Monday, January 25, 2010

Fun with Patterns

FAMSF presents Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown in the Caroline and H. McCoy Jones Textile Gallery at the de Young. The exhibition, which runs through June 6, 2010, features 48 full-size and crib quilts that showcase the diversity of the Amish quilt tradition. As an exhibition supplement, the textile education gallery is devoted to quilts and visitors of all ages are invited to create their own quilt patterns using wooden blocks.

This week, I explored the education gallery. Within a few minutes of being there, I had assembled a Sunshine and Shadow pattern by arranging the colored blocks from lightest to darkest. Next, I designed a Bowtie pattern; it was like working with a puzzle. The group beside me learned how to design a Roman Stripe pattern by arranging the blocks in squares divided diagonally into two triangles, one half in a solid color, the other striped. It was fun to experiment with quilt geometry. By learning just a few simple concepts, I was able to understand how Amish quilt-makers created their patterns. I left thinking that I could create a quilt pattern of my own.

After spending time in the education gallery, I walked through Amish Abstractions with a new understanding of how each quilt was designed and how the arrangement of individual squares formed the overall pattern. The quilts are visual distillations of the Amish culture and a truly unique contribution to American textile history.

The admission for Amish Abstractions is included in the permanent collection ticket at the de Young... [more]

Posted by: Cheryl McCain | January 25 at 3:48:05 PM
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Listed under: General News

Friday, November 13, 2009

2009 Jolika Fellowship Wrap-up

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... [more]

Posted by: Christina Hellmich | November 13 at 2:44:13 PM
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Listed under: de Young News | Public Programs and Events | Collections | Artist Studio

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

A Spooky Night at the Legion

Hors d'oeuvres in Gallery 12



Frida Kahlo, Dennis Eckersley, and Roxie Hart



Guests dancing to DJ Shissla

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!

Posted by: Cheryl McCain | November 3 at 4:49:55 PM
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Listed under: General News

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Purago Marabe and Martin Morububuna, October 2009 Jolika Fellows

Community mural in the Kimball Gallery

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... [more]

Posted by: Andrew Fox | October 21 at 1:26:54 PM
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Listed under: General News

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Yua, Spirit of the Arctic at the de Young

Thomas Fowler's travel journal, on view in the galleries

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... [more]

Posted by: Cheryl McCain | September 9 at 12:18:06 PM
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Listed under: General News