art@umuc magazine, spring 2016

A R T S P R O G R A M U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A R Y L A N D U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E

News and Perspectives for Friends of the Arts

SPRING 2016

18 The Empire Strikes Baltimore4 The Artistic Vision

of Delilah Pierce 12 Meet the Artist: Katja Oxman

From the President Dear Patrons,

Art exists in a world marked by constant discovery. It sharpens our vision, broadens our experience and perception, and fires the creativity that drives us to innovate, learn, and grow. At University of Maryland University College (UMUC), our Arts Program has long supported our mission of extending educational opportunities across Maryland and around the world. Our collection—which now includes some 2,800 individual works—is on regular display, free of charge, in our various facilities,

in our gallery spaces, and at public exhibitions. It serves constantly to showcase new and established artists alike, introducing their work to broader and more diverse audiences. One recent exhibition offers a clear example of that function. Plurality: The Conceptual Art of Akemi Maegawa, showcases the work of a conceptual artist—born in Japan, now living in Bethesda, Maryland—who produces work that makes political, social, and economic statements. Maegawa’s work is rich with nuance and meaning, and every piece shows us our world from a new and uniquely interna-tional perspective. Your support of the Arts Program allows us to continue to introduce artists like Akemi Maegawa to new and broader audiences and to bring a rich and diverse array of exhibitions to our students, faculty, staff, and the local community. I thank you for your commitment to this important initiative—and I hope to see you at one of our openings this year.

Sincerely,

Javier Miyares, President University of Maryland University College

From the Chair Dear Art Patrons,

The UMUC Arts Program has had a remarkable year, filled with visual art exhibi-tions, exhibition tours, and lectures, beginning with a premiere exhibition of the works of Helen Zughaib. This was followed by Reini Maters: Modern Impressionist (at the Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland); Raoul Middleman’s Romantic Expressionism: Honoring 55 years of Artistic Excellence; Delilah W. Pierce: Natural Perspective; and Plurality: The Conceptual Art of Akemi Maegawa. Along with these exhibitions, the Arts Program continued management of our

permanent exhibitions at UMUC: the Maryland Artists Collection, which includes the Gladys Goldstein Gallery, the Herman Maril Gallery, the Selma Oppenheimer Gallery, and the Leroy Merritt Center for the Art of Joseph Sheppard; the Art of China Gallery; and the Doris Patz Collection of Maryland Artists. Maintaining these collections and providing access to them is a great responsibility, and the Arts Program takes its roles and responsibilities seriously. And with your help, the 2016 exhibition season can be just as captivating and thought-provoking as last year’s. The Art Advisory Board and the Arts Program will soon begin a drive to support our future pro-grams. We will be asking you to make a financial contribution so that we can continue using art as a tool for education, introspection, and transformation. The money that we raise will be used to help with costs associated with presenting culturally diverse exhibitions, supplemental education programs such as lectures and workshops, educational publications, and more. The Wolpoff Family Foundation has provided us the opportunity to leverage your contributions to raise another $25,000 in matching funds. So, when you receive a letter asking for support, please be generous. We need to raise $25,000 to support our upcoming visual art exhibitions and supplemental edu-cation outreach programs. Your contribution will make a difference in the future of the arts in Maryland. Thank you,

Anne V. Maher, Esq., Chair, Art Advisory Board University of Maryland University College

GREETINGS

With a regional and national focus, the Arts Program is dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, study, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art of the highest quality in a variety of media that represent its constituents and to continuing its historic dedication to Maryland and Asian art.

UMUC ARTS PROGRAM

MISSION STATEMENT

1www.umuc.edu/art art@UMUC

CONTENTS

In Every Issue GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE CHAIR

2 COLLECTION SPOTLIGHT

3 DID YOU KNOW?

16 NEWS AND EVENTS

20 BECOME A FRIEND OF THE ARTS AT UMUC

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Untitled (Two Jars and Fruits) by Delilah W. Pierce; artist Katja Oxman working in her studio; Felise in Blue by Delita Martin

12 Meet the Artist:

Katja Oxman

The Empire Strikes Baltimore18

ON THE COVER

Katja Oxman

UMUC celebrates the work of visual artist and printmaker Katja Oxman. Learn more about this longtime friend of the Arts Program and her work on page 12.

Katja Oxman, An Acre for a Bird to Choose, 2000, print, edition 66 of 75, 24 x 30 inches

4 The Artistic Vision

of Delilah Pierce

SPRING 2016

Managing EditorEric Key

EditorsSandy Bernstein Beth Butler Nancy Kochuk

Director, Institutional MarketingCynthia Friedman

Graphic DesignerJennifer Norris

Project ManagerLaurie Bushkoff

Arts Program StaffRene Sanjines

UMUC Art Advisory BoardJavier Miyares, UMUC PresidentAnne V. Maher, Esq., ChairEva J. Allen, Honorary MemberMyrtis Bedolla, Vice ChairJoan BevelaquaI-Ling Chow, Honorary MemberNina C. DwyerKarin Goldstein, Honorary MemberJuanita Boyd Hardy, Honorary MemberSharon Holston, Honorary MemberPamela HoltEric KeyThomas Li, Honorary MemberDavid Maril, Honorary MemberBarbara Stephanic, PhD Past Vice Chair, Honorary MemberDianne A. Whitfield-Locke, DDSSharon Wolpoff

University of Maryland University College is a constituent institution of the University System of Maryland. Art@umuc is published twice a year by UMUC’s Art Advisory Board. Please send comments to [email protected] or mail to

Magazine EditorArts ProgramUniversity of Maryland University College3501 University Boulevard EastAdelphi, MD 20783-8007Phone 301-985-7937 • Fax 301-985-7865

ABOVE: Liz Whitney Quisgard, Crater #2, 1998, acrylic on plywood, 8 x 48 x 74 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist; BELOW: Liz Whitney Quisgard, Tower D, 1990, acylic on plywood, 72 x 18 x 18 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist

LIZ WHITNEY QUISGARD / BY ERIC KEY

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover: John Woo; Inside cover: Katherine Lambert, Jonah Koch; p. 1 clockwise from top left: John Woo, Josh Kuckens, Daily Hampshire, Tracey Brown; pp. 2–15 John Woo; p. 16 top to bottom: Tracey Brown, John Woo; p. 17: John Woo; p. 18 Tracy Brown; p. 19 top to bottom: John Woo, Brooke Rogers, Vicki Minor

2 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Liz Whitney Quisgard’s relationship with UMUC began way back in 1981, with the

donation of an untitled oil on canvas that is still a part of the art collection at UMUC.

A Philadelphia native, Quisgard graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art

in 1949; studied with Morris Louis from 1958 to 1960; and received her MFA in 1966 from

the Maryland Institute College of Art Rinehart School of Sculpture. In 1972, she earned

a certificate from the Maryland Institute College of Art School of Architectural Design

and Drafting, which accounts for the architectural style of her artistic creations.

Although she currently lives and works in New York, Quisgard has a long history in

Maryland. She served on the faculty of the Baltimore

Hebrew Congregation, Maryland Institute College

of Art, Goucher College, and University of Mary-

land, College Park; was a contributing writer for the

Baltimore Sun, Craft Horizons magazine, Baltimore

Magazine, and the Baltimore News American; and was

a set designer for the theater department at Goucher

College, Center Stage, and Theater Hopkins.

Quisgard’s strong, geometrical, and intricate

patterns have been described in various ways—

as painted architecture, wildly colorful, sculptural,

repeated rhythms of color, symmetrical, nonobjective,

and rich. Her works clearly are tied to the Color Field

painters in America.

She says, “My goal is to surprise and engage

the mind by seducing the eye. Toward that end,

I rely on pattern.”

Recently, the artist expanded UMUC’s collection

with a donation of seven works in various media. The

Arts Program at UMUC is proud to add these new

works to the Maryland Artist Collection.

www.umuc.edu/art art@UMUC 3

DID YOU KNOW?

LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS IN THE UMUC PERMANENT COLLECTION

By Eric Key

Painter McArthur Binion, who

was born in the rural town of

Macon, Mississippi, but lives

and works in Chicago, had his

first solo museum exhibition

at the Contemporary Arts

Museum Houston?

Master printmaker Susan J. Goldman, who has her own

printing press studio (Lily

Press in Rockville, Maryland),

teaches printmaking and is

the founding director of

Printmaking Legacy Project?

Nelson Stevens, who currently

resides in Baltimore following

a long teaching career at

University of Massachusetts,

is still a practicing member

of AfriCOBRA, which was

founded in 1968 by the late

Jeff Donaldson?

Christopher Klein, who was

an illustrator at the National

Geographic Society, is

considered a surrealist painter?

Did you know . . .

ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: McArthur Binion, 152 W. 25th Street (detail), c. 1978–79, marking crayon on aluminum, 72 x 48 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection; Christopher Klein, Untitled (detail), n.d., etching on paper, edition 1 of 20, 55⁄8 x 7½ inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection; Nelson Stevens, Stevie Wonder, 1982, mixed media, 30 x 26 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Doris Patz Collection of Maryland Artists; Susan J. Goldman, Explosion (detail), 1998, screenprint, 11 x 14 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection


Nature’s Symphony (triptych), 1980–81, acrylic on canvas,48 x 108 inches, Collection of the Spence family


THE ARTISTIC VISION OF Delilah Pierce

BY FLOYD COLEMAN, PhD


EXPLORATIONS OF NATURE In numerous works, Pierce explored the intricacies, complexities, grandeur, and beauty of nature. Works such as Giant Nature’s Splendor, Ceremonial Stones (Gay Head Cliffs), and Nature’s Symphony #1 attest to her respect for and love of nature and of her interest in its spiritual lessons. Giant Nature’s Splendor, one of Pierce’s largest watercolors (29½ inches in its greatest dimension), reveals the artist’s skill in handling the medium. Here she is able to capture a compelling feeling of freshness and energy. The trunks of the trees are defined with a dark color that gives structural qualities that are in sharp contrast to the light yellows and off-whites of the leaves of the trees. The structural and spatial qualities are reminiscent of techniques most often used by impressionist and 20th-century abstract expressionist artists. Techniques such as selecting fragments or small sections of scenes to create compositions give the work an intimacy and freshness that is also very much aligned with watercolor techniques and with the use of watercolor as a medium.

lowers, trees, water, earth, sky, and other natural items are subjects in the paintings and watercolors of Delilah W. Pierce. They do not, however, serve as ends in themselves but as tropes for exploring ideas, concepts, and various aesthetic subjectivities. Pierce uses her drawings and watercolor studies to develop and expand her language of forms, shapes, space, structure, color, composition, atmospheric effects, and mood. To understand Pierce’s art, one should keep in mind that her life covered all but twelve years of the 20th cen-tury. The many transformative historical, political, social, economic, and cultural developments of the century were interwoven in the American tapestry that was taught and authenticated in the public schools, colleges and universi-ties, and religious and cultural institutions and organiza-tions of American society and absorbed by Pierce. Delilah Williams Pierce was educated at Dunbar High School, Miner Normal School, and Howard University, three of Washington, D.C.,’s most prestigious black institu-tions. Although the city was segregated, these institutions exposed Pierce to informed cosmopolitan perspectives on global cultural and intellectual traditions and to ideas about modern art and artistic practices, the latter augmented by a wide variety of museum exhibitions and programs available in the District of Columbia. In art history classes from the 1920s forward, Pierce and other art students across the country were introduced to world and modern art through publications such as Helen Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, John Ruskin’s Mod-ern Painters, E. H. Gombrich’s The Story of Art, and Alfred H. Barr Jr.’s Cubism and Abstract Art. Pierce also received a steady diet of late 19th-century and early 20th-century modern art concepts in classes taught by Loïs Mailou Jones, James L. Wells, James A. Porter, and others at Howard University. In addition, she was exposed to the literary works of early 20th-century writers and poets, such as James Joyce, T. S. Eliot, Alain Locke, James Weldon Johnson, and Langston Hughes, who shaped African Amer-ican modernist subjectivities. Visual artists such as Aaron Douglas, Hale Woodruff, Charles Alston, and others helped contextualize and shape the course of early 20th-century American modernist art and certainly Pierce’s art. Like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee, and other artists with whom she was thoroughly familiar, Pierce frequently painted the same or similar scenes not to gain technical mastery but to acknowledge the complexities of forms; to explore different perspectives, views, and lighting effects; and to penetrate the essence of things—knowing that there is always more than what is seen. Her return to the same or similar subjects is acknowledgement that the serious artist is in constant dialogue with nature and the broad visual world and needs to carefully study and utilize mem-ory, experience, and history to understand how to reveal the spiritual dimension of things and of existence itself.

F

Giant Nature’s Splendor, circa 1982, watercolor on paper, 29½ x 22 inches, Collection of Dianne Whitfield-Locke and Carnell Locke

RIGHT: Nebulae X, 1983, acrylic on canvas, 39 x 24¾ inches, Collection of the Spence family


“Inspired by nature and the world around us,

colors, patterns, forms, shapes, and spaces, . . . my paintings have been

an exploration of

developing a visual language to communicate

what I see and feel.” DELILAH W. PIERCE


Pierce’s long fascination with light as an aesthetic quality and as a metaphor for spirituality can be seen in a variety of her works, such as Nature’s Symphony #1; Vineyard Haven Harbor, Mass.; Rocks by the Shore (Martha’s Vineyard); and Nebulae X, a painting that features colors that are within a limited spectral and value range but succeeds because of its subtle illumination. By exploring many different scenes from nature, Pierce engaged in a dialogue with nature and the visual world—especially their natural, cultural, and spiritual dimensions. Pierce’s landscapes are a manifestation of her desire to celebrate nature and acknowledge the sublimity that kept her in awe of its grandeur. In Rocks by the Shore (Martha’s Vineyard), Pierce explores light differently. Here she focuses on the sea, the water, where it gently caresses the shore at a specific time of day. She captures the feel of a cloudy day, or the appearance of near dusk, in what is a familiar place for her. Pierce intimates here that the scene is the same as always, but the experience is different and distinct—that nature demands close scrutiny of its details and its secrets. Similarly, Fishing Boats at Martha’s Vineyard depicts empty boats left in a cove on an overcast day. Pieces such

as this one bring to mind the work of African American artist Hughie Lee-Smith, whom Pierce greatly admired and collected. Lee-Smith was influenced by the Italian meta-physical painting movement, which was founded in 1917 by Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà and gained prominence in the 1920s, fueled by the emergence of surrealism. The works of these artists often depicted incongruous, enig-matic still lifes; scenes of empty streets; or a lone human figure in a large square or open space. In Angel Wing Begonia, Pierce uses a restricted palette of colors within a relatively narrow value range to create a different effect by providing close-up, proximate views of flowers through a studied development of the petals and leaves of the flowers with subtle changes in color and by manifesting the orientation of the leaves in a variety of shapes. Works such as this are also reminiscent of the mood of works of Helen Frankenthaler, an abstract expressionist who created large abstract pieces based on landscapes, and particularly the works included in Fran-kenthaler’s breakthrough exhibition Mountains and Sea. Pierce frequently painted architectural structures in Washington, D.C.; New England; and many other parts of the world. Her houses often feature red or gray roofs

Fishing Boats at Martha’s Vineyard, 1951, watercolor on paper, 12 x 16 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Doris Patz Collection of Maryland Artists


and walls in off-white and warm gray colors. At times, the architectural forms are presented within lush land-scape scenes on hillsides, their contrasting colors creating different spatial effects, evoking the School of Paris sensi-bilities of Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre Bonnard, among others.

THE HUMAN FIGUREWhile the dominant subjects of Pierce’s paintings and watercolors are landscapes and still life scenes, she also painted portraits and images of the human figure. Two very fine examples are Twins and Sudanese Tradermen, No. II. Although the figurative paintings are quite well done, they do not rise to the level of visual poetry Pierce achieved in the landscapes, seascapes, and still lifes she produced during this same period. Like many African American artists in the 1950s, Pierce exhibited her work in the annual exhibitions hosted by Atlanta University, known as the Atlanta University Art Annuals, which were founded by renowned artist Hale Woodruff. The exhibitions became an important venue for numerous African American artists, such as Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Felrath Hines, Romare Bearden, and Hughie Lee-Smith. Acceptance of work for the exhibitions became a standard by which individuals were judged with respect to their standing as serious and accomplished artists. Hope was Pierce’s submission to the 1952 exhibi-tion. Even at this point in her career, compositionally the work is characteristic of Pierce—the head and shoulders of the female figure occupy most of the pictorial space, not unlike the way the artist depicts some landscape scenes in which one or two trees or objects occupy most of the visual field. Here the artist presents a close-up view of the figure, making it appear monumental. Musicians and musical instruments are subjects Pierce returns to over the years. In Sudanese Traderman, No. II, drums appear prominently in the foreground. In the paint-ing Cellist, the artist shows musical instruments and semi-abstract images of musicians in an analytical cubist style. This work is characterized by its transparency, achieved with what appears to be a glaze developed with yellow ocher and a hint of burnt umber, creating an overall feeling of unity, harmony, and completeness. The piece is an ex-ample of the artist painting with assurance and authority. From the 1950s onward, Pierce produced a variety of works in semiabstract and pure abstract or nonobjective styles. In works like Gold Floating with White Edge, Pierce demonstrates that she is an accomplished abstractionist. DC Waterfront, Maine Avenue is exemplary of Pierce’s most important work. It is clear that she knew what she wanted to accomplish with this painting, that is, to capture the essence of the scene in question in an abstract style. In this work, the artist reveals her interest in visceral, tactile, impasto surfaces; broken-color techniques; and the desired effects of light. Although painted in a higher

Sudanese Tradermen, No. II, 1964, acrylic on canvas,18 x 14 inches, Collection of the Spence family

Twins, 1952, oil on panel, 20 x 16 inches,Collection of the Spence family


key, it has some of the aesthetic qualities of Monet’s paintings, especially Water Lilies, works that inspired the development of a variety of 20th-century approaches to abstraction, particularly abstract expressionism. Long Bridge – DC, VA features a restricted palette and is painted in high-key colors with an emphasis on warm off-whites, burnt umber, and ochers with dark accents and white highlights. Some of the same kinds of imagery and characteristic color usage can be seen in Vineyard Haven Harbor, Mass. Although it is apparent that Pierce is partial to heavy impasto painting techniques, this becomes pro-nounced in the semiabstract and abstract paintings she completed from the 1950s forward.

SEARCHING AND EXPERIMENTINGPierce’s experimentation was part of her overall concern for communicating ideas, expressing feelings, and explor-ing new aesthetic possibilities. She experimented with a variety of concepts and modalities, which were realized in compositional strategies in works such as Gay Head Cliffs, Martha’s Vineyard. Her experiments included playing with characteristic color combinations, complex structural qualities, and mediations of impasto surfaces with super-imposed lines that are not mindful of organic forms but of geometric constructs.

Verticals and Horizontals, Dockside, not dated, acrylic on linen, 25 x 25 inches, Collection of the Spence family

Vineyard Haven Harbor, Mass., not dated, acrylic on board, 23½ x 35½ inches, Collection of the Spence family


Excerpted from the UMUC exhibition catalog Delilah W. Pierce: Natural Perspective.

In several works, Pierce uses what appears to be a port-hole as a device to construct space and to create unique compositional qualities. Verticals and Horizontals, Dockside shows Pierce’s overture to the minimalist reductionism of the mid-1960s and 1970s. She seems to be intrigued by the rhythm implicit in the repetition of the vertical poles and the absence of biomorphic forms in the verticals that dominate the pictorial space. The artist paints the water, which extends to the top section of the picture plane, in this same mode. In this piece, she provides markers for the viewer to conclude that it is an open window that allows the viewer to experience this scene on Martha’s Vineyard. Occasionally the artist provides a different perspective or vantage point of a scene; a distinct example is Peace. Here the viewer is below, looking up at the principal image. In some of her later paintings, Pierce uses whites in combination with more intense light-blue and orange colors to create a characteristic chalky effect. Vineyard Friends, created during the last decade of Pierce’s career, reflects her intellectual and philosophical interests and concepts, which seem to be more pronounced; there is less emphasis on verisimilitude and more focus on layering and abstracted forms. Vineyard Haven Harbor, Mass. shows the artist’s return to exploring the intimate seductiveness of light. There is also a feeling of absence evoked by the empty boats—some of them on their sides—that is truly thought provoking. As with many of her compositions, Pierce uses a select part of the scene to provide an entry point into the composition. In the landscapes, seascapes, and other scenes that ex-plore surf and shore, she carefully and artfully constructs the space, reflecting a sense of plasticity and solidness. In distinctive gestural abstract expressionist paint-ings such as Gay Head Cliffs, Martha’s Vineyard, Pierce investigates scenes of water, sand and shore, rocks, land, and sky, captured with broad brush strokes loaded with paint and with colors that are expressive and also achieve spatial and structural unity and balance. In the tradition of Cézanne and Georgia O’Keeffe, Pierce is able to trans-form pedestrian still life subject matter into visual poetry. Two fine examples are Lilies (Still Life) and Lobster Pots. Lilies (Still Life) shows a large vase of flowers prominently placed in the foreground, consuming most of the pictorial space. The artist uses white and off-whites and warm and cool grays to create a subtle but very vibrant work. Lobster Pots resembles Pierce’s scenes of Martha’s Vineyard that date to the late 1970s. They have a calmness about them that belies the artist’s intense focus and empathy with the subject. Accordingly, in this sense, restraint and reserva-tion can be linked to the artist’s personality and to her philosophy of life, expressed through order and balance. In these and many other works, Pierce explores the intricate spatial markers that increase the mystery and complexity of works of art. Colors, shapes, and their ori-entation can induce certain feelings that may relate to the distinctly unique and personal.

Lilies (Still Life), not dated, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 inches, Collection of the Spence family

Pierce, like many African American artists, was not represented by a mainstream commercial gallery and consequently felt free to move back and forth between representation and abstraction and continue to search for the serious and meaningful. In other words, she did not feel compelled to create a masterpiece and subsequently single-mindedly try to recreate it over and over again with changes that can best be described as infinitesimal. Accordingly, Pierce, like many of her contemporaries, did not produce a strict brand, and her works are often over-looked and underappreciated. This exhibition of selected works reveals that Pierce was an accomplished watercolorist, an engaging abstrac-tionist, and an artist who was conversant with the aesthetic subjectivities of her time. It also reveals that Pierce was continuously searching for a more affecting spiritual dia-logue that connects the art object and the viewer in light of how the artist uses form, space, color, texture, structure, proportion, balance, scale, and movement. Finally, Pierce—at all times a teacher and intellectual— was ever searching and experimenting to expand her awareness and understanding of art and artistic processes and of herself as an artist, a woman, and an American of African descent living, working, and facing the challenges of the 20th century.


LEFT: Katja Oxman, Most Practiced Distance, 1990, print, edition 137 of 150, 32½ x 24 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist

KATJA OXMAN

BY ERIC KEY

MEET ARTISTTHE

The world of printmaking includes the works of thousands of talented visual artists who use the medium to create exquisite renditions of life, fantasy, and exploration.

Katja Oxman is one of them. A longtime friend of the Arts Program at UMUC, Oxman began donating works to the permanent collection in 1991 when she lived and worked in Maryland. She recently donated six more prints to our collection. I invite you to learn more about her artwork and her career in her own words.

KEY: When did you know you wanted to be a visual artist?

OXMAN: As far back as I can remember. It was the only

thing I wanted to be.

KEY: Did your parents support this goal?

OXMAN: My mother was completely supportive. My father

had reservations about how precarious life can be for

anyone in the arts. My mother had wanted to be an artist,

but her family was not supportive and the war made just

surviving the only priority.

KEY: Were your parents patrons of the arts?

OXMAN: No!

KEY: Who or what inspired you to be a visual artist?

OXMAN: There is an old adage, “You do not chose art. Art

chooses you.” Visual art was the only thing I was interested in.

KEY: What does creating art do for you?

OXMAN: Actually, I think it keeps me sane.

KEY: Who is Katja Oxman? Tell us about your background.

OXMAN: My father, Mischa Protassowski, was a White

Russian who fought with the Bolsheviks in the Russian

revolution, and my mother, Gretl, was German. They met

during the war, which resulted in my mother losing her

citizenship and, as a result, placed the family in a danger-

ous position in Nazi Germany. I remember relocating to

the United States in 1952. We settled in Rose Valley, Penn-

sylvania, just outside Philadelphia. Surviving the danger

of war, my father became an automobile painter, and my

mother became a psychiatric occupational therapist.

KEY: Tell us about your educational experiences.

OXMAN: When I went to school, one had to choose

between attending an art school or a college or university.

I wanted to spend more time in the studio and less in

classrooms, so art school was the obvious choice. I studied

at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. At that time,

it was not unusual to finish one’s studies abroad; I did my

graduate work in Munich at the Akademie der Bildenden

Kunste. I did postgraduate work at the Royal College of

Art, London, England.


KEY: What was one of the most rewarding experiences you had in creating and/or showcasing your art?

OXMAN: Struggling through the whole process to bring

a work to a successful conclusion.

KEY: What do you want viewers to get from viewing your art?

OXMAN: As much as they can.

KEY: Why do you create art?

OXMAN: From what I can tell from myself and artist

friends, it’s just a need that must be fulfilled and can’t

be explained. It fulfills and gives me a reason for living.

KEY: Why did you select printmaking as your medium?

OXMAN: It is hard to say. But there are many reasons . . .

I liked the process, the limitation of color, and the drawing

aspect involved in printmaking.

KEY: Is there something unique about your printing process?

OXMAN: I use only three colors on three plates to make

the myriad of colors that one sees in the print.

KEY: Talk about your process.

OXMAN: I set up a still life. This takes a long time as I

attempt to get it just right. I then make a black-and-white

drawing of it in actual scale. The image is transferred to a

copper plate, which is the blue plate. I develop this image

as far as I can. I transfer that image onto another clean

plate, which is the red plate. I then develop that and then

print both onto a third clean plate, which is the yellow plate.

I then print the three together to see what changes need

to be made. The final image is a realist print or a print that

is as real or imaginative as I want it to be.

KEY: Were you always a printer?

OXMAN: When I went to art school, all students had what

was called the preliminary year. You took painting, sculpture,

drawing, etc. The second year you chose which area to con-

centrate in. I chose printmaking, and I was hooked.

KEY: Are you pursuing any special projects?

OXMAN: Not really. I just hope to continue to work and

build on the work that I have already done.

KEY: What has helped propel your artistic career?

OXMAN: Getting a New York publisher who was able to

take my work nationwide.

KEY: What are your most prestigious awards?

OXMAN: I’ve received awards from the National Academy

of Design in New York, the Philadelphia Print Club, and the

Boston Printmakers.

KEY: Do you align your art with any art movement?

OXMAN: No. I only align myself with other artists who all

through history are searching for their own unique voice.

KEY: Do you teach? If so, what and where?

OXMAN: I have taught at Bryn Mawr College, University

of Massachusetts, American University, the Skowhegan

School, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

KEY: Do you get inspiration from your travels?

OXMAN: Yes, being able to appreciate great art firsthand

is wonderful and helpful. It could be a large collection like

the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, or a small painting

or fresco in a little church in Padua, Italy.

KEY: What would you tell aspiring student artists?

OXMAN: Look carefully at what the schools you may be

interested in are teaching. They all have annual students’

exhibits. This will let you know exactly what the school

represents and what you will or will not learn.

“THERE IS AN OLD ADAGE,

‘YOU DO NOT CHOSE ART.

ART CHOOSES YOU.’

VISUAL ART WAS THE ONLY

THING I WAS INTERESTED IN.”

—KATJA OXMAN


Oxman loves the printing process, and her excitement

for the medium is contagious. Her prints, which are mostly

etchings, are in many permanent collections in the United

States, including the National Museum of Women in the

Arts, the U.S. Department of State, the Smithsonian

Institution, and American University, Washington D.C.;

the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Philadel-

phia Museum, Pennsylvania; the New Jersey State

Museum; the National Academy of Design, New York;

the University of Delaware; and Johns Hopkins Hospital

(Baltimore) and University of Maryland University College,

Maryland. Dozens of corporate and private collectors in

this country and abroad have exhibited or own her works.

UMUC is especially proud to have a series of the

artist’s works in our permanent collection so that viewers,

including students, can appreciate the works and examine

her complex printing process.

Katja Oxman, Textures of the Past, 1993, print, edition 73 of 125, 24 x 24 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist

Katja Oxman, A Lane of Yellow Led the Eye, 1993, print, edition 40 of 100, 24 x 30 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of the artist


NEWS AND EVENTS

Art Auction Draws High Interest, Spirited Bidding at Cyber GalaOn September 12, UMUC hosted its third

Cyber Gala. This black-tie event was held

at the splendid Gaylord National Resort

and Convention Center in National Harbor,

Maryland. Distinguished guests included

Director of National Intelligence James R.

Clapper, who gave the keynote address, and

some of the world’s best-known figures in

the technology field.

This year UMUC added a new element

to this elegant event—an art auction. More

than 30 artists generously donated their

work to a silent auction to support the UMUC

Arts Program. The artists who participated

are well known to the community of collec-

tors. Many are represented in the UMUC

permanent collection; they include Alan

Binstock, Preston Sampson, Winston Harris,

Susan Goldman, Sheila Crider, Ulysses

Marshall, Helen Zughaib, Cynthia Johnson,

Nina Dwyer, Gladys Goldstein, Patrick Craig,

Helen Frederick, Curlee Holton, David Dris-

kell, Margo Humphrey, Raoul

Middleman, Joseph Sheppard,

Joan Bevelaqua, Jim Adkins,

Phil Koch, Noi Volkov, Kwabena

Ampofo-Anti, Tim Davis,

Sharon Wolpoff, Kathryn

O’Grady, Richard Franklin,

David Medwith, Trace Miller,

Loring Cornish, James Phil-

lips, Alex Simpson, Alonzo

Davis, Anne McLaughlin,

Cheryl Edwards, Marcie

Wolf-Hubbard, Gretchen

Schermerhorn, Jessica

Damen, and Kevin Cole.

The art became the focal point of the

cocktail hour. Prominently displayed, the

works gave everyone the opportunity to

share reactions and talk with the many par-

ticipating artists. While enjoying a fabulous

four-course dinner and decadent dessert

bar, guests had the opportunity to continue

discussions with the artists and make their

final bidding decisions. The process was

easy, fun, and high tech. Those at the

gala used the app Fundbid, while art

enthusiasts unable to attend the event

placed bids online.

The Arts Program’s goal for the auction

was to raise $10,000 to support the 2016

Visual Arts Exhibition Season. We are

excited to announce that we not only met

this goal but surpassed it.

On behalf of the Arts Program at UMUC,

thank you for your participation and contin-

ued support!

Cynthia Farrell Johnson and her husband, Stephen C. Johnson, bid on artwork during the silent auction.

POST-AUCTION SALESIf you missed the Art Auction held during UMUC’s Cyber Gala in September, don’t despair. The Arts Program at UMUC is

fortunate to have some collectible art available for purchase. A sample of the works, shown below, were donated to the program

for the purpose of raising funds to support the arts at UMUC. Artists whose works were donated include Joan Bevelaqua,

Alan Binstock, Patrick Craig, Alonzo Davis, Tim Davis, Richard Franklin, Gladys Goldstein, and Raoul Middleman, among others.

If you are interested in any of the works, please contact Eric Key, Arts Program director, at [email protected] for details

and special pricing.

Anne McLaughlin Inside Out: Beet reduction woodcut 16 x 16 inches

Tim Davis Blue Sky Series: Oak acrylic on canvas 18 x 24 inches

Susan J. Goldman Decantos, 2011 monotype with woodcut 20 x 20 inches

17www.umuc.edu/art art@UMUC 17

NEWS AND EVENTS

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Ron Adams, Fat Sam, 2005, hand engraving, edition 5 of 70, 23¾ x 22 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, International Collection, Gift of Gwen Clark; Joseph Sheppard, Untitled, 1992, oil on canvas, 36 x 30½ inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of Mary Carolyn and Stephen Aoyama; Joseph Sheppard, Untitled, 1990, oil on canvas, 30 x 20 inches, UMUC Permanent Collection, Maryland Artist Collection, Gift of Mary Carolyn and Stephen Aoyama

New AcquisitionsWe offer our sincere thanks to Gwen Clark

for her donation of a wonderful limited-

edition print, Fat Sam, by master printmaker

Ron Adams and to Mary Carolyn and Stephen

Aoyama for their donation of two magnificent

untitled nude oil paintings by Baltimore artist

Joseph Sheppard.

Detroit native Ron Adams is a world-

renowned graphic artist whose works have

been exhibited in major museums and private

collections across the country—including the

Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.;

California African American Museum in

Los Angeles; Vanderbilt University Fine Arts

Gallery in Nashville, Tennessee; Bronx

Museum in the Bronx, New York; and the

Taylor Museum and Hampton University

Museum in Hampton, Virginia. Adams creates

works in line with the Mexican muralists. His

works are skillful and detailed, and his style is

a combination of realism and expressionism.

He captures the inner spirit and dignity of his

subjects, individuals whose aspirations may

be frustrated or never realized.

Joseph Sheppard is well known to the

Arts Program at UMUC and to the broader

artistic community. He spends half his time

in Baltimore, Maryland, and the rest in his

studio in Pietrasanta, Italy. Sheppard is a

realist painter who follows the teachings of

Jacques Maroger. His works are in many pri-

vate and public collections. UMUC is proud

to have erected a gallery at its Adelphi head-

quarters to showcase Sheppard’s diverse

artistic mediums (painting, drawing, and

sculpture).These two important additions to

our permanent collection display the artist’s

painting style.

Additionally, the Arts Program at UMUC

would like to thank the following donors:

• David and Sandra Durfee Sr.—

for a work by Gladys Goldstein

• Karin Batten—

for a work by Edward Schmidt

• Doris and John Babcock—

for a work by Noel Rockmore

• The Spence Family—

for a work by Delilah Pierce


NEWS AND EVENTS

The Empire Strikes Baltimore—and Raises Funds for UMUC Arts ProgramThe Empire Strikes Baltimore, a fundraising

event hosted by Galerie Myrtis to benefit the

UMUC Arts Program, was held Halloween

weekend, kicking off on Saturday, October 31,

2015, with an evening auction and entertain-

ment and concluding with an open house on

Sunday, November 1.

The festive evening was marked with

live entertainment by vocalist Joyce Scott

and keyboardist Derrick Thompson and

impersonators Tracey Farrar and Larkis

Webber (who played Cookie and Lucious

Lyon of the popular Fox television series

Empire), an auction, food and drinks, and

door prizes. The Arts Program offers many

thanks to gallery owner Myrtis Bedolla

and her staff and supporters and emcee

Chardelle Moore, the multimedia host,

traffic reporter, and producer for the Fox

affiliate in Baltimore, Maryland. Heartfelt

thanks also go to the many artists who

donated 100 percent of the proceeds from

the sale of their artworks to the Arts Pro-

gram at UMUC. Artists included:

A special thank-you is extended to owner

Myrtis Bedolla and her staff at Galerie

Myrtis for hosting and coordinating the

event. It was truly a fun-filled art evening!

Joan Bevelaqua

Alan Binstock

S. Ross Browne

Nina Buxenbaum

Larry Cook

Loring Cornish

Patrick Craig

Sheila Crider

Jessica Damen

Alonzo Davis

Tim Davis

Cheryl Edwards

Richard Franklin

Helen Frederick

Susan Goldman

Gladys Goldstein

Winston Harris

Ronald Jackson

Benjamin Jancewicz

Jeffrey Kent

T. Eliott Mansa

Ulysses Marshall

Delita Martin

Anne McLaughlin

David Medwith

Raoul Middleman

Jamea Richmond-Edwards

Joseph Sheppard

Alec Simpson

Arvie Smith

Marcie Wolf-Hubbard

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Gallery owner and host Mrytis Bedolla and her husband, Alexander Hyman; Patricia Walters admires Angel Wing Begonia by Delilah W. Pierce; event attendees enjoy the diverse artworks on display; emcee Chardelle Moore; impersonators Tracey Farrar and Larkis Webber as Empire series characters Cookie and Lucious Lyon; event attendee studies The Persistence of History by S. Ross Browne


COMING THIS SUMMERUpcoming Events

PLURALITY: THE CONCEPTUAL ART OF AKEMI MAEGAWA

Sunday, January 17–Sunday, April 17, 2016 UMUC Arts Program Gallery, Lower Level College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

Japanese-born Akemi Maegawa graduated from the Corcoran College of Art & Design and the Cranbrook Academy of Art and currently lives and works in Maryland. Maegawa’s works question the Western material world, the artist’s position in society, and cultural barriers.

FACULTY ART INVITATIONALSunday, May 8–Sunday, July 31, 2016 UMUC Arts Program Gallery, Lower Level

Opening Reception Sunday, June 12, 2016, 3–5 p.m. UMUC Arts Program Gallery, Lower Level

Presented by UMUC to honor teaching artists, the exhibition has historically included the creative expressions of approximately 30 Maryland artists, including faculty members who teach art at UMUC, art faculty members from other University System of Maryland institutions, and special invited guest artists. Guest curator: Joan Bevelaqua

COURTHOUSE EXHIBITION CONVERGENCE: NARRATIVES AND SYMBOLS

Monday, May 16–Friday, July 22, 2016 U.S. District Courthouse, Greenbelt, Maryland

Opening Reception Thursday, May 19, 2016, 5–6:30 p.m. UMUC Arts Program Gallery, Lower Level

Art at the U.S. District Courthouse, an annual Arts Program exhi-bition at the U.S. District Courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, gives more individuals in the community the chance to see quality works of art by some of the area’s most talented artists. This year, the exhibition features the works of Bill Harris, Maria-Lana Queen, and Patrick Sargent and Erwin Thamm (known as Sargent-Thamm). Each artist has a unique style and narrative and incorporates personal symbols in their works. Harris has merged his printmaking skills with woodworking, while Sargent-Thamm collaboratively creates prints, and Queen uses traditional painting for telling her story. Guest curator: Preston Sampson

ARTS PROGRAM: OUT AND ABOUT BUS TRIP

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Join art patrons, collectors, and enthusiasts for a daylong educational art trip to New Jersey for a private tour of the Newark Museum, the Paul Robeson Galleries at Rutgers University, and the studio of Philemona Williamson, as well as gallery visits in the area. For more information, please contact the Arts Program at [email protected] and provide your e-mail address. The cost ($125) includes continental breakfast, lunch, entry fees, and bus transportation. Register by May 11, 2016, at https://www.etouches.com/166683.

NEWS AND EVENTS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016

UMUC has been showcasing art by emerg-

ing and established artists for more than

35 years, and the 3rd Biennial Maryland

Regional Juried Art Exhibition (BMRE) is

a continuation of this important work. The

BMRE draws attention to some of the area’s

most talented artists and brings their works

to our community. The exhibition, which

opens in September, will feature artwork

by artists from Maryland; Washington, D.C.;

and Northern Virginia.

The call for entries will be released

soon by the Arts Program. If you’d like to

receive that information, e-mail Eric Key,

program director ([email protected]).

All announcements about this competition

will be sent out electronically, so it’s import-

ant to get your name added to this e-mail list.

The entry fee of $35 allows an artist to

make two submissions. A third entry can be

submitted for only $5 more.

Our last BMRE drew some 125 artists

who submitted more than 400 pieces. We

want to double the number of artists who en-

ter this year’s competition, so help us spread

the word about this prestigious exhibition.

Three highly qualified jurors who have

substantial experience in the visual arts in

particular will select the number of artists

and works for the exhibition.

We hope you will join us in September

for the new exhibition, and if you are a visual

artist, we hope to see your submission. For

details, visit www.umuc.edu/art or contact

us at 301-985-7642.

Get the latest updates on the UMUC Arts Program. Visit www.umuc.edu/art/newsonline

Cradle to Grave (detail)

Brooke Rogers Hometown

Maria-Lana Queen Kindred Spirits

FRIENDS OF THE ARTS (July 1, 2014–December 31, 2015)

Sapphire-Level Friends Dorothy L. and Henry A. Rosenberg Jr. Foundation Sherman Family Foundation Wolpoff Family Foundation

Citrine-Level Friends John and Doris Babcock Maryland State Arts Council Anne V. Maher

Platinum-Level FriendsJoan Burke Bevelaqua Bonnie N. Broh-Kahn Nina Dwyer Michèle E. Jacobs and Joseph V. Bowen Jr. Robert W. Jerome Eric Key Michael S. Tenner Marcia R. Watson

Gold-Level Friends Kathryn Bugg

Silver-Level Friends Alvah Beander Myrtis J. Bedolla Lisa Anne Jackson Julia Lindenmeier

Elmer A. Mendez Raoul Middleman Peter E. Quint, Esq. Brian Young

Bronze-Level Friends Doreatha Bush Harriette E. Chiavacci Sarah Lanning Denise Melvin Yoshiko Oishi-Weick Jessica Schmidt Lydia Christina Waddler Denise Welch Sharon A. Wolpoff

FriendsPatricia A. Dubroof Cynthia F. Johnson Edith Ogella Sonya R. Pryor Mary Ellen Simon

AssociatesGregory Branch Elizabeth B. Duncan James Harrigan Kevin G. Herndon Charlotte E. Pointer Jacqueline K. Randolph

Gift-in-Kind Donors Michael Abrams James A. Adkins Eva J. and Nicholas H. Allen Kwabena Ampofo-Anti Carolyn Aoyama John and Doris Babcock Karin Batten Gwendolyn B. Clark Kevin E. Cole Loring Cornish Sandy Cryder David C. Driskell David R. Durfee Sr. Nina Dwyer Richard Franklin Graham Holding Company Winston Kain Harris Curlee Horton Margo Humphrey Cynthia F. Johnson Eric Key

Matt Klos Philip F. Koch Peter W. Kriegsmann Pamela Lapides Thomas M. Li Ronald Lubcher Ulysses Marshall Wanda Spence McDow Anne McLaughlin Arthur Meisnere Trace Miller Kathryn O’Grady Tunde Odunlade Katja Oxman Constance Pitcher Preston W. Sampson Lucy Schoenfeld Joseph Sheppard Stephen Stein Noi Volkov Sharon A. Wolpoff Helen Zughaib

Associate ($35) Name recognition in the arts newsletter, invitation to exhibit openings

Friend ($50) Above benefits, plus 10 percent discount on specialty items produced by the Arts Program, 10 percent discount on tickets to nonfundraising events, Arts Program lapel pin

Bronze-Level Friend ($100) Above benefits, plus autographed poster from the Arts Program collection

Silver-Level Friend ($250) Above benefits, plus name recognition on the donors' wall in the Arts Program Gallery

Gold-Level Friend ($500) Above benefits, plus full-color art catalog from a major UMUC art exhibition

Platinum-Level Friend ($1,000) Above benefits, plus VIP invitation to dinner with the guest artist and the university president, 10 percent discount at the Common (the restaurant at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center at UMUC)

Citrine-Level Friend ($2,500) Above benefits, plus corporate name and logo listing on UMUC Arts Program webpage, name and logo listing on all printed materials for exhibitions and public relations materials for the season

Sapphire-Level Friend ($5,000) Above benefits, plus a corporate art exhibition by a local artist coordinated by UMUC (Special requirements apply; see www.umuc.edu/art for details.)

Make an Annual Contribution to the Arts ProgramArt enthusiasts in the UMUC community help make the university’s

visual arts exhibitions, educational lectures, book signings, sympo-

siums, and meet-the-artist receptions possible. Through the Friends

of the Arts program, our biggest supporters enjoy a variety of bene-

fits as a thank-you for helping UMUC’s Arts Program become one of

the most recognized in Maryland.

Simply commit to making an annual contribution at one of the

following levels and you can join our growing list of friends.

Visit www.umuc.edu/art and click on “Join the Friends of the Arts Program” or call 301-985-7937. Interested in being added to our e-magazine list? Send your e-mail address to [email protected].


art@umuc magazine, spring 2016

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