view winter 2014

AKRON ART MUSEUM

WINTER 2014

AkronArtMuseum.org

VIEWVIEW

1 | AKRON ART MUSEUM

DIRECTOR'S

MESSAGEMARK MASUOKA

As the title of Neil Young’s 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps suggests, time stands still for no one and only action can deter obsolescence. In a constantly shifting cultural landscape, art organizations can choose to adapt and potentially survive in current economic conditions, or forge ahead and develop innovative ideas that will drive our creative economy. How can cultural institutions move beyond survival mode by redefining cultural habits and re-imagining art museums as the new civic commons?

In many ways, the Akron Art Museum is no different than any other mid-sized, mid-western, post-industrial, contemporary art museum in the country. Nationally, art museums face similar challenges in developing and executing creative strategies to retain their dedicated members and supporters while reaching new audiences, including the next generation of culture seekers.

Cracking the culture code means seizing this moment to be the provocateur…Or just maybe, the Akron Art Museum is very different, because it is perfectly positioned to embrace Akron, a city that is working to differentiate itself from other “rust belt” communities, and struggling to discover a new identity. Cracking the culture code means seizing this moment to be the provocateur, to stir up latent feelings of cultural discontent and expose the hyper-indulgence that often accompanies complacency.

Can an art museum be the cultural change agent that navigates complex social systems to ignite social, cultural and economic change?

With a firm belief that apathy is the enemy of change, the Akron Art Museum has begun the process of awakening minds and engaging hearts by stimulating risk-taking and presenting a new value proposition: we are not just seeking the rewards of being creative, but encouraging everyone in the city to LIVE CREATIVE.

This new direction reflects the museum’s efforts to engage new audiences and build stronger communities. We are transitioning from a traditionally closed social ecosystem to a progressively open environment that focuses on reaching a broader spectrum of users, makers and supporters.

Culture seekers expect to be directly engaged…The challenge that we face cannot be met with a single one-step solution. The old formula used by art museums no longer works. It’s not only about the art. Art museums need to take into consideration the importance of engagement and the transformation that takes while lives are enriched. Culture seekers expect to be directly engaged and audiences want to understand how their investment in arts and culture will be valued, delivered and ultimately consumed. The development of new exhibitions and programs are carefully linked to how the Akron Art Museum captures the imagination of the high frequency users and the culturally disengaged.

The path to success is a non-linear sequence of events that requires a sense of urgency, adventure and introspection. Civic engagement becomes the conduit to which we both receive and deliver visual content and information resulting in community-inspired art projects and relevant public programs that bring people together in a meaningful exchange of ideas and inspired enthusiasm.

Over the past year, we have begun the process of working directly with artists to create temporary interventions within the museum’s public spaces and beyond our front doors. With each and every exhibition, program and event, we have the opportunity to reach out to Akron, and propose a new civic strategy that ensures the cultural health and wellness for our entire community.

On behalf of the Akron Art Museum, I wish you happy and healthy holiday season and a creative New Year.

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AKRON ART MUSEUMOne South High

Akron, Ohio 44308AkronArtMuseum.org

TEL 330.376.9185FAX 330.376.1180

GALLERY HOURSWednesday – Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm

Thursday: 11 am – 9 pmClosed Monday and Tuesday Free admission for members

Closed December 24-25, 2014January, 1, 2015

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and CEO Mark Masuoka

BOARD OF DIRECTORS I 2014 - 2015

Dianne R. Newman, PresidentAlita Rogers, Vice President

Jon A. Fiume, Vice PresidentChris Myeroff, Vice PresidentFred Bidwell, Vice President

Richard Harris, TreasurerC. Gordon Ewers, Assistant Treasurer

Elizabeth Brumbaugh Hackett, SecretaryDebra Adams SimmonsMyriam Altieri Haslinger

Myrna BerzonJeffrey Bruno

George DaverioDana DickinsonDr. Drew Engles

Linda GentileCathy C. Godshall

Nicholas KatanicPamela Kanfer

Susan KleinPhilip A. LloydRory H. O’Neil

Dr. Steven RadwanyAndrea Rodgers Bologna

Duane C. RoeMichael D. RussellElizabeth Sheeler

John Spearry

HONORARY TRUSTEES W. Gerald Austen

Sandra L. HaslingerMichael Mattis

M. Donald McCluskyMargaret McDowell Lloyd

C. Blake McDowell IIIThomas R. Merryweather

DIRECTOR OF DESIGNJoseph Walton

VIEW ©2014, Akron Art Museum Accredited by American Association of Museums

Member Association of Art Museum Directors

TRENTON DOYLE HANCOCK SKIN AND BONES, 20 YEARS OF DRAWINGThrough January 4, 2015

Trenton Doyle Hancock: Skin and Bones, 20 Years of Drawing, installation view, Photo by Joe Levack/Studio Akron

JOHN PEARSON INTUITIVE STRUCTURESThrough February 8, 2015

John Pearson, Screen Series #11, 1971, screenprint on paper, 21 1/16 x 35 3/16 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Gift of Eugene K. Collins

ONVIEW

BUTCH ANTHONYVITA POST MORTUM Through January 25, 2015

Butch Anthony, Disassemble, 2014, vintage charcoal portrait and photograph, acrylic, pastel, eggshells Courtesy of the Museum of Wonder, Seale, Alabama, and Black Rat Projects, London

CHRISTOPHER PEKOCHAND MADE Through April 26, 2015

Christopher Pekoc, I Heard the Noise of Wings, 2003–2004, mixed media assemblage, 19 x 19 ½ in., Collection of Conley and Elizabeth Engstrom, Bay Village, Ohio

BEAUTY REIGNSA BAROQUE SENSIBILITY IN RECENT PAINTINGJanuary 23 - April 26, 2015

Ryan McGinness, The Lazy Logic of Ignava Ratio, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 96 x 144 in., Collection of Pamela K. and William A. Royall Jr.

TRENTON DOYLE HANCOCK SKIN AND BONES, 20 YEARS OF DRAWING

Through January 4, 2015Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries

In addition to creating the more than 300 works of art featured in Skin and Bones, Trenton Doyle Hancock visited the Akron Art Museum this summer to assure that his exhibition provided an immersive experience. Visitors are greeted by accent walls in the vivid pink and yellow colors the artist selected, adorned with his Skin and Bones logo. These aptly parallel the intensity and playfulness Hancock brings to his sketches, drawings and paintings on view.

Over the course of a week, Hancock further embellished the galleries in ways that elaborated the themes of the exhibition. He painted titles and a bulbous pink and black Mound behind a cluster of drawings on a gallery wall. An iconic image for the artist, this Mound is a central character in his epic saga featuring these human/plant hybrids in conflict with their mortal enemies, the Vegans. The wall is further decorated with pink waves that ripple across its lower edge and multi-colored words streaming from the figure’s open mouth, which speak to the urgency of drawing for Hancock.

Beneath the incisive mixed media drawings in “The Studio Floor,” a transitional series that documents Hancock’s growing interest in combining the qualities of graphic novels with fine art, text in the artist’s hand describes the adventures of his flawed alter ego Torpedoboy. Hancock also added “YOU DESERVE LESS,” the stark mantra his character Loid repeats to his followers, over and over behind the provocative Judgment panel near the entrance to the exhibition.

The artist’s participation enlivened and personalized Skin and Bones for our audience, offering a new model for presenting art work. Trenton Doyle Hancock also extended the presence of his exhibition in talks at the museum, the University of Akron and the Cleveland Institute of Art, another advantage of welcoming a dynamic contemporary artist to the community. Multimedia content, including video interviews with the artist, are accessible through the museum’s website at akronartmuseum.org/exhibitions


EXHIBITIONS

Trenton Doyle Hancock: Skin and Bones, 20 Years of Drawing was organized by the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and is supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and other supporters of CAMH. The Akron Art Museum presentation of this exhibition is generously supported by the James L. and John S. Knight Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.

Trenton Doyle Hancock: Skin and Bones, 20 Years of Drawing, installation view, Photo by Joe Levack/Studio Akron

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EXHIBITIONS

RELATED PROGRAMS

Trenton Doyle Hancock’s artwork draws from Abstract Expressionism and the history of art, but he also looks to comic books, superheroes, cartoons, outsider art and graphic novels for inspiration. This fall the museum will present a number of programs that add insight to this aspect of his work.

FOOD: VEGAN COOKING DEMONSTRATION WITH TERRA MILOThursday, December 4 • 6:30 pm

Trenton Doyle Hancock creates elaborate narratives featuring the Mounds and their aggressors the Vegans. The Vegans were inspired by Trenton’s preachy vegan graduate

school roommates. We’ll remove the villain from veganism at this tasty cooking demonstration. Learn about veganism as you craft and taste a vegan menu.

FILM: SUPERMANThursday, December 11 • 7 pmBefore there was Torpedoboy, there was Superman. Come watch the classic 1978 Superman starring Christopher Reeve, one of Trenton Doyle Hancock’s favorite films. “Superman is a pure delight, a wondrous combination of all the old-fashioned things we never really get tired of: adventure and romance, heroes and villains, earthshaking special effects, and you know what else? Wit,” comments film critic Roger Ebert. Superhero costumes encouraged.

Trenton Doyle Hancock: Skin and Bones, 20 Years of Drawing opening party, Photos by Chris Rutan


EXHIBITIONS

JOHN PEARSON: INTUITIVE STRUCTURESThrough February 8, 2015Judith Bear Isroff Gallery

John Pearson’s experimental approach to color, form and line emerges in his elegant untitled small-scale prints (2007). Each of the more than 250 screenprints in this series is unique. A rectangle printed in a wide range of colored inks forms the ground for the images. Superimposed over these unmodulated backgrounds are column-like shapes, similarly varied in hue, which create a multitude of color combinations. Graphite lines with the delicate structural quality of architectural drawings alter each composition—often subtly and occasionally to substantial effect. Like many of Pearson’s works on paper, these prints were originally conceived as studies for larger paintings, but function as complete works in their own right. Five prints from this series are displayed at the entrance to the exhibition John Pearson: Intuitive Structures, which showcases recent paintings alongside select examples of earlier work.

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and supported by gifts from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, the John P. Murphy Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.

Untitled series, 2007, screenprint and graphite on paper, 9 ¼ x 7 ½ in. each, courtesy of the artist. Photos by Joe Levack/Studio Akron.

BUTCH ANTHONYVITA POST MORTUMThrough January 25, 2015The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation Gallery

Butch Anthony describes himself as an artist, builder and picker of things but he’s also an explorer. His artistic journey began by searching out junk, antiques, fossils and even bones that he later began modifying into one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Over the last 20 years, Anthony has intensly explored his own art genre, which he coined Intertwanglism. The creation of his own genre gave him the freedom to set his own rules for art-making where no one could tell him that what he was doing was wrong.

Vita Post Mortum, or Life After Death, showcases Anthony’s desire to explore the inner guts of the world around him as he examines it with x-ray vision. Anthony gives new life to objects and collectibles that have been discarded, abondoned and otherwise left for dead. Vita Post Mortum is the artist’s first solo museum exhibition.

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and supported by the Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation.

Original work by Butch Anthony is available in the Museum Shop.

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EXHIBITIONS

CHRISTOPHER PEKOCHAND MADEThrough April 26, 2015Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Gallery

ART TALK: CHRISTOPHER PEKOCThursday, January 29 • 6:30 pm

Christopher Pekoc’s assemblages are distinctive among the work of his colleagues in Cleveland and far beyond. At a time when artists are engaging with new media, Pekoc uses gelatin silver and Xerox prints, shellac, sandpaper, punches and other common tools and materials in novel ways to create evocative images. He employs stitching, also by hand, to supply content to his compositions, as well as to add visual resonance—another uncommon approach.

Hands in myriad gestures—extending invitation, protecting or playfully balancing orbs—recur again and again in Pekoc’s assemblages. These complex constructions also convey the presence of the artist’s hand in their making, with scarred surfaces as metaphors of our imperfections. Christopher Pekoc: Hand Made features art works from Northeast Ohio collections that reveal ways the artist has amplified his techniques and themes in recent years. These include motifs and media Pekoc encountered on an Ohio Arts Council sponsored residency in the Czech Republic in 2001 and reinterpretations of longstanding subjects, such as the figure of Eve. Threats to nature and environmental degradation that have become increasingly important to the artist are also reflected in his new work, including The Architecture of the Sky (Portrait of Jan Saudek in Blue with Bees), 2001–2014.

Christopher Pekoc (b. 1941, Cleveland) attended Kent State University and has taught studio art classes at Case Western Reserve University Studio since 1989. His work has been featured in numerous one-person exhibitions, including at the Akron Art Institute (1978); The Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art (1991); The Print Center, Philadelphia (2001); and Convivium Gallery, Cleveland (2006). The recipient of the 2007 Cleveland Arts Prize for a mid-career visual artist and five Ohio Arts Council fellowships, Pekoc was awarded a mural commission for the Cleveland Public Library in 1978 and his work is represented in museums throughout the country and abroad.

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and made possible by generous gifts from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, the John P. Murphy Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.

Top: Christopher Pekoc, The Architecture of the Sky (Portrait of Jan Saudek in Blue with Bees), 2001–2014, mixed media on laminated electrostatic prints on paper and transparent film, brass leaf, polyester film and machine stitching, 36 ½ x 36 in., Courtesy of the artist and Tregoning & Co., Cleveland

Bottom: Christopher Pekoc, Portrait of K. as Eve with a Black Heart (in progress), 2014, mixed media, including gelatin silver print on laminated electrostatic prints, polyester film, paper and machine stitching, 41 ½ x 33 in., Courtesy of the artist and Tregoning & Co., Cleveland


EXHIBITIONS

BEAUTY REIGNS: A BAROQUE SENSIBILITY IN RECENT PAINTINGJanuary 24 - May 3, 2015Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries

Beauty Reigns celebrates the exoticism, exuberance and optimism found in the work of thirteen abstract painters working in studios across the United States. The exhibition is designed to give viewers visual pleasure, with the artists each offering different ideas about beauty. Included in Beauty Reigns are artists whose experiences in other countries inform their work. Brazilian Beatriz Milhazes uses the sun, pearls, roses and spheres to create “a big fantasy-filled world picture.” Kamrooz Aram, born in Iran, draws inspiration from flags and Persian rug patterns. South Korea native Jiha Moon fuses her Eastern origins and Western life in art works that meld figuration and abstraction. Susan Chrysler White, whose dense compositions allude to the “fracturing and rebuilding of connections,” was fascinated by Antonio Gaudi’s architecture as a child in Spain. The vigorous brushwork used by Nancy Lorenz, who lived in Tokyo as a teenager, references Japanese aestheticism and abstract expressionism.

A number of the artworks on view are assembled from an elaborate array of materials. Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.) adorns ultrachrome prints with oil, enamel, ink, organdy, feathers, quills and crystals. Fausto Fernandez’s dense collages incorporate architectural plans, maps, acrylic, oil pastel and spray paint toward creating “metaphors for human interaction.” Layering of surface imagery is another approach shared by artists in Beauty Reigns. Rex Ray assembles painted and printed papers into intricate collages that “interweave fanciful forms.” Ryan McGinness overlays stylized human figures, abstract motifs, logos and symbols to create dizzying patterns and a sense of deep space.

Other artists construct compositions using acrylic or oil paint to very different effect. Striped organic and geometric forms cover Charles Burwell’s canvases, and the shapes that float across Annette Davidek’s paintings are derived from flowers, coral, branches, chromosomes, blood vessels and algae. Interior design and art history inspire Roslyn Schwartz’s juxtapositions of representational and abstract images with decorative patterns. Paul Henry Ramirez’s elegant installations extend the impact of his playful designs. This exhibition is organized by the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas. The Semmes Foundation, Inc. is generously providing lead sponsorship. Lead sponsorship for its presentation in Akron is provided by the Lehner Family Foundation with additional funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.

Baetriz Milhazes, Canela (Cinnamon), 2010, screenprint, woodblock and woodcut, 31 1/2 x 63 in. Courtesy of Durham Press, Durham, Pennsylvania.

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EXHIBITIONS

UNDER THE ROOF CLOUD BOOK CLUB:ZADIE SMITH, ON BEAUTYThursday, February 5 • 6 pmJoin the museum’s Reading Under the Roof Cloud’s book club in the Martha Stecher Reed Library for a discussion about Zadie Smith’s On Beauty as well as a tour of the Beauty Reigns exhibition. A 2005 Man Booker Prize nominated book, On Beauty has been compared favorably to E.M. Forester’s Howard’s End. Smith weaves a tale of clashing of cultures at a university called Wellington, located in a Boston suburb of the same name, where Howard Belsey (who is white), his wife (who is black), and their three children (who are in-between) live relatively well. Then Howard’s academic nemesis—the ostentatious, retrograde art theorist Monty Kipps—moves to town, throwing the Belsey family into upheaval, threatening Howard’s standing at the university, and igniting a string of events sordid, irrational, and incestuous. On Beauty is humorous, unwieldly and filled with uncommon beauty.

Registration required by calling 330.376.9186 x 221 or email [email protected]

ART TALK: PANEL DISCUSSION Thursday, February 19 • 6:30 pmWhat role does beauty play in painting today? What stimulates contemporary artists to utilize bright colors, and layered compositions? Three of the artists featured in Beauty Reigns—Kamrooz Aram, Nancy Lorenz and Susan Chrysler White—discuss these topics, moderated by University of Akron associate professor Laura Vinnedge.

Nancy Lorenz, Red Gold Pour, 2013, gesso, gilder’s clay, red gold leaf, and pigment on burlap, 10 × 8 in. Collection of Lucy Schwalbe. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Susan Chrysler White, Cradle, 2013, acrylic on canvas, 77 x 110 in. Courtesy of the artist and Littlejohn Contemporary, New York.

Available in the Museum Shop

Beauty Reigns$29.95

On Beauty$17

RELATED PROGRAMS

OPENING PARTYJanuary 23, 2015Beauty reigns supreme at this sublime opening celebration. Prepare to have your mind blown by an avalanche of color and pattern as you explore the galleries. Connect with artists Paul Henry Ramirez and Susan Chrysler White, enjoy a decadent baroqini cocktail and beautify yourself at a hands-on henna tattoo station.

5:30 pm - Director’s Circle tour with Paul Henry Ramirez 6:30 pm - Member’s Preview7:30-9 pm - Free Opening Party

LIVING WITH ARTFebruary 5 - April 5, 2015The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation Gallery

Do you ever visit a museum and fall so in love with an artwork that you dream of taking it home? Would that favorite painting look or feel different in your house, outside of the white walls, tall ceilings, and perfect lighting of the museum? Art isn’t just meant for museum walls, it is something we can (and do!) live with. So, in order to see the Akron Art Museum’s collection in a different light (literally), the museum has teamed up with designer and owner of Hazel Tree Interiors, Karen Starr, to present Living with Art. Starr will transform the gallery into a living space, complete with seating, tables, lighting - the works. The décor will, of course, be artwork from the museum’s collection. This is your chance to see how art can change based on where, when, and how you view it. All you have to do is pull up a chair and make yourself at home.

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum.

John Salt, Untitled (Vogel Living Room Drawn from Memory), 1972, colored pencil, ink and graphite on paper, 3 1/2 in. x 5 in., Gift of The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States, a joint initiative of the Trustees of the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection and

the National Gallery of Art, with generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services

ALTERED LANDSCAPESFebruary 14 - July 12, 2015Judith Bear Isroff Gallery

When western artists directed attention to landscape as a subject in the early 19th century, they focused on realistically representing pristine views. More recently, artists have used landscape as a source for fanciful compositions, to share personal emotion and to convey social or political commentary. As well, they may choose to depict scenery that has been dramatically altered by human presence. Altered Landscapes features art works from the Akron Art Museum collection that offer a variety of approaches to their subjects. Artists represented include Peter Dean, Hollis Sigler, Mark Soppeland, Mike and Doug Starn, Randall Tiedman and Lilian Tyrrell.

This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum.


EXHIBITIONS

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUMNo, Ben Stiller has not taken up residency here at the museum, waiting for the paintings and sculptures to spring to life. The Akron Art Museum’s Night at the Museum program invites schools and community organizations to hold one-night-only art shows at the Akron Art Museum, featuring the work of their students or clients. This year’s line-up is the biggest yet and began this summer with an exhibition of artwork by local veterans, hosted by the Vet Art Project. Night at the Museum exhibitions are open to the public and occur on Free Thursdays. So, mark your calendars and come down to see what the talented artists in your community are creating!

November 20 • Boys and Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve December 11 • Hinckley Elementary School- Highland Local Schools January 22 • Archbishop Hoban High School April 2 • Five Points I & II Head Start and Early Head Start April 30 • Akron Public Schools Art and Math Program

NEW ACQUISITIONSOutstanding paintings by Scott Miller (1955-2008) and Ellen Lanyon (1926-2013), both incorporating unusual juxtapositions and dreamlike imagery, are among recent gifts to the Akron Art Museum’s collection. These canvases are now on view in the Sandra L. and Dennis B. Haslinger Family Foundation Gallery alongside a selection of other work by midwestern artists.

Miller, described as “one of the most important artists in Cleveland in the late 20th century,” exhibited artwork throughout the world and maintained studios on Cleveland’s West Side and in Southern California in the years prior to his untimely death. His canvases, which the artist rarely titled, often feature solitary male figures floating in an otherworldly space. Although the figures were seen as resembling him, Miller denied they were self-portraits. The artist also commented that he approached his paintings without preconceived ideas, initially layering in abstract backgrounds that then determined his compositions. The acid colors and combination of human, animal and astral forms in Untitled are characteristic of the artist’s mature work.

Raised in Chicago, Ellen Lanyon developed an abiding interest in magic when her grandfather, who worked at the 1933 World’s Fair, determined the Midget Village would be an ideal playground for his young charge. A neighbor who was a magician and Chicago’s important Surrealist art collections were also influences on the artist, who established her career in the Windy City and later lived and taught in New York City. Cicada is one of two works that Lanyon, a longtime friend of former curator Barbara Tannenbaum, bequeathed to the museum. The insects posed on the stately structure in Cicada may reflect the artist’s increased interest in nature and the health of our ecosystems following time she spent working in the Everglades in the early 1970s.

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COLLECTION

Scott Miller, Untitled, 1989, oil on canvas, 63 in. x 63 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Gift of the Shirley H. Miller Trust 2013.42

Ellen Lanyon, Cicada, 1974, acrylic on linen, 48 x 58 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Bequest of Ellen Lanyon 2014.25

Left: Peter Dean, Doovekill Poppies, 1984, oil on canvas, 66 x 80 in., Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Museum Acquisition Fund


PROGRAMMING

LIVECREATIVEKIDS STUDIO CLASSESSaturdays • 1 – 3 pmRecommended for ages 7-12

Venture beyond the ordinary classroom and explore real art up-close, investigate why art is made and decode the ideas behind imagery. Guided by artist educators, students create with unique materials, experimental processes and concepts that build their creative confidence.

Radical Gel Art: Get SlimedSaturday, January 17

How it’s Made: Intergalactic SculptureSaturday, February 7

Beautiful Creatures: Pokémon-Inspired Layered PaintingsSaturday, March 14

Cost per class $10/member child, $15/non-member child. Parents are welcome but not required to stay. Registration required at AkronArtMuseum.org/eventregistration or call 330.376.9186.

Kids Studio Classes are made possible with support from the Charles E. & Mabel M. Ritchie Foundation.

FAMILYDAYSFor all ages and their grown-ups

Museum on the Mountaintop: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day CelebrationMonday, January 19 • 12-4pmThe Akron Art Museum opens its doors on a Monday to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday. Spend some creative time with family while enjoying free art activities and guided gallery tours.

SPARK! Family Film FestSunday, February 15 The Akron Art Museum and Nightlight Cinema invite parents to bring their young film connoisseurs to the museum for an afternoon of engaging, high-quality family films in the Charles and Jane Lehner Auditorium. Take a popcorn break between the scenes and enjoy film-inspired art activities to take home.

Animated Shorts12:15 pm • 60 minutes Best for ages 3 to 6

A kaleidoscopic showcase of the best short film and animation from around the world, curated by the New York International Children’s Film Festival.

Full Length Feature: Boy and the World2:30 pm • 80 minutesThis gorgeously animated, wordless film really proves that a picture speaks a thousand words. On a search for his father, a boy leaves his village and explores a world dominated by machines, animals and aliens.

Free museum admission and activities. No registration required. For more information go to AkronArtMuseum.org/calendar or call 330.376.9186.

Family Days are made possible with support from the Dominion Foundation, the R.C. Musson & Katharine M. Musson Charitable Foundation, and George and Sue Klein.

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PROGRAMMING

STORYTIMEThursdays • 11:15 am – 12:30 pmFor all ages and their grown-ups.

Engage your tiny book lover in an interactive storytelling experience where art and story become one through song, rhyme and imagery. After the book ends, we’ll keep the story going with fun art activities in the lobby.

Discovering Geometry Thursday, January 22

The Art of CollageThursday, February 19

Tales of BeautyThursday, March 19

Free museum admission and activities. No registration required. For more information go to AkronArtMuseum.org/calendar or call 330.376.9186.

Story Time is made possible with support from the Robert O. and Annamae Orr Family Foundation.

CREATIVEPLAYDATESThursdays • 11:15 am – 12:30 pmFor 0-5 year olds and their grown-ups

Little ones learn best through intuitive, open-ended play that feeds their senses. Celebrate your child’s wonder by setting aside time for a play date together. Follow your child’s natural instinct to wiggle, squeal and make a mess while making new friends at the museum.

Geometry GymThursday, January 8

Stack, Tumble, Fill and DumpThursday, February 5

A Beautiful MessThursday, March 5

Free museum admission and activities. Registration required at AkronArtMuseum.org/eventregistration or call 330.376.9186.

Creative Playdates are made possible with support from the Robert O. & Annamae Orr Family Foundation.

ARTBABES11:15am-12:00pm; 1:00pm-1:45pmFor 0-18 months old and their grown-ups

Awaken your baby’s early neuron connections with rocking rhymes and bouncy songs in the galleries. Look, listen and laugh together through playful small group interactions and watch your baby’s self-awareness grow.

Play Ball! Math Games for Babies Thursday, January 29

Smoosh and SplatterThursday, February 26

Baby Loves BlingThursday, March 26

Baby Shape-upWednesday, April 23

Cost per class $10/member child, $15/non-member child. Parents are required to stay. Registration required at AkronArtMuseum.org/eventregistration or call 330.376.9186.

Art Babes is made possible with support from the Robert O. and Annamae Orr Family Foundation.


BAH HUMBUG BASH WITH MUSIC BY MISSILE TOE

Thursday, December 18 • 6:30 pm

Got the holiday blues? Avoid the mall and shop for unique gifts in the museum store, enjoy a holiday brew, craft some creative wrapping paper and rock out to the sounds of Akron’s best holiday band Missile Toe.

HEALTH: YOGA IN THE GALLERIESJanuary 8 • 6:30 pmMarch 12 • 6:30 pmThe transformational power of yoga for individuals, relationships, and communities comes alive in the Akron Art Museum galleries. Combine breathe, flow and art in a beginner friendly series taught by a certified Nirvana Yoga instructor. Bring your own mat. No water bottles allowed in the galleries.

TALK BEFORE THE WALK @ THE AKRON ART MUSEUMFirst Saturday of each month • 4 pmStart your Artwalk evening off right with a fun, quick, guided tour of the Akron Art Museum. Your tour guide will lead you through the galleries on an artistic exploration of the museum’s collection and special exhibitions. Think of it as your art appetizer!

Free and open to the public. Meet your tour guide at the museum’s front desk by 4pm to begin your tour.

FILM: NIGHTLIGHT CINEMA FILMSJoin us for a crop of freshly picked films curated by the Nightlight Cinema. From cutting edge releases to classic reboots, our monthly free film series is not to be missed.

NATIONAL GALLERYDecember 4 • 6 pmDirector Frederick Wiseman’s latest documentary takes us inside one of the world’s greatest art collections at London’s National Gallery for a privileged look that deepens our appreciation for art and its upkeep. Filming over twelve weeks in 2012, Wiseman takes in visitor tours, staff meetings, restorations, classes, and protests. As usual, he practices a strict observational approach, eschewing voice-over and interviews. His method calls upon viewers to draw their own meaning from the material, just as we do with paintings.

January 22 To be announcedFebruary 26 To be announced

PROGRAMMING

FREE EVERY THURSDAYSpend Thursdays at the Akron Art Museum – it’s free all day and all evening, from 11 am – 9 pm. Stop in on your lunch break or after work to tour the galleries, attend a lecture or film, hear local musicians and enjoy locally made products in the iQcafé. Free Thursdays are generously supported by The J.M. Smucker Company, with additional support provided by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

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PROGRAMMING

SLIDE JAM: BEAUTY REIGNSThursday, March 19 • 6:30 pmWhat makes something beautiful? From different body types, fashion styles, plant arrangements and art aesthetics, the phrase beauty is in the eye of the beholder reigns true for this lineup of Slide Jam speakers. Hear six fun, moving, unexpected and accessible talks about beauty from artists and designers around Northeast Ohio.

NEW PROGRAM: ART CINECRAFT

Craft at 6:30 PM, Film at 7 PMFrom wine and cheese to beer and pretzels, sometimes an expert pairing can enhance an experience. Inspired by foodie pairings, we’ve taken our art expertise and applied a similar pairing logic to film and art. We’ve chosen two films that fit perfectly with our exhibition offerings and matched them with an art activity in the museum’s lobby.

FILM: BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSINGThursday, January 16 • 7 PM

Take a ride through the life and current times of one of America’s most important artists, Wayne White. Raised in the mountains of Tennessee, White started his career as a cartoonist in New York City. He quickly found success as one of the creators of the TV show, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which led to more work designing some of the most arresting and iconic images in pop culture.

FILM: MARIE ANTOINETTEThursday, February 12 • 7 PM

Beauty reigns supreme in writer and director Sofia Coppola’s spin on the life and times of one of Europe’s most infamous monarchs in this lavish historical drama. Set to a post-punk soundtrack, the film painstakingly recreates the look of the 18th century, featuring a riot of rustling gowns, sparkling jewels, and Manolo Blahnik-designed shoes. A perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

INSIDE I OUT: GLEITSMANNA high-quality, framed reproduction of Raphael Gleitsmann’s “Winter Evening” is coming to downtown Akron this winter as a part of the Akron Art Museum’s new public art project—Inside|Out. The project, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is set to launch in the spring of 2015. Thirty reproductions of artwork in the museum’s collection will be brought to the streets and parks of Akron and surrounding areas.

“Winter Evening” will be installed outside across the street from the historic Akron Civic Theatre, giving the viewer a modern-day perspective on the scene painted in the early 1930s. It will be on view until the end of February 2015.

Raphael Gleitsmann, Winter Evening, around 1932, oil on fiberboard, 39” x 44”, Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Gift of Joseph M. Erdelac, Photo by Richman Haire


PROGRAMMING

Here’s what recent visits to the Akron Art Museum looked like from the perspective of Instagram users. #akronartmuseum #livecreative

@kmenyhart @gregmcgarveyart

@_nicorpas@bldg3404

@__chrisross__

@elizabethmjacob @alaskadearr

@joedub77

TEACHER WORKSHOP: MASH UP

Thursday, February 19 • 4:30 pm

Hello Kitty + caution signs + candy wrappers+ gold leaf. The artists featured in the BeautyReigns exhibition mix media, genres, symbols,techniques, and styles to create visually stunningworks of art. Take a guided tour of the exhibitionto gather inspiration from artists like Jiha Moonand Ryan McGinness, then head to the studioto create your own masterpiece. Local artist and designer Charlie Wagers will demonstrate techniques you can use in the classroom tocreate artwork with layers upon layers ofmashed-up imagery you and your students willlove.

Free, but registration is limited. Register online at www.akronartmuseum.org/eventregistration. Professional development paperwork will be provided for each attended to submit to his/her LPDC.

Teacher Workshops are made possible by gifts from the Sally A. Miller and Joseph G. Miller Family Foundation and the Laura R. and Lucian Q. Moffitt Foundation

Jiha Moon, Pied de Grue, 2012. Ink, acrylic, fabric, and embroidery patches on Hanji paper, 47 × 72 in.,Courtesy of the artist and RYAN LEE, New York.

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AT THE MUSEUM

1 2 3

4

5 6

7 8

9 10 11

1 2014 Trick or Treat on High St; 2 @litzomania; 3 Creative Playdate: The Big Draw; 4 Butch Anthony at Akron Art Museum; 5 Storytime in the Galleries; 6 2014 Trick or Treat on High St;7 Museum Docents with Trenton Doyle Hancock; 8 2014 Trick or Treat on High St; 9 Creative Playdate: The Big Draw; 10 Girl Scouts exploring Vita Post Mortum; 11 2014 Trick or Treat on High St; Photos 5, 7: Chris Rutan Photography; Photos 1, 3, 8, 9, 11: Nat Hansumrittisak


IN THE MUSEUM SHOP

Batucada jewelry made of “eco plastic” materialNecklace $45Bracelet $24Earrings $22

Neo jewelry and handbags created from neoprene yarnJewelry $75 and upHandbags $375

PANTONE UNIVERSE™ mugs $14.95 PANTONE UNIVERSE™ is the universal color matching system, used worldwide by every spectrum of design. A single color can be interpreted in many ways and the beauty of PANTONE is that it can accurately identify, match and communicate any color using a standardized format.

Fair trade ornaments handmade in Thailand $9.95 - $14.95

Blown glass Pantone Christmas ornament $14.95

Akron Art Museum exclusive note cards $2.95

Akron Art Museum ornament featuring artwork by Summit Artspace 3rd Floor artist Cari Miller $14.95

Raphael Gleitsmann, Winter Evening, around 1932, oil on fiberboard, 39” x 44”, Collection of the Akron Art Museum, Gift of Joseph M. Erdelac, Photo by Richman Haire

The Akron Art Museum has partnered with Ohio based printer Rudinec & Associates to bring you museum quality archival prints. View pricing and selection at www.requestaprint.net/akronart.

Items featuring Raphael Gleitsmann’s Winter Evening make great corporate gifts Call for quantity pricing. Made in the USA.

11” x 14” unframed matted print $12.9516” x 16” unframed matted print $28.9516” x 16” framed matted print $59.95Snow globe $16.95 Single 5” x 5” note card $2.95 Set of 8 5” x 5” note cards $16.95 Ornament $7.95 Poster $8

MUSEUMSHOP

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IN THE MUSEUM SHOP

Kaleidoscope Kit handcrafted in the USA by Gemini Kaleidoscope $12.95

Fractiles -7 is an award winning magnetic tiling toy made in the USA.Large set $49.95Medium set $29.95

Squigz from Fat Brain Toy Co connect to each other and solid, non-porous surfaces. $24.95

ZoLO creativity sets $24.95

Make Your Own Monster Puppet from Melissa and Doug contains an assortment of weird and wacky eyes, ears, antennae and more that Velcro onto the blank puppet. $24.95

5” x 5” Mini Buddha Board $14.95 Original Buddha Board $35.95

The Shop carries a range of art related, creativity inspiring children’s books.

Pop-Arty beads combine to make one-of-a-kind accessories. $32.95

Adam™the Doodles® Man can strike almost any pose $26.95

Accept Hervé Tullet’s irresistible invitation to mix it up in a dazzling adventure of whimsy and wonder. $15.99


MEMBER EVENTS

MEMBER ONLYITALIAN WINE TASTING

Tuesday, February 3, 7 – 9 PM750ml Wine Boutique2287 West Market Street, Akron

Spend a chilly winter evening in the warmth of one of the area’s premier wine boutiques. Join fellow members for an exclusive journey through a spectacular selection of wines from Italy. Each bottle will be hand-selected and paired with deli-cious hors d’oeuvres. 750ml Wine Boutique has been recognized with Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence.

Cost is $50 per member. Seating is limited. To reserve your spot, please call Membership Manager Michael Derr at 330.376.9186 x214 or email [email protected]. Deadline to register for this exclusive program is January 20.

GIVE THE GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP THIS HOLIDAY SEASONShare the joy of art by giving an Akron Art Museum gift membership this year. Memberships begin at just $50 for an individual and $65 for a household. When you purchase your gift membership at the museum, we’ll include a copy of Akron Art Museum: Art Since 1850, An Introduction to the Collection that beautifully illustrates and discusses 100 works from the museum’s permanent collection.

For more information on membership levels and benefits, or to purchase a gift membership today, call 330.376.9186 x225 or visit AkronArtMuseum.org/memberships.

Images courtesy of www.MakingTheMoment.com

SAVE THE DATE:MEMBERS TRIP TO COLUMBUS

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Members will travel to Columbus to visit the Pizzuti Collection’s NOW-ISM: Abstraction Today exhibition followed by lunch in the Short North district and a visit to the Wexner Center for the Arts featuring two exhibitions; Fiber: Sculpture 1960-Present and Hassan Hajjaj: My Rock Stars Experimental, Volume I, 2012.

Pricing and full itinerary will be mailed to Members in early January.

NOW-ISM: Abstraction Today, installation view with Jacob Hashimoto, Untitled, 2005 and Tony Cragg, Lost in Thought, 2005, Photo by Alan Geho, Courtesy Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH

The Akron Art Museum extends its sincere appreciation to the following funders for their generous support this year:

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NEW MEMBERS

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLEMr. Howard Freedman

and Mrs. Rita Montlack

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Bober

Dr. and Mrs. Michael Nochomovitz

CONTRIBUTOR PLUSMr. and Mrs. John Katzenmeyer

Mr. David Michel

and Ms. Lynne Killgore

Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Welko

CONTRIBUTORMs. Joellen Bryan

Ms. Kristen Cliffel

Ms. Leah Daniel

Mrs. Patricia Falls

Mrs. Maureen Farris

and Mr. Jeremiah Currier

Ms. Pamela Gray

and Mr. David Borsvold

Ms. Winnie Leenaarts

Ms. Chell Maxwell

Mrs. Nancy Reymann

Ms. Cynthia J. Stefanik

Mrs. Susan Summerville

Ms. Lindsay Tadsen

Mr. Steve Tarr and Ms. Paula Maggio

GENERAL/FAMILYMr. and Mrs. Scott T. Allen

Mr. and Mrs. Justin Anthony

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Bollin

Ms. Hope Everhart

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Feltes

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Fiely

Mrs. Susanne Jambonne

Mr. Christopher Kapper

Ms. Linda Lessin

Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Mallison

Ms. Julie Massouh

Ms. Ellen McWilliams

Ms. Kris Movsesian

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew A. Raz

Mr. Matthew A. Timbrook

Ms. Barbara A. Vitale

Ms. Courtney Zimmerman

Mr. George Zito and Ms. Carol Eggert

INDIVIDUALMs. Melissa Bittner

Ms. Betty Collings

Ms. Emmalee Coontz

Ms. Annette Cryder

Ms. Monica Graves

Ms. Mika Ito

Mr. Ryan J. Labay

Ms. Diana Lueptow

Ms. Carol A. Lutz

Mr. James E. Mahon II

Ms. Amy McCarthy

Mr. Matthew Peel

Mr. David J. Pittenger

Mr. David Reynolds

Ms. Ellen Rochford

Ms. Allison V. Schlosser

Ms. Gail Taber

Mr. Terry Welker

Ms. Martha Wendell

Mr. J. R. White

Ms. Pamela Young

The Akron Art Museum extends a warm welcome to the following members who recently joined the museum or increased their membership level:

Akron Community Foundation

Art Works

B.W. Rogers Company

Berlin Family Foundation, Inc.

Burton D. Morgan Foundation

C. Blake Jr. & Beatrice K. McDowell Foundation

Charles E. & Mabel M. Ritchie Memorial

Foundation

Dominion Foundation

GAR Foundation

Gertrude F. Orr Trust

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

Sandra L. and Dennis B. Haslinger Family

Foundation

House of LaRose

Jean P. Wade Foundation

John A. McAlonan Fund

Sally A. Miller and Joseph G. Miller Family

Foundation

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Laura L. & Lucian Q. Moffitt Foundation

The Lehner Family Foundation

Lloyd L. & Louise K. Smith Foundation

M.G. O’Neil Foundation

Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation

Mary & Dr. George L. Demetros

Charitable Trust

The Mary S. & David C. Corbin Foundation

Ohio Arts Council

OMNOVA Solutions Foundation

PNC Financial Services

R. C. Musson & Katharine M. Musson

Charitable Foundation

Read Family Fund

Robert O. & Annamae Orr Family Foundation

Rogers Family Foundation

Sisler McFawn Foundation

The J.M. Smucker Company

The City of Akron

Toby D. Lewis Philanthropic Foundation

Welty Family Foundation



EVENT RENTALS

LOVECREATIVE AT THE AKRON ART MUSEUMYou. A white dress. Your family. Your friends. The love of your life and fifty-seven feet of angled glass catching the light, reflecting upon it all. No ugly carpet. Nothing to hide. Just 7,000 feet of pure awesomeness. The Beatrice Knapp McDowell Grand Lobby is a blank canvas waiting to be adorned with the colors of your wedding. Red? Blue? Eggplant? Sage? It all works. Want to be bold? This space can take it. Want to be subtle? The space will speak for you. Light it up from within as the city shines down on you, dancing, indoors - but under the stars. This is your night. Let us make it a memorable one.

[email protected] or Sheri Stallsmith, Events Manager, 330.376.9186, x212


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EVENT RENTALS

ARTWORKS BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPSInnovation and creativity – the arts and business have more in common than most people may think. The Akron Art Museum would like to partner with local businesses by offering the Art Works business membership program. Art Works members receive benefits for their business and free admission for their employees. Join the growing list of companies like Akron Children’s Hospital, Ohio CAT, Welty Building Company Ltd., Akron-Canton Dairy Queen Store Owners and the J.M. Smucker Company in supporting the arts in our community.

Whether your business has 15 employees or 1500, the Akron Art Museum has an Art Works business membership level for your size and budget. Join online at AkronArtMuseum.org/memberships or call Membership Manager Michael Derr at 330.376.9186 x214.

CORPORATE EVENTSStaff party? Client appreciation? Presentation? Meeting? Our special events team is ready to assist you with customizing your event needs.

THE BEATRICE KNAPP MCDOWELL GRAND LOBBY The asymmetrical, steel and glass structure is easily configured to accommodate small, intimate gatherings or large, elaborate receptions. Guests are enthralled as the glass and metal of the world-renowned structure change color and transparency with viewing angle as the lights of the city become visible with the setting sun. • Over 7,000 square feet• Seated dinners for up to 300 guests• Cocktail/standing receptions for up to 600 guests• Dramatic grand staircase• Access to the outdoor Northern Ohio Golf Charities

Terrace

CHARLES AND JANE LEHNER AUDITORIUM Ideal for presentations and performances the Lehner Auditorium has seating for 156 guests. Our audio/visual team will provide set up to accommodate your needs.

SPECIAL 40% off rental facility fees for any event held prior to April 30, 2015.


Akron Art MuseumOne South High I Akron, Ohio I 44308

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