Current & Upcoming 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
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
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
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.
All images-copyright of the artist.
