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octnovdec2013
Don’t miss your opportunity to experience the work
of El Anatsui at the Des Moines Art Center — and more
entirely unexpected art from around the world.
2 art center news OCT NOV DEC 2013
eventsFRoM tHe dIRectoR
This September restaurant manager Lisa LaValle moved to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden to open a restaurant in its newly renovated facility. Although we will greatly miss her wonderful cuisine and friendly smile, the staff and board of the Art Center wish her well as she tackles a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design and establish her own restaurant and brand. Lisa worked with the Art Center for 20 years. During this time, the community enjoyed innovative lunches and events, and the restaurant established itself as a destination location, enhancing a visitor’s experience at the Art Center and drawing patrons from far and wide. Growing this tradition without skipping a beat, chef David Baruthio of Baru 66 immediately began managing the facility and serving his well-known, inventive cuisine on September 17. David and his wife, Sara Hill, have managed Baru 66 in Windsor Heights since 2010. Since that time, the restaurant has been named the “Best Restaurant” in Des Moines by dsm magazine and it has received two consecutive five-star reviews from The Des Moines Register. In addition, David has been nominated twice for the prestigious James Beard Award for his culinary work. He has successfully opened, operated, or managed fine restaurants throughout the world, including facilities in England, Belgium, France, and Mongolia. Our visitors now enjoy expanded hours and a very special dining experience. Join us for more unexpected experiences at our new restaurant and your Art Center!
JEFF FLEMING
FREE ADMISSION the art center is proud to continue to offer Free aDMIssIOn to art center galleries, programs, and events unless otherwise noted. Free admission is supported by Principal Financial Group and art center members.
thank yOu
DíA DE LOS MuERTOSDAY OF THE DEADSunday, October 27 / 1 – 4 pm FREE Shuttle
• Music by Mariachi Zapata
• Performance by Omeyocan Dance Company
• Family Workshops
• Film
• Traditional Refreshments
• Museum Shop Day of the Dead Folk Art
Day of the Dead is sponsored by Homesteaders Life Company, Iles Funeral Homes, GuideOne Insurance, and uS Bank
A CONTINENTAL HOLIDAYFriday, December 6 / 5 – 8 pm
Be whisked away for an evening of holiday cheer with “A Continental Holiday.” Take a stroll through the galleries to view work from around the world, enjoy French-inspired fare from Baru at the Art Center while listening to local musicians, and create continental-inspired artwork. Gather your friends and family for this annual kick-off to the holiday season.
GuIDED TOuRS Learn more about the Art Center and Pappajohn Sculpture Park by taking a docent-led tour. (Guided tours of the park are offered through October 31.) Three weeks advance notice is needed to schedule a guided tour. Please fill out the tour request form at desmoinesartcenter.org/aspx/tour-scheduling.aspx or call 515.271.0328. There is a guided tour charge for adults of $2 per person or a minimum fee of $20 (if a group tours the Art Center and the sculpture park on the same day, the fee is $3 per person or a minimum fee of $30). Tours for students are always FREE. use your cell phone to learn more about artwork in the museum or the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. Cell phone tours now also feature recordings from Symphony in Sculpture and composer Steve Heitzeg.
In the museum dial 515.509.2240 In the sculpture park dial 515.657.8264then enter a stop number
Stop number guides are available at the Information Desk, in the sculpture park brochure, or on the Art Center website. Other than minutes on your phone, cell phone tours are FREE. iPod tours of selected works in the Art Center’s permanent collections are also available. Stop by the Information Desk to request one.
raDIO art centerSaturday Morning on the Radio
Hosted by Director of Marketing and Public Relations Christine Doolittle, Radio Art Center airs on KFMG 99.1 FM or kfmg991.org every other Saturday at 11 am. Log onto the Art Center’s website for the program schedule or listen to past programs online at desmoinesartcenter.org.
SAVE THE DATES
Gala 2014
Join the Art Center in a week-long celebration of fabulous art and fashion at the Art Center and around Des Moines, September 13 through 20, culminating in the Art Center gala on September 20, 2014.
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GravIty anD Grace: Monumental works by el anatsui OCTOBER 25, 2013 – FEBRuARY 9, 2014 / ANNA K. MEREDITH GALLERY / I. M. PEI BuILDING / RICHARD MEIER BuILDING
El Anatsui, Red Block, 2010Aluminum and copper wireTwo pieces, each measuring 200 3/4 x 131 1/2 inchesInstallation at the Akron Art Museum Collection of The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica Photo by Andrew McAllister Courtesy of the Akron Art Museum
The celebrated work of El Anatsui strikes a rare combination of stunning beauty, labor intensive process, and deep metaphorical and poetic meaning. A global artist, Anatsui draws on artistic and aesthetic traditions from his birth country of Ghana, his home in Nigeria, and various Western art forms. Anatsui’s work is about transformation. using found materials such as printing plates, milk tin lids, and aluminum liquor bottle caps allows the artist full freedom to improvise and invent. Anatsui is also captivated by the history of use that such materials retain. For his metal wall hangings, Anatsui recycles bottle caps from a distillery in his home town, piecing them together to form monumental curtains patterned with rows upon rows of different brands of liquor bottle caps. For the artist, given liquor’s key history in the slave trade, these works reference relationships between Europe, Africa, and the united States.
Not only does Anatsui’s alchemical transformation of discarded materials raise pressing issues of global consumerism, but it highlights the blurring of geographic identities. Gravity and Grace features monumental wall and floor sculptures widely considered to represent the apex of the artist’s career. In addition, a series of drawings illuminates the artist’s process, while wooden wall reliefs reference his earlier work in wood and bear fascinating compositional relationships to the large metal pieces. A traveling exhibition, each installation of Gravity and Grace is different, because Anatsui encourages museum staff members to “sculpt” each work as they install it. “A human life is constantly in a state of change,” says the artist. “I want my artwork to replicate that...I know there is an artist in each of us...And the idea of giving freedom to people to configure my works is to awaken the artist in them.”
GRaviTy anD GRace: Monumental Works by el anatsui is organized by the Akron Art Museum and made possible by a major grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Support for the Des Moines Art Center’s presentation of this exhibition is provided by Wells Fargo, Marty Gross, Faegre Baker Daniels, and the Robert Lehman Foundation.
Media support provided by Mediacom.
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GRAVITY AND GRACE
relateD PrOGraMs
FIlM screenInGSunday, October 20 / 2 pm Fold, crumple, crush: The art of el anatsui, 2011Susan Vogel, director / Courtesy Icarus Films53 minutes / Levitt Auditorium
El Anatsui’s exhibition opens at the Art Center on Friday, October 25 and he will speak publicly about his work on Tuesday, October 22. This film screening is an opportunity to learn about this internationally acclaimed artist prior to participating in the events later in the week.
Fold, crumple, crush is a powerful portrait of Africa’s most famous contemporary artist, El Anatsui. FIlm director Susan Vogel (who will lecture at the Art Center on November 24), presents an insider’s view of his practice, and the ingenious steps and thousands of hours of labor that transform recycled bottle tops into huge, opulent wall hangings. Anatsui himself explains how his artworks have become a new kind of painting and sculpture.
DuDIe ash MeMOrIal lectureJoin the artist and Art Center Director Jeff Fleming for a conversation on Gravity and Grace.Tuesday, October 22 / 6:30 pm / Levitt AuditoriumReservations required*
exhIbItIOn PrevIew PartyThursday, October 24 / 6 – 7:30 pm (Member hour: 5 – 6 pm)Live music, cash bar, complimentary hors d’oeuvres Admission $5; members FREE
FIlM screenInG + tanDeM Gallery talk serIesThree unique tandem gallery talks are offered throughout the run of the exhibition and are paired with the film, Fold, crumple, crush (see description left). Each speaker will share their distinct perspective on the works presented in the show. Participants may choose to attend one or both components of each day’s program. The film will be screened in Levitt Auditorium. Gallery talks will take place in the museum.
Sunday, November 101 pm / Film (53 minutes)2 pm / Gallery Talk Art Center Director Jeff Fleming with Eulanda Sanders
Eulanda Sanders is the Donna R. Danielson Professor in Textiles and Clothing at Iowa State university. She is a knitter and textile artist and has travelled to Ghana and used Ghanaian textiles in her apparel design work.
Thursday, December 56 pm / FIlM (53 minutes)7 pm / Gallery talk Art Center Associate Curator Laura Burkhalter with Catherine Hale
Catherine Hale is curator of African and non-Western art at the university of Iowa Museum of Art. Her recent curatorial projects include interplay: Material, Method, and Motif in West african art at the Figge Museum, Davenport and conversation Pieces: african Textiles from Barbara and Bill Mccann’s collection at the Carleton university Art Gallery, Ottawa.
Thursday, January 166 pm / FIlM (53 minutes)7 pm / Gallery talk Senior Curator Gilbert Vicario with Edward DeCarbo
Edward DeCarbo is adjunct associate professor at Pratt Institute in New York City. He has two degrees in international relations and two in anthropology and African studies. His field research is in West Africa with a focus on aesthetics, the place and practice of the arts in everyday life.
yOGa + Gallery talkSaturday, November 23 / 8:30 amLobby / Exhibition galleries Reservations required*Limit 50; participants should bring yoga mats
Yoga novices and enthusiasts alike are invited to practice yoga in the lobby of the Art Center with instructor James Miller from 8:30 – 9:45 am. A 20-minute gallery talk about the exhibition follows at 10 am.
lecture + bOOk sIGnInGel anatsui: restless Imagination by author and art historian Susan VogelSunday November 24 / 2 pm Levitt AuditoriumReservations required*
Susan Vogel will explore the full trajectory of El Anatsui’s remarkable career. She offers a penetrating study of his work to date, tracing the lifelong exploration of media that led to the shimmering, ethereal tapestries of reclaimed bottle tops for which he is renowned today. Exploring Anatsui’s primary themes of loss, chaos, and decay; the intellectual community in his adopted country of Nigeria; and his inventive studio practice, Vogel traces the intertwined threads of Anatsui’s ideas, life, and art, from his youthful engagement with African traditions to the monumental installations of recent years. Vogel will sign copies of her book el anatsui: art and Life in the lobby of the museum following the lecture. Books are available for purchase in the Museum Shop.
*Space is limited for these events. Please make your FREE reservations at desmoinesartcenter.org by clicking on the EVENT RESERVATIONS bubble on the homepage or by phone at 515.271.0313 beginning October 1. Please specify which event(s) you wish to attend (Anatsui, Yoga, and/or Vogel).
weekenD DrOP-In tOursFREE, 30-minute drop-in tours are offered every Saturday at 1:30 pm and 2 pm, meeting in the lobby of the museum through February 8, 2014. DOcent GuIDeD tOursA great way to learn about the many treasures on view at the Art Center is to register for a docent guided tour. We can accommodate groups from two to 90 people. Please submit the online request form at desmoinesartcenter.org/aspx/tour-scheduling.aspx at least three weeks in advance.
Media support for the Dudie Ash Memorial Lecture and the Susan Vogel Lecture + Book Signing provided by Iowa Public Radio.
Susan Vogel / Photo by Onyishi uchechukwu
OPPOSITE El Anatsui, Ozone Layer (detail), 2010Aluminum and copper wire165 3/8 x 212 5/8 inches Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, NY Photo by Kazuo Fukunaga, courtesy of the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka; The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura and Hayama; The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama; The Yomiuri Shimbun and the Japan Association of Art Museums
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1. El Anatsui, Ozone Layer (detail), 2010, Aluminum and copper wire, 165 3/8 x 212 5/8 in., Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, NY. Photo by Kazuo Fukunaga, Courtesy of National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka; The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura and Hayama; The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama; The Yomiori Shimbun and the Japan Association of Art Museums.
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Single-channel is a program dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation of important single-channel video by contemporary artists. Each year-long series is dedicated to a specific theme explored in unexpected and surprising ways by artists from around the world. The exhibition format presents one video for approximately 12 weeks in the video gallery of the Richard Meier building. single-channel 4: Gravitas explores the myriad ways in which the notion of gravitas can be applied to various video works while not ascribing to the traditional parameters of the thematic exhibition. The standard definition of the word emphasizes solemnity, seriousness, and importance, while its Latin root is derived from gravitas: weight or gravis: heavy. The term gravitas is also linguistically connected to the term gravity, which relates to energy, motion, and force. All of the works presented in Single-channel 4 relate in some way to these definitions, yet assert their singular characteristics and unique view of the world. The third work in this series is Richard T. Walker’s let this be us, 2012. Walker makes videos, photographs, text works, and performances that reveal a frustrated, obsessive relationship with landscape and at the same time explore the complexity of human relations. Videos and photographs show the artist alone in the center of dramatic landscapes, occupying a position reminiscent of a classic romantic figure contemplating the infinite, awe-inspiring mysteries of an impersonal, natural world.
Richard T. Walker (British, born 1977) let this be us, 2012 Courtesy of the artist and Christopher Grimes Gallery, Santa Monica
sInGle-channel 4: GravItas richard t. walker / let this be us, 2012
THROuGH NOVEMBER 17, 2013 / VIDEO GALLERY, RICHARD MEIER BuILDING
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Wild Kingdom: Prints of Britain presents British works on paper spanning 300 years from the Des Moines Art Center permanent collections. The exhibition compares and contrasts British artists’ rapturous visions of the natural world with dark and pessimistic visions of human nature. The natural world is beautiful and benign, but human society seems a veritable jungle, full of urgency and terror. Wild Kingdom: Prints of Britain is organized by Amy N. Worthen, curator of prints and drawings.
Support for this exhibition provided by the Des Moines Art Center Print Club.
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lecture Transatlantic reflections: British artistic Traditions and american Photographers in Britain
Scott Wilcox, Chief Curator of Art Collections and Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, Yale Center for British ArtThursday, October 3 / 6:30 pmLevitt Auditorium
The image of Britain as it appears in the work of 20th-century American photographers reflects not just the work of earlier British photographers, but longstanding traditions of image-making in Britain. This talk, which grew out of a project examining photographs taken in Britain and Ireland in the 1960s and 70s by the Americans Bruce Davidson and Paul Caponigro, traces aspects of their photography back through traditions of printmaking and painting to Hogarth and Blake in the 18th century.
Media support provided by Iowa Public Radio.
wIlD kInGDOM PRINTS OF BRITAIN THROuGH JANuARY 5, 2014 / PRINT GALLERY
ABOVE Richard Deacon, born 1949a curious Potato, from the “Portraits” portfolio of five etchings, 1991Etching with aquatint and drypoint on paper12 7/8 x 9 5/8 inchesDes Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Purchased with funds from the Edmundson Art Foundation, Inc., 1996.17.1
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Designer: J. Bakewell (British)Engraver: Carington Bowles (1724 – 1793)Hieroglyphicks of a christian, 1771EngravingSheet: 14 × 10 inchesImage: 12 15/16 × 9 11/16 inchesDes Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of Carl Weeks, 1955.15.1Photo: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
sInGle-channel 4: GravItas richard t. walker / let this be us, 2012
THROuGH NOVEMBER 17, 2013 / VIDEO GALLERY, RICHARD MEIER BuILDING
pRInt club
Scott Wilcox
Free aDMIssIOn
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Free admission
unless noted $
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talk + Music Michael Lasserangels & UrchinsPAGE 13
exhibition Preview PartyGravity and Grace: Monumental Works by el anatsuiPAGE 4
$ (FREE Members)
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hOst yOur hOlIDay Party at the art centerMake your reservations now for company parties, holiday dinners, or special gatherings.
reserve yOur Date tODay! Contact Debra Kurtz, director of events at 515.271.0336 or [email protected].
NEW RESTAuRANT ExPANDED HOuRSbaru at the art center
OPen
Tuesday / Wednesday / Friday / Saturday / Sunday Full Menu / 11 am (Noon Sunday) – 2 pm Gourmet Plates / served until 3 pm
Thursday Full Menu and Gourmet Plates / 11 am – 7 pmSpecial Prix Fixe Dinner Menu / 5 – 7 pm
OcTOBer 12 & 13 Members receive 15% off books in the Museum Shop
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Generous media support was provided to the art center in 2012 by Cityview, The Des Moines Register,
capital 106.3, Iowa Public radio, Mediacom, abc tv-5, and kFMG 99.1.
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NEW RESTAuRANT ExPANDED HOuRSbaru at the art center
OPen
Tuesday / Wednesday / Friday / Saturday / Sunday Full Menu / 11 am (Noon Sunday) – 2 pm Gourmet Plates / served until 3 pm
Thursday Full Menu and Gourmet Plates / 11 am – 7 pmSpecial Prix Fixe Dinner Menu / 5 – 7 pm
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Des MOInes art center COLLECTS
Recently published, this 496-page book contains more than 300 selected works from the Art Center permanent collections.
This book would make the perfect gift for art lovers.
Available in the Museum Shop.
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GIFT IDEAart exPerIences Make
Great hOlIDay GIFts FOr
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Classes / Workshops / Art Center MembershipsPAGE 11
nOvemBer 9 & 10 Members receive 15% off apparel in the Museum Shop
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DecemBer 14 & 15 Members receive double discount 20% off in the Museum Shop**excluding consignment
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nOvemBer 16 & 17 Members receive double discount 20% off in the Museum Shop**excluding consignment
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Jake anD DinOS chaPman Contemporary British artist duo Jake and Dinos Chapman create some of the most gory but witty art of our time. Intentionally adopting a strategy of “tastelessness” in order to shock viewers, they nevertheless manage to amuse while they declare their outrage. The Chapmans blatantly steal and repurpose images from artists of the past, and they make ample use of toys and miniature objects in their work. Inventing images that are simultaneously provocative, horrific, playful, and message-driven, the brothers attack human barbarity and depravity. In 2005, the Chapman brothers created the “Etchasketchathon” portfolio of 31 etchings for The Paragon Press, London. using two children’s coloring books of happy animals and children as source material, they recreated some of the most terrifying images of torture and mayhem from Goya’s Disasters of War series (1812–20). This is the first work by the Chapman brothers to enter the permanent collections. rOmualD hazOumè The Art Center recently purchased Romuald Hazoumè’s Ton pied mon pied, 2011, with support from restricted deaccession funds. This work is an exemplary example of what Hazoumè refers to as his “jerrican masks,” sculptures that follow in the West African and Yoruba mask traditions. He creates these pieces from discarded plastic canisters that are often used to smuggle gasoline from Nigeria into Benin, his home country. Hazoumè used the forms inherent in this found material to mimic facial features to which he then added black fiber in a configuration reminiscent of historical and contemporary hairstyles. In Ton pied mon pied, the artist quotes historical sources, extracts from current social and economic realities, and supplements these with humor to respond to his life experiences. As Christopher Roy, professor of African art at the university of Iowa states, “African art, like
peRManent collectIons
all works of art, has been created for a purpose … Africans do not make art for art’s sake, instead, they make art for life’s sake.” Hazoumè has exhibited his work at institutions worldwide, including solo projects at the British Museum, London; The Menil Collection, Houston; and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin. The Art Center highlighted his masks in the exhibition Magic Markers: Objects of Transformation in 2003.
PhylliDa BarlOWEach year, Print Club commissions an artist to make a print for its members and generously donates an impression to the Art Center’s permanent collections. British sculptor Phyllida Barlow created the print for 2013, untitled: awnings/shadow. Working in collaboration with printer Michael Taylor at Paupers Press, London, Barlow drew two shapes reminiscent of the massive and colorfully draped awning forms that occupied the Art Center’s Pei building as part of her recent solo exhibition of sculptural installations and drawings. The four-color lithograph was printed in an edition of 60 impressions. carl larSSOn Linda Menth, Patricia Augustine, and Martha Martin have generously donated an important watercolor by Carl Larsson (1853 –1919), a seminal figure in early Swedish modern art and design. Girl in the Red Hat, 1911, shows the artist’s acute observation, rigorousness of composition, freshness of color, and enchanting subject matter that contribute to make this painting an extremely appealing work. Partially screened by a spruce branch, a girl in a red bonnet, green jacket, and red skirt bends to look out of the doorway of a log cabin situated along the banks of a lake. Strong diagonals of birch tree branches, not yet in full leaf in early spring, fill the left half of the composition. The placid water reflects houses on the opposite bank.
Jake Chapman (English, born 1966) Dinos Chapman (English, born 1962) Untitled, plate 10, from “Etchasketchathon,” 2005 (lower left)Untitled, plate 7, from “Etchasketchathon,” 2005 (lower right)Etchings on paper Each sheet: 22 1/2 × 20 3/4 inches Plates: 7 1/8 × 9 5/8 inchesDes Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Purchased with funds from the David Kruidenier, Jr. Estate, and Elizabeth S. Kruidenier 2002 Revocable Trust by exchange and partial gift of Charles Booth-Clibborn, 2013.30.7 Photos: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Romuald Hazoumè (Beninese, born 1962)Ton pied mon pied, 2011Mixed media 10 5/8 × 13 3/8 × 11 7/16 inches Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Julian and Irma Brody African Art Collection by exchange, 2013.31Photo: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
RECENT ACCESSIONS TO THE COLLECTION
Born into an impoverished and troubled family in Stockholm, Larsson began studying art at age 13. In France from 1877, he practiced plein air painting but did not participate in the more radical contemporary developments in French art. Inspired by the philosophy of William Morris, leader of the British Arts and Crafts Movement, Larsson and his wife Karin returned to Sweden in 1882. Along with their many children, the small home in Sundborn that they transformed by themselves and decorated became the subject of Larsson’s paintings, watercolors, and illustrated story books. Thanks to the new availability of color reproduction in book printing around 1900, his watercolors became widely known. Larsson’s aesthetic inspired what today we think of as classic Swedish modern interior design with its hand-crafted, folk-inspired simplicity, love of nature, and clear colors. WOrkS On PaPer Keith Shaver continues to enrich the permanent collections with twenty-three 20th-century American and European works on paper given in memory of his parents Roy and Mary Shaver. The American works include a 1912 drawing by Ashcan School artist Everett Shinn; two lithographs by Social Realist Raphael Soyer and one by Adolph Dehn; a woodblock print and six wood engravings by Leonard Baskin; and a screenprint by Will Barnet. European artists include Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí, Oskar Kokoschka, Joán Miró, Henry Moore, Georges Rouault, and Jacques Villon.
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STuDIO PROGRAMS
SuPer SaTurDayS
Super Saturdays are designed for your child to experience a wide variety of art forms throughout the museum and in the studios. Students will rotate through four 45-minute activities during the three-hour workshops that include instructors from other cultural organizations.
PIrates ahOy! Join us for a morning of fun and merriment at the Des Moines ARRRt Center. Learn pirate lingo and mannerisms from a Des Moines Playhouse instructor. Collaborate with other lads and lassies to create a gigantic three-dimensional treasure map. Look for hidden treasurers throughout the museum and create your own pirate ship using recycled materials.
Saturday, November 23 / 9 am – 12 pmc146 grades Pre-K – Kindergartenc249 grades 1 – 3 c343 grades 4 – 6
POP starsImagine yourself as a rock star while painting a self-portrait. Learn sweet air guitar moves from rock star Ramona Muse. Discover some of the pop stars of the art world by touring the museum. Create Pop art prints inspired by Andy Warhol.
Saturday, December 7 / 9 am – 12 pm c147 grades Pre-K – Kindergartenc2410 grades 1 – 3 c344 grades 4 – 6
aFrIcan saFarILearn about African animals from a Blank Park Zoo educator. Search for pieces created in Africa or that were influenced by African artists in the museum. Construct musical instruments similar to ones used throughout Africa and paint a large animal that you would see on a safari.
Saturday, December 14 / 9 am – 12 pmc148 grades Pre-K – Kindergartenc2411 grades 1 – 3 c345 grades 4 – 6
sPOtlIGht
sPOtlIGht MOrP, 2013
MORP (prom spelled backwards) was a collaborative sculpture created by Phyllida Barlow and the teens in this year’s Art Educator’s of Iowa Art Camp. The sculpture was on display in the Adrienne and Charles Herbert Galleries from June 16 – July 17, 2013.
The following is an excerpt from a statement written by camp participant Cianna Rothwell. Over a three-day period, seven high school students collaborated with local artists rachel Buse and Sarah Friedrickson under the direction of art center educator michael lane, and featured exhibition artist Phyllida Barlow to create mOrP, a multi-media installation that grew from the influence of Barlow’s philosophies and was shaped by the vast range of materials and objects made available to the students. Students focused on big ideas, such as destruction vs. reconstruction, organization vs. chaos, and art vs. nature. The aim was to take common objects and morph them into something beautiful, something artistic. The appearance of some objects was changed, and the purpose of other objects was shifted. Pushing the materials in new, unconventional ways was paramount to the workshop. The installation was an assemblage of individual pieces and the intervention of certain natural processes. In the studio, students experimented with materials such as spray paint, acrylic paint, expanding foam, wire, glue, fabric, leather, nails, paper, raffia, and more. They altered objects such as dolls, party hats, Mylar balloons, spoons, mirrors, books, and inflatable toys. In some cases, the objects became materials, such as the innards of cassette tapes. Oftentimes, one student would begin creating something, and another student would add to the piece and alter it further. Students tried to forego a sense of property or ownership in the spirit of collaboration.
Participants: Riley Becker, Alexander Darnielle, Leslie Martinez, Eleanor McKinley, Cianna Rothwell, Becca Schmidt, and Cheryl Wells
Fall 2013 registration is still open for the fall 2013 session with new classes beginning in October and november. Don’t miss out on our holiday inspired 3-week classes from November 18 – December 15. Create a unique gift for yourself or someone special!
MasterPIece hOlIDay carDs / adultsnew year resOlutIOn JOurnal / adultscOPPer OrnaMents / adultsrecycleD OrnaMents / grades 1 – 3Junk Jewelry / grades 4 – 6shIbOrI DyeD scarves / grades 7 – 12
wInter break wOrkshOPs Be inspired; get out of the house and into the studio! Join us during winter break for these exciting camps. Morning and afternoon classes are available for grades Pre-K – 6.
anIMal PrIntsThursday, December 26 / 9:30 – 11:30 am
wacky weavInGsThursday, December 26 / 12:30 – 2:30 pm
whIMsIcal bIrDsFriday, December 27 / 9:30 – 11:30 am
Junk anIMalsFriday, December 27 / 12:30 – 2:30 pm
a complete list of classes, workshops, and tuition is available at desmoinesartcenter.org/education.
MORP, a collaborative sculpture
studIo pRogRaMs
sPrInG 2014 On-line registration for spring 2014 classes begins November 18.
Instructor Ramona Muse and her class of air guitarists!
reFuGee cOnnectIOn center At the Lutheran Services of Iowa’s (LSI) Refugee Connection Center, students greet instructors, volunteers, and visitors with smiles, hugs, and a strong desire to express themselves and communicate their experience as refugees. One of the students is deaf and cannot speak English, however, in art class he draws crocodiles and makes monsters out of clay. He even acts out the part of the monster for the class. In late June the Art Center completed the first six-week session with elderly students in the literacy program at LSI’s Refugee Connection Center. Art Center instructors and volunteers wrapped up the program with a tour of the museum where they especially enjoyed the exhibition Phyllida Barlow: Scree. They seemed to identify with the stark structures and bright colors. In all, Art Center Instructor Martha McCormick led the group through five creative projects relying only on demonstration and visual cues. The class demonstrated that art and visual language can overcome cultural and linguistic barriers. Instructors and students connected with each other, and in some cases overcame cultural divides between groups of immigrants. The Art Center and LSI are excited to continue this valuable program in the fall and build upon a new community partnership. The Art Center is also looking forward to welcoming back the students from Children & Families of Iowa, Des Moines Alternative (formerly Casady Alternative Center), and Brody Middle School this fall, and continuing to work with Achieving Maximum Potential, Youth Emergency Services and Shelter, and Voices to be Heard.
4-h stuDents exPerIence PhylliDA BARlow: SCREE
Students attending the annual 4-H Youth Conference in Ames traveled to Des Moines this past summer to take part in a tour and art project presented in conjunction with the exhibition Phyllida Barlow: Scree. The students toured the exhibition and the permanent collections and then created projects based on ideas explored in the exhibition.
outReacH pRogRaM MuseuM educatIon news
4th Grade students from Des Moines Metro Public schools experience the art center
This important annual tradition continues with Des Moines, Indianola, Saydel, Southeast Polk, Waukee, and West Des Moines fourth-grade students and art teachers touring the Art Center’s permanent collections and special exhibitions this winter and spring. Newton and Prairie City-Monroe school districts join the tradition this fall. Before their visit, art teachers may download permanent collection artwork images, background information, discussion questions, and suggested art activities. These materials are intended to introduce the students to artworks and prepare them for their tour. The Art Center covers the cost of transportation and other expenses for these districts through the generous support of Amercan Enterprise Group, Inc., Bankers Trust, DuPont Pioneer, Hy-Vee, Inc., John Deere, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, the J. Locke and Harriet S. Macomber Fund, Prairie Meadows, Target, and West Bancorporation.
achIevInG MaxIMuM POtentIal
This fall the youth of Achieving Maximum Potential will collaborate with the Art Center and local artist Rachel Buse on the construction of a life-size cardboard car to enter in the “boxed-in” design contest at Reggie’s Sleepout in November. The cardboard car will house a trunk full of sleep-over memories and will symbolize the courage and excitement of adolescence. The car will be created in honor of all the homeless youth who find safety in the shelter of a car.
Students from Oakridge Neighborhood Services have fun with clay coils.
4-H students create an artwork based on Scree.
The children from Oakridge Neighborhood Services’ EduCamp finished the summer with a bang as they completed a large paper mural based on the narrative of Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s ears by Verna Aardema. Throughout the summer the youth merged art, literacy, and self-expression as they read stories for inspiration to create art.
DESMOINESARTCENTER.ORG 13
MuseuM educatIon + FIlM
FIlM event
Manhattan shOrt Film Festival
Friday, October 4 / 6:30 pm Levitt Auditorium
Films are not rated, but intended for adult audiences. The program is approximately two hours in length, and is a repeat of films screened on 9/27 and 9/29.Reservations required*
Established in New York City in 1997, the MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival received 628 entries from 48 countries this year. Ten entries have been selected as finalists in the annual Festival and packaged and distributed on DVD to participating theaters. Audiences from around the world are uniting not only to view the films, but to vote on them as well. MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival will announce the winner on Sunday, October 6 at 10 pm EST and the Art Center will also post the results.
*Space is limited for this screening. Please make your FREE reservations at desmoinesartcenter.org by clicking on the EVENT RESERVATIONS bubble on the homepage or by phone at 515.271.0313. Please specify the event you wish to attend (Film Fest 10/4).
talk + MusIcangels & urchins: childhood in 19th-century american songMichael Lasser, Music Historian and Host of National Public Radio’s “Fascinatin’ Rhythm” Thursday, October 17 / 6:30 pm Levitt Auditorium
Inspired by John Singer Sargent’s painting Portraits of edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron, (1881), Michael Lasser returns to Des Moines to speak about the deepening commitment to family life and the values of domesticity in the second half of the 19th century. With it came the discovery of childhood as a time of life with its own identity, leading to a responsibility to provide nurturing and love, a commitment to universal public education, and increasing agitation against child labor. Many of these attitudes appear in the Sentimental Ballads of the day. They portray children as playful or moralistic innocents, but also as the victims of child labor, alcoholism, disease, and tenement living. They appear as angels whose innocence makes them unfit for this dark world or street urchins tough and joyful enough to survive in the city streets.
Mindful Museum: thoughtful conversations about art, Ideas, and Issuesupcoming discussion: “Materials and Meaning: The Art of El Anatsui”Sunday, November 3 / 1:30 – 3:30 pmProgram begins in the lobby
These gallery talks are designed and facilitated by veteran docents, Madelyn Mayberry and Jon Oakland with an art-initiated audience in mind. The aim is to participate in explorative conversations with people who enjoy delving more deeply into the issues presented by the art of our time.
“Talking in museums is one of the things that makes them matter, and the way in which we talk in museums is one of the things that define for us what they are. Because museums, i think, as much as they are places to go and see things, are also places to go and talk about things, and, through talking, to understand something about the way life takes place in time.”ADAM GOPNIK, “THE MINDFuL MuSEuM,”
THE WALRuS, JuNE 2007
Michael Lasser
John Singer Sargent (American, born Italy, 1856 – 1925)Portraits de M.e.P. ... et de Mlle. L.P. (Portraits of edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron) 1881Oil on canvas, 60 x 69 inchesDes Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Purchased with funds from the Edith M. usry Bequest, in memory of her parents Mr. and Mrs. George Franklin usry, the Dr. and Mrs. Peder T. Madsen Fund, and the Anna K. Meredith Endowment Fund, 1976.61
14 art center news OCT NOV DEC 2013
nOveMbersaturDay, nOveMber 9
new cOnnectIOns* 11 am / meet in Art Center lobby
All members, from new to frequent visitors, will learn to see the Permanent Collections in new ways during this one-hour program.
sunDay, nOveMber 10
MeMbers’ bOOk club2 – 3:30 pm / Art Center restaurant
The art Prophets: The artists, Dealers, and Tastemakers Who Shook the art WorldRichard Polsky introduces us to influential late 20th-century dealers and tastemakers in the art world. These risk takers opened doors for artists, identified new movements, and resurrected art forms that had fallen into obscurity. In this distinctive tour, Polsky offers an insightful and engaging dialog between artists and the visionaries who paved their way.
SunDay, nOvemBer 17
vIsIt tO IOwa DePartMent OF cultural aFFaIrs1 pm
David Schmitz, arts programer at the Iowa Arts Council in Des Moines (and the Art Center’s former Print Club membership liaison), will talk about the collection of art formed by the Art in State Buildings program. A behind-the-scenes look at collections storage is also on the program. RSVP to [email protected].
FOCUS ON MEMBERS DeceMberthursDay, DeceMber 5
hOlIDay stuDIO*6 – 9 pm / Art Center studios
Art Noir invites you to take part in an evening of creative, hands-on gift making in the Art Center studios. Enjoy complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres and make artistic gifts for yourself, friends, and family — just in time for the holidays! $20 material fee ($15 for Art Noir members). Stay tuned for information about reservations.
saturDay, DeceMber 7
MeMber OrIentatIOn* 11 am / meet in Art Center lobby
Learn more about the collections, architecture, and history of the Art Center. Arrive early to view the exhibitions and enjoy complimentary coffee.
sunDay, DeceMber 8
MeMbers’ bOOk club1:30 – 3 pm / Art Center restaurant
Weiwei-isms available in the museum Shop
This collection of quotes demonstrates the elegant simplicity of Ai Weiwei’s thoughts on key aspects of his art, politics, and life. A master at communicating powerful ideas in
astonishingly few words, Ai Weiwei is known for his innovative use of social media to disseminate his views. The short quotations presented here have been carefully selected from articles, tweets, and interviews given by this acclaimed Chinese artist and activist. These quotes span some of the most revealing moments of Ai Weiwei’s eventful career. The documentary ai Weiwei: never Sorry will be screened at 1:30 pm in Levitt Auditorium. Book discussion immediately follows.
DeceMber hOlIDay Party
Print Club members will receive details about the annual December holiday party and other programs by mail. For information on joining Print Club, please contact Jenna Ekstrom, manager of individual giving, at 515.271.0327 or [email protected].
Most events listed below are Free and open to all art center members. not an art center member? Join online at desmoinesartcenter.org/support, in the Museum shop, or contact the Membership Department at 515.271.0324.
RSvp**rsvP FOr MeMber PrOGraMs at [email protected] or 515.271.0327.
JOIn art nOIr, bOOk club, anD/Or PrInt club at desmoinesartcenter.org/member-groups.aspx or 515.271.0327.
sunDay, OctOber 6
art In the stuDIO*Screenprinting workshop12:30 pm / Studio 5
sunDay, OctOber 13MeMbers’ bOOk club2 – 3:30 pm / Art Center restaurant
i Sold andy Warhol. (Too Soon)Richard Polsky leads the way through this explosive, short-lived period when the “art world” became the “art market.” He delves into the behind-the-scenes politics of auctions, the shift in power away from galleries, and the search for affordable art in a rich man’s playing field. unlike most in the art world, Polsky is not afraid to tell it like it is as he negotiates deals for clients in New York, London, and San Francisco and seeks out a replacement for his lost Fright Wig in a market that has galloped beyond his means. This book takes an unvarnished look at how the industry shifted from art appreciation to monetary appreciation.
Members’ Book Club meets the second Sunday of each month in the Art Center restaurant from 2 – 3:30 pm (with the exception of December when class will begin at 1:30 pm).
OctOber
Art Noir
pRInt club
pRInt club
available in the museum Shop
available in the museum Shop
Art Noir
For your HOLIDAY SHOPPING include a visit to the Art Center MUSEUM SHOP.STOP By anD PeruSe neW merchanDiSe!
Open until 4:30 pm Tuesday and Friday
Open until 9 pm on Thursday
thank yOu
in memory of natalie BrentonBMO Asset Management Corp Mr. and Mrs. C. Robert Brenton Suzie Glazer Burt and Gregory BurtTom ChaseCyndy and Joe CoppolaJane G. CorynJames and Barbara DemetrionDes Moines Golf & Country Club Janice DickinsonPatricia DonhoweByron Huff and Jim AndersonAnne and Chuck IrvineTed and Christine IrvinePokey and Colin JensenKrause Gentle Foundation Lisa LeonardCaroline W. LevineSophia MagillB.J. James and Kevin McLaughlinDeborah MillerPolly MooreKaren NormanJohn and Mary PappajohnRobert and Mary Jo PomerantzSuzanne and Robert SandahlSharon SimmonsJim TrowerMarilyn and Bill Vernon
in memory of mary DunbarBette Jo McClellandNancy Prizant and Ed Truslow
in honor of the marriage of Jason Dunn and Stuart alexanderLouis and Lois Fingerman
in memory of Bill krauseWoodward and Julia BrentonToni and Tim urban
in memory of robert lubetkinMr. and Mrs. John C. Cortesio, Jr.Patricia DonhoweFound Things Gloria and Arthur FileanLois and Louis FingermanMarty GrossPatty and Kevin LaGreeCaroline W. LevineDr. Glenn B. Purnell and Mrs. Florence PurnellMarjorie S. Spevak
FRIends oF tHe aRt centeR
in memory of arlean mcDonaldRichard F. AmickMr. Glenn E. BuhrJohn CloseRhonda ElmoreM. Joyce and Willis D. FrevertEllen HammondJames HanifenJean HibbsGloria HoffmannEvelyn JohnstonLinda and James JorgensenRuth LakersLisa MarguilesDavid NeveEve and Jeffery PattersonS.A. Peterson
in memory of hubert “herb” randelsBette Jo McClelland
in memory of Paul TursiBette Jo McClelland
PlanneD GIvInG
Tax-Free Gifts from your ira
Did you know that under the extended charitable IRA legislation, charitable gifts can be made using funds from your individual retirement accounts (IRAs) without incurring undesirable tax effects? Rather than reporting any amount taken from your IRA as taxable income, these funds can be transferred to a non-profit organization, allowing you to receive a charitable deduction of higher value than when giving cash gifts.
here’s how this works:You must be at least 70 1/2 or older at the time of making the gift. Transfers can be made up to $100,000 directly from your IRA. The transfer must be outright and to one or more qualified charities. The gift must be made by December 31, 2013. This transfer, while a generous showing of your support of the Art Center’s valuable exhibitions and programs, generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you will receive the benefit even if you do not itemize your tax deductions. The gift provides immediate support for the Art Center and allows you to see the benefits of your gift today. Remember — this opportunity expires on December 31, 2013! Contact your financial advisor for more information.
To learn more about planned giving options, contact Development Director Emily Bahnsen at [email protected] or 515.271.0338.
Generous media support was provided to the art center in 2013 by mediacom, Cityview, The Des Moines Register, capital 106.3, iowa Public radio, aBc Tv-5, and kFmG 99.1.
OcTOBer 12 & 13
Members receive 15% off books
nOvemBer 9 & 10
Members receive 15% off apparel
nOvemBer 16 & 17
Members receive double discount
20% off*
DecemBer 14 & 15
Members receive double discount
20% off*
*excluding consignment
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Des MOInes art center General InFOrMatIOn
Free admission
Museum hoursTuesday, Wednesday, Friday 11 am – 4 pm Thursday 11 am – 9 pm Saturday 10 am – 4 pmSunday Noon – 4 pm Closed Monday
Museum shop Open during normal museum hoursand open until 4:30 pm Tuesdays and Fridays.Members receive discounts every day.
classesStudio art classes and workshops are available for students of all ages. Members receive a 20% discount on classes and workshops. Join today!
More information atdesmoinesartcenter.org
COVER
El AnatsuiOzone Layer (detail), 2010Aluminum and copper wire, 165 3/8 x 212 5/8 inches Installation at the Akron Art Museum Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, NY Photo by Andrew McAllister, Courtesy of the Akron Art Museum
aT The arT cenTer
nOw OPen
JOIn cheF DavID baruthIO, hIs Partners, anD staFF
In thIs new venture at the art center.
enJOy exPanDeD hOurs anD unexPecteD exPerIences
In Our new restaurant!
new hOurs
Tuesday / Wednesday / Friday / Saturday / Sunday
Full Menu / 11 am (Noon Sunday) – 2 pm
Gourmet Plates / served until 3 pm
Thursday
Full Menu and Gourmet Plates / 11 am – 7 pm
Special Prix Fixe Dinner Menu / 5 – 7 pm
view full menu at desmoinesartcenter.org