For Immediate Release
November 1, 2005
Contact:
Brent Sverdloff 781/259-3628, bsverdloff@decordova.org
Joby DeCoster 781/259-3663, jdecoster@decordova.org
January, February, March 2006 @ DeCordova: Exhibitions and Events
New Exhibitions
James Surls: The Splendora Years, 1977–1997
Joyce and Edward Linde Gallery, James and Audrey Foster Galleries, Fourth Floor Hallway Gallery
January 28 – April 16, 2006
Opening Reception: Friday, January 27, 2006, 6 – 9 pm
This exhibition features two decades of work by renowned contemporary American sculptor James Surls, whose abstract sculptures are informed by the forces, imagery, and materials of nature. The Splendora Years includes approximately 35 works of art, ranging from table-top wood carvings to monumental forms literally hacked from fully grown trees with a chainsaw; and from intimate pencil drawings to large-scale wood- and linoleum-cut prints. This traveling exhibition is organized by Terrie Sultan, Director of the Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of the University of Houston. The Splendora Years is accompanied by a full-color catalogue published by the University of Texas Press.
Recent Print Acquisitions: The Workshop Portfolios
Arcade Gallery
January 28 – April 16, 2006
Opening Reception: Friday, January 27, 2006, 6 – 9 pm
Historically, printmaking has been a collaborative process, from the workshops of Rembrandt and Rubens to contemporary studios in which large, expensive presses must be shared or rented. The artist-run studios represented in The Workshop Portfolios foster a cooperative and experimental ethos that embraces the constant exchange of ideas inherent to such communal work spaces. The collection includes prints by members of the short-lived, but pivotal, Artist’s Proof studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1980–1984) and the active studios it inspired: Mixit Print Studios and Hand Press Workshop, both in Somerville, Massachusetts. The Workshop Portfolios include works by some of Boston’s most innovative printmakers and provide an important sampling of woodcuts, engravings, etchings, and lithographs in the Boston metropolitan area from 1980–2000. A selection of 26 prints, from the total 76 acquired, will be on view to celebrate this important acquisition.
Software Art
Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Media Space
January 28 – April 16, 2006
Opening Reception: Friday, January 27, 2006, 6 – 9 pm
For years, artists who wrote interactive software art in Flash or Javascript posted their works for free on their Web sites. Recently, as galleries devoted to digital art have thrived, a new model of software art sales has emerged. software {ART} space, founded by Steve Sacks, owner of Bitforms Gallery in New York City, has commissioned five of the most original artists working in this form to create new interactive works sold as limited editions. Software Art features four of these artists—Golan Levin, Lia, James Patterson, and Casey Reas—plus the artist team LeCielEstBleu (comprising Kristine Malden and Frédéric Durieu), and their work created, and to be experienced on, a computer monitor.
Continuing Through September 2006
Great Buys: Museum Purchases
Dewey Family Gallery
Ten years after establishing the Art Acquisition Fund, the Museum celebrates with an exhibition selected from the many purchases made since that time. DeCordova has been a collecting institution since its opening in 1950; however, no restricted fund existed for the acquisition of art. Instead, money had to be raised each time an artwork was purchased. Director of Curatorial Affairs Rachel Rosenfield Lafo has selected more than 40 artworks by 35 New England artists. The show includes paintings, works on paper, sculpture, and photography by artists such as Ahmed Abdalla, Allan Rohan Crite, Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick, Annette Lemieux, Laura McPhee, and Roberta Paul, among others.
Continuing Through January 8, 2006
Saga: The Journey of Arno Rafael Minkkinen, Photographs 1970–2005
Joyce and Edward Linde Gallery, James and Audrey Foster Galleries, Fourth Floor Hallway Gallery
John Huddleston: Killing Ground, Photographs of the Civil War and the Changing American Landscape
Arcade Gallery
Robert Arnold: Zeno’s Paradox
Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Media Space
Ongoing
Artists @ DeCordova
The Marnie Wengren Meeting Room
Coffee Stop
The Café @ DeCordova
Nina Levy: Headlong and Big Baby
Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Roof Terrace
Events and Programming
Children’s Programs: February Vacation Workshops
Museum School
Tuesday, February 21 – Thursday, February 23 (Snow date: Friday, February 24)
Wondering how to keep your children stimulated during February vacation week? Immerse them in art-making courses! These workshops are intended for children in grades 1–9 and include such disciplines as drawing, painting, fiber arts, jewelry making, sculpture, and cartooning. Log on to www.decordova.org and click on “Register for Classes.” The full workshop schedule goes online the week of November 21.
Film: Lines in Space: The Art of James Surls
Dewey Family Gallery
Saturday, February 11 at 3 pm
Saturday, March 4 at 3 pm
Saturday, March 25 at 3 pm
Free with admission
Gain an insider’s perspective on the artwork of James Surls when DeCordova presents the documentary Lines in Space: The Art of James Surls, produced by James Brundidge, Chelsea Congdon, and First Light Films. The film explores Surls’s artistic philosophy, his impact on contemporary sculpture, and his steel and wood sculptures created during his residency in Colorado since 1998. This 28-minute film will be screened in the Dewey Family Gallery in lieu of our usual Artist Talk series, and is free with the price of admission.
Steve Almond Book Reading and Candy Free-for-All
Dewey Family Gallery
Sunday, February 12 from 1:30 – 3 pm
Willy Wonka meets David Sedaris—and goes joyriding with Dr. Ruth! Just in time for Valentine’s Day, local author and avowed chocoholic Steve Almond takes us on a sugar-fueled spin through his twin obsessions of candy and modern love. Steve will read some of his most recent work, take no-holds-barred questions from the audience, and dole out an assortment of treats from days gone by—the Goo Goo Cluster, the Twin Bing, and the Idaho Spud—collected on his candy-factory odyssey and immortalized in his 2004 book, Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America.
Steve Almond’s appearance dovetails with the exhibition James Surls: The Splendora Years, 1977–1997, as both artists explore the concepts of pleasure, pain, and a universal life force. Steve’s books will be sold and signed following this event, which is intended for audiences 18 years of age and older.
Members Free. Non-Members $5, students with valid ID $3, after admission. Space is limited. For tickets, please call 781/259-3629 or email membership@decordova.org. No refunds. This event is expected to sell out, so reserve tickets by calling 781/259-3629 or emailing membership@decordova.org.
Members Double Discount Days!
The Store @ DeCordova
Friday, January 27 9:30 am – 9 pm
Saturday, January 28 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
The Café @ DeCordova
Friday, January 28 11 am – 4 pm
Saturday, January 28 11 am – 4 pm
Every year, The Store @ DeCordova and The Café at DeCordova hold special discount days to show our loyal Members just how much they mean to us. Members receive 20% off all purchases in The Store and The Café during this event. Come shop for class art supplies, a treat for your Valentine, or a little something to lift your own winter blahs. Enjoy a delicious snack at the Café to round out the day, and you’ll be glad you renewed that Membership!
Café des Artistes
The Store @ DeCordova
Sunday, March 19 – Sunday, April 9
The Store @ DeCordova will host an exhibition and sale in the spring of 2006 with a high-octane, sublimely caffeinated theme—Café des Artistes! Artisans throughout the country will display and sell work that honors the heavenly beverage. Come sip (or slurp) some java at our opening on Sunday March 19, and be the first to purchase newly created DeCordova mugs decorated with the artwork of local art luminaries.
Museum School Gallery Exhibitions
Museum School Gallery
Ongoing
The Museum School Gallery offers students and faculty a unique opportunity to exhibit their work in a beautiful and highly visible space. Throughout the year, students are invited to exhibit artwork created during their DeCordova studies.
For complete information about the School Gallery, please visit our Web site, www.decordova.org. Call Donna Berube at 781/259-3603 or email education@decordova.org for further details about submissions.
Faculty Exhibit
February 4 – March 2
Reception: Sunday, March 2, 2 – 3 pm
NOTICE!
The Museum and The Café @ DeCordova will be closed for exhibition installation from Monday, January 9 through Friday, January 27, 2006.
The Sculpture Park and The Store @ DeCordova will remain open during this time.
General Information
DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. General admission during Museum hours is $9 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6–12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Tuesday from noon to 3 pm, and Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information. This press release is available electronically on our Web site.
2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the American Association of Museums and has been designated the Year of the Museum. AAM's annual meeting will take place in Boston from April 27 – May 1. Learn more at www.aam-us.org.
###
