UMMA Magazine | Spring 2014 by UMMA MusTech

spring/summer 2014

from the director

each new audiences beyond our walls. Make UMMA Michigan’s cultural heart. Build stronger bonds with the academic enterprise. Endow leadership positions and inspire creative scholarship. These goals are among our top priorities in UMMA’s “Advancing a University Art Museum for the World” campaign, and as you’ll read in this column and throughout the magazine we are already making great progress to achieve them. This year we’ve collaborated with a tremendous group of guest curators who will continue to expand our horizons throughout the summer. Our yearlong new media partnership with Rudolf Frieling from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art next features Christian Marclay's Telephones and Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July’s Learning to Love You More. Nancy Bartlett from the U-M Bentley Historical Library helps shed new light on Robert Metcalf’s modern domestic architecture projects. And in partnership with the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, noted Native American scholar Ellen Taubman showcases contemporary Native North American art from the Northeast and Southeast in Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3.

Over the past few months, UMMA’s exhibitions and programs have received broader attention as well. I had the pleasure of speaking about UMMA’s local and global perspectives at the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture, where UMMA’s 2013 exhibition Florencia Pita/FP Mod was on view. Additionally, in February Associate Curator of Asian Art Natsu Oyobe gave several gallery talks at Seattle’s Frye Art Museum for its opening of UMMA’s Isamu Noguchi and Qi Baishi: Beijing 1930 exhibition. While on view at the Noguchi Museum in New York last fall, the same exhibition was called “elegant and persuasive” by the New York Times.

contents FROM THE DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 UMMA NEWS

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EXHIBITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 IN FOCUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 UMMA HAPPENINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PROGRAMS

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CAMPAIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

UMMA has also been recognized lately with significant funding awards. In December we received a prestigious $500,000 Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to broaden our dynamic humanities connections on campus. One NEH evaluator characterized UMMA as “one of the preeminent university art museums, with great collections, exhibitions and programs.” The NEH Challenge is detailed on page 20, along with an exciting new opportunity from the Benedek Family Foundation. And finally, as you’ll note on page 19, I am thrilled to share that Helmut and Candis Stern have made a $1.5 million gift to establish and endow a new curatorial position in African art. Helmut’s passion for collecting African art was inspired by former UMMA Director Evan Maurer in the 1980s; how incredible it is to witness this relationship come full circle. As I reflect on all that UMMA continues to accomplish, I am struck by the promise of what a world-class university art museum can continue to be for the world. At my recent meeting of the Association of Art Museum Directors, an executive from one of the nation’s leading private foundations commented that the most exciting opportunities for the art world’s future rest with art museums within major research universities that afford themselves of the synergies available on their campuses and in their communities. UMMA indeed has a special and important role to play. Warmest regards,

UMMA STORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Cover: Jeffrey Gibson, Everlast, 2011-12, Wool, canvas, steel, acrylic paint, glass beads, artificial sinew, tin jingles, Photo by Ed Watkins, Courtesy of the artist; American Contemporary, New York; Samsøn Projects, Boston, From the exhibition Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3 organized by the Museum of Arts and Design, New York

Joseph Rosa Director

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umma news UMMA K-12 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH Curator for Museum Teaching and Learning Pamela Reister led a “spark” session for the Ann Arbor Public School’s (AAPS) district art teachers as part of a day-long professional development program for art and music teachers. Reister’s session on teaching challenging contemporary art in the classroom was developed to support K-12 teachers in adapting to the new Common Core State Standards. Despite head-high snowdrifts and sub-zero temperatures, the day—organized by AAPS and the University Musical Society (UMS) around the residency of Deb Brzoska, Kennedy Center arts consultant—was full to capacity, reflecting the exciting potential for curricular enrichment by museums and other arts organizations.

NATIONAL ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NAEA) CONFERENCE

UMMA STAFFER SELECTED AS 2014 IMLS FIELD REVIEWER UMMA proudly announces that John Turner, Senior Manager of Museum Technology, was recently selected as a Field Reviewer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This independent agency of the U.S. federal government remains the primary source of federal support for the nation’s museums and libraries through its granting process. IMLS Field Reviewers are selected for their area of expertise to review grant applications and provide feedback with the goal of advancing the highest professional practices in the field.

MONET TRAVELS TO TULSA AND HOUSTON UMMA’s beloved Claude Monet oil painting, The Break-up of the Ice (La Débâcle or Les Glaçons), will be on view at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma from June 29 to September 21, 2014 as part of an exhibition that will highlight the importance of the Seine as a subject matter throughout Monet's career. UMMA's painting is celebrated for the sensitive way that the changing conditions of light and atmosphere were captured along an intimate stretch of the river Seine near Monet's home in Vétheuil, France. The exhibition, titled Monet and the Seine: Impressions of a River, will then travel to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where it will be on view from October 26, 2014 to January 29, 2015.

Independent filmmaker and Many Voices workshop leader Sharad Patel filming in UMMA's African Gallery.

UMMA Deputy Director for Education Ruth Slavin and Manager of Public Programs Lisa Borgsdorf joined national art museum evaluation expert Marianna Adams of Audience Focus at the National Art Education Association Conference in San Diego in March to present a Museum Division Best Practice Session on visitor engagement with digital technology in the galleries. In addition to exploring issues facing the field, the team reported on UMMA’s Many Voices project, which was the product of many UMMA staff including John Turner, Senior Technology Manager, who oversaw the interface development. Adams was the evaluator for Many Voices— a community filmmaking workshop which created new interpretive multimedia in response to UMMA’s collections. Explore the videos online at www.umma.umich.edu or in the gallery by using your own mobile device or checking out a tablet in the UMMA Store.

spring/summer 2014

Claude Monet, The Break-up of the Ice (La Débâcle or Les Glaçons), 1880, oil on canvas, UMMA, Acquired through the generosity of Russell B. Stearns (LS&A, 1916), and his wife Andree B. Stearns, Dedham, Massachusettes, 1976/2.134

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exhibitions

a. alfred taubman gallery i | may 24–september 14, 2014

CHANGING HANDS: ART WITHOUT RESERVATION 3

CONTEMPORARY NATIVE NORTH AMERICAN ART FROM THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST

Alan Michelson, Phoenix, 2012, Handmade paper, archival board and ink, wood, Photo courtesy of the artist

Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3 / Contemporary Native North American Art from the Northeast and Southeast concludes a cycle of landmark exhibitions conceived and organized to present a comprehensive and in-depth cross section of innovative and groundbreaking work by contemporary Indigenous artists. These creative individuals express a new vitality and spirit of experimentation in Native art, often embracing tradition while moving forward and looking towards the future. The original exhibition, comprising more than 100 works by 85 Native artists from the United States and Canada, premiered at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City in June 2012. The variety of media represented in the exhibition are as diverse as the broad geographic region from which the selected group of artists were born; encompassing the areas east of the Mississippi—the Great Lakes, Woodlands, Northeast, Southeast, and into the Canadian Subarctic. Since the exhibition’s debut, these works have been viewed by thousands of individuals, as they have been presented in venues across the United States and in Canada.

Today in many museum collections, both here and abroad, Native American art, to a great extent, remains segregated from the mainstream, displayed and viewed more as anthropological or ethnographic artifacts than as independent works of art, more often attributed by tribal affiliation than individual artist. This ongoing unwillingness or inability to accord Native art its deserved status has been an impediment to the careers of now several generations of indigenous North American artists who, like all other artists, seek understanding, recognition and, ideally, success in the complex and demanding world of contemporary international art. The Changing Hands series of exhibitions were conceived and organized specifically to address these shortcomings and oversights, ideally to recast the selected works through the lens of contemporary art and design from around the globe. It has also been the intention to focus on and consider the recent and emerging generation of Native artists, who utilize and incorporate contemporary techniques, materials, aesthetics, and iconography into their art and design practice, in working toward a goal of transcending ethnographic and anthropological interpretations, ultimately to challenge preconceived notions and stereotypes of Indig-

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exhibitions

Kent Monkman, Emergence of a Legend, 2007, One of five chromogenic prints on metallic paper, (In collaboration with Christopher Chapman and Jackie Shawn), Photo courtesy of the artist

Peter B. Jones, Portrait Jar–New Indian, 2010, Clay, mixed media, Photo by Warren Wheeler, Courtesy of the Longyear Museum of Anthropology, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York

enous art and artists, finally seeking to effect a reevaluation of contemporary Native art in an international arena. The current Changing Hands 3 exhibition provides audiences with a sensory experience of the complex, multilayered work of contemporary Native artists as they confront cultural expectations, reclaim lost traditions, and create a new identity for themselves shaped by historical, political, and personal circumstances. Through an extraordinary melding of past and present, and direct opposition between stereotype and tradition, these artists confront, often “head on,” what it means today to be Native and to be an artist. There is not one voice, one language, one lifestyle, one religious belief, nor one form of artistic expression: there are many, with experiences that are equally divergent. "Indian” art or "Native American” art no longer fits within a single category or framework, just as “European” art is not clustered under one "umbrella." Thus, when considering the works in this exhibition, viewers cannot assume that the artists expect to be read only as “Indian,” as “Indigenous,” or somewhere between the two. For many of the artists, the experience and wisdom that is brought to bear in their creative output is from a multitude of different

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Carla Hemlock, Tribute to the Mohawk Ironworkers, 2008, Cotton cloth, glass beads, sequins, cotton/ nylon threads, Photo by Greg Horn, Courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

realities, sometimes at odds with each other, a reflection of what their lives have been. Both historically and now, Native art, like all art, is an ongoing process of change. It serves those for whom it was made and expresses an individual artist's personal "art history" within a larger world view. Ellen Taubman Guest Curator Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3 / Contemporary Native North American Art from the Northeast and Southeast was organized by the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, and made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition catalogue is made possible in part with the support of the Smithsonian Institution’s Indigenous Contemporary Arts Program. Lead support for UMMA’s installation is provided by the University of Michigan Health System, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the University of Michigan Office of the Provost. Additional generous support is provided by the University of Michigan Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Native American Studies Program, and the Doris Sloan Memorial Fund.

exhibitions

new media gallery and irving stenn, jr. family gallery | may 3–july 20, 2014

APPROPRIATION / COLLABORATION

CHRISTIAN MARCLAY / HARRELL FLETCHER & MIRANDA JULY

Christian Marclay, Telephones, 1995; single-channel video with sound, 7:30min., dimensions variable; Collection SFMOMA, Camille W. and William S. Broadbent Fund purchase; © Christian Marclay; photo courtesy the artist

Technologies of copying, editing, and distributing have profoundly changed how artists process and use information as material for their own work. “Collage” and “montage” are key terms of that history from Dada and Surrealism to avant-garde film and media art. This artistic path has arguably been impacted on a global scale by the advent of MTV and the video recorder in the 1970s and 1980s and the rise of the Internet in the 1990s. In light of today’s generation that was “born digital” and is influenced by the remix culture of YouTube, the terms “appropriation” and “collaboration” have emerged as possibly the most significant aspects of that larger art and media historical narrative. Two artistic works from the SFMOMA collection that highlight these trajectories are also cornerstones of two generations of artists. Christian Marclay, who rose to universal fame with the 24-hour film installation The Clock in 2010, started his career of working with found material as a DJ in the 1980s to then embark on his popular review of film history with his first appropriation video in 1995 called Telephones, a unique montage of the dramaturgy of phone calls. This high note of video art is indebted to the long tradition of found footage and has become one of the most entertaining takes on reshuffling the cards that Hollywood had dealt again and again. Fast-forwarding a decade, artists who have been engaged in social practice or performance have embraced the possibilities of a shared collaborative production process. Artists “find” work now by inviting others to contribute. For Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July, there is no given format for representing

their vast archive of more than 8,000 contributions to the online platform Learning to Love You More (2002–2009). Following their own approach to exhibiting this archive, they have granted SFMOMA the license to show excerpts, parts, single elements, or the whole any way it serves a curatorial idea, provided the context of their assignments was included. While the archive continues to live online, the presentation in UMMA's Stenn Gallery offers a unique format of consecutive video presentations of the entire archive in a makeshift container, originally designed by the Bay Area artist Stephanie Syjuco—the “collaborator’s choice”—and of one special assignment with contributions side by side—the “curator’s choice.” The focus of this final installment of the SFMOMA exhibition series examining the idea of performativity is the fundamental impact of technologies on the concepts and modes of production that have characterized the last two decades

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exhibitions

Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July, Assignment #23: Recreate this snapshot. (original detail) from Learning to Love You More, 2002-2009; web project (www.learningtoloveyoumore); web design: Yuri Ono; Collection SFMOMA; Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July.

Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July, Assignment #23: Recreate this snapshot. Photo by Aragon and Collins, Appleton, Wisconsin, from Learning to Love You More, 2002-2009; Photo courtesy SFMOMA

Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July, Learning to Love You More, 2002-2009 (SFMOMA installation detail, 2010); SFMOMA presentation by Stephanie Syjuco; Collection SFMOMA, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July. Photo: Ian Reeves, courtesy SFMOMA. Visit www.learningtoloveyoumore.com to view the project in full.

of contemporary art. Both works reflect paradigm shifts in technology but also a shared interest in non-art practices. These two distinct movements—from the original film edits and narratives of Hollywood to the new cinema of mash-ups and remixes; and from the artwork as concept or instruction to the history of participation in many different realizations by artists and non-artists alike—are deeply embedded in the artists’ individual approaches and aesthetics. Marclay with his musicality and Fletcher & July with their peculiar poetic sensitivity embrace the production of art with the love of the amateur or fan for the popular and the disregarded.

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Rudolf Frieling Guest Curator The third season of UMMA's new media exhibitions is guest curated by Rudolf Frieling, Curator of Media Arts at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Appropriation / Collaboration: Christian Marclay / Harrell Fletcher & Miranda July is the last of three exhibitions presented in this series focusing on the notion of performativity in contemporary art. Most of the work on view is from SFMOMA’s outstanding collection. Lead support for this exhibition is provided by the University of Michigan Office of the Provost and the Herbert W. and Susan L. Johe Endowment. Other generous support is provided by the Susan and Richard Gutow Fund and the Robert and Janet Miller Fund.

exhibitions

jan and david brandon family bridge | april 5–july 13, 2014

THREE MICHIGAN ARCHITECTS PART 2

ROBERT METCALF

Opposite: Robert C. Metcalf, Architect, Gilbert Residence exterior, Ann Arbor, MI, 1966, Courtesy of the U-M Bentley Historical Library

Robert C. Metcalf, Architect, Metcalf Residence exterior, Ann Arbor, MI, 1952-1953, Courtesy of the U-M Bentley Historical Library

Robert C. Metcalf, Architect, Botch Residence color rendering, Ann Arbor, MI, circa 1957, Courtesy of the U-M Bentley Historical Library

Robert Metcalf’s architecture practice has realized some of

Most of the topography of Ann Arbor can vary greatly even

the most important and recognizable modern buildings in

across a relatively small parcel. Metcalf’s pared-down, mini-

Michigan. Born in 1923, Metcalf is a native of Ohio. He began

malist rectangular houses are sited at points in the landscape

his education at the University of Michigan in 1942, though

that transition from a rather flat area to an inclined slope in

his studies were halted during World War II. After serving in

the terrain. An example of this is his 1955 Forsythe House,

Europe, Metcalf returned to Ann Arbor and finished his degree

where the two-story house is nestled into the hillside.

in 1950. He worked as an apprentice to George B. Brigham and began teaching architecture at the University of Michigan. He served as dean of the architecture school from 1974 to 1986, and taught at the university until he retired in 1991. Metcalf began his own practice in 1953, and over the next six decades completed more than 120 projects in Ann Arbor and

In Metcalf homes like this, the front façade reads as a twostory structure, while the back façade visually reads as one floor. The upper floor of the house—with windows on all four façades—contains mostly public spaces (living room, dining room, and kitchen) along with one or two private

the Detroit metropolitan area.

spaces (bedrooms). The first floor or main floor of the house

This exhibition presents fifteen modern houses designed by

possibly a den) and more private spaces (bedrooms, bath-

Metcalf that span his career from 1953 to 2008, highlighting

rooms, mechanical room, and garage). This floor has only two

many of his iconic houses. Each project selected exemplifies

to three façades with fenestrations (windows and doors).

Metcalf’s modern aesthetic: straightforward design that

Formally, the house is a flat-roofed rectangular form that

resulted in functional, minimalist spaces for living. A signature element of a Metcalf-designed home—from the

comprises fewer public spaces (the entrance vestibule and

visually projects out from the natural contours of the landscape—juxtaposing the manmade with its natural setting.

architect’s first commission, the 1953 Crane House, to his

Metcalf’s siting of his houses is ideologically closer to the

1975 Huebner House—is its placement within its landscape.

organic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright than the pervasive

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exhibitions

minimalist aesthetic of mid-century modernism in America. The visual reference to Wright allows us to understand Metcalf’s interest in the domestic architecture of Greene and Greene—noted Arts and Crafts architects based in Pasadena, California, from 1894 to 1922. This is evident in Metcalf’s use of materials for the homes’ interior public spaces—woodclad walls and ceilings, tile floors, and custom-designed interior wood screens—sometimes metal—that act as visual

Co-curators Joseph Rosa UMMA Director Nancy Bartlett U-M Bentley Historical Library Head of the University Archives Program

room dividers. The employment of these materials within the homes provides aesthetic warmth while remaining formally austere. Furnished mostly with classic mid-century furniture by companies such as Knoll and Herman Miller, Metcalf’s interiors bridged the ideological as well as the aesthetic gap between the American Arts and Crafts and modern architecture movements. While Metcalf’s career is mostly equated with the flat-roofed aesthetic of modern architecture, he has intermittently employed low-pitched roof profiles on numerous homes since the early 1950s. From the 1960s on, many of Metcalf’s houses had a variety of roof profiles, including A-frame profiles that, while normative, were stripped of any historical references, thus maintaining a modern, minimalist appeal.

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Three Michigan Architects: Part 2–Metcalf is the second in a series of three consecutive exhibitions, with subsequent presentation of domestic work by George Brigham (July 19–October 12, 2014). Part 1 of the series presented the work of David Osler (December 21, 2013–March 30, 2014). The series will culminate in Fall 2014 with a symposium, as well as the publication of Three Michigan Architects: Osler, Metcalf, and Brigham—both of which will explore the importance of this circle of Ann Arbor-based architects, situating their regional body of domestic work into the larger context of modern architecture in the U.S. that developed on the East Coast and West Coast from the 1930s–1980s. This exhibition is part of the U-M Collections Collaborations series, which showcases the renowned and diverse collections of the University of Michigan. This series inaugurates UMMA’s collaboration with the Bentley Historical Library, and is generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Lead support for Three Michigan Architects is provided by the University of Michigan Office of the Vice President for Research.

exhibitions

photography gallery | march 22–june 29, 2014

AN EYE ON THE EMPIRE PHOTOGRAPHS OF COLONIAL INDIA AND EGYPT

Left: Francis Frith, India Series, circa 1859–70, albumen print, UMMA, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Lewis through the Friends of the Museum of Art, 1971/2.131 Opposite: Johannes (Jean) Pascal Sebah, Interior of the Mosque Amrou, circa 1873-86, albumen print, UMMA, Transfer from the Kelsey Museum of Archeology, 1980/1.201

The zenith and subsequent decline of the British Empire in the later nineteenth century coincided with a unique and powerful convergence of cultural, technological, and economic forces. This era signaled the last great period of European exploration when large swaths of Asia and Africa were visited, recorded, and documented—a feat hard to imagine in this day of Google Earth. These years also saw the rise of the modern tourism industry; no longer confined to wealthy aristocrats as part of a Grand Tour, travel to foreign lands was democratized by companies such as Cook’s Tours, who furnished excursions for well-heeled Victorians who had not traveled beyond Britain, let alone Europe. Whether as government-funded explorers or as groups of tourists, travelers contributed their experiences— and photographs—to the understanding of the vast lands under Britain’s rule or influence, shaping Britons’ perceptions of their role in the world. Photography aided the work of geographers and others amassing data by providing important visual information

of regions not previously recorded. The Royal Geographic Society so valued photography’s contributions that they lent cameras to explorers to take with them on expeditions. The resulting maps and photographs allowed those back home to gain knowledge of these new lands, expanding the official archives comprising maps, documents, photographs, and artifacts of distant lands, and facilitating British plans for economic development and access to natural resources. Commercial photography in India, where the British had a continuing presence since the seventeenth century, and in Egypt, which came under British military occupation in 1882, complemented the burgeoning travel industry. Interest in photography in India was evident as early as 1854 when the Photographic Society of Bombay was established, issuing a pitch to photographers, both in country and elsewhere: India, I need hardly point out to you, offers a vast field to the Photographer: Its magnificent Scenery—its Temples—Palaces

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exhibitions

—Shrines—and Ruins, dating back, as many of them do, to the remotest antiquity—the varied costumes, characters, and physiognomies of its millions of inhabitants; its religious and other processions and all the other endless objects of attraction or of curiosity which present themselves to us—each and all should incite us to the practice of an Art, of which the beauty and utility are only surpassed by its truthfulness; and where, I would ask, can that art be more advantageously studied than under the sunny skies of India? Many photographers in India exploited exactly those aspects of India detailed in the Photographic Society of Bombay’s description: the photographic record of India includes historical monuments, ethnographic descriptions of customs and peoples, and the striking beauty of the land—all offered with an objective “truthfulness” considered inherent to the medium. The images of India and Egypt taken during the nineteenth century were obtained often under extremely difficult condi-

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tions—mold and moisture in India, and wind and heat in the Egyptian desert, made photography challenging. Many photographs captured monuments of striking beauty that partake in a highly romanticized vision of non-European culture and form part of a highly complex mosaic of information compiled by both officials and private individuals. What began as an archive of Empire became a lens through which Britons could appreciate the extent and complexity of their influence. The photographs in this exhibition were an element in what James Ryan described as the “imaginative geography of Empire, creating a parallel Empire with a range of discourses including science, art, commerce, and government.” Carole McNamara Senior Curator of Western Art An Eye on the Empire is offered in conjunction with the U-M LSA Theme Semester, India in the World. Lead support for this exhibition is provided by the University of Michigan Health System.

in focus

new acquisition

SCHÖNE MADONNA Schöne Madonna (Beautiful Madonna), Bohemia, Prague, circa 1400, Polychromed limewood, UMMA, Gift of an anonymous donor, 2013/1.227

This work, a fragment of what was certainly a full length Schöne Madonna, or “beautiful Madonna,” recently came to the Museum as a gift from a private donor. An example of the late International Gothic style in sculpture, it ranks as one of the most significant additions in many years to the earlier Western collections. By the fourteenth century, devotion to the Virgin Mary in Europe had become increasingly important, particularly in Bohemia (a region in the present day Czech Republic with its capital at Prague). The tradition of the Schöne Madonna depicts the standing Virgin tenderly holding the infant Christ. She is often portrayed with a crown over her mantle to signal her role as Queen of Heaven, in which she sits at the right hand of her son, interceding on behalf of humankind. Schöne Madonnen—in limewood, limestone, or terracotta— usually possess a courtly grace and elegance. They are frequently painted and some include gilding. Such images were important aids to new trends in prayer and meditation emphasizing the emotional involvement of the faithful, who were encouraged to contemplate events from the lives of Christ, the Virgin, or the saints, as if they were taking place before their eyes. Madonna of Krumlov, Bohemia, Prague, circa 1390–1400, Polychromed limestone, Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna, Inv.-Nr. KK_10156

The quality and exquisite delicacy of UMMA’s sculpture are exceptional. Despite the areas of damage, the pensive expression, the remarkable quality of the carving, and the stylized

oval of the face with its high hairline, suggest a connection with the most refined example of the type, the Krumlov Madonna in the collection of the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna. It is likely that UMMA’s sculpture was commissioned by an important patron, someone possibly connected to the Bohemian court in Prague. The history of the UMMA Madonna is not fully known. The donor’s stepfather purchased the work nearly seventy years ago, perhaps in Europe, where he frequently traveled for business, or perhaps in the United States. Stamps and stickers on the bottom of the work indicate that it was exported from Germany between 1934 and 1938. The Schöne Madonna will be integrated into the Medieval and Early Western collections in UMMA’s European Art Gallery, and an exhibition around this important sculpture is planned for the future. Carole McNamara Senior Curator of Western Art This recent acquisition will be on view in the first-floor connector between the Museum’s historic wing and the Maxine and Stuart Frankel and the Frankel Family Wing from April 7 to July 7, 2014.

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new acquisition

in focus

GLASS WORKS FROM THE COLLECTION OF J. IRA AND NICKI HARRIS David Grant Hopper, Anton’s Letter, 1990, Hot-sculpted and cased glass, paint, metal, UMMA, Gift of J. Ira and Nicki Harris, 2013/1.293 Michael Pavlik, Kunstruction Series #2, 1989, Cast glass, cut, acid-etched, ground, bonded, UMMA, Gift of J. Ira and Nicki Harris, 2013/1.290

“Glass is a vessel for light” is a truism of glassmakers: it is a most interesting vessel for light because it not only contains, but also amplifies, moves, and redirects light, thereby animating the objects as does no other media. In the early 1960s, glassmaking moved out of the factory and into individual glassmakers’ studios where each artist developed a personal style, as is evident in these two works. Michael Pavlik’s geometric cast and cut glass sends light around arcs, rebounding within prisms. The angles of the prisms and their beveled edges create a kaleidoscopic effect, playing with the paper-thin laminations—two red and one blue—placed between the geometric sections. From a distance we perceive the architecture of this piece, but close-up we see the action of light on the interior—a seemingly infinite prismatic mirror. From this view we understand the artist’s aspiration to seek ”balance between the external form and the internal space or soul of the piece." David Hopper uses the traditional method of paperweight production for his sculptural figures, which are associated with the California Funk movement. In this technique, an object is encased in layers of glass that magnify interior detail. Here, the encased object is a figure of a man, sculpted from glass and painted. The external layers not only magnify the figure, but the undulating folds around it act like a funhouse mirror, making him move and sway as you walk by. Hopper asks the viewer to decide if the figure is imprisoned, preserved, protected, or something else.

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These works, generously donated by J. Ira and Nicki Harris, are significant additions to UMMA’s impressive glass collection. The Harris’ interest in glass, expressed here, helps us to appreciate the splendor of this medium: Our collection began when a very good friend and well-known collector in Chicago gave us a piece of Harvey Littleton’s, one of the fathers of Contemporary Glass. We were mesmerized by the piece and we still have it to this day. The properties of glass—its twists and turns or sharp, jagged edges, and the manipulation of colors and design elements—are seductive, and pleasing to behold. We have been fortunate enough to meet some of the artists we have collected works from, which has really helped us to appreciate the source, the inspiration and the creativity that these pieces express. We are delighted to share these treasures with the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Pamela Reister Curator for Museum Teaching and Learning This recent acquisition will be on view in the first-floor connector between the Museum’s historic wing and the Maxine and Stuart Frankel and the Frankel Family Wing from July 7 to October 12, 2014.

In conjunction with Doris Duke’s Shangri La, celebrated classical guitarist Matthew Ardizzone performed at UMMA with repertoire exploring the Arab influence in Spanish guitar music. UMMA Director Joseph Rosa and Deborah Pope, Executive Director, Shangri La, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (right), were in attendance.

UMMA’s annual Curators’ Circle Brunch welcomed U-M Professor of Art, artist, and guest curator Larry Cressman (right) as he shared his vision for the exhibition Flip Your Field: Photographs from the Collection.

Organized by UMMA and U-M Associate Professor of Islamic Art Christiane Gruber, a one-day symposium was held at UMMA on February 1, 2014 in conjunction with Doris Duke’s Shangri La: umma.umich.edu Architecture, Landscape, and Islamic Art (right).

umma happenings

Generously sponsored by Fidelity Investments, UMMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spring After Hours event welcomed over 1,000 community members on Thursday, March 13th. U-M President Mary Sue Coleman (above) was in attendance.

spring/summer 2014

programs

Student docents go behind the scenes to explore UMMA's wood shop with Todd Berenz (left), Collections and Exhibitions Technician.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AT UMMA What makes UMMA a unique part of the university community is the degree to which students are engaged with every aspect of the Museum—contributing in creative and imaginative ways that have a substantive impact on public engagement and the visitor experience.

PROVIDING A GATEWAY TO THE ARTS Student docents become experts on UMMA collections and learn gallery teaching strategies, deploying their knowledge in ways that make significant contributions to art interpretation for visitors. Under the guidance of Museum Curator for Teaching and Learning Pam Reister student docents meet weekly to explore the galleries and the collections and also meet Museum staff to learn about how exhibitions are created. Through Reister, they are introduced to interactive teaching methods appropriate to adult lifelong learning, and dip into theories of child development so they can meet children at an appropriate level. As the students become producers of art information and experiences, they build their confidence in giving gallery presentations during special events such as UMMA After Hours, the U-M Victors for Michigan Campaign kickoff, UMMA Fridays After 5, and Lunchtime tours. After the Victors for Michigan Campaign kickoff, student docent Coralie Kim said, “I was able to watch how visitors engaged with the artworks, which was in and of itself an enlightening artistic experience!” Chris Hunt, who greeted visitors at UMMA Fridays After 5, has an aspiration for UMMA’s public. “I hope Museum visitors will appreciate the

entirety of UMMA’s many exhibits, and not just the ‘highlights’ such as the Monets and Picassos.” In addition to public events for adults, student docents pair looking at art with reading to children during Storytime at the Museum. This fun, casual event allows children to experience art and museum culture on their terms. Children who attend this activity regularly over time become confident, empowered museumgoers. Interacting with this young population is an enriching experience for the 18-22-year-old student docents. “I loved being able to listen to the children's thoughts on art,” offered Janice Lee. As ambassadors for UMMA, these students are indefatigable. “My favorite part of UMMA is that it is built around education—it perfectly integrates with the university setting.” –Joseph Kemeny, U-M Freshman, Business major, UMMA Student Docent

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programs

The silhouette of a visitor standing in front of Dora García's Instant Narrative.

A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN U-M STUDENTS AND UMMA The Student Programing and Advisory Council (SPAC) ensures that UMMA is a meeting place for the arts for graduate and undergraduate students across campus. By serving the Museum in an advisory capacity, contributing to UMMA’s student blog The Annex (www.annex.umma.umich.edu), and planning events for and featuring students at UMMA, the SPAC is able to increase meaningful student engagement with UMMA’s collections and exhibitions. Members of the SPAC recognize that their opinions and ideas are valued, and their contributions can make a positive impact on other students, both now and in the future. “Being a part of the SPAC gives me a more powerful voice to share something

AN ACTOR IN THE GALLERY EXPERIENCE During the winter 2014 semester, UMMA hired six U-M students as performer/recorders for an installation by renowned Spanish contemporary artist Dora García as part of the exhibition Affecting the Audience: Anthony Discenza, Aurélien Froment, and Dora García. The students were positioned within the exhibition space at all times during Museum hours, observing and recording their immediate environment, which provided them a unique experience working in an art museum, interacting with visitors, and performing an active role in a work of contemporary installation art. By recording observational notes on a laptop computer about the exhibition’s visitors—notes that were revealed to members of the public by means of a video projection—these students also enjoyed an exceptional opportunity for creativity and development through writing narrative text in real-time.

I feel passionately about with other students. The events we host give

“Having everything I've written scroll

students an excuse to visit the Museum

off the screen in a matter of minutes

and, once having been, a reason

reinforced the idea that the point of

to return.” –Jean Rafaelian, U-M

writing isn't always to have a beautiful

Sophomore, History of Art major with

end-product, but to go through the writing

a Philosophy minor

process itself. Instant Narrative allowed me to deeply observe human interactions from an outsider's perspective, and I find that lately it has inspired a lot of my poetry.” —Ariel Kaplowitz, U-M Junior, Creative Writing and American Culture double major

spring/summer 2014

programs

LOVE ART MORE: A CATALYST FOR PARTICIPATION If you could give any artwork in the world to someone else as a gift, what would it be? Who would you give it to? And what would you write in the card? If you could have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be? What would you eat? And what would you talk about? What if you made a banner encouraging others to LOVE ART MORE?—Would it work? Would you be willing to give it a try? These questions are just a few examples of the prompts created by members of UMMA’s Student Programming and Advisory Council (SPAC), inviting U-M students to explore, animate, and broaden their relationship to art as part of UMMA’s ongoing participatory project titled

LOVE ART MORE. By taking time to complete an “assignment” outside of their schoolwork that drives them to look at their surroundings differently, students open themselves up to have interesting and challenging experiences that encourage creativity and personal growth. Launched in January 2014, LOVE ART MORE is inspired in part by Learning To Love You More, a collaborative online art project by artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher, on view at UMMA from May 3 to July 20, 2014 as part of the exhibition Appropriation / Collaboration: Christian Marclay / Harrell Fletcher & Miranda July. Visit www.umma.umich.edu/loveartmore to learn more. This program is made possible in part by the Katherine Tuck Enrichment Fund and the Doris Sloan Memorial Fund.

Creative submissions by U-M students responding to UMMA’s LOVE ART MORE online project. Clockwise from top left: 1) A real tearjerker by Cara Richard, History of Art 2016. 2) Do you Doodle? by Marjan Alidoost, Cellular and Molecular Biology 2014. 3) Give art a hug by Rachel Bissonnette, History of Art 2016. 4) Play with your food by Kelsey Messina, History of Art 2016. 5) Recreate a self-portrait by Sara Kang, Microbiology/ History of Art 2016.

umma.umich.edu

programs

CREATIVE PLACES: U-M, UMMA, AND THE ZELL VISITING WRITERS SERIES STUDENTS REFLECT Since the Museum’s reopening in 2009, UMMA has proudly hosted the Zell Visiting Writers Series (ZVWS), which features weekly readings of emerging and established authors. Olivia Postelli, a U-M LSA senior from St. Joseph, Michigan studying English and creative writing, interviewed U-M alum and fall 2013 visiting writer Peter Orner about his experiences at U-M as an undergraduate, while also sharing her own thoughts on what the Zell series means to her. OP: Peter, how did your experiences at U-M or in Ann Arbor influence your work—particularly your early work, Esther Stories and Love and Shame and Love? PO (pictured left): I loved my years in Ann Arbor, though I was nobody's definition of a model student. I remember being lost a lot, in more ways than one. I think over the years I've tried to revisit the feeling of being an undergraduate in a place as vast and imposing as Michigan. Love and Shame and Love is partly set in Ann Arbor and is about a girl and a guy, two sophomores, Kat and Popper, who are trying out their new-found freedom, on campus and off. Kat is less mystified by freedom than Popper. In the novel I was trying to capture what it felt like when so much was changing so fast, which is why I now think back on that time with a kind of awe. You! Crossing the Diag! You don't know how lucky you are!

OP: What advice would you give to undergraduate writers interested in pursuing creative writing? PO: Read what you want to read, not what people tell you to read. And love the books you love, not the books people tell you to love. For the full interview with Postelli and Orner, please visit www.umma.umich.edu/insider/peterorner.

UMMA is pleased to be the site for the Zell Visiting Writers Series, which brings outstanding writers each semester. The Series is made possible through a generous gift from U-M alumna Helen Zell (’64). For more information, visit http://www.lsa.umich.edu/english/grad/mfa/mfaeve.asp

“UMMA is a beautiful space. (I think that) hosting the ZVWS in the Museum fosters a relationship between two different kinds of art and two different parts of the University. It speaks to the importance of collaboration for any kind of artistic project. It also feels like a very cosmopolitan space, which I think provides the readings with the right kind of atmosphere. As an undergraduate interested in pursuing writing at the graduate level, I think the presence of others engaged in the craft is helpful for envisioning what a creative and/or academic writing life looks like.” —Olivia Postelli

spring/summer 2014

campaign

CURATOR OF AFRICAN ART POSITION ESTABLISHED WITH GIFT FROM HELMUT AND CANDIS STERN Nail figure (nkisi nkondi), Vili peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo, late 19th century, wood, iron nails, blades and fragments, fiber cord, UMMA, Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern, 2005/1.192

Longtime UMMA supporters Helmut and Candis Stern have made a $1.5 million gift to establish and endow a new curatorial position in African art. With UMMA’s holdings in African art considered among the finest in North America, the Helmut and Candis Stern Curator of African Art is a welcome addition to UMMA’s curatorial posts in Western, Asian, and Contemporary art. "We are thrilled to make this gift to support the Museum,” noted Candis Stern. “Art has always been a passion for Helmut, and of all the artifacts and paintings he collected, the African pieces were the ones I most treasured. We are pleased to know our gift will ensure that African art remains an important and lasting collection at UMMA, and that it will expand in the future through the Museum’s excellent exhibitions and programs.” While Helmut Stern began collecting modern European and American art in the 1950s, his focus shifted to African art in the 1980s at the encouragement of former UMMA Director Evan Maurer. Ultimately his collection grew to be regarded by experts as one of the most significant collections of Central African material in private hands. In 2005, Candis and Helmut donated 90 works of Congolese art to the Museum; many of them are now among the most popular works within UMMA’s broad collections.

Helmut’s passionate advocacy for UMMA has spanned five directorships and more than 35 years. In addition to his noteworthy gifts of art, Helmut’s remarkable leadership support of the UMMA building campaign was key to the project’s success, and in recognition of his longstanding support the auditorium at UMMA bears his name. Helmut’s philanthropy and volunteerism at the University of Michigan reach far beyond the Museum of Art, most notably to the Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center, Depression Center, and Kellogg Eye Center. He has also funded scholarships in public policy, engineering, nursing, and graduate studies, as well as distinguished professorships in Chinese studies and the humanities. In 2004 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree, and in 2006 he received the David B. Hermelin Award for Fundraising Volunteer Leadership. “This new endowment gift from Helmut and Candis Stern will allow the Museum of Art to add an exciting curatorial voice to our exhibitions and programs in perpetuity,” stated Joseph Rosa, UMMA Director. “We are thrilled and honored to have the first named position in the history of the Museum bear the name of Helmut and Candis, whose gifts have allowed UMMA to greatly increase its impact on campus and in the community.” Recruiting for the curatorship will begin in the fall.

umma.umich.edu

campaign

TWO NEW CHALLENGE GRANTS WILL MAKE OTHER CAMPAIGN GIFTS GO FURTHER

UMMA’s Advancing a University Art Museum for the World campaign, part of U-M’s recently launched Victors for Michigan fundraising campaign, aims to increase endowment support to provide stable, continuous funding for the Museum’s core activities including exhibitions and educational programs. UMMA recently received two donor challenge offers to encourage other gifts in support of these goals.

NEH CHALLENGE GRANT

BENEDEK FAMILY FOUNDATION CHALLENGE

A Challenge Grant of $500,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities will support Dynamic Humanities Connections—an initiative that will transform the Museum’s significant onsite achievements in humanities programming into a sustained, consistent effort that impacts UMMA’s visitors and users around the world. Dynamic Humanities Connections funding will partially endow key UMMA education team positions and create a digital platform to enable students, teachers, and visitors to become active participants in humanities learning. UMMA’s grant, one of only nine NEH Challenge Grants of this size offered nationwide, requires that UMMA raise $1.5 million from other donors. Peter Benedek, a U-M alumnus and member of the Museum’s National Leadership Council, and his wife Barbara are the first to make a commitment to the NEH Challenge with a gift of $100,000.

In addition to their support of the NEH Challenge, Peter and Barbara Benedek are offering a challenge of their own to encourage both philanthropy and Museum attendance. The Benedek Family Foundation will donate ten cents for every UMMA visitor—up to $30,000 annually for the next five years— if the Museum can raise an equal amount from other donors. Serving an average annual audience of over 200,000, UMMA needs your support and attendance to make this challenge a success! Non-membership gifts of up to $10,000 will qualify for the match.

spring/summer 2014

For more information about how you can support these donor challenges and UMMA’s campaign goals, please contact Carrie Throm at cthrom@umich.edu or 734-763-6467.

Whether you’re shopping for the perfect gift or treating yourself, the UMMA Store is the perfect place to find one-of-a-kind, unique items that you will not find anywhere else in the Ann Arbor area. This season, we’ve focused on hand-selecting a diverse offering of beautiful jewelry—from necklaces to bracelets, earrings, rings, and more, you’re sure to find something to fit your summer style. All UMMA members receive a 10% discount in-store and online at www.store.umma.umich.edu.

Featured item: This simple, stunning, geometric 3-D necklace is extra long for effect, and each cube is individually handcrafted from sterling silver (though a variety of other styles are offered in sterling and gold plate). This and many other items from Elaine B Jewelry are available for purchase both in-store and online.

umma.umich.edu

Featured items: Tia Keo's line of everyday jewelry from Silver Cocoon embodies a simple, organic, playful modern style. The necklace (above) and earrings (below) were designed with 100% sterling silver metal findings that accent the colorful acrylic and wood options that are available both in-store and online.

STORE HOURS MON–SAT 11AM–5PM, SUN 12–5PM SHOP ONLINE! STORE.UMMA.UMICH.EDU

Non-Profit Organization U. S . P o s t a g e PA I D A n n A r b o r, M I P e r m i t N o . 14 4

university of michigan museum of art 525 South State Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1354 734.763.UMMA umma.umich.edu

connect online facebook.com/ummamuseum twitter.com/ummamuseum instagram.com/ummamuseum

become a member umma.umich.edu or umma-giving@umich.edu

gallery hours (May–September) Tuesday through Saturday 11 am–5 pm Sunday 12–5 pm Closed Mondays

building hours (May–September) The Forum, Commons, and selected public spaces in the Maxine and Stuart Frankel and the Frankel Family Wing are open daily 8 am–6 pm.

University of Michigan Board of Regents: Mark J. Bernstein, Ann Arbor; Julia Donovan Darlow, Ann Arbor; Laurence B. Deitch, Bloomfield Hills; Shauna Ryder Diggs, Grosse Pointe; Denise Ilitch, Bingham Farms; Andrea Fischer Newman, Ann Arbor; Andrew C. Richner, Grosse Pointe Park; Katherine E. White, Ann Arbor; Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio Contributors: Lisa Borgsdorf, Carole McNamara, Lauren Harroun, Mark Gjukich, Sydney Hawkins, Courtney Lacy, Pamela Reister, Ruth Slavin, Carrie Throm, Leisa Thompson, Benjamin Weatherston Editor: Sydney Hawkins Designer: Kevin Woodland

Admission to the Museum is always free. $10 suggested donation appreciated.

EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW

For up-to-date details on UMMA exhibitions and programs, visit umma.umich.edu or follow UMMA on Facebook or Twitter!

Through June 29, 2014

An Eye on the Empire: Photographs of Colonial India and Egypt Through July 13, 2014

Three Michigan Architects: Part 2—Robert Metcalf  Through July 20, 2014

Appropriation / Collaboration: Christian Marclay / Harrell Fletcher & Miranda July Through September 14, 2014

Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3 / Contemporary Native North American Art from the Northeast and Southeast July 5–October 19, 2014

Artistic Impositions in the Photographic Portrait July 19–October 12, 2014

Three Michigan Architects: Part 3—George Brigham  August 16–December 7, 2014

Amie Siegel: Provenance