Munson Bulletin September/October 2023

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

F. X. Matt III, Chair

Christian Heilmann, Vice-Chair

Dietra Harvey, Secretary

Vige Barrie

Rev. Sharon Baugh

Dr. Steven J. Brown

William C. Craine

Emma Golden

Robert Knight

Betty Krulik

Mark Levitt

C. Sonia Martinez

Laura Tansey Wetzel

Richard Griffith, Trustee Emeritus

John B. Stetson, Trustee Emeritus

Anna T. D’Ambrosio, President and CEO

Dear Munson Community,

It is hard to believe summer is drawing to a close! As I compose this letter in mid-August, the Munson campus is bustling with activity to prepare to greet 195 Pratt Munson students. Our students, who spend the first two years of their B.F.A. program on the Munson campus before heading to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for their junior and senior years, join us from across the United States and around the globe. This fall we welcome students from as close by as New Hartford to as far away as Mongolia.

It has been a busy summer during which we have continued our work to make deeper community connections. Thanks to a generous sponsorship from MetLife Foundation, for the second year Munson was able to offer free summer art classes to 295 children and teens. Our Community Arts faculty had a blast inspiring young artists, and through a terrific partnership with Young Scholars LLP at Utica University, we were able to facilitate early drop off and late pick up to make it easier for families to participate. Munson also partnered with Hope Chapel AME Zion Church and the Utica City School District Board of Education to serve as a location for the free summer lunch program, and kids enjoyed weekly free Munson art kits.

As you flip through this Bulletin, you will notice that we are transitioning to fewer issues with more information. It is our goal to shift to a quarterly publication where we will share more in-depth articles. We will also keep you up-to-date on current events through other forms of communication.

All of our work is made possible through your generous support and participation. Thank you for being part of the Munson community. I look forward to sharing a dynamic, art-filled fall with you.

Anna T. D'Ambrosio President and CEO

Pratt Munson campus

Matt Ossowski Photography

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

First Friday: Welcome Back!

Art and Yoga

SATURDAYS | 10:30 A.M.

Museum of Art

$15 General Public | $10 Members

First Friday: Welcome Back!

FRIDAY, SEPT. 1 | 5 TO 7 P.M.

Museum of Art, Sculpture Grove

$5 Admission | Free for students

Art Story with Utica Public Library

THURSDAY, SEPT. 7 AND OCT. 5 | 10:30 A.M.

Museum of Art, Art Odyssey

Free

Festive French Fare

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel

SATURDAY, SEPT. 9 | 7:30 P.M.

Museum of Art, Sinnott Family – Bank of Utica Auditorium

$28 General Public | $23 Members | $10 Students

Artist-in-Residence Talk: Felipe Lopez

TUESDAY, SEPT. 12 | 2:30 P.M.

Museum of Art, Sinnott Family – Bank of Utica Auditorium

Free

Fierce Fashionistas: A Fashion Show

Celebrating Women in Sports

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14

6 p.m. | VIP dinner, Fountain Elms | Terrace Café

7 p.m. | Cocktail hour, Museum of Art | Root Court

8 p.m. | Fashion show, Museum of Art | Root Court

$45 General Public | $35 Members | $20 Students

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams

Concert in the Court

SATURDAY, OCT. 14 | 7:30 P.M.

Museum of Art, Root Court

$28 General Public | $23 Members | $10 Students

Met Live in HD: Heggie’s Dead Man Walking

SATURDAY, OCT. 21 | 1 P.M.

Museum of Art, Sinnott Family – Bank of Utica Auditorium

$28 General Public | $23 Members | $10 Students

Munson After Dark

SATURDAY, OCT. 21 | 9 P.M.

Museum of Art, Root Court

Easton Pribble Lecture Series: Annelise Capossela

THURSDAY, OCT. 26 | 11 A.M.

Museum of Art, Sinnott Family – Bank of Utica Auditorium

Free

FILM SERIES

Enjoy new foreign, independent, and award-winning films each week.

SEPT. 6 AND 8 Asteroid City

SEPT. 13 AND 15 Between Two Worlds

SEPT. 20 AND 22 The Unknown Country

SEPT. 27 AND 29 Madeleine Collins

The Film Series is generously sponsored by

Wednesdays and Fridays | 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Museum of Art | Sinnott Family – Bank of Utica Auditorium

$9 General Public | $7 Members | Discounted multi-film passes are available

Annelise Capossela

SEASON PREVIEW

Munson welcomes another dynamic slate of live performances to its campus this year with the return of popular series spanning a breadth of genres.

The Concerts in the Court series in the Museum of Art’s Root Court will feature a trio of world-class performances by touring artists, starting with The Slambovian Circus of Dreams on Oct. 14. You won’t want to miss this surreal Americana, alt-folk experience among the art in our distinctive concert setting.

Renowned pianist Jeffrey Siegel returns with a dynamic season of Keyboard Conversations and Utica’s Half Moon Orchestra brings holiday cheer in December. Munson’s free and family-friendly Art Alive! series offers fun, educational performances for children, along with hands-on crafts. A special event in the spring, The Legacy Show, will honor African American composers through music, poetry, and visual media.

A full slate of The Met: Live in HD opera performances are scheduled for the season, and are streamed live in the Sinnott Family – Bank of Utica Auditorium.

Festive French Fare

Keyboard Conversations

Saturday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m.

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams Concert in the Court

Saturday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.

Perry Ground: Native American Storyteller

Art Alive! Veterans' Day

Friday, Nov. 10

11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – Performances

Half Moon Orchestra

Classical Holiday Concert

Saturday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m.

Jack Frost: Snow Kidding Art Alive! Winter Break

Thursday, Dec. 28

11 a.m. – Performance

1 p.m. – Workshop

Hot Peas ‘n Butter: Multicultural Family Pop Art Alive! February Break

Thursday, Feb. 22

11 a.m. – Performance

1 p.m. – Workshop

Socks in the Frying Pan Concert in the Court

Saturday, March 9, 7:30 p.m.

Chopin and Liszt Keyboard Conversations

Saturday, March 16, 2 p.m.

PERFOMING ARTS

"I am very excited about the 2023-

24 Performing Arts season as it features some artists that I have wanted to bring to Munson for many years and some new artists that

I think have incredible careers ahead of them."

— Bob Mortis, Director of Performing Arts

The Legacy Show: Celebrating African-American Composers

Saturday, April 6, 7:30 p.m.

The Secret Agency: Hip Hop Art Alive! Spring Break

Thursday, April 25

11 a.m. – Performance 1 p.m. – Workshop

Three Great Romantics: Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Grieg Keyboard Conversations

Saturday, May 4, 7:30 p.m.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band Concert in the Court

Saturday, May 18, 7:30 p.m.

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams

The Met: Live in HD is sponsored at Munson by Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D. Funding for Art Alive! is provided by the MetLife Foundation, and by Rona Lucas, in memory of Roslyn and Irving Levine. Funding for Keyboard Conversations is provided by Dr. Lorna Grant, Dr. Douglas Hurd and Dr. Cynthia Parlato-Hurd.

ON VIEW

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM OF ART

Final weeks!

Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800 to 1960

Through Sept. 17

$12 General Public | Free to Members

Don't miss this captivating exhibition that explores the evolution of women’s athletic attire in fashion over a 160-year period. Sporting Fashion includes 65 daring ensembles from more than 480 historic objects selected from the collection at the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles. Motorcycle gear, ski wear, and bowling outfits are among the items on display, using authentic apparel to illustrate changing interests, freedoms, and social norms.

COMING UP

Generations: Artists of Central New York

Nov. 3 to Jan. 7 | Museum of Art

Between Worlds: Stories of Artists and Migration

Feb. 17 to May 5 | Museum of Art

Faculty Exhibition

Through Sept. 17

Pratt Munson Gallery

Alumni Exhibition: Tania Alvarez and Sydney Ellison

Sept. 29 to Oct. 26

Pratt Munson Gallery

Opening reception: Sept. 29, 3 to 5 p.m.

Alvarez uses a variety of media — paint, paper, textiles, and more — to explore concepts like memory. Ellison draws from the world around her in landscapes, animals, and portraits in watercolor and oils.

PRATT MUNSON GALLERY

This exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles. The presentation in Utica is made possible by Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D.; the Family of F.X. Matt II; Joseph Abraham; Cheryl and Fred Haritatos; and The Hon. Joan E. Shkane (ret.).

Motorcycling Ensemble, 1930s. Roller Derby Ensemble, 1940s. Photo: Brian Davis @FIDM Museum Courtesy American Federation of the Arts.

Ken Marchione, Calypso’s Ogygia (detail). 2018. Mixed media. 7 x 14 ft. A multi-media exhibition from the talented faculty at Pratt Munson, this exhibition showcases personal art practice outside the classroom.

Tania Alvarez, Just Before Spring . 2023. Acrylic and oil on panel. 24 x 24 x 1.75 in.

CURATOR'S CORNER

MUSEUM CONTINUES TO DEVELOP AFRICAN AMERICAN COLLECTION WITH RARE BASKET

I first encountered this extraordinary, hand-coiled grass basket when I was visiting New Orleans a few months ago. Believed to be made in rural Mississippi around 1830 by an enslaved West African, the basket not only holds significance as an artifact of enslaved Africans in America but is also a profoundly beautiful work of art created in the midst of terrible hardship.

The basket’s coiled construction is meticulously bound by hand and perfectly shaped in a large oval, punctuated with evenly spaced, alternating bands. West African people used this technique to form baskets for rice cultivation in Sierra Leone in the late 1700s, and similar baskets have been found in the American South from that period and later. This basket’s provenance, materials, and patina all indicate that it was created for picking cotton in the 1830s at Cold Spring Plantation in Pinckneyville, Mississippi.

One of only a few known of this size, this basket will be the first addition to a growing collection of African American art from the 1800s, including furniture, pottery, textiles, and paintings. Documented objects by American enslaved people are incredibly rare today, and it is significant for this work to join the Munson collection, where it will be shown alongside works made in the Anglo-European tradition.

– Stephen Harrison, Director and Chief Curator of Museum of Art

AMERICAN IN PARIS: MUSEUM

LENDS

TO ROTHKO EXHIBITION

Munson will take part in an exciting exchange when it lends both of the Museum's landmark works by renowned American artist Mark Rothko to a retrospective exhibition at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris this October.

Entitled simply Mark Rothko, the exhibition will be the first retrospective of the artist’s work outside the United States, with museums from around the world participating.

At the same time, one of Rothko’s monumental color field studies from his earliest, most celebrated period will be on view in the Cardamone Gallery at the Museum on loan from his son, Christopher Rothko.

These works will be on view in Paris and Utica from mid-October 2023 to April 2024 and are a chance to see the incredible Munson paintings among his other masterworks as well as the rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of an extraordinary work from his son’s collection, which is almost never seen in public.

Basket Used in Picking Cotton, c.1830. Once known, enslaved West African, Pinckneyville, Mississippi. Broomsedge grass, white oak, cast iron. 36 1/2 x 26 x 23 1/2 in. Museum Purchase, Helen Munson Williams Acquisition Fund.

Mark Rothko (American, born Latvia, 1903 - 1970). Untitled, 1954. Oil on canvas. 91 1/8 x 59 1/2 in. Collection of Christopher Rothko. Artworks on canvas by Mark Rothko Copyright © 1998 by Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko.

FINAL WEEKS

NOW–SEPT. 17, 2023

GENERATIONS

ARTISTS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

NOVEMBER 3–JANUARY 7

MEMBERS PREVIEW: NOV. 2

Gregory Lawler. Damper. Oil on canvas on wood. 9 x 12 in.

Support for Sporting Fashion has been generously provided by Richard and Constance Griffith, Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D., the Family of F.X. Matt II, Joseph A. Abraham, Cheryl and Fred Haritatos, The Hon. Joan E. Shkane (ret.), and the David E. and Jane B. Sayre Bryant Endowment Fund. This exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles. Beach Ensemble, 1930s. Photo: Brian Davis © FIDM Museum Courtesy American Federation of Arts

Sponsors include In Bloom Yoga Studio, Helen Sarandrea Physical Therapy & Sports Care, Lucianna’s Boutique, Move Breathe Live, and Café CaNole. Hosted by Thrift”ish” owner Carlene Mahanna and Yoga Shala’s Man Hue Duong. Performances by Dance Works Studio, U.S. Champion and tw o-time Pan American Champion i n rhythmic g ymnastics, Olga Karmansky, and Night Vibe Entertainment.

WELCOME TO

NEW NAME, SAME GREAT EDUCATION

Visit campus and you’ll see bright gold banners and signage announcing the new name of our college of art and design and defining the vibrant campus like never before. The shift to “Pratt Munson” reinvigorates the connection between Munson and Pratt Institute.

One of the major programs under Munson, Pratt Munson College of Art and Design provides a one-of-a-kind pathway for student artists wishing to pursue the first two years of a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Utica before transitioning to Pratt Institute's campus in Brooklyn.

We are entering the 22nd year of our unique partnership with Pratt as the only independent extension campus of the renowned college of art and design. At Pratt Munson, our accredited program follows Pratt Institute’s prestigious curriculum. All students obtain the same degree while benefiting from the intimate and encouraging environment of our upstate New York location.

Students come to Utica from around the world and are a valued part of the Munson community, visiting the Museum for inspiration and participating in other programming like Art Alive! family days. A world within itself, Pratt Munson has a full staff of dedicated education professionals who create student activity opportunities, comfortable student housing, and exceptional hands-on learning experiences.

One of the many benefits of having a college of art and design as part of Munson is that community members have access to the college’s state-of-the-art classroom studios through Munson Community Arts. Pratt Munson’s esteemed faculty of working artists will often teach Community Art classes, and Pratt Munson students also have the option to take classes alongside Munson community members.

Know a high school student considering a career in the arts? Schedule a tour of Pratt Munson and consider taking advantage of the world-class education right in your backyard.

UTICA BROOKLYN

I

wanted to

go to a

“ ”

tight-knit art

school,

and

Pratt Munson had one of the best campus communities that I saw.

Pratt Munson Family and Alumni Weekend

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 TO SUNDAY, OCT. 1

We welcome all Pratt Munson alumni, families, and students back to campus for a celebratory weekend.

Discover a vibrant community of talented art and design students from across the globe at Pratt Munson.

PROGRAMS OF STUDY

Pratt Munson offers the first two years of Pratt Institute’s renowned four-year BFA degree program in the following areas:

Communications Design – Graphic Design or Illustration

Fine Arts – Drawing, Painting, Jewelry, Printmaking, or Sculpture and Integrated Practices

Photography

Art and Design Education

All course credits are official Pratt Institute credits.

By the numbers

195

15

10:1 25% residential students average class size student to faculty ratio international students Visit prattmunson.edu/about for more information.

Pratt Munson campus, Matt Ossowski Photography

COMMUNITY ARTS

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR FALL CLASSES

For adults, teens, and kids

This fall, Munson Community Arts will once again offer a selection of classes to inspire art enthusiasts of all ages and abilities.

Pursue art on Pratt Munson's college campus, with instruction by talented professionals in their field. The Community Arts program grows with students, offering courses designed to challenge them at their ability level as they develop new skills. Explore new passions, reconnect with old talents, and learn lifelong skills through courses centered on you.

FALL CLASSES HIGHLIGHT

Painting for Beginners with Chad Smith

FRIDAYS, 9 A.M. TO NOON, SEPT. 22–DEC. 15

Beginners can bust out their brush and learn the fundamentals of painting in this course taught by Pratt Munson instructor Chad Smith.

Watercolor 101 with Annette Gurdo MINI COURSE

MONDAYS, 6:30 TO 8:30 P.M., SEPT. 18–OCT. 23

Artists learn the early steps of watercolor painting, such as blotting, glazing, and wet-on-wet during this six-class, 12-hour course.

Intro

to Pottery: Throwing for Beginners with Ron

Miller

MONDAYS, 9 A.M. TO NOON, SEPT. 18–DEC. 11

Develop skill, dexterity, and coordination with the potter’s wheel in this 12-class course in Munson’s Ceramics Studio. Explore the fundamental process of firing and glazing, while you hone aesthetics in a contemporary, social, and historical context.

REGISTRATION

Classes begin in September munson.art/communityarts 315-797-8260

communityclasses@munson.art

Need-based scholarships covering partial or full tuition are available for all ages.

Cheri Sassman. 2023. Late Summer on Brimfield St. Pastel on paper.

FELIPE LOPEZ JOINS MUNSON AS ARTIST–IN–RESIDENCE

Munson welcomes Colombian artist Felipe Lopez as its 2023-24 Artist-in-Residence. Having just completed a Master of Fine Arts at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Felipe is trained as a traditional painter and draftsman.

“The residency reflects the creation of a community where I have the opportunity to teach and work through a multicultural lens, offering others a thoughtful and critical approach to the creative experience and the process of making art,” Felipe says. As a Colombian immigrant experiencing migration, he says he is drawn to the “idea of power structures left over from colonialism, how they relate across the history of our countries, and how their similarities, meanings and ideals linger on as symbols.”

As part of his residency, Felipe will teach two Pratt Munson courses in the fall, a Community Arts course in the fall and spring, and be a collaborator for Art Alive! family days at the Museum. Additionally, he will give an artist talk on Sept. 12, offer an open studio tour in the fall, and present an exhibition at the Pratt Munson Gallery in the spring.

The Artist-in-Residence Program is made possible with the generous support of Sunithi S. Bajekal.

BIG PRINTS

ON VIEW THROUGH OCT. 1

THE WESTWOOD

167 Genesee St, Utica, NY

ARTISTS RECEPTION

Friday, Sept. 15 | 5 to 7 p.m.

Artwork on view and for sale from this year’s Munson Arts Festival Steamrollin’ Prints event

Open to the public

Mon.–Fri., 8 a.m.–7 p.m. | Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m.–3 p.m

Rachel Bartunek

Nicole Condon-Shih

Angela DeCarlis

Ellie Farr

Christina Hopkins

Jed Kimball

Alexandria Kraeger

Monique Livingston

Ken Marchione

Galen Marquess

Dave Mentus

Andrew Mullally

2023 Sponsors

Shannon Nisiewicz

Michael Parks

Oliver Zaifnejad

Tim Rand

Ashley Stagner

Ashley Stanley

Tony Thompson

Luke Towne

Maria Vallese

Kayla Cady Vaughn

Uriah Weaver

Blick Art Materials, Enjoinery Inc., 4 Elements Studios, Inc., Oneida County Department of Public Works, S.C.I. Plywood Co.

Felipe Lopez. Absinthe drinker series beholder.

2023 MUNSON SUMMER EVENTS AT A GLANCE

Munson Car Show

Sporting Fashion Members Preview Reception

Arts Festival Kids Craft

Arts Festival Kids Craft

Free Community Arts Kids Classes

8th Annual Big Ol’ Steamrollin’ Print Invitational

13th Annual Oneida County Youth Bureau Sidewalk Chalk Art Competition

Sporting Fashion Guided Tours

Our July Bulletin cover featured an image a young girl enjoying an ice cream while admiring the Sidewalk Art Show under a tent in the '60s. The same young girl, now grown, visited the art show again this year and recreated the photo, linking decades of Arts Festival tradition under the tent.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

One of the main missions at Munson is to make the arts accessible to everyone in our community, reducing traditional barriers like cost. This wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors like the MetLife Foundation.

This summer, 295 children and teens were able to attend Community Arts classes free-of-charge due to the generosity of the MetLife Foundation. The funding, along with a partnership with Young Scholars LLP at Utica University for early dropoff and late pickup, made it easier for students of all backgrounds in the Utica area to have an incredible arts experience.

MetLife Foundation was also the primary sponsor of the Munson Arts Festival, which this year introduced a revamped Sidewalk Art Show format, an extra day of festivities, and a new neighborhood DJ party. This popular annual event centers and celebrates local artists of all disciplines, allowing them to share their work and reach new audiences in a setting open to the public.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Munson is able to offer outstanding exhibitions and programming to our community thanks to support from generous members and friends. If you are interested in joining them, there are a number of ways you can support upcoming projects.

EXHIBITIONS

2023-2024 EXHIBITION SERIES SPONSORSHIPS

Lead Sponsorship – $50,000

Co-Lead Sponsorship – $25,000

Individual Sponsorship – $10,000

INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITION SPONSORSHIPS

Lead Sponsorship – $25,000

Individual Sponsorship – $5,000

PROGRAMS

CONCERTS IN THE COURT

Three outstanding live performances offered in the Root Court.

Season Sponsorship – $10,000

Individual Program Sponsorship – $5,000

THE LEGACY SHOW: CELEBRATING AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMPOSERS

A showcase of music by prolific African American composers, thoughtfully intertwined with poetry and visual media. Sponsorship – $2,500

FIRST FRIDAY HAPPY HOURS

Season Sponsorship – $5,000

Individual Sponsorship – $2,000

SUMMER 2024 FREE ART CLASSES FOR KIDS

General operating support for 2024 will be provided by MetLife Foundation. Additional support is needed for:

Snacks and Supplies – $5,000

Summer Program Intern – $5,000

MUNSON

310 Genesee Street

Utica, NY 13502

315-797-0000

munson.art

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams

Concert in the Court

Saturday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.

$28 General Public | $23 Members

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams pushes boundaries of Americana music with their rootsy, rockin' psychedelica and captivating performances.