Thinker Blog

2009 Jolika Fellowship Wrap-up

chellmich@famsf.org — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:44 PST

Martin Morububuna and Purago Marabe completed their one-month-long residency in the Kimball Artist Studio on November 1, 2009.

Martin created a vibrant mural showing Papua New Guinea as a panoramic collective of plants, animals, houses, boats, people and their bilas. Bilas is a word in Melanesian Tok Pisin that refers to the array of headdresses, necklaces, belts, armbands, and aprons that people use to adorn themselves for dance and ceremony. The mural expresses Martin’s wish for all people to honor the past and keep traditional values strong.

Simultaneously, Martin worked on some partly finished canvases that he brought with him from Port Moresby. These canvases might make another appearance in Victoria, British Columbia at the Alcheringa Gallery where Martin’s work will be included in Hailans to Ailans.

Meanwhile, Purago offered our visitors pairings of his poetry and his paintings such as Hanuabada.

HANUABADA

The big one; the village carved and standing.
On stilts, atop your own ocean.
For fish and children to indulge
Only the plastic factories refuge, dynamites and household debri scare them.
You are comfortable but allow industrial and political power brokers to take your ocean view
But your playground remains after the sun sets.
And your dreams of modernity surrenders to industrialization
promptly casting doubts on your neediness
your expectations evade your sanity
like your own discards; you let go, your land
leaving the nest of your children to the sharks and preying eagles.
For your children; it will be skyscrapers over waters
Forever moving and shaking.
And there’ll be many tongues and dissentment
And if the fish is not enough and plentiful
Your prayers will be long and half-said
Your survival will be under trees and on roads
in the eyes of the scorching sun
and the ocean will be barren and bare.

During his final week in the Kimball Artist Studio, Purago collaborated with Michael Mel to integrate two paintings and poems into Mel’s Friday night performance, KAM LONG MI – OPIM AI NA IAU (Come to me – open your eyes and ears). Visiting filmmaker, Mark Eby of Azbri Productions, conducted a film editing workshop with Purago using footage from his village in the Easthern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea.

KAM LONG MI – OPIM AI NA IAU (Come to me – open your eyes and ears)

Michael Mel’s powerful performance, his second at the de Young Museum, again explored the role of collection objects as “silent witnesses to history and cultural survival.”

Two films by Mark Eby, “The Shield is My Brother” and “The Man Who Would Not Die” created especially for the Jolika Collection, made their premier.

Film still from “The Man Who Would Not Die” showing Kaipel Ka and a freshly painted “Phantom” shield.

A Spooky Night at the Legion

cmcain@famsf.org — Tue, 3 Nov 2009 16:49 PST

Last Friday, ArtPoint hosted a ghoulish costume gala at the Legion of Honor. Hundreds of art enthusiasts braved the Richmond fog to dance the night away in tribute to Halloween and the opening of Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine. The exterior columns of the Legion looked spooktacular with purple and blue lighting. As guests made their way to the entrance, creepy music played from the dark corners of the Court of Honor.

The doors opened at 8 pm. Upon entry, waiters greeted partygoers with signature cocktails including the Pernod Absinthe Sour, Poison Appletini, Embalming Fluid and Zombie Killer. Hors d'oeuvres were served in the front galleries while black-and-white horror films were projected on the walls and the pipe organ howled Halloween classics. Guests snacked on dessert as they had their palms read by witches.

Around 10 pm, DJ Shissla mixed sets that had the crowd moving in the Rodin Gallery. Pop Rocks performed live in the café complete with mummy go-go dancers. I was amazed by how creative the costumes were. At one point, I noticed Cleopatra, Tiger Woods, and Audrey Hepburn enjoying a drink together on the terrace. ArtPoint would like to thank the attendees for making this event a big hit!

Purago Marabe and Martin Morububuna, October 2009 Jolika Fellows

afox@famsf.org — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:26 PDT

Community Mural: Legend of Ilakavetega

By Martin Morububuna
Once upon a time there lived Ilakavetega and her two granddaughters. Every day the granddaughters went out to the beach to fetch saltwater for the grandmother. The Boi bird would come to the girls and would sit on the rock and talk to them, and would even say things about their grandmother.

One day the grandmother decided with the two girls to trap the bird and catch it. They set the trap on the rock and the bird sat on it and got caught. The two girls carried the bird home. The chief of the village heard that the bird been caught. He requested the head of the bird to make his magic. The grandmother did not give the head to the chief. The chief ordered his messengers to bring the old woman to him. The chief's magician killed the grandmother and got married to the granddaughters and lived happily ever after.

Artists' Statement:
From Paradise to Where??

Papua New Guinea is a very diverse and multilingual developing country. In the unique Melanesian way, we began as a nation of structured cultures and communities. We had chiefs, elders, warriors, gardeners, healers, herbsmen and wisemen. People conducted their everyday routines according to specific expectations and rules of their communities, which varied from village to village.

Every issue and decision—even every penalty—was decided according to those rules. Apart from the hardships of warfare and their nomadic lives, people generally lived abundant, peaceful, happy, hard-working lives. In doing so, our people lived in harmony with each other and with nature and our traditions, while conflicts were amicably settled.

After World War II, there was an influx of missionaries and churches, each with its own dogma and teachings. After PNG gained independence from Australia in 1975, western culture poured into Papua New Guinea through government and private sectors. We became independent, but now we are dependent on modernity. We can’t go back now. We are searching for solutions. What can be preserved from the past?

The mural in this gallery looks back at the peoples, art, cultures and natural environment from the highlands to the coastal regions of Papua New Guinea. The painting expresses a wish for all people to realize the truth in themselves. Our hope for humanity transcends the specific people and places represented in the painting. We will all create this vision together. We all have our cultures and traditions. The paint will tell the colors of our collective story.

Poetry and Paintings by Purago Marabe

Hauslain

Where all the blood poured
Where mythical legends, are mythical and endless
Where food is never in short supply as handshakes
Where sleep is pure and abundant
Where all the tribes folk is bred and born
Where all must return to
Both the living and the dead.

Where god and the devil eavesdrop
Without inhibitions and mannerisms
Never merging
Only the sun and night fulfill
Their full or half lives
On the many roads

In and out of the village
Following the spirits of hunters and gatherers
It's the hauslined forever.

Row of houses lined up
Bush architecture against tribal village
My inheritance
Where my tambunas await
My families are scattered there
I've only come
To go back
Where my roots are
In line of string, intertwined
Playground of man, woman, children

Mist

Captured
            I am

Capsized
            You are

From somewhere
            You emerge

On the hilltop
            I dwell

For me, you bring loving tidings and silence
For you, I share you my heart and kupe flowers

Together the feeling remains
As you caress the mountains and my gardens
Awaiting each other
Amongst you, I close my eyes.

Engrossed I breathe your freshness
That which is drunk before sunrise
It's my cup of endurance
Of the times ahead
This morning you made it
My day....
It's the mist.

I Plant Trees

If the sun is to again shine
My waiting is an aging handful
For, if the rain is to come much later,
My anxiety is tall
And every noon I dream a different tree.

If the clouds have not gathered
My eyes can’t see the scorching sun
The seed to be buried can’t wait anymore
My anxiety meets the sprawled wind
I climb different trees in my restlessness.

Though my waiting be many nights
The sun rests, so must I
The moon retires, so my waiting
For the wind to ‘round the clouds-
And the clouds to shield the sun
And for the rain of Porandi to fall
For the trees, before they sprout
Must dream their awakening.

There is sunshine fom Porandi
The Porandi spirits have sent rain
Monsoonal rains from the cousins’ land have arrived
Far away, there are echoes and drumbeats
In graveholes, there’s song and preparation
The long time has come
I plant a tree
One each for everyone’s shadows

Yua, Spirit of the Arctic at the de Young

cmcain@famsf.org — Wed, 9 Sep 2009 12:18 PDT

Now is your chance to experience art from the far north first hand. The de Young recently opened a permanent installation in the Art of the Americas galleries titled Yua, Spirit of the Arctic: Eskimo and Inuit Art from the Collection of Thomas G. Fowler. The collection is an excellent addition to the de Young’s West Coast Native American holdings.

Yua, Spirit of the Arctic showcases eighty masterworks, ranging in date from ancient to contemporary periods. On view are carvings, masks, sculptures, and containers made from materials including whale bone, walrus tusk, driftwood and soapstone.

The collection was a gift to the museum from the estate of the late Thomas G. Fowler, a multitalented artist, designer, collector, and businessman. A special piece in the collection is Mr. Fowler’s red leather-bound travel journal. The pages are filled with his neat penmanship and delicate sketches. His journal adds a personal touch to the collection; I was able to get a better understanding for his passion after seeing how meticulously he documented his findings. The book is displayed opened to an entry from February 6, 1999; it describes a Box Decoration with Seals ca. 1880. On the opposite page, Fowler sketched the piece in actual size and it is included in the installation.

My personal favorites are the collection of snow goggles from 19th century Alaska. I think that the goggles have a modern look to them. They are made of wood, pigment and string varying slightly by design while holding true to the small size and slits for eyes. It is amazing to see how the goggles were both aesthetic and functional.

The Fine Arts Museums would like to thank the team of consultants that helped to ensure the cultural integrity of the art and information on display. Community advisor Chuna McIntyre is an Alaska native and Yup’ik artist. Academic advisor Roslyn Tunis is an independent curator and expert on the art and culture of the native peoples of Alaska and the Northwest Coast. Presenting artist Susie Silook is a Yupik/Inupiaq writer, carver and sculptor. There are three pieces by Silook in the current installation, the most of any artist represented.

Admission price and hours coincide with the de Young permanent collection. For more details, go to www.deyoungmuseum.org.

KPFA interview with Chuna McIntyre:

Behind the Scenes: The Journey of Irethorrou

afox@famsf.org — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:56 PDT

I recently got to tag along as the mummy of Irethorrou was transported from Stockton's Haggin Museum to the de Young's conservation lab, in preparation for a journey down to Stanford University Medical Center for a CT scan. The mummy of Irethorrou, a 2,500-year-old ancient Egyptian priest from Akhmim, has been in the collections of the Fine Arts Museums since 1917, and had been on loan to the Haggin Museum since 1944.

While I was there I took a few photos showing the behind-the-scenes activities involved in moving a mummy, as well as some photos of him in the conservation lab. My colleague Jill Lynch accompanied him to Stanford and took the photos of him undergoing his CT scan.

Here's a slideshow of the journey, from our Flickr photostream:

Irethorrou will be the centerpiece of the upcoming exhibition Very Post-Mortem: Mummies and Medicine, opening in the Legion of Honor's Gallery 1 on Saturday, October 31.

Cultural Encounters Artist Commission Updates

nschach@famsf.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:45 PDT

Cultural Encounters Commissions

The Fine Arts Museums solicit California artists and art groups to create site specific works and installations in response to the de Young's permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, or the building and its environment

Todd and Meklit, Artistic Director and resident artist, respectively, of the Red Poppy Art House joined us as June Artists-in-Residence as well as commissioned artists for the de Young Museum with their project entitled Meklit Hadero and Todd Brown: Light, Shadow, and the Space of in Between.

Every month the de Young invites artists to install and demonstrate their art form at the museum. This interactive program is meant to encourage dialogue between the museum visitor and local working artists within the community.

In the case of Hadero and Brown, the artists integrated their artistic processes with the physical environment of the Kimball Gallery in an interactive installation enhanced by musical compositions and two-dimensional art. The ultimate goal of Todd and Meklit was to inspire visitors to integrate art into their own home, work, and life environments.

In an effort to document their their uniquely intensive process, Todd has included several images and further explanations of his and Meklit's various works on his website: www.artist-toddbrown.com

Please visit his site and see what beautiful inspiring work is being created in YOUR community!

Podcast: FAMSF Curator of Ancient Art Renee Dreyfus Talks About Tut in '79 and Now

afox@famsf.org — Mon, 6 Jul 2009 10:45 PDT

Our newest podcast features FAMSF curator of ancient art and interpretation Renee Dreyfus, who talks about the 1979 Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition and the current Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. Renee was on the curatorial team for the first Tut exhibition 30 years ago, and now heads up the FAMSF curatorial efforts for the current offering.

Download the podcast MP3
Subscribe to the de Young podcast

A Day at the FAMSF Photo Studio

sgrinols@famsf.org — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:26 PDT

Amazing art comes through the photo studio on a regular basis.

We tend to save Mondays (when we’re closed to the public) to photograph artworks that are normally installed in the galleries. This way we can take the objects out of the galleries and into the photo studio without impacting the public.

Recently we shot two recent acquisitions from the AOA department. The images will appear in the next edition of the museums' Fine Arts magazine.

The first object: Mayan plate with Maize God head in cacao tree and "kill hole" passage to the afterlife

Lesley Bone, our objects conservator, deinstalling the plate in the morning.

The plate waiting for its appointment under the photographer’s lights. Our mount maker quickly soldered together (and painted) the mount this morning (sitting next to the plate). He made the mount specifically for the photo shoot.

The plate being carefully installed on the photo table.

Joe McDonald, our photographer, adjusting the lights.

The plate sits safely on the table, the mount is practically invisible.

We use a photography system that allows Joe to view the image on his laptop instantly. Very helpful in terms of getting the shot just right.

The Second object we shot today: African musical instrument, lute-harp

Our objects conservator, Lesley Bone, and the curator, Kathy Berrin, discuss the upcoming shoot.

The Lute under the lights

Our photographer, Joe McDonald, taking the shot

One of the final images on Joe’s laptop.

The next step in the process is photoshop work on the images. And then they’re off to the Fine Arts magazine designer who will work them into the layout.

(You can see larger versions of all the above images in our Flickr slideshow here.)

Celebrate Mother’s Day For Free

cmcain@famsf.org — Fri, 8 May 2009 15:58 PDT

Looking for something that won’t break the bank on Mother’s Day? Look no further, the Legion of Honor and de Young host Koret Museum Days on May 10, a tribute to the Koret Foundation’s 30th Anniversary with free general admission. View the permanent collection and enjoy complimentary public programs. For more information, please go to www.koretmuseumdays.org.

Legion of Honor
1–3 pm
Live Music by The Frisky Frolics
Hands on art-making of flower accessories
4–5 pm
Skinner organ concert of early 20th century American music

de Young
12:30–1:30 pm
Special Mother’s Day docent tour

The Story of Julia Warhola

cmcain@famsf.org — Fri, 8 May 2009 15:57 PDT

Who was the woman behind the artist? In Andy Warhol’s case, it was his mother, Julia Warhola. As adults, the two lived together for 20 years in a New York City apartment. They shared a close bond, as well as an interest in the arts.

Julia and her husband, Andrej Warhola, were immigrants from Miková, Slovakia. They settled in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania just after the turn of the 20th century. In 1942, Andrej died and she was left to tend to their three children.

Julia was fond of drawing and craft making. She noticed that her youngest child, Andy, was a talented artist at an early age. She encouraged him to explore his creativity and pursue an education in the arts.

In 1951, Julia moved to New York City to be close to Andy. They lived together in an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. She enjoyed taking care of him and organizing his work.

Andy would often use her decorative handwriting in his illustrations, including the album cover The Story of Moondog (1957). The album is on view in Warhol Live at the de Young.

Celebrate motherhood this Sunday with a visit to Warhol Live. Closing May 17, this is the last week to experience the thrill of this infamous pop artist. Click here for more information.