Past Exhibitions
Please check out Flickr page for photographs from our past exhibitions and events.
Past Exhibitions
Expanding Universe
Exhibition of welded steel sculpture by Brooklyn, NY artist, Martha Walker
January 20, March 29, 2009, Dana Gallery
"Walker's body of work embodies a powerful duality. In a language that is both very muscular and tender, the inherent beauty of objects found in nature is acclaimed-be they tree trunks, clouds, conch shells, or seed pods. At the same time, these natural forms are laced with threatening intimations of nuclear disaster, the horrors of genocide, and the irrevocable desstruction of our beautiful planet. These troubling undertones are produced by uncanny juxtapositions of forms, surface treatments suggesting charred remains, and unexpected angles of repose or discomfort, resulting in unanticipated feelings of anxiety, fear, isolation and despair. Unifying these potentially warring pursuits-one delighting in the sheer physical beauty of an object, and the other portending calamitous devastation-Walker makes them seamless by revealing her working process and techniques, integrating them directly into the physical appearance and resolution of each sculpture. Accordingly, a balance is struck betweenthe sensuous pleasures of a work and its capacity to evoke disturbing feelings" (Jeffrey Hoffeld). News Article. To learn more about Martha's sculpture go to: http://www.marthawalker.net/
Artist's Reception and Gallery Talk on March 6, 2009, First Friday, 4:30 p.m. Free/open to public
Artifacts of the 21st Century
Paintings by Douglas Graupe '09
January 20-March 1, 2009, Sally Mather Gibson Curriculum Gallery
This solo exhibition features painting by F&M senior, Douglas Graupe, who explains: "A canvas is an artifact that I am leaving behind, an artifact which documents my immediate world, the greater societal world, and the way I view that larger world." Emphasizing inspiration received from art history and artists Gicometti, Pollock and De Kooning, Graupe considers his work to be "reactionary," filled with graffiti-like markings, which the artist explains are "angles over curves." He views his growth in his work as attaining a congruent maturity in his personal life.
Artist's Reception and Gallery Talk on February 5, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. Free/open to public
Cabinet Fever: Reinventing the Cabinet of Curiosities at F&M
Curated by students in Professor Lina Aleci's "Cabinet of Curiosities"
January 29-March 1, 2009, Curriculum Gallery Classroom exhibition space
In the fall of 2008, students in Professor Linda Aleci's curatorial seminar began working as a team on one project--transforming the curriculum gallery classroom into a Cabinet of Curiosities. Working in partnership with The Phillips Museum, the North Museum, College Archives, and the hidden collections of departments across the campus, the students have assembled and installed a rich gathering of marvelous objects rarely seen, yet an integral part of the college's history. Organized around 8 "topics" that are based on systems of knowledge from the 16th and 17th centuries, the objects map relationships both wonderous and mundane between art, science, and nature. In the process, students have learned exhibition procedures including object research, exhibition design, loan protocols, and of course, the thrill of discovery. This is a unique opportunity to view a modern interpretation of the most astonishing ancestor of the museum, and to catch a glimpse of the history of F&M's own collections.
Reception and Gallery Talk on January 29, 2009, 4:30 p.m. Free/open to public
Embracing the Uncarved Wood
Relief Carvings from Shandong, China
January 30-April 12, 2009, Rothman Gallery
Embracing the Uncarved Wood is an exhibition of wood relief sculptures created by a group of young deaf-mute artists from Shandong, China, where the husband and wife team of artists, Zhou Ning and Xiao Yixia, instructed them. In 1998, Mr. Christopher Zhu, Former Assistant Director of the Shanghai Museum of Art and currently Director of Han Ying Art Consultants in Shanghai, discovered these artists and their work, which is firmly rooted in Chinese folk craft. Since that time, Mr. Zhu has assiduously championed their art and has curated exhibitions of the Shandong studio's productions in Shanghai, Santa Fe and Dallas. During the Summer of 2005, Professor Kent saw a large group of these sculptures while conducting research in Shanghai. Their beauty and sophisticated level of conception were remarkable for their fusion of traditional craft with modern abstraction. The sculptures vary in size from small panels to large-scale, mural-like pieces. Professor Kent and Mr. Zhu are co-curators of this beautiful work, which will be exhibited in the Dana Gallery of the Phillips Museum. A reception will be held at the Museum on February 12, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. when Christopher Zhu will be present to give a gallery talk, along with Richard Kent and Virginia Maksymowicz, who have visited the artists' collective in China and have written essays, which are featured in a catalog of the exhibition. Mr. Zhu's exhibition assistant, Lewen Xu, will speak about the installation of the exhibition through an interpreter. More discussion is planned for Friday, February, 13, when Christopher Zhu will lecture students. There will be a gorgeous hard-cover catalog for sale at the exhibition. Made possible by a generous grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and funding by the Provost's Office. News Article
Beautiful bi-lingual exhibition catalog in soft and hard bound is available for sale.
Reception and Gallery Talk: February 12, 2009, 4:30 p.m. Free/open to the general public
Friday, February 13, 2009, 3:00-4:30 p.m. Bonchek House Seminar Room. Lecture by Christopher Zhu, "Traditional Chinese Aesthetics: How Chinese Look at Art." Food and refreshments available prior to the event. Sponsored by the Bonchek House and International Studies. Open to F&M students, faculty and staff.
Dreaming Through My Hands
Fabric works by Carol Piersol '01
March 5-April 4, 2009, The Sally Mather Gibson Curriculum Gallery
From the artist: "Fabric has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Fabric weaves and intertwines itself into many of my memories. I find fabric marks the years and events of my life as one might place tabs on a timeline to highlight special occasions in the passage of time." Carol Piersol has worked with fabric design as art since a child. As a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, her experiences include drawing and painting studios, which further developed her sense of composition and design. She has worked at her skills as designer and seamstress in the costume shop at Roschel Center for the Performing arts. Carol was the 2008 recipient of the 1st place Annual Open Art Award at the Lancaster Museum of Art. News Article
Artist's Reception and Gallery Talk on March 12, 2009, 4:30 p.m. Free/open to public
The Procession and other works by Eleanore Lockspeiser
Researched and curated by Kaitlin Dunn '09
April 9-May16, 2009, The Sally Mather Gibson Curriculum Gallery
Kaitlin Dunn, '09, has researched work of Eleanore Lockspeiser, from the collection of the Phillips Museum of Art. Dunn discovered a piece by Lockspeiser, which came over to the Museum from a remote storage area. When Dunn began researching the large diptych in the collections, records showed only a title, "The Procession", and artist, Eleanore Lockspeiser. Kaitlin began in September of 2007 and continued independent study to reveal a remarkable and important artist of the Abstract Expressionist era, as well as a person of incredible influence over students as well as her daughter, Mary Frank. The exhibition will feature works by Ms. Lockspeiser from the Phillips Museum's collection. Photos of Eleanore Lockspeiser provided courtesy of Mary Frank. News Article
Reception and gallery talk on April 9, 2009, 4:30 p.m. Free/open to public
Senior Art Show Exhibition-April 16-May 16, 2009-Dana Gallery Artist's Reception on April 16, 2009 4:30 p.m.
Senior art students are invited by Art Department faculty to exhibit their works in the annual exhibition. This exhibition opens with a reception for the artists and closes on the date of commencement, when they and their families will be feted by the Art Department before taking their work and their memories at the end of the day.
Student Art Show-April 23-May 10, 2009-Rothman Gallery
Reception and President Fry's Presentation of Awards on April 23, 2009 4:30 p.m.
Featuring artwork by F&M student artists invited to exhibit their work at this annual show. Among the works juried into the exhibition, there will be award winners in 2D and 3D categories. President Fry will present awards to the winners at their reception in the Rothman Gallery on April 23 at 4:30 pm. Student artists will be on hand to meet and greet visitors to the exhibition. All events free and open to the public.
Fall 2008
Primary Colors
August 25 - September 28
Inscriptions
Paintings by Edward Evans
Dana Gallery
Lehighton artist and former professor at Southwest State University in Minnesota, uses airbrush and stencil to create large format paintings that are well known for their intricate mystery and trompe l'oeil quality.edwardevansart.com
Exhibition Catalog PDF
Artist talk and reception: First Friday, September 5, 4:30 pm. Free and Open to the Public
Eye to Eye
August 25 - September 28
Reflections
Digital Photographs by David Spitzer
Rothman Gallery
The photographs of shop and show windows by David Spitzer, who is best known for his photographs of Jazz musicians and culture, will be of interest to the studio, professional and student photographer. Students of fashion and graphic design and digital manipulation will also find these works to be resources for inspiration and discovery.
Artist talk and reception: Thursday, September 18, 4:30 p.m. Free and open to the public
Where Do You Draw the Line?
Exhibition of Works from the Permanent Collection , Curated by Christine Batta '09
Sally Mather Gibson Curriculum Gallery
Curator's talk and reception:Thursday, September 11, 4:30 pm. Free and open to the public
Jonquil, Cleve Gay, 1976, 90 x 90"
October 2 - December 21
A Considered Life
Large Format Painting by Cleve Gray
Dana Gallery
The Phillips Museum of Art has received an extraordinary gift-a painting by post Abstract Expressionist, Cleve Gray. Jonquil, a large, gestural, color based abstraction, was created by the artist in 1976 and was given to the Museum by the artist's wife, noted biographer and novelist, Francine du Plessix Gray.
This exhibition consists of works from the series of "Man and Nature 1975-2004," large paintings in acrylic and oil pastel the artist painted until his death in 2004. Included in the exhibition areJounquil, and Untitled Red, which was the last painting that Gray worked on before he died in 2004. clevegray.com
Lectures: First Friday, October 3, 2008: Opening Reception and Gallery Talk by Deborah Barkun and Scott Wright. 4:30-6:00 pm. Free and open to the public
Gallery Talk by Francine du Plessix Gray about Cleve Gray, Dana Gallery, October 29, 4:30 pm
Francine du Plessix Gray will also discuss her new book at the Writers House at 12:00 pm as part of the "Writers on Writing" lecture series.
The Best of All Colors, Sarah McRae Morton
October 9 - December 21
Best of All Colors
Paintings by Sarah McRae Morton
Rothman Gallery
Organized in conjunction with the Comparative Literary Studies course Doctors and Patients in Arts and Literature, this exhibit features large paintings by Sarah McRae Morton that are a result of the artist's experience within the Amish community as the daughter of Dr. Holmes Morton, a Lancaster county physician. The artist explains that her work is based on memories of accompanying her father on house calls and from his memoirs, which accompany the paintings in this exhibition. Morton's paintings address the Amish themes as coming of age, labors of farm life, and the "integrity of Amish culture by embracing illness and accepting death."
Read Sarah's Exhibition Statement
Opening Reception and discussion with Dr. Holmes Morton for Dr. Lina Bernstein's course "Illness and Art. October 28-3:00 pm. Free and open to the public
Gallery Talk by Sarah McRae Morton-First Friday, November 7, 4:30 pm. Free and open to the public
November 20-December 12, 2008
In Small Things Remembered
An Exhibition of artifacts curated and assembled by the Students of Professor Mary Ann Levine's Class "Archaeological Methods".
Professor Levine's "Archaeological Methods" class of 13 students has assembled artifacts unearthed at Otstonwakin, an 18th century Native American village. The artifacts date to three time periods-the period immediately before the settlement of the village, objects associated with the establishment of the village itself in the early 1700's, and materials that relate to the white resettlement of the landscape once a small pox epidemic devastated Otstonwakin in the middle of the 18th century.
Professor Levine was successful in locating the site of the village, based on historical records concerning Madam Montour, who governed the fur-trade era village in the 1720's through the 1740's and records of Moravian missionaries who describe the vilage in their journals. She will give a talk concerning the dig and the exhibition during the opening reception.
Opening Reception and gallery talk-November 20, 2008 4:30 pm. Free and open to the public
Studs Terkel, Nancy Crampton
October 21 - December 21
WRITERS
Photographs of 20th Century Writers by Nancy Crampton
Writers House (on College Ave)
A series of portraits of 20th Century writers by photographer, Nancy Crampton, as featured in her book, Writers. Crampton explains: Thrity-five years ago, I set out on a project: to try, as best I could, to make definitive portraits of the leading artists and writers of my time. After a while I came to focus almost exclusively on writers. this work, which is still ongoing, is summed up in the book/exhibition WRITERS: Photographs by Nancy Crampton
Artist's presentation and reception at Writers House: October 22, 4:30 pm. Free and open to the public
SPRING 2008
Surface and Substance
Paintings by Florence Putterman Selinsgrove artist, Florence Putterman, used her National Endowment Grant in 1979 to study Southwestern Native American petroglyphs. Those historic symbols, along with colorful birds, plants, people, and animals, continue to fill her paintings. Putterman graduated from Penn State University in 1947, where she received her Bachelor's degree. She later attended Bucknell University and NYU to earn her Master's. Known for her wonderful narrative mixed media paintings, she also has a respected reputation as a fine printmaker. Her art is found in private collections and has been extensively sought by and placed into national and international museum and corporate collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chicago Art Institute, Philadelphia Museum of Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (Sarasota, Fl.), where she has taught for many years. Location: Dana Gallery
March 4, 2008 through April 11, 2008
Artist's Talk and Reception: April 10, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Dana GalleryFebruary 7, 4:30-6 p.m.
February 7, 4:30-6 p.m.
Art and Crime
Lithographs by Jose Cuevas and sculpture by Frank Bender
March 13, 2008 through April 13, 2008
"Art and Crime" showcases an 11-lithograph suite by Mexican artist Jose Cuevas. The suite belongs to a College Collection portfolio entitled "Crimes by Cuevas" and is a gift of Dr. Edward Diamond '49.
Cuevas' work presents a panormaic view of crime from Jack the Ripper to Van Gogh at Arles. Born in Mexico City in 1934, Cuevas opened the Prisse Gallery there in the early 1950s. He exhibited works at the Pan American Union in Washington, D.C. and throughout the U.S. and Latin America. Cuevas taught at the Universidad Iberoamericano, and his work is in the collections of museums in the U.S., France, Peru, Venezuela, and Colubia.
The lithographs are accompanied by an instalation of forensic sculpture and mixed media works by Philadelphia artist, Frank Bender. During the April 4 reception, Bender will present a slide lecture regarding his work with law enforcement as a forensic artist reconstructing three-dimensional images of unidentified victims and fugitive criminals.
A First Friday with the Friends reception will also feature a lecture, "Representations of the Criminal," delivered by the Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology, Joel Eigen.
Location: Rothman Gallery First Friday with the Friends Reception and Artist's Talk: April 4, 4:30-7 p.m., Rothman Gallery. "Representations of the Criminal" lecture to follow Bender's Artist's Talk.
The Castle Eufemio
Photographs by Blaise Tobia
March 18, 2008 through April 20, 2008
This exhibition is concurrent with the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House presentation and promotion of Blaise Tobia's newest book, "The Castle Eufemio." Text in both English and Italian will be presented alongside the documentary photographs taken by Tobia during the Festival of the Most Holy Crucifix ("Fest del Santissimo Crocifisso") in the Sicilian town of Calatafimi. Blaise Tobia is a professor of media arts at Drexel University and a long-time student of Italian language and culture. He has extensively photographed in Italy and Sicily and was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome in 2006.
Location: Sally Mather Gibson Curriculum Gallery
Lecture: March 25, 6 p.m., Philadelphia Alumni Writers House
Domicile
An Installation by Shirley Thomas
January 18, 2008 through February 20, 2008
Shirley Thomas' central installation showcases 93-year-old window sashes, dried leaves and raspberry canes, fragments of furniture, and nests. Her work challenges viewers to revisit their assumptions of "the relationship between condition and value and, ultimately, between condition and survival." A graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Thomas also attended Parsons School of Design and NYU. She has exhibited work in the U.S., Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Italy, and Ireland and is the recipient of grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.
Location: Dana Gallery, first level
First Friday with the Friends
Artist's Talk and Reception
February 1, 2008, 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Cuba: Through My Eyes
Photographs by Javier Machado
January 22, 2008 through March 7, 2008
When photographer Javier Machado emigrated from Cuba to America in 2003, he never imagined that travel restrictions would erect a barrier between him and his family. While Machado's portraits of Cubans affected by legislation are a testament to his own fragmented family, they also serve as a statement about human rights violations.
Location: Rothman Gallery, second level
Artist's Talk and Reception: February 7, 2008 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Double Personality
Mixed Media Works by Saxon Williams '08
January 22, 2008 through February 24, 2008
Senior Saxon Williams describes his exhibitioin as a representation of "the internal cave of my fantasies and the external world...as I leave the cave...a metaphor of my mind's everyday existence."
The exhibtion consists of two sections displaying Williams' two distinct styles--one controlled, the other liberated. Williams has written and recorded a musical composition, which will accompany his 24 pieces and 38 drawings of individual mythical creatures.
Location: Sally Mather Gibson Curriculum Gallery, basement level
Reception: January 31, 4:30-6 p.m.February 7, 4:30-6 p.m.
Fall 2008
Faculty Showcase
August 29, 2007 through September 30, 2007
It is no secret that teaching allows an artist to earn a living while making art. While this may explain why an artist decides to teach, it doesn't explain why artists continue to teach for years, placing their own art secondary to that of their students. At some point, the idea of the artist as mentor becomes a mission, and art is often the direct result of the alliance between student and teacher.
The Faculty Show includes oil painting by Jun-Cheng Liu, color photography by Scott Wright, acrylic and mixed media by Carol Galligan, relief sculpture by Virginia Maksymowicz, pastel and watercolor drawings by F.T. Kihlstedt, laser transfer images and mixed media work by Linda Cunningham, architectural renderings by Carole Hickey, digital photo manipulation, charcoal drawing and color photography by James Peterson, black and white photography by Richard Kent, oil on panel by Michael Clapper, mixed media installation by William Hutson and color photography by Chris Welch.
Location: Dana Gallery, first level
Reception: September 6, 4:30 p.m.
Horn, Peter Mollenkof, 30" x 39" colored pencil and graphite on paper
Drawings from the Inside
August 29, 2007 through September 30, 2007
Mollenkof's graphite drawings suggest both the familiar and tangible, the organic. Yet his images are mysteriously allusive and only hint at an object the observer might recall, as though the stem of a plant or the arch of a dog's body can never quite be realized. Each piece is carefully composed, thousands of strokes filling paper sometimes six feet in length. At times the shock of erasure or the hint of lettering suggests the energy humming beneath the balanced forms and the tension at bay in these quiet giants.
"The 'subjects' in my drawings are mostly based on natural forms and organic shapes, but also rely heavily on subliminal impulse and sensation," said Mollenkof. "My paintings explore formal and stylistic relationships that emerge from a purely intuitive process of synthesis by experimentation."
Mollenkof was born in Philadelphia in 1949 and received his B.F.A. from Tyler School of Art and an M.F.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He lived in Japan between 1977 and 2000 where he taught studio art, exhibited and wrote about art. He is affiliated with Messiah College where he served as the director of the Aughinbaugh Art Gallery and teaches studio arts.
For more information, please visit Mollenkof's online gallery.
Location: Rothman Gallery, second level
Reception and Artist's Talk: September 11, 4:30 p.m.
Passage in Form, Mary Blackey, 30" x 22" watercolor
Founded in 1900, the Philadelphia Water Color Society (PWCS) holds an annual, juried, anniversary exhibit as well as regional shows where members exhibit their work. Over the years, the PWCS has presented a distinguished permanent collection to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, including works by John Singer Sargent and Pablo Picasso.
In addition to its exhibitions, PWCS sponsors demonstrations and other events and supports superior students working in aqueous media in Philadelphia art colleges. Members of the society are frequent award winners in major national exhibitions, and many have authored books or are featured artists in books and magazines. Since the inception of PWCS, Philadelphia and the surrounding region has become an epicenter for watercolor art and artists.
Location: Dana and Rothman Galleries, first and second levels
Reception: November 4, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Artist's Demonstration: Ann DeLaurentis
November 8, 2:00 pm
Gallery Talk:
Bonnie Mettler
October 25, 2:00 pm
