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NEWS
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Jan. 16, 2003 -- No. 26 |
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Ackland to display art by faculty, students, plus ancient art illuminated by new findings
By ANDY BERNER
Ackland Art Museum
CHAPEL HILL -- The work of students and faculty from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's art department will be showcased at the Ackland Art Museum in three upcoming exhibitions: "The Biennial UNC-Chapel Hill Studio Art Faculty Exhibition," "Journey into the Past: Ancient Mediterranean Art in Context" and "New Currents in Contemporary Art: Master of Fine Arts Exhibition 2003."
The first two exhibitions will run concurrently, from Jan. 26 to March 23. The third will be displayed from April 13 to May 18. All will be free and open to the public.
From photographs to installation and paint to clay, the biennial faculty exhibition will feature a wide range of media, shaped by artists devoted to their art and their pedagogy. Faculty members with work in the show will be Beth Grabowski, Jim Hirschfield, Juan Logan, Kimowan McLain, Yun-Dong Nam, Jerry Noe, Pamela Pecchio, Joyce Rudinsky, elin o’Hara slavick, Rebecca Tolley, Jeff Whetstone and Dennis Zaborowski.
Among the many highlights will be selections from Grabowski’s "Residuum" print series; Logan’s mixed-media artworks that combine painting, printmaking, drawing and sculpture; McLain’s paper photo-tapestry, measuring 8 feet by 10 feet, titled "Zen Satan Haiku"; and a selection from slavick’s photographic series "Travel Posters."
"Journey into the Past: Ancient Mediterranean Art in Context" will feature new research findings in art history as well as 176 art works on display. For two years, art history professor Mary Sturgeon and her graduate students have worked to catalog and study the Ackland's collection of ancient Mediterranean art. Their findings will constitute information accompanying the exhibition of the objects, most of which have not been exhibited for more than 20 years.
"Even objects previously on view are shown in a new context," said Timothy Riggs, assistant director for collections at the Ackland. "For example, a Greek bronze sculpture of a woman's head, previously shown against the wall, has been remounted as a free-standing sculpture. The new mounting gives a clue as to how the sculpture was originally assembled."
The exhibition includes sculpture in stone, bronze, clay and even silver and gold, Riggs said. The latter are miniature portraits and figures on ancient coins and jewelry. Useful objects such as cups, bowls and other vessels are in a variety of shapes, some simple and rustic, others elegant and richly ornamented.
"The exhibition has been organized to provide a window on various aspects of life in ancient times: the processes used in fabricating works of art, the pleasures of feasting, the differing roles of men and women and the practice of religion," Riggs said.
For Sturgeon, the exhibition created "a terrific teaching and learning opportunity. This project has given students the experience of close examination of original objects, one-on-one as well as in group teaching and active learning. Because the Ackland’s ancient objects are mostly unpublished, they have given us the challenge of applying what we know and creating an appropriate methodology so that we can interpret these objects and place them in their art historical and cultural contexts."
Cathy Dorin, a student involved in the research, said that investigating the art works gave her practical experience for jobs in the museum field.
Photography, drawing, painting and sculpture will be among the media represented in "New Currents in Contemporary Art," the spring exhibition by nine candidates for master's degrees in fine arts at UNC. Themes such as secrecy, emotion, social issues, nature and more will be represented by the artists, students David Antle, Jim Cicatko, Tracy Cilona, Severn Eaton, val h h martinez, Gary Pohl, Beth Sale, Jeremy Taylor and Paul Valadez.
The Ackland is on South Columbia Street near Franklin Street. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free. For more information, call 919-966-5736 (museum office) or 919-962-0837 (TTY), or visit the Web site at www.ackland.org.
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Contact: Andy Berner, 919-966-5736.
