CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
THE NASHER SUMMER 2016 / MEMBERS’ MAGA ZINE
Nasher Prize Hero Shot
April 1, 2016 Nasher Sculpture Center 10:10 pm Doris Salcedo at Nasher Prize Laureate celebration dinner Photo: Bruno
THE NASHER SUMMER 2016 / MEMBERS’ MAGA ZINE
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS Joel Shapiro Sightings: Mai-Thu Perret
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UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS Plaster in the Nasher Collection Kathryn Andrews: Run for President Sightings: Michael Dean
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RECENT ACQUISITIONS
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CATCHING UP
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36 #INSIDENASHER 37 LEARN Double Take Illustrated Interview: Peter Goldstein Overheard: GROW at the Nasher Target First Saturdays Family Art Adventure: Joel Shapiro Scope Out Sculpture Mayor’s Summer Reading Club 44 ENGAGE ‘til Midnight at the Nasher Community Partner Spotlight: KXT 91.7 17
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MEMBERSHIP & SUPPORT You Are Invited Nasher Prize Celebration Weekend Funder Spotlight: The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia Nasher Love
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PLACES FOR SCULPTURE Basel, Switzerland
Retrospectives have this effect because most often they treat space as the measure of time. That is, the passage of time is marked by running feet along a museum’s walls, or by the sequencing of galleries, one after the other. There’s nothing wrong with this—indeed, what’s the alternative? But still, while for an artist the future is unknown and invisible, for the visitor to a retrospective, the future is clearly laid out, there on the next wall, there in the next gallery.
I’ve often heard artists remark that they find themselves depressed at the opening of their retrospective exhibitions. Perhaps that simply reflects unease with the glare of public attention, or concern about critical response. Perhaps, too, retrospectives offer artists reminders of just how hardwon were certain achievements, recalling the sensations of struggle as much as of success. But I’ve sometimes wondered if the form of the retrospective exhibition can sit uneasily alongside the artist’s own memories of making. Retrospectives typically cast an artist’s career as a narrative. They work to elucidate the internal logic of an artist’s development, how one thing led to the next. This creates an impression of inevitability, making a progression seem selfevident, preordained. And yet, that impression can have very little to do with the experience of the artist. In the midst of making work, the artist may have little idea what will come next, let alone 20 years later. No doubt, one idea or form may contain the germ of another, but often, too, accidents, unexpected discovery or unanticipated influence can inspire a new direction.
JOEL SHAPIRO MAY OFFER US NEW INSIGHT AND UNDERSTANDING INTO THE WORK OF ONE OF THE LEADING CONTEMPORARY SCULPTORS OF OUR TIME
I’ll confess that for something of the same reason, retrospective exhibitions can sometimes seem to me tiring— even tiresome—no matter if I deeply admired the artist. The careful drawing out of the stages of an artist’s career can diminish the sense of surprise, flatten out the unexpected leaps that can occur as an artist progresses from one idea to the next. In effect, the retrospective view can mask the sense of risk, accident, and discovery that so often define the creative process.
These thoughts are occasioned for me by the opening, in early May, of our Joel Shapiro show. Shapiro is an artist well represented in the Nasher Collection, which includes 6 sculptures that range in date from 1975 to 1999, effectively spanning the first half of the artist’s career. We will exhibit five of those sculptures (the sixth is on view at NorthPark). In addition, we’ll be bringing to the show a sculpture familiar to many of our Dallas-based visitors—Shapiro’s spectacular 20 Elements, 2004-2005, a work which normally occupies the Nordstrom Court at NorthPark, and is being lent to us by Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger. Most dramatically, perhaps, Shapiro will fill much of our upstairs exhibition gallery with a new work, one conceived expressly for that space. Rather than sitting on much of the floor, this installation will seem to soar through the air, suspended by wires from walls and ceiling. Finally, in various places around the Nasher, we’ll hang a sampling of the spectacular new drawings Shapiro has recently been making. This exhibition is not a retrospective. While it includes works representing many of the key moments in Shapiro’s career, from near its beginning to the present day, there are several significant bodies of work not included. Moreover, it does little to reveal the way Shapiro explores variation within a given body of work. Nevertheless, visitors will be able to witness important moments in the evolution of Shapiro’s work, and will have a sense, as they would in a retrospective, of the course of his development. However, one important difference between our show and a retrospective lies in the installation. While the exhibition’s central installation will occupy a single gallery, the remaining works by Shapiro will be set in adjacent galleries, placed in and among other works from the Nasher Collection (which Shapiro will have a hand in selecting). The sequencing devices that normally order narrative in a show will be absent, and works from the beginning of Shapiro’s career to the present day will converse with one another, and with other works from the collection in unexpected and surprising ways. Through its novel, even audacious installation, Joel Shapiro may offer us new insight and understanding into the work of one of the leading contemporary sculptors of our time, allowing us to see both connections and disjunctions that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Certainly, it will offer a visually thrilling experience. I hope to see you at our openings, and expect that this is a show to which many of you will return again and again.
Jeremy Strick Director
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O EL PIR JO A SH
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
JOEL SHAPIRO MAY 7 – AUGUST 21
The work of New York-based artist Joel Shapiro is familiar to many. The spare, geometric constructions of rectangular forms suggestive of bodies (human or otherwise) in dynamic poses—in motion, precariously poised, or stretched to their limits—have been featured in museum exhibitions and collections around the world. Since his first one-person exhibition in 1970, his work has been the subject of nearly 160 solo exhibitions and retrospectives internationally, and has been included in prestigious group exhibitions such as the Whitney Biennial, Documenta, and the Venice Biennale. The Nasher Sculpture Center is fortunate to count among its collection six works by Shapiro spanning three decades of his distinguished career. But visitors to the Nasher this summer could be forgiven for not immediately recognizing the featured exhibition as the work of this renowned artist. Rather than a chronological presentation of sculptures, the Nasher exhibition offers a single, site-specific installation conceived for the space of the Renzo Piano-designed galleries. Although made of brightly painted wood—materials Shapiro has employed since the early 1980s—the cubic volumes are irregular. Here, not only do they occupy the floor, they also hover in the air, tethered at different heights and angles within the gallery. This installation of suspended volumes at the Nasher represents a new development in the artist’s exploration of expanded or disconnected constructions that began just after the turn of the new century. Like much of his work, these initially took the form of small sculptures of lightweight wood, somtimes with the wooden elements tenuously joined by loose, curling wire, occasionally suspended from the ceiling. These sculptural (having been freed from the need of earthbound mounts or supports) clusters offered complex arrangements of forms in space that often looked as if they were collapsing or disintegrating, giving abstract voice to the unsettling tensions of the post-9/11 era. Eventually, these independent sculptures developed into room-sized installations of painted wooden planks of different widths, lengths and colors, suspended by strings at various angles and orientations in space, creating a complex spatial composition that changed as the viewer moved around and through it.
At the Nasher, the flat planks of previous installations have become multifaceted, volumetric forms. The elements are not made of simple rectangles but of asymmetrical geometric shapes. Only a few forms occupy the gallery: One seems to sit or recline on the floor, while others are suspended in midair or near the ceiling. Despite the relatively open installation, the generous size of the elements gives them a palpable and potentially unsettling presence. Many of them are larger than we are, making them feel looming or imposing, and ourselves, diminutive. The installation generates a curious, otherworldly, constructivist environment. The emotional impact of the experience should not be discounted. Shapiro has talked about the installation as a kind of dreamscape, or psychological space. This makes sense in light of the work that the artist has been making on paper recently, several of which have been included at the Nasher and exhibited in spaces adjacent to the installation. Although he has made drawings in various media throughout his career, the recent ink and gouache works are particularly abstract and atmospheric, loose skeins of color overlapping with inky clouds of black. Shapiro has taken to making pairs or groups of related gouaches by blotting the compositions with clean sheets of paper, creating a mirror image that he then shifts by adding new colors or changing its orientation. What results are abstract compositions suggesting complex spatial qualities. They are also, by turns, mysterious and moody or whimsical and playful. Any mirrored pair is bound to recall Rorschach inkblots. Although powerfully psychological, Shapiro’s works on paper are not symmetrical, nor identically mirrored: They are individual and unique, yet related, as a mother is to her son, or a brother to his sister. p
by JED MORSE, Nasher Sculpture Center Chief Curator
See page 48 for Member opening event information. Joel Shapiro is organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center and supported by Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger. Additional support is provided by Cindy and Howard Rachofsky. Aston Martin of Dallas is the official car of the Nasher.
360: ARTISTS, CRITICS, CURATORS SPEAKER SERIES
NASHER NOW CLASSES FOR ADULTS
JOEL SHAPIRO / SATURDAY, MAY 7 / 11 AM Montgomery Arts Theater at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
THURSDAY, JUNE 30 / 6 – 8 PM Nasher Sculpture Center
Free admission. Free for Members. RSVP online or email: 360rsvp@nashersculpturecenter.org 360 Speaker Series presenting Sponsor: Martha and Max Wells The 360 videography project is supported by Suzanne and Ansel Aberly. This support enables digital recording of all 360 Speaker Series programs and the creation of an online archive for learners of all ages. Additional support for 360 Speaker Series provided by Sylvia Hougland and the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.
Explore the gravity-defying sculpture of Joel Shapiro through an interactive tour focused on analysis, discussion and collaborative construction. Free with RSVP RSVP online or email: lwilbur@nashersculpturecenter.org
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS 1
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1 Joel Shapiro, untitled, 2015 Ink on paper 25-1/2 x 20-3/8 in © Joel Shapiro Photo: Courtesy of the artist
2 Joel Shapiro, untitled, 2015 Ink on paper 25-1/2 x 20-3/8 in © Joel Shapiro Photo: Courtesy of the artist
3 Joel Shapiro, untitled, 2010 Installation view, Pace Gallery, New York April 17 - May 15, 2010 © Joel Shapiro Photo: Courtesy of the artist
4 Joel Shapiro, untitled, 2011 Installation view (detail), Museum Ludwig, Cologne February 26 - September 25, 2011 © Joel Shapiro Photo: Courtesy of the artist
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Joel Shapiro, untitled, 2015 Ink on paper 20 x 24 3/4 in Š Joel Shapiro Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Joel Shapiro, untitled, 2015 Ink on paper 19 3/4 x 24 3/4 in Š Joel Shapiro Photo: Courtesy of the artist
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SIGHTINGS: MAI-THU PERRET THROUGH JULY 17
Mai-Thu Perret, exhibition view: Sightings: Mai-Thu Perret, Nasher Sculpture Center, 2016. Art: Š Mai-Thu Perret. Photo: Kevin Todora
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
NASHER SCULPTURE CENTER AND SOLUNA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL PRESENT Performances by Sightings artist Mai-Thu Perret
Original commission by the Nasher Sculpture Center
FIGURES / THURSDAY, JUNE 2 / 8:30 PM Nasher Hall
Both performances are free with advance registration.
o / SATURDAY, JUNE 4 / 2 – 4 PM Original commission for the SOLUNA Music and Arts Festival Throughout the Nasher Sculpture Center
+ RSVP / INFO
This June, Nasher Sightings artist Mai-Thu Perret will stage two performances in collaboration with the SOLUNA Music and Arts Festival. The first performance will be a restaging of a work entitled Figures, originally performed at the 2014 Biennale of Moving Images in Geneva. Perret’s second performance is a newly commissioned, world premiere entitled o that will function as a series of happenings throughout the Nasher’s building and garden. For the past 16 years, Perret has been making work born from a fictional feminist art commune she created called The Crystal Frontier. Under the aegis of the various inhabitants of this imagined world, Perret collaborated with her many fictional selves to make works in a variety of media and disciplines: ceramic, papier-mâché, textiles, literature, and song lyrics. In recent years, Perret has turned to performance
as a way to collaborate with others outside of The Crystal Frontier, working with friends who specialize in the various disciplines of dance, choreography, songwriting, theater, and music. With performances such as The Ballad of a Russian Doll (2010), a musical collaboration between Perret, singersong writer Tamara Barnett-Herrin, and musician Nigel Doyle, or Love Letters in Ancient Books (2011), the artist’s first dance project for the stage inspired by George Herriman’s famous comic strip Krazy Kat, Perret is able to move out of the world of her creation to realize performances that are relatively self-sufficient and explore her interests beyond her long-standing work The Crystal Frontier. With her two performances at the Nasher, Perret presents works that represent both her recent past, as well as her current areas of interest. Figures reflects the artist’s
temporality, and the mundane, happenings revolutionized performance and theater when Kaprow began staging them in 1957. Artists such as John Cage, who experimented with musical happenings as early as 1951 at Black Mountain College, and Claes Oldenburg, who staged Dallas’ first happening in 1962, along with many other visual artists who developed interests in movement and working with the body (such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, and Carolee Schneemann), likewise contributed to the evolution of dance, theater, and the breaking of the fourth wall. Performance was no longer confined by a clearly identifiable setting or framework, but it was now limitless in terms of activities, locations, performers, and audiences.
PERRET HAS TURNED TO PERFORMANCE AS A WAY TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHERS OUTSIDE OF THE CRYSTAL FRONTIER, WORKING WITH FRIENDS WHO SPECIALIZE IN THE VARIOUS DISCIPLINES OF DANCE, CHOREOGRAPHY, SONGWRITING, THEATER, AND MUSIC.
Blending visual arts with dance, music, and theater, SOLUNA provides opportunities for international artists to connect with the broader network of musicians and performers in the Dallas area. Likewise, the collaboration directly ties into the Nasher’s mission of challenging traditional notions of sculpture and further promoting the study and display of sculpture in all its various forms.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
research into women’s roles in the development of computer technology and the writings of Indian author and former computer programmer, Vikram Chandra, whose 2013 book Mirrored Mind: My Life in Letters and Code describes the aesthetics of code writing and the connections between art and technology. Further influences include Perret’s readings on meditation and the tantric practices of Kashmir Shaivism, as well as her fascination with American utopias and various religious and non-religious movements in the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries. These wide-ranging and diverse interests culminate in Figures, which features a life-size marionette, animated by dancer Anja Schmidt. During the performance, the two figures (dancer and puppet) enact an elaborate narrative that involves an Indian mystic, a 19thcentury American Shaker, a 1950s computer programmer, an Artificial Intelligence, and a journalist. The performance begins with the dancer and puppet as separate entities, and as it goes on, the two gradually merge then disappear, to be replaced on stage by a character with a typewriter (the journalist, played by Perret), who is typing text that describes the Artificial Intelligence. The staging of the piece recalls the Japanese style of puppetry known as bunraku, in which the manipulators appear on stage alongside the puppets, providing a parallel performance of real and artificial bodies in motion. Vocals sung by Barnett-Herrin relate the script of the performance that is set to percussive beats played by musician Beatrice Dillon.
Perret’s o assumes the mantle of happenings and experimental performance. During two hours, musicians divided across galleries and throughout the garden will play intermittently with live and recorded sound, percussive beats, and a range of musical styles and scales. Dancers will speak and create vocal sounds as they lead pageants and carry effigies reminiscent of the marionette in Figures, that here relate to images Perret saw of Roman Catholic processions honoring the Virgin Mary. The title of the work relates to Perret’s and Barnett-Herrin’s shared interest in speaking and semiotics: “o” can be a sound, a discrete word (“Oh!”), as well as a symbol for a circle or the integer zero. The simple title also refers to primitive languages that begin with sounds and utterances that are subsequently assigned meanings and become the words of a developed language.
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by LEIGH ARNOLD, Nasher Sculpture Center Assistant Curator
While Figures is a complex stage performance that focuses on language and movement, o will shift the focus away from language and lyrics to juxtapositions of movement and stasis, attack and decay, amplified and disjointed sound, and pageantry through collective procession. In a two-week residency in Dallas in May 2016, Perret, together with BarnettHerrin, Schmidt, and Dillon, will create the parameters and musical score that will comprise o to be performed by students of the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. Unlike Figures, which shares its script with the audience and is performed on a proscenium stage, o will remain largely unscripted and will disrupt the traditional space between performer and viewer with unexpected sounds, music, and movements loosely choreographed by Perret and Schmidt. In this way, o falls into the context of happenings, a type of performance art coined in 1957 by American artist Allan Kaprow. The lineage of happenings can be traced through the various avant-garde movements of the 20th century: Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Fluxus, as well as the deconstruction of traditional dance as found in the work of dancers Trisha Brown, Anna Halprin, and Steve Paxton. Blending artistic media and incorporating elements of chance,
LEFT: Mai-Thu Perret, Figures, performance at Centre d’art contemporain, Geneva, 2014. Photo: Annik Wetter. The Sightings series is generously sponsored by Lara and Stephen Harrison. Sightings: Mai-Thu Perret is supported by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and FABA Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte.
NASHER NOW CLASSES FOR ADULTS SIGHTINGS: MAI-THU PERRET SATURDAY, MAY 21 / 10 AM – 12 PM Nasher Sculpture Center Tour Mai-Thu Perret’s Sightings installation as gender, social structures, and utopian ideas are considered and informed by readings and current events. Then create a collage expressing your own views of society. Free with RSVP + RSVP or email: lwilbur@nashersculpturecenter.org
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ARTIST TO
ARTIST KATE YOLAND & MAI-THU PERRET > Watch the interview British artist and recent UTD CentralTrak resident Kate Yoland interviewed Mai-Thu Perret for the website Art This Week when Sightings: Mai-Thu Perret opened in March. The two artists had a fascinating conversation that ranged from Perret’s notions of utopia and the conflicts in the Middle East that inspired the work in the show, to the ideas behind the two performances she will stage here at the Nasher in June. The excerpt from their conversation that follows highlights Perret’s material considerations for her Sightings show, and how certain materials grapple with the militant themes she is addressing. KATE YOLAND: Maybe we could move on to discuss how you’ve
constructed the work. We have the painting behind us, we have certain ceramic objects around the space that resemble eyes, we have these silicone transparent guns that are bright neon—almost candy colored—which children would find quite alluring; can you talk about those components and how you develop in your studio those combinations that create the work? MAI-THU PERRET: You
read about people in the newspaper and you fall in love with them. You become fascinated and you want to know who they are and you admire them, such as the women in Kurdish, Rojava. The show very much started with the figures and this inspiration, it was a sort of love note. These are people who are living through horrific things, and they’re courageous while we live in a fairly comfortable bourgeois Western 21st-century life. So I had this sort of admiration. Maybe, specifically, I was disgusted by the politics of the world at the moment—this was a gut reaction to the events happening. KY: For example, ISIS and the threat they pose these women,
perhaps? Yes, for example, ISIS, or the bombs that are placed in Cambodian cafes, mixed working-class neighborhoods in Paris. We’re not living in a very pacified historical moment— just turning on the television is like watching a horror story. So I think this work in a way was quite linked to my discomfort, and so then I went about it there was this inspiration, or impetus and drive to make. From there you get into the problem-solving of what it is you want to make. MTP:
From the very beginning, I knew these [sculptures] had to
Mai-Thu Perret, Agoraphobia I, 2016, acrylic paint on synthetic carpet, 157 ½ x 118 1/8 in. (400 x 300 cm). Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Art: © Mai-Thu Perret. Photo: Cassandra Emswiler Burd
Left to Right: All art © Mai-Thu Perret Mai-Thu Perret, Les guérillères I, 2016. Steel, wire, papier-mâché, acrylic paint, gouache, synthetic hair, cotton and polyester fabric, bronze, and polyester resin 74 3/4 x 19 3/4 x 17 3/4 in. (190 x 50 x 45 cm), steel base (diameter): 23 1/2 in. (60 cm) Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo: Annik Wetter Les guérillères II, 2016. Steel, wire, papier-mâché, acrylic paint, gouache, synthetic hair, cotton and polyester fabric, bronze, and polyester resin 69 x 25 1/2 x 13 3/4 in. (175 x 65 x 35 cm), steel base (diameter): 23 1/2 in. (60 cm) Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo: Kevin Todora Les guérillères VIII, 2016. Steel, polyester foam, synthetic hair, silicone, glass, cotton and polyester fabric, bronze, and polyester resin 69 x 21 1/2 x 11 3/4 in. (175 x 55 x 30 cm), steel base (diameter): 23 1/2 in. (60 cm) Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo: Annik Wetter
be compounds and collages and mash-ups. Maybe I was also thinking a lot of an almost Dadaistic aesthetic where some kind of uncertainty of the outside world is mirrored in a kind of discontinuity of form. I mean it’s a very simple formulistic way to look at things. And then I took apart, in a way, the photographs and videos of these women in Rojava and tried to think of how I could inspire myself from them to make these sculptures. I felt the guns were one of the major elements. I mean, you see them all the time. I try not to watch too many of the ISIS videos. KY:
I can’t actually watch them…
Well, the problem with them is that you think you’re watching something that is pretty okay to watch, and then suddenly it’s very gory; it’s some kind of horror porn.
than the ISIS propaganda.) So these guns were a major thing, and I thought there’s such a fetish as well, and so making them into these regressive, candy-like things, it was quite immediate. Well, and also showing it in the United States. It’s one thing to show it in Europe, but in the United States, where guns are legal and there’s this constant debate about whether they should be banned after mass killings, it also resonates on that level. That children are playing with their parents’ guns and killing each other by mistake. So as you said before, you can come into this installation and read it many different ways… KY:
MTP:
KY: As you mentioned before, we’re living in this new chapter
in civilization—the fact that we can go on the internet and see these things that were once only brought to us by a few journalists with rolls of film photographing from the trenches and the frontline. Suddenly, we can watch executions. Yeah, and suddenly we can watch art-directed executions that are shot with Canon 5Ds—they’re beautifully edited and well-lit and credited. There’s a whole system of representation and an aesthetic. That’s because these are recruiting materials, that’s why they make them this way. So I noticed that ISIS and the free state of Rojava put out a lot of videos that have the exact same purpose—propaganda— only with Rojava it’s propaganda for the side that you like, instead of propaganda for the side that freaks you out. (Obviously, I find the Kurdish propaganda more palatable MTP:
Yes, this was a conversation I had with many of my friends in Europe saying, “Oh, but you’re making this work for Texas. Don’t you think people are going to read this with a whole different lens?” But I think that’s all fairly interesting, that’s one of the things that is interesting about exhibiting internationally, it’s that if I were to exhibit this in China, there would be a whole different set of associations that would be projected on this installation. So yeah, this material [for the guns] was a definite kind of choice. I didn’t want to use real weapons, for example. And there are a lot of decisions in terms of what is real and what is fake, what is copied. For example, the shoes are made of bronze… MTP:
KY:
Okay, and then ceramic and bronze…
MTP: Yes,
I mean the ceramic pieces were kind of produced separately in a way and dressed the same way, but they’re almost autonomous in terms of fabrication, there’s a slightly separate process. Then there’s the rest of the works, but all
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS Mai-Thu Perret, Les guérillères III, 2016. Steel, wire, papier-mâché, acrylic paint, gouache, synthetic hair, cotton and polyester fabric, bronze, ceramic, and wool blanket 23 1/2 x 43 1/4 x 29 1/2 in. (110 x 60 x 75 cm) Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo: Kevin Todora
of the other works wear the same bronze shoes. They’re hyper-real. I mean, I don’t think most people know they’re looking at bronze when they see them. But I’m interested in that possible double-reading then, that they appear real but they’re made with this heavy material. Their bronze feet then mirror a monument to a figure, whether it’s a political leader or a fallen soldier. KY:
Well, I thought it was important to have materials that were traditional sculpture materials and to mix them in a rather de-sacralizing way. With materials that are much more mundane it’s much easier, like the papier-mâché, for example. And it’s not that making papier-mâché figures is easy, it’s more that it’s… MTP:
KY:
… More democratic, economically.
MTP: Yes,
it’s domestic, it’s economically democratic and it’s linked to something in childhood as well; I mean, these are things you learn to do in school when you’re little. And I like that it runs… the range of production, from the extremely sophisticated and expensive, like the bronze, to the papiermâché. So then it became this collage. I was trying to have a variety of the different media, and to have a gradation from the most real, like this figure which is entirely silicone. Everything about her that is visible is hyper-realistic, to this figure here which is entirely papier-mâché, to that figure over there that is a compound because it is made out of wicker but then is wearing a silicone mask, so in a way it’s a real chimera.
K. Yoland
K. Yoland
K. YOLAND, INTERVIEWER Born and raised in London, K. Yoland received her MFA from The Slade, University College of London and her BA in Philosophy from Bristol University. After working in theater and film across Europe, Yoland moved from London to West Texas, to be the inaugural artist-in-residence with Marfa Contemporary. Yoland was then recruited by Marfa Public Radio to be the host and producer for a daily full-length interview program, where she interviewed more than 170 diverse and prominent artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, environmental specialists and lawyers. Meanwhile ,Yoland’s own interdisciplinary art practice examines identity-politics, power struggles and the various borders in our society. Exhibiting internationally, Yoland has recently shown with The Lisson Gallery (London), Talley Dunn Gallery (Dallas) and Turner Contemporary (UK). Yoland just completed a one-year residency with CentralTrak and she is currently teaching socially and politically engaged art at UTD. This interview excerpt is published in partnership with ArtThisWeek.com, a website dedicated to art education of the general public. Art This Week produces in-depth conversations with artists and curators about current art exhibitions at galleries and museums in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
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Constantin Brancusi, The Kiss, 1907-08 (cast before 1914). Plaster, 11 x 10 1/4 x 8 1/2 in. Photo: David Heald.
PLASTER IN THE NASHER COLLECTION JULY 23 – OCTOBER 9
LATER THIS SUMMER IN THE LOWER LEVEL GALLERY, THE NASHER SCULPTURE CENTER WILL PRESENT A PERMANENT COLLECTION INSTALLATION DEVOTED TO AN ANCIENT MATERIAL EMBRACED BY MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS: PLASTER. Made of ground or powdered limestone mixed with water, plaster was used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, although it was associated with architecture and painting as much as sculpture. As this range suggests, plaster is a remarkably versatile material. As a wall covering, it becomes a smooth surface for the creation of paintings. Poured into molds, it can replicate three-dimensional objects. As a material worked directly, it lends itself to both additive and subtractive approaches—that is, artists can add more plaster to a sculpture to model it further, but they can also cut or carve into it, as if it were stone. For sculptors working in the more pliable medium of clay, making a plaster cast of the finished work allows them to preserve it in a less
fragile substance. Less expensive than bronze, a plaster cast can also serve as a preparatory step in producing a bronze sculpture, becoming the source for a mold. Painted plaster sculpture has existed since as early as 7,000 BCE, although plaster became truly widespread as a sculptural material in the 19th century. In art academies, for example, artists studied plaster casts of classical sculptures. Even as artists such as Auguste Rodin began to turn away from academic studies in favor of live models, they embraced the versatility and accessibility of plaster as a way of working through ideas. Completed plasters could then be exhibited in hopes of attracting patrons who would pay to have them executed in more durable, and expensive, materials. Artists have also often made, and kept, plaster casts of their own work, in order to have the objects close to them for further thought and inspiration. In some cases, they have cut into the casts and reconfigured them, creating a new work in the process.
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS Auguste Rodin, The Age of Bronze, ca. 1876, Plaster, 71 1/2 x 25 1/2 x 21 1/4 in. Photo: David Heald.
Willem de Kooning, Clamdigger, 1972, Plaster, 59 ½ x 29 5/8 x 23 ¾ in. Photo: Tom Jenkins
360: ARTISTS, CRITICS, CURATORS SPEAKER SERIES PLASTER: MEDIUM AND PROCESS PANEL DISCUSSION SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 / 2 PM In collaboration with the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, University of Texas at Dallas Many of the plasters in the Nasher Sculpture Center’s permanent collection are casts made or authorized by the artists. Also on view in this installation will be new acquisitions by George Segal and Manuel Neri. (See “Recent Acquisitions”; page 27.) George Segal drew upon plaster’s role in the making of casts—both artistic and medical—to make casts of family members and friends using plaster-impregnated bandages. From the resulting casts, he made molds that yielded plaster sculptures. In the case of Manuel Neri, he modeled and then cut directly into pieces of plaster, hewing them as if they were wood. Segal often left his plasters white, but also painted the plaster on occasion, as in the Nasher’s Woman with Shopping Bag. Neri regularly painted his plaster sculptures, animating the surface and complicating how the viewer perceives its facets. p
by CATHERINE CRAFT, Nasher Sculpture Center Curator
> Learn about working with plaster here
“Plaster fascinates me greatly, too, because it’s an inert thing that can do anything. It’s what led me into imitations of food. Plaster is natural for that. It’s like food. You can almost bite it —so the material has a lot to do with what gets made.” – Claes Oldenburg
Among the most flexible of sculptural media, plaster has been used since antiquity to create both original works and replicas, both as a medium in its own right and as a preliminary stage in the production of works in other media. To coincide with the installation of Plaster in the Nasher Collection, a panel of art historians and artists will discuss the history and materiality of plaster. Free for Members + RSVP or email 360RSVP@nashersculpturecenter.org 360 Speaker Series presenting Sponsor: Martha and Max Wells The 360 videography project is supported by Suzanne and Ansel Aberly. This support enables digital recording of all 360 Speaker Series programs and the creation of an online archive for learners of all ages. Additional support for 360 Speaker Series provided by Sylvia Hougland and the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.
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UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
K AT H R Y N ANDREWS
RUN FOR
PRESIDENT
Installation view, Kathryn Andrews: Run for President, MCA Chicago Nov 21, 2015—May 8, 2016 Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
KATHRYN ANDREWS: RUN FOR PRESIDENT SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 – JANUARY 8, 2017 Los Angeles-based artist Kathryn Andrews (American, born 1973) mines the American cultural landscape to investigate relationships between popular culture and power structures, in particular how images and brands are used to establish authority. Andrews’s work, which combines found objects, historic images, and references to art movements such as Pop Art, minimalism, and finish fetish aims to show how meaning is contingent on context. Addressing the current climate at the onset of another election year, the exhibition— Andrews’s first solo museum presentation in the United States—loosely weaves together narratives around historic and imaginary candidates, the campaign trail, sitting in office, and the end of the presidential term. The exhibition originated at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and, in collaboration with the artist, will be reconfigured as a site-specific installation in the Nasher galleries, incorporating works from the existing exhibition, such as the large-scale, documentary photomurals and meticulously produced sculptural works within the unique architecture of the Nasher.
See page 48 for Member opening event information. Kathryn Andrews: Run for President is organized by Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Generous support for Kathryn Andrews: Run for President is provided by the Harris Family Foundation in memory of Bette and Neison Harris: Caryn and King Harris, Katherine Harris, Toni and Ron Paul, Pam and Joe Szokol, Linda and Bill Friend, and Stephanie and John Harris; David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles; the Nancy Lauter McDougal and Alfred L. McDougal Exhibition Fund; Christen and Derek Wilson; the Pamela Alper Curatorial Fund; Rodney Lubeznik and Susan D. Goodman; Cari and Michael Sacks; Rena and Daniel Sternberg; and Lisa Roumell and Mark Rosenthal.
Clockwise: Installation view, Kathryn Andrews: Run for President, MCA Chicago Nov 21, 2015—May 8, 2016 Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago Installation view, Kathryn Andrews: Run for President, MCA Chicago Nov 21, 2015—May 8, 2016 Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago Kathryn Andrews, Lethal Weapon, 2012 Stainless steel, paint, and certified film prop 76 x 36 x 36 in. (193 x 91.4 x 91.4 cm) Hammer Museum, Los Angeles Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
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UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Michael Dean, Sic Glyphs, installation view at the South London Gallery, 2016. Courtesy the artist, Herald Street, London, Mendes Wood DM, Sao Paulo, Supportico Lopez, Berlin. Photo Andy Keate
SIGHTINGS: MICHAEL DEAN OCTOBER 22, 2016 – FEBRUARY 5, 2017 Born in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1977, Michael Dean lives and works in London. His work explores themes of language, the act of writing and the struggle to communicate in a variety of forms, including sculpture, photography, poetry, plays, publications and performance. Often made of concrete forms cast in flexible plastic bags, his sculptures sometimes vaguely resemble letters of the alphabet and are occasionally installed on top of Dean’s self-published books filled with gibberish or nonsensical phrases printed in handmade, pictogram lettering. But these abstract, industrial objects project an extraordinary humanity: Often slightly hunched, slumped, or leaning, the sculptures take on human qualities that elicit our sympathy. We feel for these slightly downtrodden creatures and connect with their plight. For his exhibition, Dean will create new works in response to the unique environs of the Nasher. Sightings: Michael Dean will be the artist’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States.
See page 48 for Member opening event information. The Sightings series is generously sponsored by Lara and Stephen Harrison. Sightings: Michael Dean is supported by FABA Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte.
RECENT ACQUISITIONS Thanks to the generous support of donors, the Nasher Sculpture Center acquired several important works of art in recent months. Made possible by supporters of the Nasher Sculpture Center here in Dallas and farther afield, these acquisitions include an important group of sculptures and drawings by Manuel Neri, an environmental assemblage by George Segal, and a sculpture by Bettina Pousttchi. These acquisitions represent significant milestones for the Nasher: The Neris and Pousttchi are the first works by these artists to enter the collection, and the Segal is the first plaster by the artist to do so. We welcome these works into the collection and look forward to exhibiting them at the Nasher, starting with the inclusion of the Segal and one of the Neris in the permanent collection installation Plaster in the Nasher Collection. (See page 20.)
GEORGE SEGAL
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American, 1924-2000 Woman with Shopping Bag, 1994 Plaster, wood, acrylic paint, gelatin silver prints, plastic panels, metal 96 ½ x 96 x 33 in. (245.11 x 243.84 x 83.82 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of the George and Helen Segal Foundation Photo: Kevin Todora Courtesy of the George and Helen Segal Foundation
George Segal came to prominence in the 1960s with plaster sculptures cast from his family and friends. His treatment of everyday subjects led to his association with Pop Art, but the solitary and introspective quality of his figures— even those surrounded by others—set his work apart. Segal began to make and exhibit photographs after being given a Leica M6 by his friend and sometime assistant, the photographer Donald Lokuta, in the mid-1980s. Segal especially enjoyed traveling into New York City from his home in central New Jersey and photographing the East Village and Bowery, areas then undergoing profound changes in the early stages of gentrification. In the 1990s, Segal started using large-scale prints of these photographs as backdrops to his figures, as in the nocturnal setting for the painted plaster figure of Woman with Shopping Bag, who stands stoically before a tangled web of crime-scene tape, shadows, and scaffolding. Woman with Shopping Bag is the first Segal plaster to enter the Nasher’s collection, joining the bronze group Rush Hour (1983, cast 1985-86).
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BETTINA POUSTTCHI German, born 1971 Double Monument for Flavin and Tatlin X, 2013 Powder coated crowd barriers and 7 neon lights Nasher Sculpture Center, Purchased with the support of Mr. and Mrs. Buhl, Frankfurt, Germany; THE EKARD COLLECTION; Brigitte and Henning Freybe, West Vancouver, B.C.; Liselotte and Alfredo Gysi; Wemhöner Collection; and anonymous donors Photo: Kevin Todora
Part of a series of sculptures from crowd control barriers that Bettina Pousttchi bent, assembled, and powder-coated white, the Double Monument for Flavin and Tatlin X explicitly highlights the artistic connotations of the forms, drawing on Dan Flavin’s series of “monuments” to the Russian constructivist artist, architect, and designer, Vladimir Tatlin. Pousttchi twisted crowd barriers into spiraling towers reminiscent of Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International and incorporated white neon shafts that recall Flavin’s fluorescent light sculptures. Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International resonates with Pousttchi’s work on a number of levels. Designed in 1919 to house the headquarters for the international communist revolution in Russia, Tatlin’s monument is an open-form, abstract, geometric sculpture on the scale of architecture. Double Monument for Flavin and Tatlin X was exhibited in the Nasher’s 2014 exhibition Sightings: Bettina Pousttchi.
ACQUISITIONS
MANUEL NERI
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American, born 1930, Arcos de Geso I (Diptych), 1985 Plaster with dry pigment, wire armature, styrofoam, burlap, and wood, 80 x 114 x 12 1/2 in. (203.2 x 289.6 x 31.8 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
The Nasher Sculpture Center is pleased to be the recipient of a landmark gift of work by American artist Manuel Neri. Donated by the Manuel Neri Trust, the five sculptures and 10 related drawings represent the first works by the artist to enter the collection. Spanning Neri’s career, from the early 1960s to the beginning of this century, the gift chronicles the artist’s development and provides insight into his working methods. A native of California, Neri spent his entire career in the San Francisco Bay Area and was an important figure of the Bay Area Figurative movement with Elmer Bischoff, Richard Diebenkorn, Nathan Oliveira, and David Park. Working primarily in plaster, Neri sought to synthesize expressive representational and abstract modes, often painting his plasters and then carving away the painted areas. Early works such as Carla V exhibit a highly textured surface with varying planes of color. The application of color further animates and complicates the surface of the sculptures, drawing the eye in, and alternately obscuring or highlighting the texture. The result is a dynamic, abstract composition that plays out on the surface, yet is integral to the reading of the form. A related drawing captures Neri thinking through the form, as well as potential coloration. Neri explored the expressive qualities of the figure throughout his career. Plaster and bronze sculptures from the 1970s and 1980s examine the body in a variety of poses: standing, crouching, or in tension, hands and feet on the ground, holding the torso aloft. The status of the surface, and the relation of the figure to its support or background, receives intensive treatment in a series of life-size plaster reliefs, such as Arcos de Geso I (Diptych). Here, the figures, nearly fully formed, seem to emerge from and recede into the plaster wall, one figure looking toward and the other away from the wall. It is unclear if the plaster background represents a partition to a theoretical or imagined space or is itself a generative plane: The figures are as much a part of the wall as the wall is a part of the figures. The yellow pigment that covers both figures and part of the wall at once unifies them and complicates their relationship. The split composition, rough plaster, and unevenly stained surface give the work an aura of antiquity, as if they were mysterious fragments from ancient Rome or Greece. Drawing and painting have been integral to Neri’s practice throughout his career. The 10 drawings in the gift from the Manuel Neri Trust are all figure studies related to the sculptures, but exhibit a freedom and immediacy that marks them, individually, as powerful, autonomous works of art. Manuel Neri’s work is internationally renowned and has been exhibited in major museum and gallery exhibitions both in the U.S. and abroad. It is also represented in numerous museum collections, including, now, the Nasher Sculpture Center.
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MANUEL NERI
Manuel Neri, La Palestra No. 5, 1988 (cast 2001) Bronze and oil-based enamel, 29 x 47 x 18 1/2 in. (73.7 x 119.4 x 47 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Arcos de Geso Study No. 23 (Diptych), 1984 Charcoal, oil pastel, and graphite on paper, 13 5/8 x 20 7/8 in. (34.6 x 53 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Carla No. 2, 1964 Graphite, ink, acrylic, and oil-pastel on paper, 30 3/4 x 25 5/8 in. (78.1 x 65.1 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri
Manuel Neri, Seated Figure Study No. 15, 1981 Mixed media on paper, 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Arcos de Geso Preparatory Drawing Study III, c. 1985 Water-based pigments and charcoal on paper, 13 7/8 x 10 5/8 in. (35.2 x 27 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Carla V, 1964 Plaster, oil-based enamel, graphite, wood and wire, 67 x 22 ½ x 20 in. (170.2 x 57.2 x 50.8 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Standing Figure No. 6, 1978 Styrofoam, burlap, and steel armature, 65 1/2 x 19 3/4 x 15 1/2 in. (166.4 x 50.2 x 39.4 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Seated Figure Study No. 25, 1981. Water-based pigments and graphite on paper, 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
ACQUISITIONS
MANUEL NERI
Manuel Neri, Standing Figure No. 3, 1992 (cast 2006) Bronze and Incralac with oil-based pigments, 66 x 20 x 13 1/2 in. (167.6 x 50.8 x 34.3 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Arcos de Geso Preparatory Drawing Study IV, c. 1985 Mixed media on paper, 13 5/8 x 10 3/4 in. (34.6 x 27.3 cm). Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Solana No. 10, 2003 Water-based pigments and charcoal on paper, 26 x 20 1/2 in. (66 x 52.1 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Arcos de Geso Preparatory Drawing Study V, c. 1985 Mixed media on paper, 14 x 10 1/2 in. (35.6 x 26.7 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, Seated Figure Study No. 25, 1981 Water-based pigments and graphite on paper, 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
Manuel Neri, La Palestra Study No. 5, 1987 Oil-paint stick, charcoal, and graphite on paper, 8 1/2 x 11 in. (21.6 x 27.9 cm) Nasher Sculpture Center, Gift of Manuel Neri Trust
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CATCHING UP WITH LIZ LARNER
Liz Larner, X, 2013 Stainless steel Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles Installation view at Aspen Art Museum, November 6, 2015 – November 30, 2016
C AT C H I N G U P
Los Angeles-based artist Liz Larner was one of the 10 artists featured in Nasher XChange, the citywide exhibition of art in the public realm organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center in celebration of its 10th anniversary in 2013. Her contribution, X, was installed in the courtyard of the new Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building at the University of Texas at Dallas. Consisting of two curving, stainless-steel planes that intersect near the apex of the arch and subtly define an interior volume, the work served as a fitting symbol for the university program established to examine the intersection of these two disciplines. It also continued the artist’s exploration of irregular geometries and deceptively simple sculptural forms. Chief Curator Jed Morse spoke with Larner recently about what she has been working on since Nasher XChange, including seeing X exhibited in other locations, an exhibition of her ceramic works, a GSA commission, and the editioned work she is making to help support the Nasher Sculpture Center. I wanted to talk a little bit about what you have been doing since Nasher XChange. You’ve just opened a big exhibition of your ceramics at the Aspen Art Museum and X has been there since the fall. Is that right? JED MORSE:
LIZ LARNER: That’s right. Shigeru Ban’s woven screen in front
of the Aspen Art Musem is an amazing site to be able to locate X. I love it in when a large piece like X can travel to different places. It was in Chicago [at the Art Institute of Chicago, April 24 – September 27, 2015] and The second X is now part of the Walker Art Center Collection in Minneapolis. JM:
of like a gate and a geologic totem in a way. The bronze aspect is an open form that can be walked through, one can look up at the agglomerate boulder when under it, and once inside and up in the buildings, there are amazing views from above. It has to be interesting to see so many of the ceramic works in the same space, or together in the catalogue—to be able to look at that body of work in its totality. Were there things that surprised you about it as a body of work? JM:
It’s great to see things that have happened over time. You become informed about something that maybe you didn’t think of before. And for me, I’ve begun letting the process happen more without making changes to the slabs besides laying the clay over forms, and allowing the drying process to take its course. It’s interesting for me to see the earlier work: those pieces I was squaring up the edges and doing a lot more to make them into rectangles. Now I’m just allowing these ovals that come through the slab roller be, but after seeing the installation at the AAM, I’m realizing that the more geometric forms accentuate the cracked ovals and vice versa. It’s made me go back to an earlier working process a little bit because I have a show coming up in September in Berlin at Max Hetzler Gallery and am starting to incorporate some of the more rectilinear forms with the more organic forms. There’s a lot of variation in the color and its application, so getting to see that again was very helpful to my approach and what I want to do next. LL:
The coatings seem incredibly complex. How have the coatings evolved since you started doing these? JM:
Oh, that’s great. There’s a funny thing that happened during the process of making the agglomerate boulder for Public Jewel, while at the same time working on the ceramics: I had a lot of castoffs from the process of cutting and selecting the stones. One day, out of curiosity, I brought some of these over to the ceramic studio and pressed them into the surface of the clay and then fired that just to see what would happen. It was a happy accident. So I’ve started incorporating some of these [stones] into the surface [of the ceramics] and glazing these works. These larger pieces of stone are functioning against scale, like blown-up pigment particles. Before I started using glaze, I was only using epoxy with pigment that I mix in. When thinking about pigment and what it is, ideas about the Anthropocene and the geologic, LL:
A book on the wall ceramics was published and ready for the opening at the AAM. And in June of 2015 I finished a permanent sculpture that was commissioned by the GSA [U.S. General Services Administration] in Denver. It’s on the plaza of the federal building and the federal courthouse in downtown Denver. LL:
JM:
What did you do there?
The title of the work is Public Jewel. I collected stones and minerals from all over Colorado and brought them together to make an agglomerate boulder. It is held up about 13 feet in the air by a bronze structure, so it’s kind LL:
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Left to Right: Installation view of Liz Larner, exhibition of ceramics at the Aspen Art Museum, February 26 – June 5, 2016 Liz Larner, Public Jewel, 2015. Byron G. Rogers Federal Building and Courthouse Plaza, Denver
the changeover from geology to humans as the force of change on a planet come to mind. Gemstones and minerals for pigment all come from underground, where it’s completely dark, yet these incredible colors are found there, and we dig them up and put them on our art. My understanding of how the pigment works with the flow of epoxy and how uniquely each pigment reacts is deepening. It’s not just the color that’s different, it’s the texture, and how, combined with the epoxy ,the pigments move through or cling to the topography of the ceramic. Each pigment has its own character, so that movement combined with that topography and gravitational pull is really evident on and through the surface. We’re really excited about the edition you did for us. It looks fantastic.
LL:
These are the only two.
Oh, that’s fascinating. Is there something about the form that drew you to stainless steel? JM:
I think of yes this too as an intimate piece, part of a household. The thing that I like about the mirror-polished stainless steel is how it reflects everything that’s happening, with an impact of the form on that reflection. So, [the work] reflects the individuality of what’s happening in the present as it is reflected on a surface that has its own form. It’s like this constant feedback of whatever is going on at the moment. It’s always captured in the surface, but also inflected by it. LL:
JM:
Yeah, I can’t wait for you to see it in person. The photos are deceptive, which I always think is a good thing in sculpture. It’s about the power of sculpture, too. I think it’s much more interesting to not have an image of it be a foregone conclusion when you’re with the sculpture. LL:
You know, sometimes with the reflection, it’s like the form almost disappears, but it’s still evident in the distortion of the reflection. The edition is intimately scaled, so it seems like it’s meant to be held. JM:
It’s a little bit big to hold. You would need both hands. Lux Interior was another heart shape, a softened triangle. I became interested in that a few years ago when so many skulls were being produced. I wanted to make a heart. LL:
There haven’t been a number of works you’ve done in that kind of high-polished stainless steel. Are these the only two: the Nasher edition and X? JM:
C AT C H I N G U P p LIZ LARNER BENEFITING THE NASHER SCULPTURE CENTER yes this too, 2015 Edition of 20
Left to Right: Liz Larner, Lux Interior (gold plated), 2010. Bronze with gold patina, 11 x 8 ½ x 6 in. (27.9 x 21.6 x 15.2 cm). Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles Liz Larner, yes this too, 2015. 3 1/2 x 8 x 9 in. (8.9 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm) Edition of 20, + 3 AP. Commissioned to support the Nasher Sculpture Center
Is it solid or is it plate steel that has been molded and welded? JM:
LL: No, it was cast. It’s kind of an interesting process.
We’re doing it at the Walla Walla Foundry. They’re doing such amazing things. It’s a form that was modeled digitally. JM: LL:
Is it solid?
No, it’s hollow.
JM:
But it’s dense, so it’s substantial.
Yes, the most delicate thing about it is the mirror polish, but that can be brought back. The form in this material is very resilient. And another aspect of this sculpture is that it can be flipped. You can turn it on different sides and it has a very different read on each side. It’s a real 3-D sculpture that can be manipulated. You can turn it around, or have a completely different view of it. It doesn’t have a set place to be. In this way it is like another edition that I made some years ago, Guest. LL:
$20,000 (plus tax) Pre-production cost available through September 30, 2016 Contact Amy Henry at ahenry@nashersculpturecenter.org or 214.242.5103
Exactly. And it’s meant to be touched. Of course, the surface is sensitive because it’s mirror-polished, but it can be held, it can be moved around or turned over, and moved from place to place. LL:
I must admit that I did make a tiny version of it, a small handheld version out of solid cast silver, which is a private edition that I made for my wedding and I gave to family and dear friends as gifts. But I wanted to use this form again. I just thought it was perfect for this edition because as a digital model it can be made in any scale, but I wanted it to still be intimate. JM:
That’s really a lovely association.
I love the Nasher and the people of Dallas that I’ve met. I made this for them. LL:
It’s of a scale where it doesn’t necessarily need a pedestal. It’s meant to be a part of your space. JM:
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#INSIDENASHER Friends of InstaDFW met at the Nasher in early March to experience the work of Ann Veronica Janssens, Doris Salcedo and Mai-Thu Perret. Here’s what five of these most recent Instagrammers encountered in the Nasher Garden and Galleries: 1 Casey Kopecky / @_finalnotice 2 Corey Nguyen / @coreybao 3 Isaiah Hicks / @isaiahhicks 4 Jeremy Klefeker / @jeremyklefeker 5 Jeyson Paez / @jeysonpaez
Search #InsideNasher on Instagram to see all the photos from Instameets over the past two years.
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LEARN / SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR TEENS
DOUBLE TAKE Margaret Meehan
No.
Vintage tintypes and cabinet cards of children, adolescent girls, and women. I use some for my work, but some are so amazing I wouldn’t dare touch them!
Alchemic.
Malleable, transformative, trouble.
Some vampire bling cups from my functional line of Sister Hyde Ceramics. They seem to be in line with his thinking of artist-made sellable objects.
This summer we have the pleasure of working with sculptor Margaret Meehan and painter Francisco Moreno for the 9th annual Summer Institute for Teens. Here are their thoughts on the work of artists in our collection who are painters and sculptors.
Photo: Kevin Todora
Francisco Moreno
Do you incorporate the tradition of still life into your practice?
Yes! Although, I prefer to actually place the objects in my still life and paint them.
Are there objects you keep around your studio for inspiration?
I used to play the cello in high school so I bought one to paint on and put in an installation piece. I still keep the cello in my studio and look at it every day.
Pablo Picasso, Vase of Flowers on a Table, 1969, Oil on canvas, 45 1/2 x 35 in. Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas.
Clay is _________.
What words do you associate with clay? Pablo Picasso, Flowers in a Vase, 1951-53 Painted plaster, terracotta and iron, 30 1/8 x 20 1/4 x 17 1/4 in. Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas.
This work was a part of Oldenburg’s The Store. If you could contribute one of your works to his installation, what would it be?
Clay is barro in Spanish. Malleable, fingerprints, organic, moist, squishy, traditional, surprising, unpredictable, pottery, history, cool Aztec figurines, C in undergrad, Fontana, Price and Papp.
I would contribute dog sweaters specifically for pit bulls.
Claes Oldenburg, Mannikin Torso: Two-Piece Bathing Suit, 1960 Plaster soaked muslin over wire frame, painted with tempera, 32 1/2 x 14 3/4 x 4 1/2 in. Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas.
NYC bagels.
In your opinion, what food deserves to be monumentalized? Claes Oldenburg, Proposal for Colossal Monument in the form of a Butter in a Baked Potato, 1975. Crayon and watercolor on paper, Overall: 26 x 40 1/2 in. Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas.
Guacamole! It is not only delicious, but I believe representative of how different cultures and cuisines have become so influential in America.
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L E A R N / D E S T I N AT I O N D A L L A S S U M M E R A R C H I T E C T U R E W O R K S H O P
Illustrated Interview:
Peter Goldstein Peter Goldstein is an architect and educator who has worked with the Nasher for the past six years to offer Destination Dallas, a summer architecture workshop for high school students who are interested in learning more about architecture, design and urban planning.
Why should young people learn about architecture? Because it is an art form that can be experienced and appreciated every day!
What is your favorite aspect or detail of the Nasher? Definitely the sunscreen that floats over the glass roof—it is a beautiful piece of sculpture in and of itself.
What artwork do you come back to time and again? Picasso’s Head of a Woman, Serra’s My Curves Are Not Mad, works by John Chamberlain, and Jean Tinguely’s enchanting Radio No. 1...and, I really miss James Turrell’s skyspace.
What is a hidden architectural gem in Dallas? The Hall of State at Fair Park. It is a truly great building with amazing spaces and wonderful works of art integrated into the building’s design.
Your favorite Renzo Piano project? The Nasher. The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center in New Caledonia would be a close second.
What is your favorite place in the world? Tough choice. Quite a few places come to mind, including Cape Town, South Africa; Marblehead, Massachusetts; Assisi; New Orleans; the Hopi Reservation in Arizona; Fallingwater and The Lightning Field in New Mexico. But in the end, I have to go with Dallas, which is my home and has so much to offer when it comes to art, architecture, and great people!
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illustrated by COLLEEN BORSH, Nasher Sculpture Center Manager of School and Family Programs
L E A R N / G R O W AT T H E N A S H E R
Overheard: GROW at the Nasher This spring, students from Rosemont Elementary enjoyed interactive tours at the Nasher as part of a multi-visit and partnership program. Here is a peek at the museum through their eyes. GROW at the Nasher is generously supported by Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation and Dr. Bryon Adinoff and Ms. Trish Holland.
How did you feel while you were in Ann Veronica Janssens’s Blue, Red and Yellow?
What words you would use to describe this work of art or your experience inside it?
“Scared, excited, nervous, lost, epic, awesome, cool.” – 4th grade, Evelin A.
“I wish I could stay in there forever!” – 3rd grade student
Antony Gormley, Quantum Cloud XX (tornado) Sketch by Andy T. 2nd grade
Antony Gormley, Quantum Cloud XX (tornado) Sketch by Elizabeth P. 2nd grade
Ann Veronica Janssens, Blue, Red and Yellow Sketch by Andy T. 2nd grade
Ann Veronica Janssens, Blue, Red and Yellow Sketch by Abigail R. 3rd grade
Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman Sketch by Noel S. 4th grade
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L E A R N / T A R G E T F I R S T S A T U R D AY S
Counting on Target Target is number one for supporting family programming at the Nasher. Join us for a Target First Saturday to make art, meet a new friend, and learn something new.
Since then we
The Nasher’s partnership with Target began in
613
have offered hours of free programming on the 1st Saturday of every month and have welcomed over
2007
210,000 guests.
Highest number of visitors:
We have assembled
50,000
5,310
bags filled with a scavenger hunt, passport and take-home art activity.
Cost of admission on Target First Saturday:
$
0
June 4 – Big Idea: Process July 2 – Big Idea: Space August 6 – Big Idea: Place 10 am – 5 pm: Free Admission 10 am – 2 pm: Family Programming
(March 2015)
The family tour
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is offered times on a first Saturday
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and is minutes long.
“We really enjoy Target First Saturdays – great way to introduce our child to art and she loves it.” “Always one of my favorite Saturdays with my family.” – Target First Saturday Visitors
L E A R N / F A M I LY A D V E N T U R E : A R T I S T J O E L S A P I R O
Family Art Adventure: Joel Shapiro
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illustrated by COLLEEN BORSH
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LEARN / SCOPE OUT SCULPTURE
Learn while you lounge this summer by tuning into the Nasher’s Periscope channel on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The education team will take you up close and personal with the work of featured artists via 20-minute virtual tours.
Thursday, June 2 / Exhibition highlights: Sightings: Mai-Thu Perret Thursday, June 16 / Exhibition highlights: Joel Shapiro Thursday, July 7 / Collection favorites: Mark di Suvero Thursday, July 21 / Collection favorites: George Segal Thursday, August 4 / Material spotlight: Plaster Thursday, August 18 / Collection favorites: Richard Serra
Tours will be presented live at 12 p.m. and archived on Periscope for 24 hours. Watch on your desktop or laptop computer by visiting www.periscope.tv/nashersculpture, or download the Periscope mobile app and follow @nashersculpture for learning on the go.
> Watch on your desktop or laptop computer or on our website here.
L E A R N / M AY O R ’ S S U M M E R R E A D I N G C L U B
2016 Dallas Public Library Mayor’s Summer Reading Club Make Your Mark Contest June 4 – August 6
BOTH READING AND ART CAN TAKE YOUR IMAGINATION ON WONDERFUL JOURNEYS. This summer, the Nasher invites you to create a bookmark inspired by the Nasher Sculpture Center. Participants must be in or entering grades 2-12 and live in the city of Dallas or attend a Dallas public school, charter school, or home school within these geographical limits. Forms are available at your local Dallas Public Library or our website at nashersculpturecenter.org/mayors-summer-reading-club. Be inspired by these previous winners:
Designed by
CHLOE SERNA Age 7
Winner of the 2011 Make Your Mark contest in conjunction with the Mayor’s Summer Reading Program.
NasherSculptureCenter.org
ANAËLLE SERNA
SOPHIA ANTHONY
Artist / Age 14
Artist / Age 15
Winner of the 2012 Make Your Mark contest in conjunction with the Mayor’s Summer Reading Program.
NasherSculptureCenter.org
ANNABELLA CIANCIULLI Artist / Age 9
Winner of the 2013 Make Your Mark contest in conjunction with the Mayor’s Summer Reading Program.
nashersculpturecenter.org
Winner of the 2014 Make Your Mark contest in conjunction with the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club
ADAM ROTH Artist / Age 8
nashersculpturecenter.org
Winner of the 2015 Make Your Mark contest in conjunction with the Mayor’s Summer Reading Program
nashersculpturecenter.org
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E N G A G E / ‘ T I L M I D N I G H T AT T H E N A S H E R
Presented by Ben E. Keith Beverages
FREE ADMISSION / 6 PM – MIDNIGHT ‘til Midnight at the Nasher presents live outdoor concerts featuring the best in regional music talent paired with artistic and topical film screenings in the Nasher Garden. Nasher Cafe by Wolfgang Puck offers special reserve-ahead picnic dining for two and grab-and-go snacks and street tacos the night of the event. ‘til Midnight’s Singer-Songwriter Spotlight returns for its second year and showcases an acoustic opening act chosen through social media suggestions. Recommend singer-songwriters you’d like to see at ‘til Midnight by visiting the Nasher’s social media channels. For more information and to reserve picnic dining, visit nashersculpturecenter.org/tilmidnight. ‘til Midnight is presented by Ben E. Keith Beverages. Additional support is provided by Aston Martin of Dallas, City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, Texas Commission on the Arts, the Eugene McDermott Endowment Fund, and KXT.
MAY 20 7 PM / CONCERT PLEASANT GROVE > Listen 9 PM / FILM CORALINE 2009 (PG)
> Watch Trailer PAIRS WELL WITH: Foo Fighters Supergrass Queens of The Stone Age Muse
JUNE 17 DALLAS ARTS DISTRICT SUMMER BLOCK PARTY 7 PM / CONCERT THE O’S > Listen 9 PM / FILM GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL 2014 (EDITED FOR WIDE AUDIENCE)
> Watch Trailer PAIRS WELL WITH: Avett Brothers The Lumineers Nickel Creek Old Crow Medicine Show
JULY 15 7 PM / CONCERT NORTHERN NATIONAL > Listen 9 PM / FILM WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S 1989 (PG-13)
> Watch Trailer PAIRS WELL WITH: Coldplay The Killers Unlikely Candidates American Authors
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AUG 19 7 PM / CONCERT GOLLAY > Listen 9 PM / FILM BROOKLYN 2015 (PG-13)
> Watch Trailer PAIRS WELL WITH: Angel Olsen Beth Orton Liz Phair Sharon Van Etten Sarah Jaffe
SEPT 16 7 PM / CONCERT JACK KEROWAX > Listen 9 PM / FILM PLEASANTVILLE 1998 (PG-13)
> Watch Trailer PAIRS WELL WITH: Broncho Cage The Elephant The Decemberists Weezer
OCT 21 DALLAS ARTS DISTRICT FALL BLOCK PARTY DJ SHOWCASE SPECIAL HEADLINER TO BE ANNOUNCED
COMMUNITY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: KXT 91.7 WITH AMY MILLER, PROGRAM DIRECTOR KXT On-Air Team: Paul Slavens, Joe Kozera, Amy Miller, Gini Mascorro, and Brad Dolbeer Photo: Bret Redman
We have been collaborating on the ‘til Midnight series for four years now. How does this partnership with the Nasher support KXT’s mission? A major part of KXT’s mission is to support and nurture new and emerging artists and to be a source for new music discovery. ‘til Midnight attracts a broad audience by pairing music with film in a beautiful outdoor setting. This often puts local bands in front of a much larger crowd than they’re used to playing for and exposes them to an audience who might not otherwise see them at a typical club show. As a free event, this partnership provides greater access for individuals and families to have rich, cultural experiences. The series provides a valuable public service by connecting the community to arts and culture in an accessible, noncommercial environment. That’s what KXT is all about. Austin typically gets all the credit and recognition for live music in Texas. What do you have to say for Dallas? I think Dallas is in a unique position where the local music scene is really amazing but the rest of the country hasn’t quite caught on yet. It’s like a well-kept secret for those who are in the know. It’s exciting to see what’s going on in Deep Ellum right now. The fact that you can see a handful of great shows on any given night, within a few block radius makes us pretty fortunate. Having lived in other major cities, I know that what we have here is rare. I also love seeing other performance spaces pop up outside of Deep Ellum – whether it’s a record store, bookstore or house show, the whole scene still has a very DIY aspect to it, which I love. I see a lot of collaborations happening between local musicians and a lot of support among bands, which helps the scene grow. What role does KXT play in the community of Dallas-based musicians? KXT provides multiple platforms for local artists to get exposure. KXT puts local music side by side with national artists at our summer festivals and on the air, so you might hear the new Tame Impala single, followed by a local artist, followed by the Rolling Stones. Our goal is to give these artists exposure to a much broader audience. We consistently bring in local bands to our studio for live sessions as well, which gives them some solid airtime and placement on our website and social media. As one of the most-listened-to Triple A stations in the U.S., we give local artists a unique opportunity to reach a very large audience. KXT recently teamed up with a website called VuHaus, which is an online hub for public radio stations around the country (much like KXT) to upload their exclusive video content – so we’re now introducing local bands to a national audience as well. As the station continues to grow, we envision even more opportunities for local musicians down the road. What’s in your music rotation right now? Kurt Vile, Sunflower Bean, Adia Victoria, Frightened Rabbit, and Fantastic Negrito. There’s also a ton of new local music out there right now. I recently picked up the new Jacob Metcalf album on vinyl at Spinster Records and it’s really beautiful. I love the new Ronnie Heart single “Smoovie” as well as the new material Clarie Morales and Daniel Markham have been performing as a duo. Sarah Jaffe recently wrote a new song called “Did David Feel Like This?” as a tribute to David Bowie, which is an incredible song. That’s just a small handful. p
as told to KRISTIN MILLER, Nasher Sculpture Center Manager of Special Events and Programming
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MEMBER EVENTS
MEMBER PREVIEWS
JOEL SHAPIRO Patron Preview* / Thursday, May 5 / 6:30 pm Patron preview and seated dinner in the Garden RSVP to patron@nashersculpturecenter.org or 214.242.5169. General Member Reception and Exhibition Viewing / Friday, May 6 / 6 - 8 pm Exclusive viewing and Garden reception RSVP to memberevents@nashersculpturecenter.org or 214.242.5154. Your exclusive Member invitation admits two guests. *Patron preview for Brancusi level and above
SAVE THE DATES / MEMBER PREVIEWS
KATHRYN ANDREWS: RUN FOR PRESIDENT Patron Preview / Thursday, September 8 Member Preview / Friday, September 9
SAVE THE DATE / MEMBER PREVIEW*
SIGHTINGS: MICHAEL DEAN Friday, October 21 *Hepworth level and above
MEMBER EVENTS
KIDS CLUB EVENTS Nasher Members at the Moore Circle or above are invited to participate in Kids Club which is a joint program of the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Zoo, Crow Collection of Asian Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and Trinity River Audubon Center offering exclusive special events geared toward children between the ages of 2 and 10 years old and discounted admissions to participating institutions at which they are not members.
Dallas Zoo / Saturday, June 11 / 9 – 11 am Perot Museum of Nature and Science / Saturday, July 16 / 9 – 11 am Nasher Sculpture Center / Saturday, September 24 / 9 – 11 am Dallas Museum of Art / Saturday, November 5 / 9 – 11 am
MEMBER APPRECIATION
BEHIND-THE-SCENES AT THE NASHER Sunday, June 12 / 4 – 6 pm Please join us for a special behind-the-scenes tour of the Nasher Sculpture Center, led by Assistant Curator Leigh Arnold. Wine reception to follow. Limited capacity. RSVP by June 3 to memberevents@nashersculpturecenter.org or 214.242.5154.
NASHER AVANT-GARDE SOCIETY
EXHIBITION TOUR Saturday, August 12 / 10 am – 12 pm Don’t miss this special tour of the Dan Cohen + Paola Pivi + Helmut Lang exhibition led by Justine Ludwig, Director of Exhibitions/Senior Curator at the Dallas Contemporary. Dallas Contemporary is a non-collecting art museum presenting new and challenging ideas from regional, national and international artists. RSVP to memberevents@nashersculpturecenter. org or 214.242.5168.
PATRON TRAVEL
SOUTH OF FRANCE* November 12 – 18, 2016 Embrace the south of France on an artful luxury excursion with Nasher Director Jeremy Strick during a specially curated exploration of the culturally rich Nice and Aix-en-Provence. Plunge into France’s exquisite art, history, cuisine, and culture while accessing the most important private collections, artists’ studios, and insider tours of world-renowned museums. Space is limited. Detailed itinerary and registration can be found at www.trip-program. com/nasher. For more information, contact Amy Henry at ahenry@nashersculpturecenter.org *Matisse members and above.
BLUE STAR MUSEUMS May 30 – September 5 / Free admission for active-duty military personnel and their families
The Nasher Sculpture Center is proud to honor our nation’s service men and women by participating in the Blue Star Museums initiative, and will offer free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
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INAUGURAL NASHER PRIZE
CELEBRATION WEEKEND Thank you to our entire community for supporting and participating in the first Nasher Prize Celebration Weekend featuring Nasher Prize Dialogues with Doris Salcedo, 360 Lecture speaker and Pritzker Prize Executive Director Martha Thorne, Target First Saturday and Nasher Prize Community Day.
> Learn more and watch the lectures here The Community Weekend was generously sponsored by The Donna Wilhelm Family Fund. The Community Weekend Arts Youth Education is generously sponsored by Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Photos: Bret Redman
Nasher Prize Laureate Doris Salcedo
NASHER PRIZE SPOTLIGHT Nasher Prize Dialogues featuring Doris Salcedo
The Community Weekend was made possible by The Donna Wilhelm Family Fund (Donna Wilhelm pictured right) and the Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation (Ginger Reeder pictured left)
360 Speaker Series featuring Martha Thorne
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INAUGURAL NASHER PRIZE
AWARD GALA HONORING LAUREATE DORIS SALCEDO Clockwise: Jurors Yuko Hasegawa, Alexander Potts, and Lynn Cooke; Co-Chair Catherine Rose, Elaine Agather, and Co-Chair Jennifer Eagle; Lance Entwistle, Marianne Holtermann, Carol Nash, Juror Steven Nash; Cindy and Howard Rachofsky; Madeleine Grynsztejn and Tom Shapiro; Kay and Elliot Cattarulla, Bill Jordan; Marguerite Hoffman, Thomas Lentz, Deedie Rose; Nancy Nasher, Doris Salcedo, Mayor Mike Rawlings; Christen and Derek Wilson; Sharon and Michael Young; Lauren Woods and Ricardo Paniagua; Suzanne Deal Booth and LeMel Humes Photos: Bruno, Daniel Driensky, and Bret Redman
NASHER PRIZE SPOTLIGHT
THANK YOU TO THE MANY GENEROUS DONORS WHO MADE THE INAUGURAL NASHER PRIZE A SUCCESS
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SUPPORT
SAVE THE DATE THE GREAT CREATE Sunday, April 23, 2017 Thank you to everyone who joined us last month for the fourth annual The Great Create: By Artists. For Kids. This year’s event enlivened the Nasher Garden with spectacular, artist-led activities, while raising unprecedented funds for Nasher education and outreach programs that benefit 45,000 people each year. We hope to see you all again next year for the fifth annual The Great Create on April 23, 2017. Photos: Evan Chavez
FUNDER SPOTLIGHT THE SWISS ARTS COUNCIL PRO HELVETIA The Nasher is honored to announce a significant and meaningful grant award from the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, which supports our current exhibition Sightings: Mai-Thu Perret, showcasing new work by the Swiss-born artist. Entirely funded by the federal government of Switzerland, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia supports the dissemination of Swiss artistic work abroad, cultural exchange within Switzerland and audience awareness of the arts. The Nasher is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia to share Sightings: Mai-Thu Perret with a diverse North American audience. This important international support affirms the far-reaching significance of the work being undertaken at the Nasher, both through our curatorial program and through the annual conveyance of the Nasher Prize.
NASHER LOVE
NASHER LOVE MEET JULIUS & ERICA “The Nasher holds a very special place in our hearts. We like to say that we came full circle since we met, got engaged and celebrated our wedding at the Nasher. We can’t wait to share more memories with our family at the Nasher for years to come.” - Julius Pickenpack Julius Pickenpack and Erica Goldberg met at ‘til Midnight at the Nasher on September 21, 2012. When Julius realized a year later that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Erica, he could think of no better place to propose than the place that brought them together. Julius proposed at the Nasher to an unsuspecting Erica on a wintry day in January of 2014, and on April 25, 2015, they celebrated their wedding with family and friends with a beautiful reception in the picturesque and meaningful Nasher Garden. The Pickenpacks recently celebrated their one-year anniversary. For information on planning a special event, call 214.242.5182 or email events@nashersculpturecenter.org Photos: The Mamones
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PLACES FOR SCULPTURE
BASEL, SWITZERLAND
Art Basel in Basel General Impression © MCH Messe Schweiz (Basel) AG
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Since 1970, the international art fair Art Basel has held a prominent place on the calendars of art lovers worldwide. This is due in part to what has become a world-renowned presentation of modern and contemporary art in all its varied forms—this year, 286 galleries will participate— but also to the variety of cultural riches available to those who journey to the city of Basel, propitiously located at a point of intersection between Switzerland, France, and Germany. This year in particular, Basel offers a wealth of pleasures for lovers of sculpture visiting the 47th edition of Art Basel. Art Basel (June 16 – 19, 2016): In addition to the Galleries sector forming the bulk of the fair, visitors can take in a range of related special events and exhibitions, including Feature, with specially curated projects; Unlimited, for presentations that exceed the physical limitations of the usual art-fair stand; Statements, which presents solo projects by emerging artists; Edition, with a rich array of prints, multiples, and editioned works; Parcours, which engages viewers outside the fair with site-specific sculptures, interventions, and performances throughout Basel; a gathering of art magazines from around the world; and an ambitious program of films. Specific projects and participating artists will be announced after The Nasher magazine goes to press, but check www.artbasel.com for more details as the time of the fair draws closer. Kunstmuseum Basel: After being closed for renovations to its main site and construction of a new building across the street, the Kunstmuseum reopens with a special focus on sculpture. Sculpture on the Move (April 19 – September 18, 2016), the inaugural exhibition in the new building (designed by Christ & Gantenbein architects), presents the dynamic evolution of sculpture over the past century, with an emphasis on the medium since World War II, especially three primary trends: the incorporation of objects and materials from everyday life; the blurring of spatial and conceptual boundaries between sculpture and other forms of art; and a renewed focus on traditions of figuration. Drawing on powerful works from their own collection and supplemented by important international loans, the exhibition ranges from Alberto Giacometti and Hans Arp to Richard Serra, Joseph Beuys, and Eva Hesse, as well as to Fischli and Weiss, Robert Gober, and Charles Ray. At the Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Museum for Contemporary Art), the exhibition continues with recent works by Gabriel Orozco, Danh Vo, and Monika Sosnowska, among others. www. kunstmuseumbasel.ch. Museum Tinguely: This scenic museum on the banks of the Rhine offers above all an immersive experience of the found-object sculpture of the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely in all its clanking, heaving glory. The building, designed by Mario Botta, also offers ample exhibition space, and the museum frequently presents artists whose work relates in some way to Tinguely’s. Kunstmuseum Basel, Sculpture on the Move 1946-2016, on view through September 18. Installation view (left to right): Joseph Beuys, Schneefall, 1965, Emanuel Hoffmann-Stiftung, Depositum in der Öffentlichen Kunstsammlung Basel 1970; Richard Long, Stone Line, 1977, Emanuel Hoffmann-Stiftung, Depositum in der Öffentlichen Kunstsammlung Basel 1977; and Mario Merz, Acqua scivola (Igloo di vetro), Collezione Merz, Turin. Photo: Gina Folly.
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PLACES FOR SCULPTURE
Anne Imhof, Parade: Aqua Leo, 1st of at least two, 2013. Video HD, 52min, Portikus, Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: Nadine Fraczkowski Anne Imhof will be featured at Kunsthalle Basel this summer.
On view during Art Basel will be Michael Landy: Out of Order (June 8 – September 25, 2016), the first retrospective by this Young British Artist outside the UK. Landy questions the function of art and artworks in society, and is perhaps best known for the 2001 project Break Down, in which he drew up a list of his possessions, in order to systematically destroy them. www.tinguely.ch Kunsthalle Basel: During the week of Art Basel, the Kunsthalle will open Angst, a new project by Anne Imhof, recent winner of the Preis der Nationalgalerie 2015. Combining drawing, installation, and performance over the duration of the exhibition, Imhof will present an “opera” of sorts, mixing amateur and formally trained performers with moving sculptural elements. www.kunsthallebasel.ch Just outside Basel: Fondation Beyeler: In addition to its outstanding permanent collection (the legacy of art dealer Ernst Beyeler, the museum’s founder, as well as one of the founders of Art
Basel) and Renzo Piano-designed building, the Beyeler will this summer have on view the special exhibition Alexander Calder + Fischli / Weiss (May 29 – September 4, 2016), focusing on themes of balance, equilibrium, and precariousness common to these artists’ work. Although they are the subject of a retrospective this year at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, the chance to see the ingenious and canny works of Peter Fischli and David Weiss in combination with the inventive playfulness of Calder promises focused insights on an important aspect of the Swiss duo’s contribution to contemporary sculpture. Vitra Design Museum: Not far from the Fondation Beyeler, this museum is dedicated to the research and presentation of design, past and present, and investigates design’s relation to art, architecture, and daily life. A building by Frank Gehry houses the museum’s collection, which includes major objects from the history of design as well as the estates of such renowned figures as Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson. One such figure, Alexander Girard, an influential textile artist and interior designer, is currently the
PLACES FOR SCULPTURE Top: Alexander Calder, Tightrope, 1936. Wood, wire, rod, lead, and paint, 115.6 × 69.9 × 351.8 cm. Calder Foundation, New York © Calder Foundation, New York / Art Resource, NY / 2016, ProLitteris, Zurich. Included in Fondation Beyeler, Alexander Calder + Fischli / Weiss (May 29 – September 4, 2016). Bottom: Hadid Fire Station by Zaha Hadid, Vitra Campus, 1993. Photo: Thomas Dix © Vitra
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Top: Art Basel in Basel 2015, General Impression, © Art Basel Bottom: Museum Tinguely, Basel, designed by Mario Botta and opened in 1996. View of the building’s west side, with Schwimmwasserplastik, a 1980 fountain by Jean Tinguely
subject of a major retrospective at the museum (A Designer’s Universe, March 12, 2016 – January 29, 2017). The Vitra campus also includes numerous notable buildings designed by architects such as Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, and Herzog & de Meuron. www.design-museum.de. Nearby: Zurich: The weekend before Art Basel opens has become known as “Zurich Art Weekend,” a time when art lovers on their way to Basel stop over in its neighbor to the east for exhibitions and events at the city’s galleries and museums. Among special events will be the opening of the Manifesta Biennial, which has taken place in different cities since its founding in 1993. The artist Christian Jankowski is the curator for the Zurich edition, which opens June 11 at venues around the city. See www.zurichartweekend.com and www.m11.manifesta.org for details.
Colmar: Matthias Grünewald’s 16th-century Isenheim Altarpiece may seem distant from the contemporary concerns of Art Basel, but its pathos-laden depiction of suffering and resurrection have inspired artists as diverse as Otto Dix, Barnett Newman, and Jasper Johns. Just a short distance from Basel, the Musée Unterlinden recently debuted a renovation of the 13th-century convent and former public baths housing the collection, and a new building by Herzog and de Meuron to provide more space for the display of modern and contemporary works. www. musee-unterlinden.com. p
by CATHERINE CRAFT, Nasher Sculpture Center Curator
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
“WHAT MOST ARTISTS DISCOVER IS THAT THERE ARE MANY MORE THINGS THAT DO NOT EXIST, THAN THINGS THAT DO EXIST. WHETHER THEY CAN BE MEANINGFUL IS ANOTHER QUESTION. BUT FIRST WE HAVE TO MAKE THEM IN ORDER TO LOOK AT THEM.” – TONY CRAGG
2001 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201 USA Tel +1 214.242.5100 Tuesday – Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm nashersculpturecenter.org
COVER: Installation view, Joel Shapiro, Untitled, Rice University Art Gallery, February 2 – March 18, 2012. © 2016 Joel Shapiro / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: courtesy of the artist and Rice University Art Gallery. Aston Martin of Dallas is the Official Car of the Nasher Sculpture Center
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