SPRING 2015
News and Perspectives for Friends of the Arts
4
ART S
Joyce J. Scott: Reflecting Humanity and Igniting Conversation
PRO G R A M
8
Helen Zughaib: Conflict Within
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
14
MA RY L A N D
Still Standing: Kesha Bruce’s The Guardians Series Revisited
U N IV E R S IT Y
CO LLEGE
GREETINGS From the President Dear Art Patrons, I am pleased to report that the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Arts Program has experienced a remarkable year. In 2014, we saw an increase in requests for guided tours of our collections, and our exhibition spaces are being utilized more than ever. This past year, the Arts Program showcased the works of more than 170 artists who participated in seven exhibitions in the main Arts Program Gallery alone. We celebrated the reopening of the renovated Gladys Goldstein Gallery, which includes new and noteworthy works by the artist, and we curated an exhibition of works by Goldstein at Loyola University in Baltimore. Thanks to the hard work of the Arts Program staff, we also curated our annual exhibition at the Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt, rotated works on display in the Selma Oppenheimer Gallery, and reinstalled works in the Herman Maril Gallery, now relocated to the main floor of the Conference Center. This was a banner year from a fundraising perspective as well. The Arts Program received $25,000 from retired businessman and university benefactor Thomas Li, $20,000 from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, $10,000 from the Wolpoff Family Foundation, $5,000 from the Herman Maril Foundation, and $2,500 from the Maryland State Arts Council. For more than 65 years, UMUC has worked to provide affordable, accessible, and valued education to adult learners, whether stateside or abroad. Our Arts Program—with some 2,800 works by Maryland and international artists—serves as an extension of that mission. To all of you—patrons of the arts, artists who inspire us all, generous donors who enable us to share art with a broader community, and scholars whose insights deepen our experiences— I say thank you! Sincerely,
Javier Miyares, President University of Maryland University College
From the Chair Dear Friends,
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
ARTS PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT With a regional and national focus, the Arts Program is dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, study, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art of the highest quality in a variety of media that represent its constituents and to continuing its historic dedication to Maryland and Asian art.
The upcoming season of the Arts Program at UMUC will be ripe with outstanding educational art exhibitions and outreach programs. It will also be a time when we will ask for your help in supporting the arts at UMUC. As chair of the Art Advisory Board, I work with our team to develop rich and varied programs that serve the interests of our diverse communities. Our program, based at UMUC’s Adelphi, Maryland, headquarters, reaches artists and arts enthusiasts across the state and beyond. For example, the works of more than 170 talented artists were showcased at UMUC’s gallery and off-site spaces this year came from all over Maryland, as well as the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. I especially enjoy collaborating with board members, a group of eleven dedicated people with a multitude of interests in the arts. We are practicing artists, art collectors, art patrons, lawyers, philanthropists, business owner, and educators, all committed to the arts and the belief that they truly advance our communities. We are using our individual skills and energy to support the arts at UMUC and in our state and region, but we need your help. Please join our quest by becoming a Friend of the Arts at UMUC. Your support will ensure more high quality programs and exhibitions. I look forward to meeting you as a new Friend of the Arts at UMUC and seeing you at one of the many events this spring. Sincerely,
Anne V. Maher, Esq., Chair, Art Advisory Board University of Maryland University College
CONTENTS
4
Joyce J. Scott: Reflecting Humanity and Igniting Conversation
8
Helen Zughaib: Conflict Within
ON THE COVER
14
Raoul Middleman’s Romantic Expressionism: Honoring 55 years of Artistic Excellence UMUC will showcase and celebrate the art of Baltimore native Raoul Middleman with an exhibition that begins in April. Find out more about his work (p. 15) and the exhibition (p. 17). Raoul Middleman, House in Winter Woods, 1983, oil on linen, 24 x 36 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist
Still Standing: Kesha Bruce’s The Guardians Series Revisited
In Every Issue GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE CHAIR 2 COLLECTION SPOTLIGHT 3 DID YOU KNOW? 14 NEWS AND EVENTS 18 BECOME A FRIEND OF THE ARTS AT UMUC
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Joyce J. Scott, Have You Seen This Child?, 2010, glass,
beads, thread, wire, and wood, 19 x 12 x 16½ inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Doris Patz Collection of Maryland Artists; Helen Zughaib exhibition opening reception; Kesha Bruce, Saura, 2014, mixed media on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
www.umuc.edu/art
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1
ULYSSES MARSHALL / DREAMING IN THE BLACK FOREST
SPRING 2015 Managing Editor Eric Key Editors Sandy Bernstein Beth Butler Nancy Kochuk Director, Institutional Marketing Cynthia Friedman Graphic Designer Jennifer Norris Project Manager Laurie Bushkoff Arts Program Staff Rene Sanjines Brian Young
Ulysses Marshall, who was born in 1946 in Vienna, Georgia, earned a BFA and an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. Over the course of his career, he has been the recipient of a Distinguished Whitney Independent Study Fellowship, a Phillip Morris Fellowship, and several Maryland State Arts Council individual artist awards.
Trained as a painter, Marshall works principally
in collage, paper, and mixed media. Many of his works are narrative and colorful, frequently featuring the figure. He has written about the inspiration of his chosen imagery: Memories are a reminder of a childhood long ago, when life was filled with stories/ tales from Momma Joe and Momma Gussie. Both my mother and grandmother were quilt makers . . . . At night sitting by a wood stove in the bedroom and eating chicken and dumplings, Mom Gussie would unleash a story . . . . Many years later, as I sat in my studio, these storytales came to life through my art. My goal as an artist is to use these storytales as a tool for sharing the plight of the almost forgotten colored people. I wish to preserve the pride, dignity, courage, and survival of a people’s journey from slavery to freedom. A people whose lives have been bent, but not broken.
UMUC has acquired three works by Marshall: Missing (1998), Share Cropper & Black
Hand Blues (2009), and Dreaming in the Forest (2009). While these works span more than a decade, we sense the consistent energy poured into the work as the colors, textures, and narratives leap from the canvases. In this way, Marshall honorably continues a tradition and stylistic approach shared with some of the giants of storytelling, including Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Whitfield Lovell, among others.
UMUC Art Advisory Board Javier Miyares, UMUC President Anne V. Maher, Esq., Chair Eva J. Allen, Honorary Member Alvah T. Beander Myrtis Bedolla, Vice Chair Joan Bevelaqua I-Ling Chow, Honorary Member Patricia Dubroof Nina C. Dwyer Jeannette Glover Karin Goldstein, Honorary Member Juanita Boyd Hardy, Honorary Member Sharon Holston, Honorary Member Pamela Holt Michèle E. Jacobs, Past Chair Eric Key Thomas Li, Honorary Member David Maril, Honorary Member Barbara Stephanic, PhD Past Vice Chair, Honorary Member Dianne A. Whitfield-Locke, DDS Sharon Wolpoff University of Maryland University College is a constituent institution of the University System of Maryland. Art@umuc is published twice a year by UMUC’s Art Advisory Board. Please send comments to arts@umuc.edu or mail to Magazine Editor Arts Program University of Maryland University College 3501 University Boulevard East Adelphi, MD 20783-8007 Phone 301-985-7937 • Fax 301-985-7865
Marshall’s work is included the collections of the Columbus Museum (Georgia), the
Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), the Reginald F. Lewis Museum (Baltimore, Maryland), and the Woodmere Art Museum (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
Ulysses Marshall, Dreaming in the Black Forest, 2009, acrylic paint and collage on canvas, 48 x 36 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist
2 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover: John Woo; Inside cover:
Katherine Lambert, Jonah Koch; p. 1 clockwise from top left: John Woo, Tracey Brown, Michael Koryta, John Woo; p. 2 John Woo; p. 3 Steven Halperson; p. 4 John Dean; pp. 5–6 Michael Koryta; p. 7 left: Michael Koryta; right: courtesy of Goya Contemporary Gallery; p. 8 John Woo; pp. 9–12: Oldtown Editions; p. 13 top: Oldtown Editions, bottom: John Woo; p. 14 courtesy of Morton Fine Art Gallery; p. 15 John Woo; p. 16 Steven Halperson; p. 17 left: Greg Adams, courtesy of Hampton University Museum, Hampton, Virginia; calendar, top to bottom: John Woo, John Woo, Steven Halperson
DID YOU KNOW? LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS IN THE UMUC PERMANENT COLLECTION
By Eric Key
Did you know . . . Charles Levier (b. 1920, Corsica,
UMUC has a growing collection
Ralph McGuire (b. 1917, Baltimore,
Earl Francis Hofmann (b. 1928,
France), also known as
of Asian art consisting of
Maryland) served on the Artists
Baltimore, Maryland) studied
Maurice Verrier, has works in
Chinese art, Japanese wood-
Committee for the 31st Regional
with Reginald Marsh, whom he
the Museum of Modern Art
block prints, and Balinese
Exhibition of the Baltimore
accompanied to New York on
in Paris, the New Orleans
prints? Works in the Chinese
Museum of Art in 1963?
sketching expeditions? He also
Museum of Art, and the
Collection date as far back as
San Diego Museum of Art?
the Han Dynasty.
studied with M. Jacques Maroger.
ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Charles Levier, Ships at the Harbor (detail), not dated, oil on
canvas,15 x 30 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, International Collection, Gift of Stephen Stein; Unknown Chinese artist, Hu (a vessel), Western Han Dynasty circa 206 bce–220 ce, painted clay, 11 x 15 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Art of China Collection, Gift of Iver Nelson; Ralph McGuire, The Monitor (detail), circa 1978, oil on board, 16 x 20 inches, Gift of Bonnie Osborn Ferris; Earl Francis Hofmann, Strolling (detail), not dated, ink wash on paper, 6½ x 9 inches, donated by John and Doris Babcock
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JOYCE J. SCOTT REFLECTING HUMANITY AND IGNITING CONVERSATION BY AMY RAEHSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GOYA CONTEMPORARY GALLERY
W
hen Joyce J. Scott was about six years old, she
insisted on going to school wearing a wildly un-
tive beaded sculptures and neckpieces, seems to elicit
This artist, known for her exuberant and provoca-
suitable hula-hoop skirt fashioned partly per her own hand,
responses to her work that could be construed as op-
embellished with beads and further adornments from neck
posites: the virtuosity of fine art compared to the honed
to wrists. Her mother, respected quilt artist Elizabeth Tal-
adroitness of fine craft. The debate over this perceived
ford Scott, tenderly protested, but her daughter vehemently
hierarchy, however, is as threadbare as a worn but heritable
exclaimed, “I need to be me!” Later that day, Scott was sent
cloth. It is true that Scott’s works are meticulously crafted
home from school—with a memo vis-à-vis proper attire.
in such a manner that few could dispute her expertise. And
Perhaps she toned down her wardrobe, perhaps not, but her
her objects, even those bearing the burden of deplorable
defining proclamation (thankfully) has endured. Joyce J.
subjects such as rape or racism, could be referred to as
Scott, now at the age of 66, has to be Joyce J. Scott.
“beautiful” (a momentarily taboo word in visual culture)
4 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
due to the striking construction of their forms. It is also evident that Scott’s objects investigate the vernacular of color, pattern, placement, and good design. But above all, the power of the artist’s work comes from the authenticity of her message, trusting the implication of meaning, and the immediacy that message conveys both temporally and spatially. Since works of art always share a relationship with the materials with which they are made, content and form are not exclusive, but dependent on each other. Thus Scott’s work reveals a practice of meaningful storytelling through expertly crafted objects because in her hands, form and content are unequivocally synchronized.
Part of the mystique that surrounds
the contemporary artist involves how one traverses the threshold between art and everyday experience. Arthur Danto’s celebrated essay “The Artworld” examines the relationship of art to cultural context. He argues that the existence of an artworld provides a milieu capable of altering meaning. He further contends that an object is
ABOVE:
logically affected and dependent on the theories and histo-
Joyce J. Scott, Sex Traffic (detail)
ries of that which the artist accepts and rejects. Recognizing how experience influences the artistic narrative allows us to consider the connections to circumstances of our time. Scott’s oeuvre embraces a worldly view of humankind, revealing positions both constructive and destructive. The
RIGHT:
Joyce J. Scott, Sex Traffic, 2014, hand-blown Murano-process glass with metal, beads, thread, and leather, 76 x 16 x 9 ½ inches
artist’s investigation governs her outcome but the structure of the artworld is tangential. Scott’s work reflects humanity; it is not about the institution.
The artist—who recently completed two residencies at
the Berengo Studio on the island of Murano in Venice, Italy, and a journey through regions of South Africa—continues to explore two areas of concentration. The first area, exhibited at Goya Contemporary Gallery in Scott’s home city of Baltimore, focuses on the discourse of global gun culture. The second area more broadly centers on ethnic history. The exhibition Can’t We All Just Get Along? arose from the aftermath of recent gun massacres in schools and communities together with worldwide accounts of abuses perpetrated against women in which firearms played a role. Scott’s art examines the ethical, social, racial, political, sexual, moral, exploitive, and humanitarian implications of guns. Newsworthy as the topic may be, Scott’s work strides in tandem with debate on gun control in the United States, just as it remains in step with more than four decades of her conceptual practice as an artist.
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The seminal work Sex Traffic, for example, is charac-
sex, fear, and humiliation may elicit feelings of inferiority,
teristically layered with meaning beyond its name. The
propelling the desire to claim power through use of a weapon.
cold-worked Murano-process blown glass totem musket is
aggrandized by a free-form beaded figure tied to its barrel
acts as an entry point—a palatable way for the viewer to
with leather cuffs. The phallic nature of the musket, the
approach, contemplate, and digest the subject—her com-
figure’s legs splayed open, and the sheer scale are con-
plex objects also effectively double as sophisticated social
frontational. This bonded woman, presumably sold for sex,
mirrors revealing a state of perpetual trauma in need of ex-
makes viewers recoil even as they are drawn toward the
amination. A diplomat as well as an advocate and activist,
lavish materials. Upon further inspection, one realizes the
Scott is thoughtful about the state of the human condition
materials—glass, beads, thread, and leather—contradict
and is determined to point out disparities and injustices. Yet
the power of the weapon because the simple act of operat-
her artwork is neither pedantic nor dogmatic. Her methods
ing Scott’s glass gun would result in the destruction of the
engage the viewer through provocative, open-ended ques-
object itself. The artwork thus becomes a suitable represen-
tions that are ripe with contradiction. She intends to ignite
tation of the tenuous state of firearms, and a metaphor for
dialogue to effect change rather than offer solutions; she
the destruction caused by gun violence. Though gun rights
wants the viewer to take part in a resolving transformation.
advocates maintain that gun ownership is America’s mark
of freedom, Scott’s work exposes the shackling effects that
a version of pedagogy. The artist sets forth an almost
guns have on society.
socio-artistic curriculum that scrutinizes recent yet unpar-
donable practices. In this example, the viewer learns that
Interestingly, the trigger and the hammer of Scott’s
While the artist’s precise and inventive use of materials
Scott’s series of Tanzanian Flayed Albinos involves
gun are improperly placed on the barrel, a serendipitous
in the last three years, 70 Albinos have been murdered in
error with which the artist was comfortable. In this way,
Tanzania, owing to a misguided belief that body parts of
she explores another metaphor, that of the gun’s inability
individuals with albinism fetches prosperity. What’s worse,
to be effective. In theory and in practice, Scott’s gun
according to the BBC, only ten legal convictions have been
symbolically fails. The weapon’s
obtained. Scott’s exploration of
fixed form, manipulated by
the subject asks her audience to
conceptual context, points to
question the Tanzanian judicial
the artist’s versatile voice and
system and provokes a desire for
her skill in delivering a message
justice for the victims.
that transcends race, sex, reli-
gion, and politics.
work is her relationship to ances-
Remaining true to her
try. Within the last ten years, the
admirable work ethic, meticu-
artist produced a vast amount of
lously coaxing each bead into
work in her home studio in the
a believable form ripe with
company of her mother Elizabeth,
ponderation, contrapposto,
for whom she was an end-of-life
pose, and posture, Scott opens
caregiver. “Mother Scott,” as she
new doors for communicating
was known, departed April 2011
narrative. Her figures, astound-
at the age of 95. Elizabeth was a
ingly often void of supportive
distinguished craftsperson who
armatures, reveal a collective
along with Joyce’s father, Char-
if not existential struggle to
lie Scott Jr., overcame poverty
define the essence of identity
to provide their daughter a joyful
and existence through human
life honoring heritage, history,
choice; her works employ pathos, anguish, and some-
Joyce J. Scott , Tanzanian Flayed Albino Man’s Face, 2008, seedbeads and thread, 4½ x 3¾ x 1¼ inches
times humor.
Larger works such as War Woman I and War Woman II,
Also of importance in Scott’s
and the goodness in all people. The Scotts came from families of cotton and vegetable plan-
tation sharecroppers who were skilled in basket weaving,
both completed in 2014, depict a complex accumulation of
blacksmithing, quilting, and pottery. In fact, the families
psychologically charged objects laden with meaning. Her
worked on the same plantation that previously held them as
smaller, singular objects, such as the beaded phallus enti-
slaves. From these beginnings, the Scotts understood that
tled Power Pump, also completed in 2014, single out individ-
objects of great urgency—clothing, food, bowls, bedding,
ual triggers for society’s preoccupation with guns. Anger,
and more—could be fashioned from discarded leftovers.
6 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
There are few artists within the mid-Atlantic region who have gained the unconditional respect of their peers, critics, and community . . . . She functions as a catalyst of change, a champion of all art forms and artists. Leslie King Hammond Graduate Dean Emeritus, MICA Founding Director for the Center for Race and Culture
LEFT: Joyce J. Scott, War Woman I, 2014, African sculpture, dice, glass
and plastic beads, thread, wire, and cast glass guns, 30 x 20 x 20 inches RIGHT: Joyce J. Scott in her studio
Her parents began living apart early in her life, but Scott
to space. For an object to exist, it is dependent on forces,
saw them both nearly every day until her father returned to
on tension, on pressure. An object is an accumulation of
North Carolina in the 1980s. Her mother, the dreamer, and
events. Scott’s work understands accumulation, and one
her father, the realist, both valued self-sufficiency and eth-
might suggest that her work is exactly that: accumulation,
nic self-respect. Scott credits them for influencing her own
each bead depending on the history and presence of every
practice of repurposing found materials of both high and low
other bead for its support. In this way, the sum of her parts
distinction, comingling them as equally essential entities.
is not only Scott’s work—it is her identity.
Elizabeth, in particular, demonstrated to her young daugh-
ter the value inherent in all objects and instilled a unique
cluding the Brooklyn Museum (New York); Corning Museum
appreciation for recycled resources.
of Glass (New York); Metropolitan Museum of Art (New
York); Mint Museum (Charlotte, North Carolina); Museum
Scott’s interest in repurposing all kind and manner of
Her work is part of many major museum collections in-
materials points to a larger respect for the individuals who
of Fine Arts (Houston, Texas); Smithsonian American Art
created the objects. This is a small detail in a vast artistic
Museum (Washington, D.C.); Philadelphia Museum of Art
practice, yet it underlines the artist’s connection to the past
(Pennsylvania); Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut);
and further underscores the value of cultural output on
Baltimore Museum of Art (Maryland); and University of
collective memory.
Maryland University College (Adelphi, Maryland). Her work
may be viewed currently in one-woman exhibitions at the
Unlike heard musical notes that return into a void of
nothingness after sound waves have dissipated, objects
Museum of Arts and Design in New York City and at the
take form and relate to our own bodies just as they relate
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (Ohio).
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By Brian Young Curator, Arts Program Gallery University of Maryland University College
The work of Helen Zughaib, winner of the last Biennial Maryland Regional Juried Art Exhibition, is on view at the lower-level gallery of the UMUC Conference Center until March 29. The following article is an excerpt from an essay in the exhibition catalog.
Helen Zughaib, Generations Lost, 2014, gouache on board, 40 x 30 inches
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Helen Zughaib left there in 1975
large groups of people, including other women from her
when that country’s civil war began. Zughaib lived in Athens,
homeland, people of the Middle East, and even Arab expa-
Greece, and Paris, France, before moving to the United
triates in the Mid-Atlantic region.
States in 1977 to attend Syracuse University. As an Arab
American, and as an artist, Zughaib feels a responsibility
Lebanese father and commemorates that relationship in
to be a meaningful observer of both Arab and American
the series Stories My Father Told Me. In this early work,
cultures. Oftentimes, her work is most poignant when she
she acknowledges a debt to the powerful, early influence
illuminates the intersection of those cultures.
of Jacob Lawrence’s sequence of 60 paintings entitled the
Migration Series. Zughaib draws on a tradition of reducing
Helen Zughaib: Conflict Within presents some of
Zughaib learned her passion for narrative from her
Zughaib’s earlier, abstract imagery as well as her latest
stories to their essence, using backdrops, gesture, and
work, which chronicles the conflicts in the Middle East.
staging. She uses the core elements of each story to
Surprisingly, she does not appear to take sides.
represent the whole and then enriches the backgrounds
“Being in the United States has allowed me the
and other elements. The result is a harmonious and per-
freedom to explore my artistic career and education and
sonal nod to the work of Lawrence, as well as the art of
granted me a stable, peaceful environment, free of war
self-taught 19th-century painter Edward Hicks, Byzantine
and disruptions,” she says. “In a broader sense, living
mosaics, biblical manuscripts, and architectural orna-
in America has enabled me to express both sides of my
ments. The primary difference between Zughaib and her
heritage, Arab and American, in my personal life as well
predecessors is that her work is personalized, referring
as through my art. This, to me, remains an invaluable and
to her own evolution as an artist and woman. Stories My
humbling gift.”
Father Told Me are the pictorial manifestation of an oral
Chronologically, the show begins with the Lincoln
history that otherwise would have been handed down
Memorial, part of Zughaib’s larger Washington series
through the family.
where she reimagines some of the capital’s most noted
monuments. More than any other work in this exhibition,
dent of Stories My Father Told Me. It shows one of the
Lincoln Memorial exudes pure optimism. “I want people
famous pearl divers of Kuwait in an Eden-like embodiment
to look at those monuments (from the Washington series)
of the richness of the natural world. The myriad of pat-
and see the concepts they represent,” she says.
terns—from the peacock to the waves and foliage—serves
to portray the Middle East as an oasis. While Zughaib
The exhibition shows work that is at once both highly
personal and indicative of larger narratives that involve
10 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Moonlight Fishing (2012) is an unmistakable descen-
may not have intended for this piece to offer additional
“Some of these paintings show the plight of women and children left in poverty and destruction. I ask you not to forget them. The somber colors in Left Behind Too, reflect a box of old, forgotten photographs, aged and turning brown. In Generations Lost, the women hold up photographs of ghostly images, lost lives, gone.� Helen Zughaib
Left Behind Too, 2014, acrylic gouache on canvas, 15 x 60 inches
Lincoln Memorial, circa 1990s, gouache and ink on board, 20 x 30 inches, Collection of Earl F. Glock and Jean Newman Glock
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Arab Spring II, 2011, gouache and ink on board, 20 x 15 inches, Collection of the Arizona State University McCain Institute for International Leadership
12 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
commentary, it presents a con-
the abaya, the loose over-
trast to the West’s narrative of
garment, and the niqab, the
that region as a desert reposi-
mask covering the face. In
tory of oil and conflict.
Veiled Secrets, she super-
imposes the phrase “there are
Zughaib’s monochromatic,
repetitious, and abstract
many secrets under the veil” in
pieces—such as Veiled Secrets,
Arabic calligraphy. While this
Seen/Unseen, and Circle Home/
is executed in her typical lyrical
Beit (Black)—may be more
fashion, the key figure appears
familiar to UMUC’s wider
to be drowning in words de-
audience who saw her work
rived from a tradition-bound
presented in the first two
society with a dominant patri-
Biennial Maryland Regional
archy. However, if the drowning
Juried Art Exhibitions at UMUC
metaphor appears to fit this
in 2011 and 2013. Veiled Secrets,
picture, the artist might counter
Seen/Unseen, and Circle Home/ Beit (Black) owe a visual and cultural debt to the general
that the water is receding and Circle Home/Beit (Black), 2013, acrylic ink on paper, 30 x 30 inches
that the woman is managing to keep her head above water.
cultural taboo in the Middle
Arab Spring Quilt, Arab
East against depictions of God in favor of more abstract
Spring II, and Arab Spring Exodus all share similar imagery
references, including text.
but their titles add an ominous overtone. Or are the images,
Circle Home/Beit also deals with the idea of home
with their lyrical lines and motifs, really about hope pre-
and the circular nature of belonging to one culture, then
vailing over oppression? I believe the works themselves
another, and then circling back. In this piece, the artist has
have the ability to morph, in a sense, to resemble the
written “beit” and “home” over and over again. “Beit” is
political climate of the region. Perhaps we are not sure
from the Arabic word for “home,” but Zughaib is clear that
which element will prevail: the conflict or the beauty.
the term refers to more than the physical structure. Home
We also do not know the fate of the women beneath
and community become inseparable.
the abayas. Zughaib has even suggested that the abaya,
oppressive to some, may offer a bit of refuge for others.
Veiled Secrets shares intellectual and visual elements
with the Circle Home/Beit works while at the same time
incorporating one of Zughaib’s strongest recurring motifs,
pretation of the viewer, there are glimpses of optimism
While Zughaib leaves much of her work to the interthroughout. Together, the works speak to the resiliency of the artistic culture in the region. The mixed-media Spring Memorial, despite its somber title, has bold fabric flowers sewn on to form a three-dimensional equivalent of the gouache Arab Spring. Does this installation merely serve as a reminder of ultimate sacrifices in this region, or does the overwhelming layer of flowers suggest a rebirth? I for one think their overall tone will be revealed as the next wave of the Arab Spring plays itself out.
LEFT: Spring Memorial, 2012, dishdasha, sewn flowers, variable dimensions RIGHT: Spring Memorial (detail)
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NEWS AND EVENTS Still Standing: Kesha Bruce’s The Guardians Series Revisited IZETTA AUTUMN MOBLEY
up to a feeling of powerful connection to the
FOR MORTON FINE ART
world around us, and in that way, The Guard-
OCTOBER 2014
ians Series embraces spirituality. The com-
Evocative. Spellbinding. Mysterious. The
positions are arresting, centering on figures
presences in Kesha Bruce’s The Guardians
with elongated bodies and often horns or
Series—created in large form from layers of
antlers. Bruce’s deft layering of water-based
water-based pigments with a precision that
pigments, acrylic, and gouache paint create
belies the immediacy with which they were
a deceptively simple mixed-media effect,
created—invoke a sense, not only of the
while her assured brush strokes imbue the
other-worldly, but also of the deeply personal
works with a shimmering effect. The figures
connection that one can have with a work
that emerge from Bruce’s landscapes com-
of art. First exhibited at Morton Fine Art in
municate powerfully, capturing our gaze.
December 2013, Bruce returns with additional works that highlight an exciting turn
Artist Kesha Bruce
The scale of the new work required a
different technique from the artist—Bruce says potent physical engagement is neces-
in her oeuvre. Building on her consistent engagement with the figurative, the newest
somed. Rendered in hues that range from
sary to produce such large and multilayered
additions to The Guardians Series closely
rich teal to muted ochre, each piece vibrates
work, as are varied brushes, brush strokes,
hew to a concern with the spiritual, the body,
with vital energy.
and different tools. The scale of the work
and our connections to the broader universe.
also increases its intensity. In The Guardians,
In its most recent iteration, the series
veers toward darker influences—in the
just as in her previous work, Bruce deploys
Guardians as “a group of solemn, mysterious
palette and also in the energy emanating
urgency as a critical methodology driving
figures who act as watchers, keepers, and
from the works. The compelling power of the
her artistic production.
protectors.” She began the series following
figures invites viewers to step into a pro-
an experience in which she woke up from a
foundly spiritual world where mystery reigns.
tise as a painter; her technique is precise,
deep sleep and became aware of a figurative
Bruce‘s art requires viewers to experience
sure, and stunning. It is her assurance that
energy with glowing skin, which exuded a
the work and embrace the mystery of not
creates the immediacy and verve of the work
great presence, in the room with her. From
being able to build a linear narrative from
in this series. We too are compelled to feel
that experience, The Guardians Series blos-
the scenes and presences that she captures.
the now and urgency of the work, to resist
On her blog, Bruce describes The
The Guardians showcases Bruce’s exper-
For the artist, energy is
our own tendencies to remain static, to move
paramount. As Bruce
forward or through our own spiritual spaces.
explains, if the energy
of a work does not feel
trying to decipher what each figure’s mes-
right, she begins the
sage might mean; she is content to allow
piece again. Her dili-
the mystery of the works to expand our
gence is evident through-
responses to them. Her artistry provides
out the series.
moments of contact and commands us to
One might assume
embrace the moments of mystery that greet
that Bruce’s work ges-
us all in the still hours of the night. Her work
tures toward religion,
is an invitation to be present to the now and,
but instead she attends
as Bruce reminds us, to trust our inner voice.
For her part, Bruce has moved beyond
to the profound ways in which spirituality can be found in our lives. Religion, with its strictures and weighted meanings, can narrow the aperture through which a viewer approaches the work. But spirituality can open it Kesha Bruce, Soliis Journey Home, 2014, mixed media on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
14 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
ARTS PROGRAM UPDATES Get the latest updates on the UMUC Arts Program. Visit www.umuc.edu/art/newsonline
NEWS AND EVENTS Exuberance, Energy, and Excellence: The Art of Raoul Middleman Baltimore native son Raoul Middleman is a larger-than-life chronicler of the American scene. This exuberant and prolific artist, who has been teaching painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art since 1961, has taken on every subject imaginable and then some—from realist paintings of still life, landscapes, and portraits all the way to grand-scale multi-figured “historical” paintings, where the history may be performed by a group of rowdy friends. He gives us pre-industrial idylls, unspoiled beaches, clear air, as well as industrial landscapes of cities, with their abandoned factories in ruins. It’s all part of our contemporary world, as Middleman wants to show us.
His early style was grounded in tradi-
tional realism, later shifting toward pop art then to the vigorous abstract expressionism. Eventually, through support of the loose-knit
Raoul Middleman, Gypsy Caravan, 1992, oil on canvas, 120 x 192 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist
Alliance of Figurative Artists, Middleman became associated with the figurative tradition.
Whatever Middleman’s subject, color and rhythm take center stage; the sheer energy
of his work jolts us. Paint is flung everywhere, coalescing—just barely—into a legible image. He abandons orderly perspectival construction; Middleman’s space—spherical, distorted, rushing to and fro—expresses the pulsating vortex that aptly conveys our contemporary existence.
In Middleman’s world, we are all actors performing a role of some kind. In his portraits,
To commemorate the exhibition and celebration, Middleman has agreed to offer a limited edition, signed and numbered etching, Myself@80, for $500 to benefit the Arts Program at UMUC.
sitters assume their personae like actors in a play. They seem larger than life—indeed, the figures are often depicted beyond life-size, although they do their best to fit into their assigned space, often bending or crouching to maneuver a limb into the frame. Sara in a Leopard Coat (1995) and Abram Bibi (1996) both seem to burst out of their confines. Life cannot be contained wholly by art, Middleman warns us. It can only be suggested, just as his brushstrokes never wholly encompass the form. We are given a peek, a hint; the rest is up to us.
Gypsy Caravan (1992) could be an icon of his universe: a pageant of people performing,
dancing, singing, and making art, music, and joy to a backdrop of urban desolation. Even the bleak landscapes of his post-industrial scenes have the energy of a carnival, like the wreckage after a great party. In Off Boston Street (1987), a sole bedraggled tree challenges the dominance of smoke stacks and factories, outmaneuvered and overshadowed but nonetheless surviving, a green icon of vitality amidst the ruins.
Ultimately, Middleman’s carnival is an allegory of our need to find happiness. Salvation
is always possible, he shows us, despite the limits of our frames, despite the wreckage of our environment. We can—and should—greet life like the figures in Gypsy Caravan, laughing, dancing, singing, making art and joy.
Raoul Middleman, Myself@80, 2015, etching, edition of 50, 15 x 11 inches, (image) 4 x 5 inches, Gift of the artist
In a career spanning more than five decades, Middleman has enjoyed countless exhibi-
tions, including nearly annual shows at Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore over the last twenty years. His work resides in many prominent museums, including the Baltimore Museum of Art (Maryland), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C.), and also at UMUC (Adelphi, Maryland).
Reserve your print by calling 301-985-7642 or e-mailing Eric.Key@umuc.edu.
www.umuc.edu/art
art@UMUC
15
NEWS AND EVENTS Recent Acquisitions: Strength and Passion Inherent in Gresser’s Works
In 2009, the Arts Program at UMUC hosted
by Gresser make this our most important
With These Hands: The Sculptures of Sy Gresser and Bill Taylor. In planning for that exhibition, the staff of the Arts Program developed a close relationship with Gresser. We made numerous visits to his home and studio where he shared insights about his work so that the Arts Program might make an informed decision about adding works, via gifts from the artist, into UMUC’s permanent collection. St. Christophus was added in 2009; Transfiguration I and Hiroshima II were added two years after that. (Hiroshima II is currently on view on the ground floor at the Academic Center at Largo.) Then in 2013, Gresser made a generous gift of seven more astonishing works of sculpture. As a result, UMUC now has the largest public repository of Gresser’s work. Our holdings include work in limestone, marble, cherry, cedar, bronze, and steatite. The subject matter is equally diverse, ranging from figures and birds to the abstract.
While UMUC has actively added to its
sculpture collection recently, including works by Joyce J. Scott, Thomas Miller, and David Smedley, the additional works sculptural repository.
When asked about his work, Gresser
said, “When I look at a stone and can capture some human warmth and sense of spiritual meaning, I feel then that I have been successful. That is all I ask.” Clearly this sentiment can be seen in the forms expressed in Hiroshima II, from 1989, and Transfiguration I, from 1974. While their forms vacillate between the identifiable and the abstract, they possess an energy that appropriately matches their universal titles.
Gresser, a dear friend to the Arts Pro-
gram, passed away at the end of 2014, and we want to publicly express our sadness for this loss. As many of you may recall, he was a constant, enthusiastic presence at our events, and he will remain in our hearts. In the coming months, UMUC will celebrate the contributions of this extraordinary
Sy Gresser, Hiroshima II, circa 1989, steatite, 30 x 16 x 12 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection
sculptor and person by displaying additional works by him.
“When I look at a stone and can capture some human warmth and sense of spiritual meaning, I feel then that I have been successful. That is all I ask.” SY GRESSER
Sy Gresser, St. Christophus, 1993, Tennessee pink marble, 16 x 15 x 14 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection
16 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
NEWS AND EVENTS A Day in the Arts Bus Trip A SOUTHERN ODYSSEY RICHMOND AND HAMPTON, VIRGINIA
Upcoming Events
JUNE 6, 2015 (7 A.M. DEPARTURE)
HELEN ZUGHAIB: CONFLICT WITHIN Now Through Sunday, March 29, 2015 UMUC Arts Program Gallery, Lower Level College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center Helen Zughaib, who was born in Beirut, Lebanon, was awarded the 2013 President’s Best of Show Award in the 2nd Biennial Maryland Regional Juried Art Exhibition (BMRE). This exhibition features many works that explore her cultural heritage. As an Arab American, she is a keen observer of both cultures. Through her art, she hopes to encourage dialogue and promote understanding between the people of the Arab world and the United States.
Paintings by Richard Ward and sculptures by Kwabena Ampofo-Anti at Hampton University Museum
Join art patrons, collectors, and enthusiasts for a daylong art trip and tour sponsored by the Arts Program at UMUC. The June 6 excursion will take you to Richmond and Hampton, Virginia, for a private tour of Hampton University Museum as well as the public art on campus, studio visits in Hampton and Richmond, and more. Learn about the art from artists in the area and enjoy spending time with other UMUC staff, faculty, alumni, and friends who share your
RAOUL MIDDLEMAN’S ROMANTIC EXPRESSIONISM: HONORING 55 YEARS OF ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE Friday, April 10–Sunday, August 30, 2015 UMUC Arts Program Gallery, Lower Level Exhibition Opening Reception and Lecture by Laurence M. Porter, PhD, professor emeritus, Michigan State University Friday, April 17, 2015, 6:30–9:30 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Wolpoff Family Foundation with support from Peter Quint and Dr. Michael Tenner.
Baltimore resident Raoul Middleman is a prolific contemporary American painter, known for his expressive landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes, and narrative portraiture. His works can be found in private and corporate collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, New York); National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.); and Baltimore Museum of Art (Maryland). This exhibition will honor the artist’s donation of 193 works to UMUC, creating the Raoul Middleman Collection.
love of the arts.
This is the third year UMUC has spon-
sored this educational event. The inaugural tour took 45 participants to visit the prestigious Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the second year the group traveled to Brooklyn, New York, to visit artist studios and galleries, including the Kara Walker exhibition at the Domino Sugar Factory, and to talk with internationally recognized artist/sculptor Frederick Eversley.
The upcoming trip will allow you and
your traveling companions to experience the arts in a new way.
COURTHOUSE EXHIBITION REINI MATERS: MODERN IMPRESSIONIST Monday, May 4–Friday, July 31, 2015 U.S. District Courthouse, Greenbelt, Maryland Exhibition Opening Reception Thursday, June 4, 2015, 5–6:30 p.m. Reini Maters, born in the Netherlands, studied classical art at the Academy in Amsterdam and continued his studies in London before coming to the United States in 1958. He spent many years exploring different approaches to making art before arriving at his now signature style of impressionism. The artist, who resides in Cockeysville, Maryland, is known for his landscapes and seascapes. His work is well represented in the UMUC Permanent Collection. UMUC’s Arts Program has been presenting courthouse art exhibitions in conjunction with Judge Peter Messitte of the Greenbelt Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland for nearly 20 years.
Cost: $125 per person Includes continental breakfast, lunch,
ABOVE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Helen Zughaib, Map of Home, 2010, gouache and ink on board, 20 x 15 inches;
entry fees, and bus transportation.
Raoul Middleman, Fish and Lemon,1974, oil on board, 24 x 24 inches, Maryland Artist Collection, UMUC Permanent Collection, Gift of the artist; Reini Maters, Winter Morning, Amsterdam, 1987, oil on linen, 20 x 16 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection
www.umuc.edu/art
art@UMUC
17
FRIENDS OF THE ARTS (January 1, 2013–present)
Sapphire-Level Friends
Become a Friend of the Arts at UMUC
E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation Herman Maril Foundation Thomas Li Wolpoff Family Foundation
Art enthusiasts in the UMUC community help make the university’s
Citrine-Level Friends
Friends, continued Angelo Robinson Kathleen Sobieralski Steven R. Stegner Steven Scott Gallery Barbara R. Tollerson Alfonso V. Valentino and Sylvia L. Valentino
John and Doris Babcock Maryland State Arts Council
Associates
Make an Annual Contribution to the Arts Program
visual arts exhibitions, educational lectures, book signings, symposiums, and meet-the-artist receptions possible. Through the Friends of the Arts program, our biggest supporters enjoy a variety of benefits as a thank you for helping UMUC’s Arts Program become one of the most recognized in Maryland. Simply commit to making an annual contribution at one of the following levels and you can join our growing list of friends.
Platinum-Level Friends
Joan Burke Bevelaqua Bonnie N. Broh-Kahn Nina Dwyer Michèle E. Jacobs and Joseph V. Bowen Jr. Robert W. Jerome Eric Key Anne V. Maher
Gold-Level Friends Associate (less than $35) Name recognition in the arts newsletter, invitation to exhibit openings Friend ($35–$99) Above benefits, plus 10 percent discount on specialty items produced by the Arts Program, 10 percent discount on tickets to nonfundraising events, Arts Program lapel pin
Bronze-Level Friend ($100–$249) Above benefits, plus autographed poster from the collection
Silver-Level Friend ($250–$499) Above benefits, plus name recognition on the donors' wall in the Arts Program Gallery
Gold-Level Friend ($500–$999) Above benefits, plus full-color art catalog from a major UMUC art exhibition
Platinum-Level Friend ($1,000–$2,499) Above benefits, plus VIP invitation to dinner with the guest artist and the university president, 10 percent discount at the Common (the restaurant at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center at UMUC)
Citrine-Level Friend ($2,500–$4,999) Above benefits, plus corporate name and logo listing on UMUC Arts Program webpage, name and logo listing on all printed materials for exhibitions and public relations materials for the season
Sapphire-Level Friend ($5,000 and more) Above benefits, plus a corporate art exhibition by a local artist coordinated by UMUC (Special requirements apply; see www.umuc.edu/art for details.)
Visit www.umuc.edu/art and click on “Join the Friends of the Arts Program” or call 301-985-7937. Interested in being added to our e-magazine list? Send your e-mail address to arts@umuc.edu. 18 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Kathryn Bugg Dianne Whitfield-Locke
Silver-Level Friends Diane Bartoo Jeannette R. Glover Elena Gortcheva Julia Lindenmeier Rene Sanjines Frances A. Volel-Stech Brian Young
Bronze-Level Friends Nicholas H. Allen and Eva J. Allen Tracey Brown Doreatha Bush Harriette E. Chiavacci Tara Balfe Clifford Jennifer M. Eubanks Lisa Anne Jackson Denise Melvin Maxwell Miller Lawrence E. Mize Sonya R. Pryor Charles A. Reiher Elinor Seidel Robert S. Warren Marcia R. Watson Yoshiko Oishi Weick Starlene Williams
Friends Lisa I. Anthony David C. Bruce Barbara L. Bullock Paula Cleggett Jermaine A. Ellerbe Jean Barbara Harrod Henri E. Hill Vivian Hill Theresa A. Kulstad Miriam Davina Mokuena Christine C. Neill Robert Pagelsen
LaShea Blake Nathaniel Brought Angel S. Brown Dian Butler-Ellison Kristina R. Caryl Crystal Childress Marie Clark Curtis Coleman Annquinette D. Coles Sarah Conboy Nancy Cuenca Maryse Desrosiers Amanda DuRant Sandy Dysard Andrew J. Easton Pamela K. Esposito Stacey Evans Joe Ezell Derek Florence Bonnie Nance Frazier Larry Frazier Lauren Goodman Renee Harris-Etheridge John Harvin Ann Marie Russo Herron Jeannen Hill Dre Hopson Vivian A. Jackson Alexis Jenkins Sha’Dana Jenkins Jaemellah Kemp Ali Koochek Taiwo Ladeji Monica Lee John R. Lion and Jill A. Lion Kaecey McCormick Jennifer Mendez Cindy S. Menjivar Kathy Mitchell Elaine M. Neely Abisola Olasupo Simmy S. Papali Jonathan Porto Frankesha Robinson Billy Roeder Joseph S. Rogers Luis Romero Irv S. Rowe Chris Rua Shayla Stark Catha Marie Stewart Eshe Swafford William C. Swann Tracy Teter Antoinette Thomas William Walker Jr. Marilyn B. Wassmann Carrie Ann Williams