UIMA Magazine Spring 2017 by University of Iowa Stanley Musuem of Art

UIMA

University of Iowa Museum of Art

Spring 2017 uima.uiowa.edu

Locations & Hours

Letter from the President

Spring 2017 Calendar of Events

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Lectures

From the Director

Mural on the Move

Spring Exhibition

Educational Outreach

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Legacies

New Staff

UIMA@IMU Visual Classroom

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From the University of Iowa Foundation

Collections Update

Cover: Toyin Ojih Odutola (American, born in Nigeria, 1985– ) Birmingham (middle), 2014 Four-color lithograph with gold leaf Museum of Art Purchase Fund, 2016.114a–c ©Toyin Ojih Odutola. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

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temporary offices OLD MUSEUM OF ART BUILDING

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150 North Riverside Drive / OMA 100 Iowa City, IA 52242 319-335-1727

temporary locations IOWA MEMORIAL UNION UIMA@IMU VISUAL CLASSROOM BLACK BOX THEATER 125 North Madison Street Iowa City, IA 52242 319-335-1742 Free admission Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 12–5 p.m.

FIGGE ART MUSEUM 225 West Second Street Davenport, IA 52801 563-326-7804 Free admission for University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff with UI ID cards and UIMA members with membership cards. Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Sunday, 12–5 p.m.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY STAND BY YOUR MUSEUM!

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SPRING 2017 CALENDAR

E X H I B IT I O N S Through April 9, 2017

Turkish Textiles, Legacies for Iowa Collections-Sharing Project

Figge Art Museum Davenport, IA

January 24– June 11, 2017

Bodies in Motion

UIMA@IMU, third floor Iowa Memorial Union

February 18– May 17, 2017

Come Together: Collaborative Lithographs from Tamarind Institute

Black Box Theater, third floor, Iowa Memorial Union

March 3– May 17, 2017

Farm Life in Iowa, Legacies for Iowa Collections-Sharing Project

Maquoketa Art Experience, Maquoketa, IA

April 22– August 13, 2017

Symbols of Self: Art and Identity in Southern Africa

Figge Art Museum Davenport, IA

P U B LI C P R O G R A M S

January 6 5:00–7:00 p.m.

FIRST FRIDAY

FilmScene 118 E. College St., Iowa City

February 3 5:00–7:00 p.m.

FIRST FRIDAY

FilmScene 118 E. College St., Iowa City

March 2 7:00 p.m.

LECTURE Keith Achepohl, “Family Holdings: Turkish Nomad Weavings”

Figge Art Museum Davenport, IA

March 3 5:00–7:00 p.m.

FIRST FRIDAY

FilmScene 118 E. College St., Iowa City

March 5 1:30 p.m.

GALLERY TALK Keith Achepohl

Figge Art Museum Davenport, IA

March 9 7:30 p.m.

LECTURE/DEMONSTRATION “Lithography De-Mystified,” by Anita Jung and Tom Christison

W460 Visual Arts Building Lithography Studio

March 30 7:30 p.m.

EXHIBITION GALLERY TALK Kathleen Edwards, Lauren Freese, and Cory Gundlach

Black Box Theater, Iowa Memorial Union

April 1 8:00–11:00 p.m.

MUSEUM PARTY

Hancher Auditorium

April 7 5:00–7:00 p.m.

FIRST FRIDAY

Film Scene 118 E. College St., Iowa City

April 18 7:30 p.m.

LECTURE Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

240 Art Building West 141 N. Riverside Dr., Iowa City

May 4 7:00 p.m.

LECTURE David Riep, “Symbols of Self: Art and Identity in Southern Africa”

Figge Art Museum Davenport, IA

May 5 5:00–7:00 p.m.

FIRST FRIDAY

Film Scene 118 E. College St., Iowa City

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FROM THE DIRECTOR

From the Director Dear Museum Supporters, Alas, this is my final letter as director of our beloved museum. After a little over six energetic and wonderful years at the helm of this fabulous and exciting institution, I am moving back for family reasons to where I was raised, in Hawaii, where I will run the Honolulu Museum of Art. As you must certainly know, I will miss you all, not only because you have been the most supportive and loyal people I have ever had the privilege to get to know, but your active participation and hard work has made the UIMA one of the most famous and respected art institutions on the international academic scene. The roller-coaster ride since the Great Iowa Flood of 2008 has been nothing less than awesome. Since I arrived in 2010, I have witnessed herculean efforts by our staff and audiences, keeping the UIMA active, alive, and relevant. From defending our national treasure, Pollock’s Mural, from the ignorant, short-sighted moves to sell it, to helping set the all-time attendance record of 304,000 visitors for an exhibition on conservation science at the Getty in Los Angeles (one of the five “most talked-about exhibits of the year,” according to the Wall Street Journal)—you helped make it happen! The world knows more than ever about the marvelous and globally significant collection and programs at the UIMA. Since the opening of our exhibition Jackson Pollock’s Mural: Energy Made Visible at the most recent Venice Biennale in Italy, to its subsequent tour with record audiences in Germany and Spain, hundreds of thousands of people have come to know more about what Iowa has to offer in the world of art and culture. And you helped make this happen! Our local exhibitions aimed at students, scholars, and the visiting public also broke new ground. From our 2012 election season extravaganza, Napoleon and the Art of Propaganda, to our locally and nationally relevant exhibition and publication entitled New Forms: The Avant-Garde Meets the American Scene, 1934–1949, our presentations and programs in our campus galleries have been nothing short of remarkable. And—you guessed it—you helped make this happen! Our statewide presence is finally matching our unique statewide responsibility as one of the only university units designed to serve the wider public of Iowa. As a direct result of the Matthew Bucksbaum family’s generosity, we have served, in just a few short years, hundreds of thousands of people across the state. From the almost year-long Pollock celebration during the Sioux City Art Center’s centenary anniversary to our pioneering presentation of the artwork of Elizabeth Catlett at the Maquoketa Art Experience, public education has been at the core of our mission statewide, as it was at our exhibition of the UIMA education collection at

the Figge Art Museum in Davenport and our Oaxacan wood-carving residency and program at the McNider Art Museum in Mason City. And yes, you helped make them happen! Over the past six years, literally millions of people in Iowa, across the nation, and around the world have come to associate sophisticated cultural offerings and education with the University of Iowa Museum of Art. And without your participation and support, without the hard work of the staff, without the backing of the university administration, regents, and state and local leaders, none of these amazing results would have been possible. I want to end by saying that I am leaving you in good and experienced hands: Jim Leach, art collector and donor extraordinaire, visiting professor at the UI College of Law and the UI Department of Political Science, former long-serving US Congressman from Iowa and former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, former interim head of the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and former visiting professor of public and international affairs at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, has been appointed the new interim director of the UIMA. If there is any person in Iowa with the gravitas, the credibility, the experience, the knowledge, and the resourcefulness to lead the museum in this phase of its development, it is Jim Leach. I can think of no one better able to get the job done, and I am grateful and thankful that he has agreed to step up for this opportunity to lead one of the most dynamic and significant academic art museums in the country. I have no doubt that it is because of all of you and your support that he has made the decision to join us in this most noble of endeavors. Thank you all for your kindness and generosity toward me and the museum over the past six years. I look forward to seeing everyone at the opening of the new UIMA facility in 2019/2020. Onwards and upwards! Yours, as always,

Sean O’Harrow, PhD Director uima.uiowa.edu

COME TOGETHER: Collaborative Lithographs from Tamarind Institute FEBRUARY 18–MAY 17, 2017 Black Box Theater Iowa Memorial Union

Garo Antreasian (American, 1922– ) Triangulum X: Hommage to F.L., 1983 Lithograph on Arches 88, bon á tirer 15 1/2 x 30 3/8 in. (image) Gift of the Sommers family in honor of Master Printer and teacher John Sommers, because art is made to be shared, 292.2016 © 2016 Garo Antreasian, courtesy of the artist

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For artists and printers at Tamarind Institute at the University of New Mexico, lithography is a collaborative process that unites technical expertise with artistic experimentation. These joint concerns are at the heart of the exhibition Come Together, which moves from early Tamarind lithographs to the aesthetic and contextual variety of contemporary printmaking collaborations. Tamarind Institute was founded in 1960 to train master printers in lithography and to encourage artistic experimentation. In the United States, the commercialization of lithographic printing and its technical difficulty had

SPRING EXHIBITION

stigmatized the medium for many artists. A key objective of Tamarind was to rebuild the medium of lithography by fostering collaboration between artist and printer. For over fifty years, this stimulating relationship has promoted access to lithography while expanding the possibilities for image-making into the twenty-first century. The exhibition begins with an examination of prints by early Tamarind artists and printers, including founder June Wayne, Master Printer John Sommers, and Garo Z. Antreasian, the first Tamarind technical director. The technical and interpersonal aspects of collaboration are given form by the Academy Award-nominated film Four Stones for Kanemitsu, a series of proof prints produced at various stages of the lithographic process, and a selection of lithographic tools.

ABOVE Chris Pappan (Osage/Kaw/Cheyenne River Sioux, 1971â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ) Australia Silver, 2013 Lithograph on Rives heavyweight 22 1/2 x 15 in. Collaborating printer: Megan Anderson On loan from Tamarind Institute, 13-341 Image courtesy of the artist LEFT Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Salish/Kootenai, 1940â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ) Earth People, 2011 Lithograph on white Somerset satin 36 x 22 in. Collaborating printer: Bill Lagattuta On loan from Tamarind Institute, 11-308 Image courtesy of the artist

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Sidney Amaral (Brazilian, 1973– ) The Song for Ogum, 2012 Lithograph on white Somerset satin 25 x 19 in. Collaborating Printer: Kellie Hames On loan from Tamarind Institute, 12-336 Image courtesy of the artist/FRG Gallery

Tamarind has encouraged many types of collaboration, from traditional artist residencies to workshops intended to cross geographical boundaries. The contemporary prints in the exhibition demonstrate the expressive potential and technical flexibility of lithography. These collaborations enable explorations of cultural memory and identity, social constructs of race, and relationships within natural and urban environments. Works by artists from around the world quite literally come together, using lithography to open dialogue and explore social, cultural, and personal themes. Come Together features a recent UIMA purchase, Toyin Ojih Odutola’s triptych Birmingham. Ojih Odutola explored lithography during “Afro: Black Identity in America and Brazil,” a 2012 Tamarind residency, returning in 2014 to create Birmingham. The triptych exemplifies the flexibility of lithographic mark-making, highlighting the textural variety of Ojih Odutola’s imagery (see cover). 8

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The Brazilian artist Sidney Amaral partnered with Odutola for the 2012 workshop. Artists from Brazil and the United States worked in bi-national pairs to explore themes of black identity across national boundaries. This collaboration allowed artists to explore global themes. Come Together captures the resulting diversity of these collaborations. Students and scholars from across the University of Iowa community wrote interpretive labels for the exhibition, mirroring the collaborative spirit of Tamarind Institute. Their diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches create a compelling exhibition narrative. The exhibition was curated by UIMA Senior Curator Kathleen A. Edwards and Curatorial Assistant and PhD candidate Lauren Freese. Support for Come Together was provided in part by the Richard V. M. Corton, M.D., and Janet Y. Corton Exhibition Fund, the John S. and Patricia C. Koza Art Exhibition Fund, and the UIMA Members Special Exhibition Fund.

SOMMERS GIFT

Because Art Is Made to Be Shared John Sommers (American, 1927–1987) Eve, facing east at sunset, inspects the ruins at Eden’s altar, 1985 Lithograph on Arches 22 x 28 3/4 in. Gift of the Sommers family in honor of Master Printer and teacher John Sommers, because art is made to be shared, 301.2016 Image courtesy of the Sommers family Joe and Janet Sommers, son and wife of John Sommers Image courtesy of the Sommers family

he Sommers family’s recent gift of seventy prints to the UIMA, in honor of John Sommers (1927–1987), demonstrates his devotion to lithography, his technical skill, and his influence as a teacher and collaborative printer. John Sommers, a Tamarind Master Printer, was integral to the establishment of Tamarind Institute as a pioneer in the training of printers in the United States. Sommers was known for his sensitivity to the medium and for his ability to elicit an artist’s intentions and allow for freedom of expression and experimentation. The Sommers gift includes many historical Tamarind lithographs that augment a large existing collection of Tamarind prints in the UIMA permanent collection. These works constitute a significant resource for artists and scholars, and strengthen the UIMA collection of American works on paper. Two prints from the Sommers gift are included in this spring’s Black Box Theater exhibition—Sommers’s Eve, facing east at sunset, inspects the ruins at Eden’s altar, and Garo Z. Antreasian’s Triangulum X: Hommage to F.L., printed by Sommers. Sommers’s granddaughter, Emilie, a current UI student, wrote about her grandfather’s work for the upcoming exhibition. Sommers’s legacy as an artist, master printer, and teacher endures in the diversity of the prints included in this gift. His work will now inspire and inform future scholars and printmakers because, as the family so eloquently stated, “art is made to be shared.” uima.uiowa.edu

Turkey Heybe (saddle bag face) 20th century Wool, 32 x 35 in. Gift of Keith Achepohl 2012.1353

Turkish Textiles The art of flatweaving in Turkey represents the intersection of functionality and creativity. Both practical and beautiful, flatwoven bags for flour, salt, and rolling pins, as well as prayer rugs, saddle bags, and tent hangings, were integral to the lives of nomadic peoples in Turkey. Each weaving offers a glimpse into the daily life of its creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;her hopes for her family, her daily labor, and her familial interaction with the spiritual. The majority of these works were created during the twentieth century, in the midst of a transition away from nomadic life in Turkey. This exhibition was curated by Vero Rose Smith and Keith Achepohl, and organized by Legacies for Iowa: A University of Iowa Museum of Art Collections-Sharing Project, supported by the Matthew Bucksbaum Family. On view at the Figge Art Museum through April 9, 2017.

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LEGACIES

Farm Life in Iowa Farm Life in Iowa is an exhibition of thirty photographs taken by A.M. “Pete” Wettach (1901–1976) from 1925 to 1960—thirty-five of the most revolutionary years for farming as a way of life in Iowa. Working as a freelance photographer based in Mount Pleasant, Wettach recorded changes in farming practices at the same time as he honored traditional values of family and self-sufficiency. Wettach’s unique interpretation of the family farm comes from his documentary style and keen compassion for his subjects. The exhibition was curated by UIMA Senior Curator Kathleen A. Edwards. The photographs in the exhibition were printed by Steven Tatum from negatives in the A.M. Wettach Collection, State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City. On view at the Maquoketa Art Experience from March 3–May 17, 2017.

A.M. Wettach Gothic-style dairy barn, c. 1935 (printed 2003) Silver gelatin print, 20 x 24 in. Museum purchase, 2007.21 Image courtesy of the State Historical Society of Iowa

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Barbara Morgan (American, 1900–1992) Martha Graham in “War Theme,” 1941 Gelatin silver print mounted on board 14 1/8 x 18 5/8 in. Gift of Michael F. Kelly, 2015.308 Barbara and Willard Morgan photographs and papers, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA

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Bodies in Motion

Bodies in Motion sets Barbara Morgan’s photography of the Martha Graham Dance Company in dialogue with work produced by artists from the Renaissance to the present, drawn from the UIMA’s permanent collection. Renowned for her use of the camera to capture the body as if in flight and to reveal the rigorous structure of choreography in performance, Morgan creates photographs that invite comparison with abstract and figurative work alike. When viewed with seemingly disparate work, including artists from Francisco Goya to Nathan Lerner, they reveal a range of unexpected formal, thematic, and conceptual affinities. This exhibition seeks to initiate conversations across campus about the formative role dance played in shaping twentieth-century art, as well as the ways in which the body in motion is translated across media. Bodies in Motion, curated by Kimberly Musial Datchuk and Joyce Tsai, opens on January 24, 2017 in the UIMA@IMU Visual Classroom. The exhibition coincides with Dance Marathon, which takes place in the Iowa Memorial Union February 3 and 4, 2017. uima.uiowa.edu

CONSERVATION As we develop plans for moving our collections into the new building, conservation has become a major priority. In some cases, such as for Stuart Davis’s New York to Paris, No. 1, treatment was of paramount importance for its safety. This painting was suffering from what is termed “potential loss”: small areas of paint that were separating from the matrix and close to detaching altogether. The Conservation Center in Chicago stabilized and consolidated the paint layers so that the painting is now stable. The treatment of New York to Paris, No. 1, was made possible in part by support for the Save the Collection initiative from Sue M. Galvin, Dawn Harbor, Alan F. and Ann B. January, and D. Jeff Martin.

Stuart Davis (American, 1892–1964) New York to Paris, No. 1, 1931 Oil on canvas 39 x 51 3/4 in. University acquisition, 1955.5 © Estate of Stuart Davis/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

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COLLECTIONS UPDATE

NEW TO THE COLLECTIONS To celebrate Katherine Wilson’s recent promotion to Manager of Collections and Exhibitions, we’ve invited her to share her favorite new work from the UIMA collections. “I am particularly drawn to this work because it reflects the elemental style of Old Master paintings while adding a sense of playfulness with a modern twist that I find utterly charming. Accumulated Self Portrait II reminds me why I fell in love with art in the first place: it can provide a window into a world where whimsy and tradition mingle to create something entirely new. This painting was given to the museum by the UI alumnus and contemporary art collector G. Ronald Kastner.”

Julie Heffernan (American, 1956– ) Accumulated Self Portrait II, 2001 Oil on canvas on board 11 x 12 in. Gift of G. Ronald and Patricia Kastner, 370.2016 Courtesy of the artist and P•P•O•W, New York

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A Letter from the President

Jackson Pollock (American, 1912â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1956) Mural (detail), 1943 Oil and casein on canvas 95 5/8 x 237 3/4 in. Gift of Peggy Guggenheim, 1959.6

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

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FAMILY HOLDINGS: TURKISH NOMAD WEAVINGS March 2 7:00 p.m. Figge Art Museum Davenport, IA

In conjunction with the Legacies for Iowa exhibition Turkish Textiles, Keith Achepohl will also present a gallery talk on March 5, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. The exhibition is on view at the Figge Art Museum through April 9, 2017.

Fifteen years of traveling throughout Turkey led Keith Achepohl, a UI professor emeritus of printmaking, to collect a rich body of nomadic weavings: storage bags, saddle bags, spoon bags, prayer rugs, and gold-threaded dowry pieces. The creation of flatweaves was a necessary part of nomad living, one of the daily tasks that included cooking, cleaning, and tending animals. Because each weaving reflected particular family or tribal associations—while incorporating the individual artist’s personal intent—the tradition retained unique designs, colors, and weaves, changing little over generations.

In recent years, economic and political changes have profoundly affected nomadic life. Many families have settled in small villages, and little remains of the itinerate weaving tradition. Achepohl’s lecture will explore the transition from the itinerate way of life to a more settled one, reflecting on how some of what was, in some ways still lives. He will illustrate his talk with examples of the glories that the nomadic existence has produced.

A 1960 Iowa graduate, Keith Achepohl has exhibited his work in many juried exhibitions in the US and abroad, and it is in the permanent collections of more than eighty institutions. He has received many awards, including Fulbright grants to Turkey and Egypt. For twenty-five years, he has worked in Venice for part of each summer. He lives in Eugene, Oregon.

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LECTURES

LITHOGRAPHY DE-MYSTIFIED March 9 7:30 p.m. W460 VAB Lithography Studio Tom Christison and Anita Jung will guide participants through the construction of a fine-art lithograph as well as conduct a short demonstration of the lithographic printing process. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the new lithography studio in the recently opened Visual Arts Building, as well as the other print studios that comprise this highly ranked and historically significant art program.

Professor Jung is a contributing writer for the spring exhibition Come Together: Collaborative Lithographs from Tamarind Institute.

Anita Jung is a professor at the University of Iowa, where she teaches printmaking. Tom Christison is a nationally respected lithographer living in Iowa City, where he maintains a private print workshop, Sandhill Press. Jung received her BFA from Arizona State University and her MFA from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Christison received his BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and his MFA from Arizona State University. Jung and Christison have actively exhibited their work throughout the United States and have work in prominent collections around the country. They are both represented by the Hudson River Gallery in Iowa City. Tom Christison Turnbuckle, 2016 Lithograph 24 x 18 in. Image courtesy of the artist

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EXHIBITION GALLERY TALK Kathleen Edwards has been a curator at UIMA since 1998. She has curated more than thirty exhibitions for the museum, including the major traveling exhibitions Acting Out: Invented Melodrama in Contemporary Photography and Lil Picard and Counterculture New York. She has been responsible for adding over four thousand works of art to the museum’s collection. She has lectured around the world, and written many catalogues and essays, including the recent “Elizabeth Catlett at Iowa, 1938–1940,” in Invisible Hawkeyes (Lena M. and Michael D. Hill, eds., UI Press). Her current project is a study of Philip Guston and the war years at Iowa. Prior to her UIMA appointment, she was the director of the Print Center in Philadelphia.

March 30 7:30 p.m. Black Box Theater Iowa Memorial Union

Kathleen Edwards and Lauren Freese are curators of the spring exhibition Come Together: Collaborative Lithographs from Tamarind Institute. Cory Gundlach is a contributing writer.

Since 1998, Cory Gundlach has held positions at museums of art, history, and science in California, Colorado, and Iowa. He worked in public art administration at Fort Collins, Colorado, from 2004 to 2006, and currently serves on the Art on Campus Committee for Iowa's Art in State Buildings Program. In 2013, he developed the Art & Life in Africa website for UIMA and was appointed associate curator of African and Non-Western art in August 2015. The same year, he curated The Path of Power, an exhibition of African art presented in the context of authority, status, and archetype. He lectures regularly on African art and museum practice, and is currently writing his doctoral dissertation on Lobi figure sculpture. He is also a board member for the Arts Council of the African Studies Association. In addition to plans for the new museum, he is currently developing exhibitions of art from South Africa, Ghana, and New Orleans for 2017. Lauren Freese is a PhD candidate in American art history and curatorial assistant at the UIMA. Her dissertation, “Taste in the City: Depictions of Food Consumption in Urban America, 1880–1920,” examines depictions of food and eating in the contexts of immigration, class, and labor. She has presented her research at national venues, including the Art Institute of Chicago, and will speak at the 2017 meeting of the College Art Association. Lauren is currently working on an exhibition titled Boiled, Baked, and Brewed: The Visual Culture of Grains for the Legacies for Iowa Collection-Sharing Project.

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LECTURES

JAUNE QUICK-TO-SEE SMITH

April 18 7:30 p.m.

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith is a contributing artist to the spring exhibition Come Together: Collaborative Lithographs from Tamarind Institute.

240 Art Building West 141 N. Riverside Dr. Iowa City Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, an American Indian of the French-Cree, Shoshone, and Salish peoples, has said, “I see myself as a bridge builder. My art, my life experience, and my tribal ties are totally enmeshed. I go from one community with messages to the other . . . and I use humor and satire to present narratives on ethical treatment of animals, humans, and our planet. My work is philosophically centered by my strong traditional Salish beliefs.” As Smith pursues her artistic vision, she incorporates several media and rich cultural references into works that are hallmarks of postmodern American art. Printmaker, painter, sculptor, collage artist, teacher, and activist—Smith represents aspects of the diversity of contemporary American life as it relates to indigenous ancestral cultures.

Quick-to-See Smith received her bachelor of arts degree in art education from Framingham State College and her MA from the University of New Mexico. She is the recipient of many awards and honorary doctoral degrees; her work is included in many collections, including those of the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

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LECTURE

SYMBOLS OF SELF: ART AND IDENTITY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA The arts across southern Africa have long been used to assert identity, status, and affiliation, and to maintain visual markers of both the individual and the collective. This notion serves as the point of departure for the Colorado State University art historian David Riep, who will discuss the link between art and cultural affiliation in southern Africa through his talk Figge Art Museum “Symbols of Self: Art and Identity Davenport, IA in Southern Africa.” His presentation will draw upon artistic examples from an accompanying exhibition and will detail the unique visual expressions from five indigenous southern African cultures: Zulu, Xhosa, South Sotho, Ndebele, and Tsonga-Shangaan.

May 4 7:00 p.m.

From beer pots to beadwork, Riep will discuss the unique formal aspects of the visual arts from these cultures, and highlight how form, pattern, and color are used to promote identity and cultural affiliation in a highly interactive social climate.

David Riep is guest curator for the UIMA exhibition Symbols of Self: Art and Identity in Southern Africa, on view at the Figge Art Museum from April 22– August 13, 2017.

David M. Riep is associate curator of African art at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, and an assistant professor of art history at Colorado State University, Fort Collins. He specializes in the arts of Africa and teaches courses on global art history and museum studies, while also producing documentary films on South Sotho arts and culture.

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MURAL ON THE MOVE

Jackson Pollock’s Mural will return to the USA this summer after a two-year odyssey. Hundreds of thousands of art lovers have flocked to see this masterpiece of modern American art. Image courtesy of the J. Paul Getty Trust

J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM Los Angeles, California March 11–June 1, 2014 304,349 visitors

LOS ANGELES VENICE

SIOUX CITY ART CENTER Sioux City, Iowa July 12, 2014–April 1, 2015 30,945 visitors PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION Venice, Italy April 25–November 11, 2015 161,498 visitors

Photo by Sean O’Harrow

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ART London, England September 24, 2016– January 2, 2017

Photo Sean O’Harrow

MUSEO PICASSO MÁLAGA Málaga, Spain April 20–September 11, 2016 140,000 visitors

LONDON

DEUTSCHE BANK KUNSTHALLE Berlin, Germany November 25, 2015– April 10, 2016 71,408 visitors

NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART Kansas City, Missouri July–November, 2017

Photo by André C. Hercher

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM Bilbao, Spain February 2–June 4, 2017

BERLIN uima.uiowa.edu

SE NIOR L I V ING COMMUNITIES

or a museum without a building, innovative and creative ways to connect with the community are essential. Since 2008, the UIMA has worked resourcefully to design new modes of outreach to Iowa City and Johnson County. Following the success of the Kâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;12 outreach program that began shortly after the flood, the UIMA staff began to consider who else might benefit from museum projects. In 2011, realizing that older adults of Johnson County were missing out on UIMA programming, Chris Merkle, the education coordinator at the time, developed the Senior Living Communities program, which has since seen several successful incarnations. The SLC project provides free presentations about art and art history to local senior care communities. Its goal is to educate participants about different movements and styles of art from around the world, as well as to suggest ways to look at and understand art. During 2016, the SLC volunteers and participants have covered a wide array of subjects, from Grant Wood to American Indian pottery. Erin Moore, the activities coordinator of Emerson Point Assisted Living, says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The University of Iowa

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Channing Tackaberry

OUTREACH

November 2016 SLC presentation at The Center, Iowa City

Museum of Art presentations are a favorite with our tenants! They look forward to this program each month, and our activity area is usually filled to capacity with enthusiastic participants. It is wonderful to see how the residents enjoy discussing familiar traditional works, but also have fascinating, lively conversations about newer, more challenging pieces.” The current version of the SLC program is spearheaded by a recent University of Iowa graduate, Channing Tackaberry. Channing earned her BA in art history and French, and has always had a special interest in helping older adults. “My grandparents owned an eldercare facility in Marion, Iowa, for most of my life, and my first job was in a nursing home,” she says. “I know firsthand how rewarding it is to

work with older adults, and just how difficult it can be to get affordable programming into care centers. I am thrilled to be working with local SLCs and volunteers to provide engaging presentations to these communities!” In the fall of 2016, the SLC outreach program received a grant from the Community Foundation of Johnson County. The CFJC funds hundreds of nonprofit organizations each year, always with the hope of bettering the lives of individuals in Johnson County. The foundation is especially gratified to fund a program for older adults who are often neglected when it comes to educational outreach. With this grant, Channing plans both to update the technology used in the SLC program, and to buy art materials for lessons that will encourage participants to create art of their own.

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What led you to working at the UIMA?

ALEXANDRA JANEZIC PR E PA R ATO R

My first museum job experience was as an art technician for the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art in Manhattan, Kansas. As an undergraduate art student at Kansas State University, I was interested in having a better understanding of art, specifically the techniques and materials used by professional artists. As an artist and preparator, I am able to study art objects intimately to learn about their history and the methods of art creation. I feel that museums are one of the best places to experience how objects have been formed in the hands of history.

What are some of your favorite objects in the UIMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection? I am particularly drawn to prints and books, as I have an MFA in book arts from the University of Iowa, but I also enjoy many pieces in our African and Native American art collections. Recently I have been intrigued by our African textiles, such as the Kente cloth strip-woven by the Asante peoples, and the Kuba cloth from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I find the organic patterning of these textiles very dynamic. Some of the Kuba pieces are particularly interesting for their incorporation of nontraditional materials, such as the typewriter ribbon used as a dye.

What are your goals for the UIMA? My responsibilities as a preparator at the UIMA are to exhibit objects safely and effectively and to find proper storage solutions for the UIMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extensive collection. A majority of the collection is artwork on paper, for which I am currently creating individualized mats for safer storage and exhibition. I also hope to find ways to house our three-dimensional objects, in boxes that are object-specific.

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STAFF CHANGES

What were you doing before you came to the UIMA?

VERO ROSE SMITH A S S I S TA NT CU R ATO R , LE GAC I E S FO R I OWA CO LLE C TI O N S S H A R I N G PROJ E C T

For me, things crafted by people and things crafted by the environment have always been inseparable. My inability to disentangle art from nature led me to a triple BA in studio art, art history, and environmental studies earned at Augustana College (Rock Island, IL) in 2012. As an undergraduate, I worked as a studio, research, and museum assistant. This museum training was translated into pedagogy during my time as a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa, where I earned an MA in art history in 2014. Though I enjoyed art-historical research (my work concerned big-box stores as an architectural form), I missed making art. This ache for art-making brought me to Harvard University, where I completed a second master’s degree in design studies in 2016. My thesis work for this program focused on trees as totems of memory and as reminders of our collective responsibility to the planet. While pursuing graduate study, I also directed two nonprofits. In Iowa City and Cambridge, I identified a dire need for community art spaces, and developed programs to utilize my respective organizations for this purpose.

What does your job entail? As the assistant curator for the UIMA's Legacies for Iowa, I manage a large-scale arts-sharing initiative that brings the extraordinary collections of the University of Iowa Museum of Art to communities across the state of Iowa. This work involves many logistical machinations, careful curation, and constant collaboration with both UIMA staff and partnering institutions.

What have you accomplished since you started at the UIMA? Since July, I have established the groundwork for a new communications and outreach strategy for the Legacies Project. To that end, I have digitized and updated promotional materials and prepared several public lectures related to the project. In addition, I have launched a social media-based art-sharing project that features one work from our collection each day, along with a bit of historical background.

What are your goals for the UIMA? My goals are to ensure that every Iowan feels pride in—and a connection to—our permanent collection. Additionally, I hope that the Legacies Project will become an adoptable framework for other institutions to share their collections with a broader public.

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HOMECOMING 2016

UIMA Members Council, staff, volunteers, and our smokinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hot black box participated in the University of Iowa Homecoming Parade this past October. Go Hawks! Photos by John Moyers

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COMMUNITY MATTERS

Annual John M. Chadima Concert John Chadima was a vice president and trust officer at Iowa City’s MidWestOne Bank, and passed away in 2014 just days before taking up the post of vice president and incoming president of the UIMA’s Members Council. Museum supporters, friends, and colleagues helped honor his memory by dedicating a cello made by Jan Spidlen of Prague. Each year we honor him with a concert using Czech instruments from the UIMA collections. The “Chadima” cello and the Kasper Strnad viola were included in the performance on November 22, 2016, by University of Iowa School of Music graduate students. It was an honor to have so many of the Chadima/ Black family members in attendance. UIMA is grateful for the partnership of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, and for the sponsorship of MidWestOne Bank.

L to R BACK ROW Donald Black, Thiago Ancelmo, Yoo-Jung Chan, Bryan Bailey (John’s brother-in-law), Kwok Ho Yin MIDDLE ROW Lee Dytrt (John’s uncle), Joanie Bailey (John’s sister), Paula Blackard (Kathy’s partner), Varinia Oyola Rebaza SEATED Kathy Chadima (John’s sister), Eunkyung Angela Son

Mark your calendar!

SATURDAY APRIL 1, 201 Hancher Auditorium

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