November, December, January 2006-07 @ DeCordova: Exhibitions and Events

(Please note that DeCordova’s hours have changed - click here for details.)

Exhibitions

Going Ape: Confronting Animals in Contemporary Art
Joyce and Edward Linde Gallery, Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Media Space, Arcade Gallery, First Floor Lobby, Grand Staircase, Third Floor Lobby
Through – January 7, 2007

What a zoo! This fall, be sure to see the museum menagerie in Going Ape: Confronting Animals in Contemporary Art. This exhibition brings together 20 artists/artist teams from around the country who take on the animal world from a wide range of points of view, and in a wide spectrum of media – both traditional and contemporary. The exhibit features 90 artworks and 99 monkeys.

Animals have appeared, traditionally, as decorative motifs, sacred beings, moral symbols, attributes of portrait subjects, and in hunt scenes and bucolic or romantic visions of nature. In recent years, artists have expanded the range of animal-related artwork to include issues such as animal-human relationships, distinctions between wild and tame, habitat loss, bio-engineering, and anthropomorphized animals. The artists in Going Ape deal with all of these themes, as well as several others, in painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, video, and installation art. Come see dogs, chimps, cockroaches, squirrels, elephants, goats, tigers, raccoons, a stairwell full of monkeys, diverse denizens of the deep, and birds galore!

Organized by DeCordova Curators Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, Nick Capasso, and Curatorial Fellow Dina Deitsch, Going Ape is accompanied by a full-color exhibition catalogue, and includes work by Deborah Brown, Catherine Chalmers, Walton Ford, James Grashow, Catherine Hamilton, John Harden, Henry Horenstein, Mary Kenny, Vitaly Komar & Alex Melamid, Neeta Madahar, Barbara Moody, Josie Morway, Gwynn Murrill, Frank Noelker, Barbara Norfleet, Shelley Reed, Amy Ross, Peter Smuts, Brad Story, and Kitty Wales.

This exhibition is funded by a generous grant from the Lois and Richard England Family Foundation.

William Tucker: Horses
James and Audrey Foster Galleries, Fourth Floor Hallway Gallery, Sculpture Terrace
Through – January 7, 2007

William Tucker is an internationally-renowned contemporary sculptor who had already established a significant career as an artist in Britain before moving to the United States in 1978. In the 1980s, Tucker first created a series of highly abstracted, expressionist bronze sculptures of horse heads. In 2003, Tucker returned to the theme, producing several new sculptures and a group of charcoal drawings. This exhibition, organized by Director of Curatorial Affairs Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, brings together the work from this series. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue.

Approaches to Narrative
Dewey Family Gallery
Through – October 2007

Stories can be found in just about every aspect of our lives in the form of personal histories, childhood fairytales, or a favorite film. In the visual arts, the narrative impulse is as old as the oldest paintings and, in the past 30 years, has re-emerged in contemporary art as a mode for artists to convey personal, social, and political issues. Approaches to Narrative highlights artworks from DeCordova’s Permanent Collection that use imagery to “tell” stories. The paintings, prints, photographs, drawings, and digital images on display ask viewers to consider how artists use basic storytelling components, such as character, plot, and setting, to create visual narratives. Narrative approaches represented include documentary photography, expressionist figuration, realism, surrealism, collage, and illustration. Fifty-eight works by 29 New England artists will be on view. The themes explored in this show are linked to the educational content of the Art ExperienCenter. Organized by Curatorial Fellow Dina Deitsch with input from the DeCordova Education Department.

Big Bang! Abstract Painting for the 21st Century
Joyce and Edward Linde Gallery, James and Audrey Foster Galleries, 4th Floor Hallway Gallery
January 20 – April 22, 2007 (opening reception Friday, January 26 at 6 pm)

This group thematic exhibition features non-objective paintings by 15 New England painters whose work participates in current international trends in abstraction. In the 20th century, the imagery of abstract painting was informed by the grid, landscape, Surrealist automatic writing that led to biomorphic shapes, painterly fields of color, or the painterly gestures of Abstract Expressionism. Now, in the new millennium, painters look to computer science, cosmology, genetics, the decorative, the theatrical, and the grotesque for inspiration. Paintings tend to be large, complex, colorful, and gorgeous. Big Bang! features artworks by Peter Barrett, Thaddeus Beal, Steven Bogart, Sean Foley, Reese Inman, Clint Jukkala, Julie Miller, Meg Brown Payson, Jon Petro, Cristi Rinklin, Terry Rose, Sarah Slavick, Laurel Sparks, Barbara Takenaga, and Sarah Walker. Accompanied by a full-color catalogue, and organized by Curator Nick Capasso. Big Bang! is DeCordova’s contribution to the Boston CyberArts Festival.

Stephen DiRado: Jump
Arcade Gallery
January 20 – April 22, 2007 (opening reception Friday, January 26 at 6 pm)

Over the course of several summers, Worcester photographer Stephen DiRado has photographed vacationers and residents as they jump off the American Legion Memorial Bridge in Martha’s Vineyard. This 18-foot descent into the waters of a tidal inlet has been a rite of passage for generations of youth. DiRado’s black-and-white prints capture the anticipation, desire, anxiety, and release associated with the moment of letting go, as terra firma is abandoned and the void embraced. Organized by Curator Nick Capasso.

Events and Programs

Art for Lunch: Conversations with DeCordova’s Curators
DeNormandie Art Library
November 4 at 11:30 am
Meet one of DeCordova’s Curators in an informal setting that provides an intimate view of their role in the Museum. Bring your curiosity and questions about art, artists, and exhibition planning. Participants meet the Curator at 11:30 am for a tour of Going Ape: Confronting Animals in Contemporary Art followed by a discussion over lunch. Director of Curatorial Affairs Rachel Rosenfield Lafo will lead the event. $15 for DeCordova Members and $20 for Non-Members. Fee includes lunch from The Café @ DeCordova. Space is limited. Call 781/259-3604 for reservations.

Gallery Talks: Meet the Artists
Third Floor Lobby
Saturdays at 3 pm
Free with Campus admission

The act of creating artwork can be just as exciting as looking at the final product. Meet New England and regional artists to discuss their work on view at DeCordova.

William Tucker Gallery Talk: October 21

Going Ape Gallery Talk: November 18, Henry Horenstein

Eye Wonder Family Program
Museum Galleries
November 5 and January 21, drop-in from 1 – 3 pm
Free with Campus admission

Come to DeCordova with friends and family to discover an ever-changing world of art! Eye Wonder focuses on “seeing” and “doing” in art museums and combines careful looking with creative art projects centered on DeCordova’s changing exhibitions. Eye Wonder celebrates the uniqueness of contemporary artists and their processes with family-friendly guided tours and hands-on art activities. This drop-in program is perfect for families with children ages 6 and up. On November 5, Going Ape guest artist Kitty Wales will host; on January 21, an artist (TBA) from Big Bang! will host.

13th Annual Artists’ Market
The Store @ DeCordova
November 11 – December 31

Thirteen will be your lucky number when you shop the Annual Artists Market at The Store for all the names on your holiday list. More artisans, new artisans, extended hours—and remember, DeCordova Member’s receive a discount of 10 percent. What luck!

So knock on wood, throw some salt over your shoulder, and head on over to the 13th Annual Artists’ Market!

The Store @ DeCordova’s Holiday Hours (November 11 – December 31):

Monday – Thursday, 9:30 am – 9:30 pm
Friday – Saturday, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday, 10:30 am – 5:30 pm

Images for these exhibitions and events are available electronically; please contact Corey Cronin at ccronin@decordova.org or 781/259-3628.

General Information
DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm (New Hours!) and on selected Monday holidays. General Campus 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 10:30 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. Guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm; these are free with Campus admission. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.