Looping it up in Providence

Holding the auspicious slot as the inaugural exhibiting artist, Julianne Swartz (deCordova, Fall 2012) opened up the new Cohen Gallery at Brown University with Loop on February 4^th.  While I admittedly missed the Artist talk by greatly underestimating Boston-Providence Friday traffic, I did catch a glimpse of this beautiful and witty installation, curated by Jo-Ann Conklin and Natasha Khandekar.

Granoff Center

The Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts officially opened Thursday as Brown’s new interdisciplinary arts center. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, this striking, new tower is meant to encourage “faculty and students to create bold new directions for research, teaching, and production across the boundaries of individual arts disciplines and among artists, scientists, and scholars.” The beauty of this building is that its contents and uses (i.e. shows, courses, etc) will be juried by various committees each semester, allowing for unprecedented department collaboration across all fields. The building’s design reflects this blurring of boundaries with glass reveals between floors and walls that leave a visitor (well, this one at least) guessing exactly what floor she is on…

Julianne Swartz, Camera-Less-Video (2009): Stainless Steel, optical lenses, Plexiglas, hardware

Floor to Ceiling

Swartz’s work is a great first start for the new gallery space, as she is an artist who trades on the slippages in perception and space. The show includes three distinct works: Camera-Less-Video, that flips the view outdoors through a neat play of light and lenses; Floor to Ceiling, two thin metal rods suspended from the ceiling by magnetic force with a beautifully tense gap in between; and finally, the newest work Loop, a tapestry of wire and speakers that quietly and subtly whispers and hums. The result is magical, and the whispers of strangers add a quirky warmth to this shiny, stark building.

Julianne Swartz, Loop, 2011

Loop – on view until March 20^th.

- Dina Deitsch

Sculpture in New York

In late January, 2011, I traveled to New York to attend the preview party and celebration for the exhibition Ursula von Rydingsvard: Sculpture 1991-2009 at the Sculpture Center in Long Island City, near P.S. 1. This show runs through March 28, and the will appear at deCordova as our major summer sculpture exhibition, May 28 – August 28. I was especially eager to see Ursula’s newest work, Elegantka, an illuminated outdoor resin sculpture. Elegantka was commissioned by an anonymous deCordova patron especially for inclusion in Ursula’s retrospective. It will travel with the show to deCordova (where it will be installed on our Roof Terrace), and then to the Museum of Contemporary Art Clevelandand the Frost Art Museum in Miami. In late 2012, Elegantka will return to deCordova as part of our Permanent Collection.

Elegantka, Ursula von Rydingsvard

Here’s a link to the New York Times review of the exhibition:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/arts/design/28sculpture.html?_r=1&ref=arts

While in New York I also took in several sculpture shows in Chelsea: Mika Tajima at Elizabeth Dee, Patrick Hill at Bortolami, Tony Smith at Matthew Marks, Tony Feher at Pace, Cornelia Parker at D’Amelio Terras, Ghada Amer at Cheim and Read, and a large group show at Marlborough Chelsea (including Ursula!).

Nick Capasso

Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs

Fashionably Loud

 

Over 40 of Nick Cave’s famously fantastic Soundsuits (so named for the noises they make when worn and performed in) are on display in the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida in the exhibition Nick Cave: Meet Me in the Center of the Earth. Sequined, buttoned, crotched from doilies, or patched together from scavenged sweaters, socks, or human hair dyed in impossibly fluorescent colors, the Soundsuits are meticulously crafted by the artist who has been teaching fashion design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for nearly two decades. They are playful, showy, loud, and resemble fantastical Mardi Gras ensembles and elaborate African ceremonial costumes. Made to be worn and danced in, the suits were also accompanied by photographs of the artist wearing them as well as video clips of them in “action.” Definitely fun for all at the Norton. 

- Lexi Lee Sullivan 

Nick Cave, Soundsuits, mixed media, 2008-2009

Nick Cave, Soundsuits, mixed media, 2008-2009

Nick Cave, Soundsuits, mixed media, 2009-2009

 

Going West: Scottsdale and Phoenix, AZ, to hunt down keys; San Francisco and San Jose, CA, American History - now + then

Jean Shin and Brian Ripel, Lost Vista, installation view, 2010. Courtesy of the artist. 

© Jean Shin and Brian Ripel.

For a short trip to research two exciting upcoming projects for 2012 – a solo exhibition of sculptor Julianne Swartz and a project by Jena Shin and Brian Ripel - I found myself gazing out over the mountains around Phoenix – both from my airplane seat and from the safety of the museum gallery.

The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) opened Jean Shin and Brian Ripel: Unlocking this fall, a smart mediation on the local landscape of Scottsdale, AZ – a city defined as much by its brown mountain range as by its notorious housing bubble and bust. In 2012, SMoCA and deCordova will join forces, with gust curator Rachael Aruaz, to produce the first major museum survey of the work of Julianne Swartz, in the exhibition Julianne Swartz: How Deep is Your. That same year, we will also be featuring a new project by Jean Shin and Brian Ripel.

(left) Gravity House, opened up.    (center, right) Brent Green’s Installation (detail)

Another trip highlight was a visit to Arizona State University Art Museum where I saw Brent Green’s mesmerizing and heartbreaking installation Gravity was Everywhere Back Then. The film and large-scale installation of surreal rooms tells the true story of Leonard Wood, who built a house, room by marvelous room, in an attempt to save his wife Mary from a fatal cancer diagnosis. Wood continued to build the house even after Mary passed, in effect, as a built love letter to his late wife.

It was then on to San Francisco to visit the San Jose Museum of Art where they just celebrated the west-coast equivalent of the Boston Cyberarts Festival (!) the Zero-Festival. In honor of their comparable tech community (in that small thing called Silicon Vallery), the Museum organized two fantastic shows: a retrospective of the light-art Leo Villareal and vibrant, brilliantly-titled group show Retro-Tech.

Katya Bonnenfant, 2:57AM Onibaba Anguish 

from “Vintage Packaging for Animation,” 2009
Digital animation on iPod Touch, mounted in vintage clock

Leo Villareal – Installation as self-portraiture

Leo Villareal – Installation as self-portraiture

And finally – what is any trip without a studio visit. This time it was to the illustrious Allison Smith – sculptor and American History buff – who was featured in The Old, Weird America exhibition, organized by the Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, that came to deCordova in Summer 2009. Newly transplanted out west with her latest storefront project SMITHS, Allison was gracious enough to share her morning coffee with me and chat things old and American. We look forward to seeing her around these parts again soon!

- Dina Deitsch





 

SMITHS, Oakland, California



deCordova in the Middle

The Midwest is full of amazing things – tornadoes, corn, karaoke, friendly people, and plenty of great sculpture. On a recent trip to visit fellow Sculpture Parks we had the pleasure of seeing the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s 100 Acres Sculpture Park. After weathering a tornado (yes we were ushered to the basement of the beautiful IMA along with their staff) we saw projects like Andrea Zittel’s floating Indianapolis Island – a livable structure and research hub and Los Carpinteros’s Free Basket that materializes the path of a bouncing basketball. 

Next we flew to Missouri to check out Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis as well as Cedarhurst Sculpture Park in Southern Illinois (only an hour from STL). We were lucky enough to see the concrete being poured for Jessica Stockholder’s new piece at Laumeier – opening in February 2011 - and visit some all-time favorites like Dan Graham’s reflective pavilion, Triangular Bridge Over Water.

St. Louis was overflowing with fantastic sculpture, including this bronze (Bird) by Welsh artist Laura Ford in the newly constructed CityGarden in downtown St. Louis – complete with a great view of the famous Arch.

Our final Midwestern stop was Grand Rapids to see the Frederik Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park. They had a truly monumental exhibition of Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures that were literally everywhere – on hills, in gardens, and in sinking boats. This exhibition was in addition to the permanent collection sculptures, and one among many highlights was Jaume Plensa’s I, You, She or He  3 figures made of stainless steel letters positioned in conversation with one another.

Our takeaway from this trip (aside from the fact that “Boot-Scootin’ Boogie” makes an excellent karaoke song) – if you like sculpture, the Midwest is a great place to visit.

 - Lexi Lee Sullivan and Emily Silet

Nick's London Trip

 

From November 29 - December 2, I was in London, meeting with British sculptors, galleries, and museums.

Nick Capasso

Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs

Here are some highlights:

Tuesday, November 29

I met with Claire Shea, Curator at the Cass Sculpture Foundation (formerly Sculpture at Goodwood), which exists to promote the work of contemporary British sculptors. Claire and I had lunch at the Tate Britain to discuss possible Cass/deCordova collaborations.

At Tate Britain, I saw the 2010 Turner Prize show, along with artist Fiona Banner’s massive sculptures based on British fighter jets, the Tate’s 2010 Duveen Commission.

Later that afternoon I met with sculptor Laura Ford at her home and studio in Kentish Town. Sorry, no pictures. Laura will be having a major exhibition of her work next summer at the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and represented Wales in the Venice Biennale in 2005.

Wednesday, November 30

James Clapper

 

After a visit with young British sculptor James Capper at his studio in Southwark, he took me to see his sculpture, Sea Light, which was floating on the Thames in front of the Tate Modern. Sea Light uses both wind and solar energy to power a battery that in turn electrically illuminates the sculpture at night. Capper is interested in the aesthetic and technological places where sculpture and engineering meet. Sea Light is part of Drift 10, an exhibition program of sculptures in and along the Thames sponsored by the Henry Moore Foundation.

Ai Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds (detail)

Later that morning, I visited Ai Weiwei’s installation Sunflower Seeds at the Tate Modern. Here, this prominent Chinese artist placed over one hundred million hand-made porcelain sunflower seeds on the floor of the Tate Modern’s massive Turbine Hall. According to Ai, this number is just five times the population of Beijing.

Ai Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds

During the afternoon and evening, I met with sculptor Gary Webb. Gary’s work is very well known in England and throughout Europe - recently the Tate acquired two of his major sculptures - but less so in the United States. I am organizing Gary’s first American solo museum exhibition for deCordova for the summer of 2012, with all new indoor and outdoor work that Gary will create especially for the show.

Gary Webb, Tom's Music

Here’s Gary at his London gallery, The Approach, in Bethnal Green, where he is currently showing new sculptures. Gary is standing with Tom’s Music. 

Gary Webb, Miami Poo Pipe

 

Gary Webb’s Miami Poo Pipe. The surface colors of this sculpture gradually change, controlled by internal heating devices on timers.

Thursday, December 2

I spent the morning traipsing through the uncharacteristically cold, windy, and snowy Kensington Gardens, to see outdoor work by Anish Kapoor. This exhibition, Turning the World Upside Down, is sponsored by London’s Serpentine Gallery.

Anish Kapoor, Sky Mirror, Red, 2007

 

Anish Kapoor, Non-Object (Spire), 2007

In the far background is the spire of the late-19th century Albert Memorial.

Anish Kapoor, C-Curve, 2007

Whenever I travel abroad, I always try to find some time for a historical site. My visit to the Tower of London, begun in the 1080s by William the Conqueror, stood in stark contrast to several days spent with contemporary sculpture!

The Tower of London

Welcome

Welcome to Art Happens, the blog of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA. Here you will be able to follow our staff as they travel across New England and beyond in search of new art and artists. You can also visit our website for information about exhibitions, events, and much more.