Fine Art Connoisseur's 2021 Museum Guide

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FEBRUARY 2021

M U S E U M

G U I D E

Heather Arenas | Role Models | oil on cradled wood, 30 x 40 in.

SPECIAL SECTION

A SHOUT-OUT FOR OUR MUSEUMS

BY PETER TRIPPI

E

very winter, Fine Art Connoisseur dedicates part of an issue to highlighting America’s art museums and the important, wide-ranging roles they play in our lives. I am particularly fond of this initiative because I spent much of my career working in art museums and still love visiting them because they always expand my horizons through their exhibitions and other programs.

Of course, my visits became less frequent during 2020, the year most of us hope to forget. Throughout the pandemic turmoil, I have been impressed by the resilience of our museum colleagues, and by their unwavering dedication to sharing the joys of fine art even when it’s harder, or impossible, for us to enter their remarkable buildings.

One of their chief challenges is negotiating the difficult financial conditions triggered by the sudden collapse in earned income (ticket sales, space rentals, cafe and gift shop revenues, etc.) and by the shifting of much philanthropy toward social justice and human services.

Much has been said and published about viable coping strategies, and among the most interesting platforms for such conversations has been the American Alliance of Museums, the field’s largest membership organization.

It’s a sad fact that most places in America — including New York City, where I live — will not see tourism rebound until late 2021 at the earliest. Tourists are a key constituency within many museums’ visitorship, and so, without them, the institutions are rightly refocusing their attention on attracting more visitors from their immediate surroundings. This is not to say museums previously ignored their neighbors, but now is the ideal time to deepen these friendships. Every large town in America has at least one great art museum, so make a point to visit it soon, especially now that the weather is cooler.

As awful as 2020 was, it is worth celebrating the fact that more museums invented terrific online programs to engage their current audiences, entice new ones, and — in some savvy cases — raise revenues, too. I have been simply amazed at the plethora of digital lectures, tours, workshops, and even benefit galas and summer camps devised in the past 10 months. These remind us of how creative museum staffers are, and also that the need for cultural enrichment is actually more urgent now that fewer of us can leave home.

There are two more ways readers of Fine Art Connoisseur can support their beloved museums. First, join as a member. In the past 10 months, I have been signing up at various institutions as a lowerlevel member even when I am not particularly passionate about the museums’ specialties — I simply want them to survive, and I know how much they enrich my community’s life. Many museums have (wisely) created a cheaper virtual membership that allows first-timers to dip their toes in, or alternative membership categories that prioritize contact with institutional staff for research or expertise.

Second, there’s the worthy impulse to shop. Many museums have terrific websites highlighting the same high-quality merchandise they sell in their on-site boutiques. Even though the holidays are behind us, why not click on the relevant webpage and buy art-related items to delight your loved ones while supporting your favorite museums?

2021 looks to be as challenging a year for museums as 2020, though in different ways. Let’s all do what we can to make their paths a little easier, and let’s thank them for all they do to lift our spirits, something more valuable than ever before.

HEATHER ARENAS (B. 1969), The Regulars, 2020, oil on cradled wood, 30 x 40 in., available through Reinert Fine Art

SPECIAL SECTION

2021 MUSEUM EXHIBITION CALENDAR ONGOING FROM 2020

M A RCH

Through March 6, 2021: Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual: Tradition and Innovation; Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC

March 18–August 15, 2021: Beyond — Rossin’s SouthWest; The Booth Museum, Cartersville, GA

Through February 15, 2021: I Ventured into the Dream: A Retrospective of Sheryl Bodily; Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell, MT

March 13–May 9, 2021: "Small Expressions" Fiber Arts (Opening Reception March 13); The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY

AUGUST

August 6–October 2, 2021: Roads Well Traveled (Some Were Gravel): A Linda Tippetts Retrospective (Opening Reception August 5); Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell, MT August 14, 2021–January 23, 2022: Graham Hobart: Out of Africa and into the West; The Booth Museum, GA

Through March 7, 2021: Collectors' Legacy: Wickenburg's Treasures; Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ

March 20–August 7, 2021: TRANSFORMATION (guest curated by Carlos Garcia-Velez, Allen Thomas, and Larry Wheeler); Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC

Through March 20, 2021: Drawing from Life: Ben Long & Tony Griffin; Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC

March 26–September 5, 2021: Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West; Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ

Through March 27, 2021: Small and Mighty Acts Altar for Black Lives; Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC

March 27–May 9, 2021 (Exhibition and Sale): 2021 Night of Artists; Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX

Through April 10, 2021: Blue Ridge Conservancy: Place Matters; Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC

A PR IL

September 11–November 7, 2021: Thomas Schomberg: Memories of 9/11 (Rosen Galleries 2 and 3); Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC

Through May 3, 2021: Sage Grouse: Icon of the West, Photography by Noppadol Paothong; National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY

M AY

September 11, 2021–January 2, 2022: Tucker Smith: A Celebration of Nature; The Booth Museum, Cartersville, GA

Through May 16, 2021: Living Legends: with a Special Tribute to Robert Bateman; National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY Through May 23, 2021: Expanding Horizons: Celebrating 20 Years of the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection; Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT Through Fall 2021: Four Corners, Many Hands: Historic Navajo Textiles from the Collection of Sam and Brenda Crissman; Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ Through TBA 2021: Four Directions — Common Paths: Oberg, Smith, Whitcomb, Young — A 30-Year Connection; Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO Through 2024: Spirit Totems: Sculpture by Herb Alpert; National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY

JA N UA RY FEBRUA RY

February 12–May 9, 2021: Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World; National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK February 13–July 11, 2021: Vaquero Legacies & Diverse Descendants; The Booth Museum, Cartersville, GA February 14–March 7, 2021: 16th Illustrator Show — A Look Back at the First 15 years; The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY February 19–June 19, 2021: The Last Glacier Project: Todd Anderson, Bruce Crownover, Ian VanColler (Opening Reception February 18); Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell, MT February 27–May 23, 2021: Wild World: 200 Years of Nature in Art (the new Rosen Galleries); Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC

April 21–July 3, 2021: 97th Annual Spring Salon; Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT

May 15–August 31, 2021: Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art; National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY May 15–September 6, 2021: T. Allen Lawson: Recollections and Reflections (Opening Reception May 15); The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY May 28–September 6, 2021: Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western; Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX

JU NE

June 4–September 19, 2021: Social & Solitary: Reflection on Art, Isolation, and Renewal; Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT June 5–August 21, 2021: Valued Species: Animals in the Art of Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei; National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY June 12–August 22, 2021: The National Sculpture Society 88th Annual Awards Exhibition (Rosen Galleries); Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC June 12, 2021–Long term: Sculpture from the Brookgreen Collection and Waccamaw Neck Memories (Rosen Galleries 1 and 4); Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC June 17–August 7, 2021: Plein Air Glacier 2021 (Paint Out June 17–24, Public Party June 26, Exhibition/ Sale June 26–August 7); Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell, MT June 25–26, 2021 (Art Sale Event): Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale; National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK

JULY

July 10–September 5, 2021: The Art of Robert Martinez (Opening Reception July 10); The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY

August 27, 2021–May 9, 2022: Tattoos: Religion, Reality, and “Regert”; National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK

SEPTEMBER

September 10, 2021–January 2, 2022: New Beginnings: An American Story of Romantics and Modernists in the West; National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK

September 16, 2021–January 17, 2022: Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo: Photography of the Contemporary Northern Mexican Cowboy; Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio, TX September 17–November 6, 2021 (Event and Exhibition): Steamboat Art Museum Plein Air 2021; Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO

OCTOBER

October 2, 2021–January 24, 2022: Revisiting America: The Prints of Currier & Ives; Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT October 8–December 18, 2021: Montana Watercolor Society's National Watermedia Show (Opening Reception October 7); Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell, MT October 13, 2021–January 12, 2022: 35th Annual Spiritual and Religious Art of Utah; Springville Museum of Art, Springville, UT October 21, 2021–February 27, 2022: Poulsen/Yellowstone and Cawdrey/Glacier; The Booth Museum, Cartersville, GA October 23–December 19, 2021: "Classical Realism" The Art of Kent McCain (Opening Reception October 23); The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY

NOV EMBER

November 12, 2021: Small Works, Great Wonders; National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK November 27, 2021–January 2, 2022: Treasured Holiday Memories (Rosen Galleries 2 and 3); Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC

DECEMBER

March 27, 2021 Live & Virtual Auction March 28 – May 9 Public Exhibition & Sale

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary both in person and online, Night of Artists features nearly 300 new works of painting, sculpture and mixed media by 80 of the country’s leading contemporary Western artists. Don’t miss the largest Western art exhibition and sale in Texas and one of the largest in the United States.

Register today at briscoemuseum.org/noa for the auction and sale as well as to view the artwork, see exclusive content, meet the artists, receive the most up-to-date information and more!

Mian Situ, The Meeting Place, Oil, 14” x 20” | Z.S. Liang, Entering Hostile Country, Oil, 42” x 30”

EXPANDING HORIZONS Celebrating 20 Years of the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection Leading scholars lend contemporary perspectives on American classics

96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT • 860.434.5542

Through May 23, 2021 • 24-hour advance tickets required • FloGris.org Theodore Robinson, Autumn Sunlight, 1888, Oil on canvas, Florence Griswold Museum, Gift of The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company.

Generous support provided by Connecticut Humanities, HSB, The David T. Langrock Foundation, the Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts, and Connecticut Public.

16 t h A n n u a l

March 26 – September 5, 2021 Only at the 21 North Frontier StreetWickenburg, AZ 85390 928.684.2272 • westernmuseum.org

© 2020 DCWM • Illustration © Tim Zeltner

I VENTURED INTO THE DREAM

ROADS WELL TRAVELED (S0ME WERE GRAVEL)

JOIN US! SHERYL BODILY RETROSPECTIVE THROUGH FEBRUARY 13, 2021

THE LAST GLACIER PROJECT

LINDA TIPPETTS RETROSPECTIVE AUGUST 5 - OCTOBER 2, 2021

PLUS

HOCKADAY MUSEUM OF ART

HISTORIC DOWNTOWN KALISPELL, MT

WWW.HOCKADAYMUSEUM.ORG

(Top to bottom, left to right) Images: detail: Sheryl Bodily, Daughter Marion and Her Dogs, 2015. oil on panel; Sheryl Bodily, Silhouette, 2012, oil on panel; Ian Van Coller, Grinnell Glacier, c. 2000s, color photograph; Bruce Crownover, Andrews Glacier, 2018, reductive woodcut on Okawara washi paper; Todd Anderson, Tindell Glacier, 2017, reductive woodcut on Okawara Japanese washi paper; Artworks courtesy of the artists. Linda Tippetts, Model at Chinese Art Academy, c. 1990s, oil on canvas, private collection; Linda Tippetts, Casino Building, Catalina, c. 1990s, oil on canvas, private collection.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE 2021

TODD ANDERSON, BRUCE CROWNOVER, IAN VAN COLLER FEBRUARY 19-JUNE 19, 2021

PLEIN AIR GLACIER 2021 A MONTANA PAINT OUT JUNE 17-24, 2021

APPLICATIONS DUE: MARCH 19 PARTY & SALE: JUNE 26, 5-8 PM EXHIBITION: JUNE 26- AUGUST 7

INFORMATION@HOCKADAYMUSEUM.ORG

FEBRUARY 12 – MAY 9, 2021

ANCIENT MYSTERIES REVEALED

A nearly forgotten people who created one of the most highly-developed civilizations in the Americas.

An archaeological find unmatched in modern times.

How did these incredible works of art and other treasures from all over North America end up at Spiro, and why? Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World seeks to answer these questions and more.

1700 Northeast 63rd Street • Oklahoma City, OK 73111 | nationalcowboymuseum.org Exhibition support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Kirkpatrick Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities; Above: Effigy pipe of seated male figure. Known as Resting Warrior or Big Boy, and identified as Morning Star or the hero Red Horn. Leflore County, Oklahoma, Spiro Site, 1100 – 1200 AD, Bauxite (flint clay), height: 8 7/8 inches (22.5 cm). Fayetteville, University of Arkansas Museum.

47-2-1. Image courtesy The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Media Services/ Photo: John Lamberton.

a distinguished art museum with 14 masterwork galleries... a picturesque event venue... an outdoor sculpture trail... a world-class restaurant... a boutique museum shop... a boundless view... an unforgettable experience...

The National Museum of Wildlife Art is More Than Art.

2 8 2 0 R u n g iu s R o a d , J a c k s o n H o le , W y o m in g | W ild life A r t.o rg | 3 0 7 -7 3 3 -5 7 7 1