen Buerk has enjoyed getting to know her fellow docents while presenting through the Institute for Learning In Retirement (ILR) Art Museum “Up Close” course and learning all about the art exhibitions on view each semester. She was drawn to the museum’s volunteer program by the enthusiastic docent members and the notion that she could continue learning about art.
Ellen grew up on a farm in Preble county where her family raised corn and hogs. She remembers coming to Oxford for library visits and music workshops. She graduated from Miami University with a degree in zoology and then went on to Ohio State for medical school. After her residency at Columbus Children's and Cincinnati Children's hospitals, she returned to Oxford where she practiced medicine at Oxford Pediatrics and Adolescents (for 45+ years) and taught at Children's until her retirement in 2017. She and her husband Jerry (whom she met at Miami) raised four children (10 grandkids) who now live in Ohio, Colorado, and Washington.
Ellen is a painter; she began painting in grade school and has continued it as a lifelong hobby. She continues to do weekly watercolor classes and has been travel journaling for a while now. Ellen has created more than 20 watercolor travel journals of her trips all over the world including trips to Sicily, Greece, and Ecuador to name a few. She can also be seen pedaling her way all over town and is an avid biker – logging more than 7,000 miles on her bike in the last five years. She is also a member of the Oxford Bike Club.
She remembers visiting the museum shortly after it opened in 1978 and has been a regular visitor ever since. “It’s a town treasure,” Ellen proclaimed, and she has so many stories to share of her past experiences attending events and visiting exhibitions. The highlight for her – what she referred to as a pivotal and critically important exhibition – was the 2018, Telling a People's Story exhibition. She attended EVERY related program and visited the exhibition often reading the books, meeting the artists and authors throughout the semester, and purchasing several of the books which she keeps out even now on her coffee table. Her favorite book from the exhibition was Preaching to the Chickens about the young John Lewis.
Her favorite part of being a docent is the people and the Monday morning talks where she and the docents get to learn all about the artwork featured in the current exhibitions which prepares them to assist in many ways throughout the semester. Ellen’s most recent contributions to the museum includes making preparations for the Girl Scouts program at the museum. Her advice for anyone interested in volunteering as a docent at the museum is to come give it a try, and once you get settled in you will figure out where to apply your skills and interests in support of the museum’s mission.
We welcome volunteers to assist with our programs and activities and to help strengthen ties with the local community and partners. Our volunteer docents are gallery guides and educators who regularly help the Art Museum, give tours, and assist with events and outreach.
For more information, please write to: ArtMuseum@MiamiOH.edu
Artist Deborah Butterfield received a lifetime achievement award in Fall 2022 from the International Sculpture Center, bestowed annually to individual sculptors who are masters of sculptural processes and techniques and have made exemplary contributions to the field of sculpture. Butterfield’s work is best known for the use of natural materials and found objects to create a psychological portrait of her abstracted equine forms. Born on the same day as the 75th running of the Kentucky Derby, Butterfield has been passionate about horses from a young age. Butterfield’s tranquil horses stand in opposition of traditional depictions in painting and sculpture as raging stallions symbolic of male power. Better known for her life-size horse sculptures constructed from painted bronze cast from wood, Barnswallow, on display in the Goodyear Gallery at the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, is characteristic of her early
work - a small-scale representation of a horse characterized by sticks, daubs of mud and feathers from the bird for which it is named.
APR 7–16 [BOTH GALLERIES] BFA CAPSTONE EXHIBITION
Department of Art senior studio majors participating in the semester long Capstone course feature their latest visual investigations in ceramics, printmaking, painting, metals and jewelry, photography, sculpture and digital media.
APR 11 | ARTISTS RECEPTION | 4:30–5:30 PM
JAN 30–MAR 10
2023 MIAMI UNIVERSITY
YOUNG PAINTERS COMPETITION
FOR THE $10,000 WILLIAM AND DOROTHY YECK
AWARD; 2023 JUROR: JOHN YAU, CRITIC AND POET, NEW YORK CITY
2023 Finalisits: Davis Arney, Brooklyn, New York; Lauren Petrick Brooks, Baltimore, Maryland; Grace Doyle, Parkville, Maryland; Abigail Dudley, Browns Mills, New Jersey; Tyler Griese, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Devan Horton, Bellevue, Kentucky; Kiara Aileen Machado, Los Angeles, California, Marceline Mason, Hamtramck, Michigan, Meghan Murray, Waltham, Massachusetts; Tessa Tallakson, Notasulga, Alabama.
FEB 9 | JUROR TALK
(ART 100) | 5:50 PM
JOHN YAU, 2023 JUROR
FEB 10 | ARTIST RECEPTION & AWARDS | 4:30-5:30 PM
MAY 2-9
APR 20–27
HARRIS MARTINSON | THE FIRE AND THE CHILD, MFA THESIS EXHIBITION
The Fire and The Child is an exhibition of paintings and sculpture that engage the centrality of myth as a force to construct meaning in the present. In this body of work, Martinson draws on thematic references of death, destruction, violence, and innocence to explore concepts of dispossession, deliverance, and renewal.
APR 22 | ARTIST RECEPTION | TBA
GLOVER MARFO | REFLECT-ENGAGE-ACT (DEFENSIVE ADORNMENTS), MFA THESIS EXHIBITION
Glover Marfo is a Ghanaian Artist whose work explores defensive adornments for women and the marginalized in society. His oeuvres are made through the, “ Reflect-Engage -Act” sequence. As a young Ghanaian artist exposed to the harsh realities of his society by living in squatter housing in his formative years, he became fascinated with creating adornments that evokes protective sentiments, remain elegant, and convey a sense of power to both wearer and viewer. Having an opportunity to study in the United States. He draws from his past and creates sculptural jewelry borrowing from both African traditional and contemporary aesthetic languages while entertaining the crosscultural influences of his lived experience. He believes his work is a meditation on our shared struggle for survival, evolution, and pursuit of a better world.
Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri, 9 AM-4:30 PM, Hours may vary with restrictions; other hours available by appointment. (513) 529-1883
All receptions are in the lobby of Hiestand Galleries | Galleries located on 1st level
APR 20–27
BAYLEE SCHMITT | 306 WEST CHURCH ST | MFA THESIS EXHIBITION
JAN 26–MAR 2
MEENA HASAN | ACANTHUS TIPU
Hasan is the 2022 winner of the Miami University Young Painters Competition $10,000 Yeck
Purchase Award. In Acanthus Tipu, Hasan presents a group of paintings made over the past three years that are part of her ongoing series titled, Repainted Textiles. The artist mines the histories of textile production and global trade to trace the lasting cultural and economic impact of colonialism and also as a method towards learning her own diasporic history.
FEB 9 | ARTIST TALK (ART MUSEUM) | 1:15 PM
FEB 10 | RECEPTION FOR THE ARTIST | 4:30–5:30 PM
MAR 13–27
MIAMI MADE: A COLLECTION OF CERAMIC WORKS BY MIAMI UNIVERSITY ALUMNI
Organized to coincide with CURRENT, the 2023 NCECA Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. Miami Made features the ceramic artworks of Miami University Alumni and Faculty. Exhibiting alumni include Linda Arbuckle, Peter Beasecker, and Bill Griffith and current Professor of Ceramics, Richard W. James.
MAR 15 | RECEPTION | 4–5:00 PM
MAY 2-9
A challenge posed by herself, Baylee Schmitt uses yarn to recreate the kitchen from her childhood home from memory. Through a commitment to work, both internal and with her hands, she brings form to a familial space that no longer exists, and never will again. Glimpses of a home well lived in merge with accumulated stitches to explore the juncture between memory, self, and our environment.
APR 22 | ARTIST RECEPTION | TBA
AN WANG | THE FOG OF OBLIVION | MFA THESIS EXHIBITION
The Fog of Oblivion is a dialogue between An Wang and the memories of his parents. By reconstructing the image of his mother and his father, the artist is protecting the precious connection to them from the erosion of time and space. All these abstract images were inspired by years of dreams he had about his father and conversations he had with his mother every night on the cell phone screen. He believes this family was never apart.
Hiestand Hall | 401 Maple St., Oxford, OH 45056
Miamioh.edu/hiestand-galleries
ANN TAULBEE, DIRECTOR
(513) 529-1883 | taulbeae@miamioh.edu
Galleries will be closed: During exhibition installation and January 1-26, Mar 20-24, and May 10-Aug 31.
A glimpse into the evolution of Western art from the 15th to 20th centuries. Selected works from the Art Museum’s collection represent prominent art movements with examples of Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, Pop Art, and Contemporary works. Art movements exist through multiple conversations relevant to their respective cultures and times. Some of the most significant movements were founded through artists’ reacting to societal changes, religion, science and technology, war and politics, their rejection or appropriation of previous art styles, and taste established by patrons or prominent art schools.
Global Perspectives weaves together nearly 5,000 years of cultural, religious, political, social, economic and communication systems from seventeen world cultures. From diverse regions, nations, and time periods, these cultures comprise only a fraction of a larger, complex world united by core practices used in the creation of or adoption of art and material culture. Whether original to a culture or assimilated during times of conquest, the creative endeavors explored by people around the world speaks volumes about the fundamental need to express individual and collective identities.
Between 1970 and 1978, Charles M. Messer of Cincinnati's Messer Construction Company donated his personal collection of German produced Leica brand cameras. Totaling more than 1,200 pieces, this is the largest privately assembled collection of Leica cameras, accessories and literature in the US. A small sample of the collection is displayed highlighting innovations in photographic technology from the mid-1920s through the late 1970s.
The Art Museum’s collection of public sculpture evokes many of the movements in art that characterized the 20th century, and examples of geometry, materials, and expressionism are found in all the pieces located on over three acres of scenic Sculpture Park grounds. Key works include Star-Crossed by Nancy Holt (1979), Hybrid Construction by RIchard Hunt (1983), For Kepler by Mark di Suvero (1995), and A Tribe Named Miami, A Surveyor’s Stake, A Town Named Oxford by Eugene Brown (2008). The Sculpture Park is open to all, and can be experienced all year round. As well as being a place of natural beauty and quiet reflection, the park includes a popular disc golf course on Miami University’s campus.
The Art Museum mourns the 2022 passing of a special friend and supporter, Frank Jordan. Born in 1937 in North Carolina, Jordan joined Miami University and the Oxford community in 1965 as a professor of English. For thirtysix years, he taught British literature survey courses along with English composition. For ten of those years he was the English Department Assistant Chair and Chief Departmental Advisor.
During his life, Jordan was an ardent fan of the arts, especially music and the visual arts. An accomplished organist himself, he both organized concerts and played in recitals. He made numerous trips to Cincinnati with close friend and former Collections Manager/Registrar Laura Henderson, to visit museums and libraries, appreciating art and perusing books and other material culture objects. An avid collector, Jordan’s personal holdings included numerous paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics, and sculpture.
Jordan regularly donated gifts in-kind of his art collection to the Art Museum. Among the long list of his donations were several works by the late-19th and early 20th century artist Elizabeth Nourse. In addition, Frank generously gave works by other well respected regional artists of this time period including paintings by Henry Farny, Henry Mosler, and John Henry Twachtman. A group of more than 20 artworks were bequeathed to the museum's collection in 2022.
Those who knew Jordan appreciated his endearing smile and tireless enthusiasm. The Art Museum is proud to be a beneficiary of his kind and generous spirit, and although he will be sorely missed, his legacy and love of art will endure.
On the evening of Wednesday, November 9, student artists, their friends and family, along with art museum supporters and guests attended a reception and awards presentation in celebration of the FOCUS-themed exhibition Interconnected: Land, Identity, Community. In this eighth juried Student Response Exhibition (SRE), Miami University students were called upon to creatively respond to the Miami University 2022-2023 FOCUS theme of Tribal Sovereignty. Interconnected was developed in collaboration with the Myaamia Center, with whom the Art Museum has joined efforts on several exhibitions over the past 14 years. The Myaamia Center’s George Ironstrack, Director of Education, and Kara Strass, Director of Miami Tribe Relations, assisted Art Museum staff with the development of the exhibition. In the context of the 50th anniversary of the relationship between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University, we reflected on the often unseen reality of tribal sovereignty in North America. Here, sovereignty includes inherent and retained political rights and cultural integrity. Three key factors in maintaining sovereignty are land, identity, and community.
Joining the celebration, in addition to colleagues from Miami University’s Myaamia Center at Miami University, were Chief Doug Lankford of the Miami
Tribe of Oklahoma, Julie Olds, an artist and the Miami Tribe’s Cultural Resource Officer, as well as other Tribal Council members including: Second Chief, Dustin Olds, Secretary/Treasurer, Donya Williams and First Councilperson, Tera Hatley.
It was such a wonderful opportunity for the student artists to have important members of the Miami Tribe present for the event. Tribal council members, staff of the Myaamia Center, along with John Weigand, Acting Dean of the College of Creative Arts were at the museum prior to the awards reception for another special event. Staff of the Art Museum worked in collaboration with Myaamia Center staff and Tribal Council members to prepare for the unveiling of a Land Acknowledgement panel now displayed prominently in the museum’s Williams Foyer. The panel, which presents Miami University’s Land Acknowledgment, also emphasizes, for all to see, the Art Museum’s commitment to vibrant collaborations with the Myaamia Center and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma through community-curated exhibitions and programming. This approach provides the opportunity for Myaamia to provide the authentic and authoritative voices that deliver the content for exhibitions celebrating the richness of their culture.
To find out more about spring events and lectures related to the FOCUS theme of Tribal Sovereignty at Miami University, visit MiamiOH.edu/Focus
Interconnected, the Student Response Exhibition, is one more example of how exhibitions and programmatic offerings provide a framework for directly bridging an important relationship between the Art Museum, and by extension Miami University, and the Myaamia Center and Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Shortly after the unveiling event in the auditorium space, museum-goers gathered in the Douglass gallery to learn the results of the viewers choice artists awards sponsored by the Art Museum Members Association. Curator of Exhibitions, Jason E. Shaiman was joined by Ann Taulbee, Art Museum Membership Steering Committee Member and Director of the Department of Art’s Hiestand Galleries, to announce the winners.
Since the opening of the exhibition, visitors have been voting for their favorite works on a kiosk located in the gallery. Votes cast by visitors to the exhibition selected the three winners. Placing 3rd with an award of $100 is Kayla Becker for her work niila myaamia - I am myaamia. Becker, who is a Sophomore, Computer Science major, is one of four Myaamia students at Miami University who submitted work for the SRE. In 2nd place receiving $250 is Olivia De Leon for her work, Where Do I Stand? De Leon is a Junior, Studio Art major with a minor in Museums and Society. Taking the grand prize of $500 and 1st place, is
Cassady Edwards for her work Ol’ Iron Eyes. Edwards is a Senior with a double major in Art Education and Studio Art. Special thanks to the Art Museum’s Membership Committee for providing the cash awards and their continued support of the Student Response Exhibition series, and thanks to all who visited the exhibition and cast their votes. To learn about all of the student artist check out this blog post featuring them and thier work.
What an amazing evening it was at the Art Museum with two special events connected to the Myaamia Center and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Collaborations of this nature demonstrate the importance of the Art Museum’s exhibitions and programming in celebrating diversity and artistic expression.
To read the text of the Land Acknowledgment Panel, please visit the About section of our website(MiamiOH.edu/ ArtMuseum/About)
JAN 24-JUN 10
Current Forms: Ohio
Figurative Ceramics
Experiencing the Divine: Devotional Practices of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity
ART MUSEUM
JAN 30-MAR 10
2023 Miami University Young Painters Competition
HIESTAND
JAN 26-MAR 2
Meena Hasan | Acanthus Tipu
HIESTAND
JAN 24-JUN 10
Art History at Glance Global Perspectives The Charles M. Messer Leica Camera Collection
ART MUSEUM
JAN 28 | NOON-5 PM:
Exhibitions Open House with Refreshments & Activities
ART MUSEUM
FEB 4 | 1-2 PM
Music at the Museum
FEB 4 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
FEB 8 | 5-7 PM
Experiencing the Divine Art & Architecture History Capstone Exhibition Reception and Student Gallery Talks
ART MUSEUM
FEB 8 | 10 AM-8 PM
Second Wednesday Extended Hours
ART MUSEUM
FEB 9 | 1:15 PM
Artist Talk | Meena Hasan
ART MUSEUM
FEB 9 | 5:50-7 PM
Young Painters Competition Juror Talk | John Yau
ART 100
FEB 10 | 4:30-5:30 PM
Young Painters Competition Artist Reception & Awards
Artist Reception | Meena Hasan
HIESTAND
FEB 14 | 4:30 PM
Miami's Connection to Gettysburg | Rob Tolley
ART MUSEUM
Join
MAR 4 | 1-2 PM
Music at the Museum
MAR 4 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
MAR 8 | 5 PM
Experiencing the Divine Exhibition Panel and Reception: Devotional Spaces across the Religions an Interfaith Dialogue: Abrahamic Faiths
ART MUSEUM
MAR 8 | 10 AM-8 PM
Second Wednesday Extended Hours
ART MUSEUM
MAR 13-MAR 27
Miami Made: A Collection of Ceramic Works By Miami University Alumni
HIESTAND
MAR 15 | 4-5 PM
Miami Made: A Collection of Ceramic Works By Miami University Alumni Reception
HIESTAND
MAR 18 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
FEB 18 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
FEB 23 | 10 AM-12 PM
Art Explorers
ART MUSEUM
MAR 30 | 10 AM-12 PM
Art Explorers
ART MUSEUM
APR 1 | 1-2 PM
Music at the Museum
APR 4 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
APR 7-16
BFA Capstone Exhibition
HIESTAND
APR 11 | 4:30-5:30 PM
BFA Capstone Artist Reception
HIESTAND
APR 12 | 10 AM-8 PM
Second Wednesday Extended Hours
ART MUSEUM
APR 12 | 5-7 PM: Current Forms Artists’ Reflections: Blue Collar Ceramics of Kelly and Kyle Phelps
ART MUSEUM
APR 15 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
For more information visit: miamioh.edu/cca/ events
APR 17-27
Miami University Regionals Student Art Exhibition
MIDDLETOWN ARTS CENTER
APR 20-APR 27
Harris Martinson | The Fire and the Child, MFA Thesis Exhibition
HIESTAND
APR 22
Harris Martinson & Baylee Schmitt | MFA Thesis
Exhibition Artist Reception
HIESTAND
APR 27 | 10 AM-12 PM
Art Explorers
ART MUSEUM
APR 29 | 12-5 PM
International Sculpture Day Celebrations. Sculpture related tours and activities, Music and Refreshments
ART MUSEUM
APR 29
Electric Root Festival
OXFORD UPTOWN PARKS
MAY 2-9
Glover Marfo: Reflect-Engage-Act (Defense Adornments), MFA Thesis Exhibition
HIESTAND
MAY 2-9
An Wang | The Fog of Oblivion, MFA Thesis Exhibition
HIESTAND
MAY 6 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
MAY 10 | 10 AM-8 PM
Second Wednesday Extended Hours
Community Open House 5-7 PM
ART MUSEUM
MAY 20 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
JUN 3 | 2-4 PM
Docent Drop-In Tours
ART MUSEUM
JUN 10, 12-5 PM: Final Saturday Closing Reception (2-4 PM) Refreshments, Tours and Activities
ART MUSEUM
A free program including story time led by the Lane Public Library children’s department, paired with a related craft. Ages 3-5, accompanied by an adult. Last Thursdays (FEB-APR), 10 AM-12 PM
Join student musicians in an informal afternoon of music in the galleries. In partnership with the Department of Music at Miami University.
First Saturdays (FEB-APR), 1-2 PM
Enjoy and learn about the artworks on exhibit! Join one of our Volunteer Docent tours of current and ongoing exhibitions. First & Third Saturdays from 2-4 PM
Brownies and Girl Scouts take part in a creative arts program on Second Saturdays 1-2:30 PM & 3-4:30 PM
Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum
801 S. Patterson Ave., Oxford, OH 45056 (513) 529-2232
ArtMuseum@MiamiOH.edu
MiamiOH.edu/ArtMuseum
Gallery hours:
Tuesday–Friday: 10 AM–5 PM
Saturday: Noon-5 PM
Second Wednesdays: 10 AM-8 PM
Hiestand Galleries
401 Maple St., Oxford, OH 45056 (513) 529-1883
sfagallery@MiamiOH.edu
MiamiOH.edu/HiestandGalleries
Gallery hours: Mon-Fri, 9 AM-4:30 PM
McGuffey House & Museum
401 E. Spring St., Oxford, OH 45056 (513) 529-8380
McGuffeyMuseum@MiamiOH.edu
MiamiOH.edu/McGuffey-Museum
Museum hours:
Thursday–Saturday: 1–5 PM
Cage Gallery
101 Alumni Hall, Oxford, OH 45056 (513) 529-7210
archid@MiamiOH.edu
Arts.MiamiOH.edu/architecture-interior-design
More Museums & Collections
For more Museums and Collections on campus check out www.tinyurl.com/museumsmiami