Exhibitions

Color Woodcuts in the Arts and Crafts Era

Final panels for the exhibition:

Final panels_Color_Woodcuts_G315_G316

Final Labels:

Labels Part 1

Labels Part II

From artsmia.org:

September 14, 2019 – March 22, 2020
Gallery 315 and 316
Free Exhibition
Color woodcuts enjoyed a revival during the Arts and Crafts movement, whose leaders believed that one antidote to rampant mechanization was a return to handcraft. Artists in the early 20th century thus began carving, inking, and printing each impression by hand. Though demanding, this highly personal process revealed the direct interaction between artists and their materials.

This directness is one of the pleasures of the 80 or so color woodcuts in this exhibition. Most were recently acquired by Mia, and most come from the United States, Britain, and German-speaking countries. A remarkable number—nearly half—are by women. Many works also reveal an interest in the tenets of Japanese design. The delights include Margaret Patterson’s bouquets, Pedro de Lemos’s windblown trees, Frances Gearhart’s paeans to the California coast, Eliza Draper Gardiner’s childhood scenes, and Frank Morley Fletcher’s romantic landscapes.

Artists Respond and Artists Reflect

Welcome to the exhibition resource page for Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965-1975 and Artists Reflect: Contemporary Views on the American War.

Here are the resources common to both of these exhibitions. 

Lecture on the exhibitions by Robert Cozzolino:

PPT of exhibition lecture:

VIDEO from the Cultural Fluency session on September 23, with the veterans’ perspectives:

PowerPoint from cultural fluency session on 9.23.19, with microaggressions:

VIDEOS of the Teach-In, held on September 28, with artist interviews:

Here are the labels for Artists Respond:

Here are the panels for Artists Respond (no panels are available for Artists Reflect):

Here is a link to the timeline for Artists Respond:

Here are the labels for Artists Reflect:

Here is the timeline for Artists Reflect:

Here is the exhibition checklist for Artists Reflect:

Here is the exhibition layout:

From your colleague Manju Parikh: Eight Writers Share Their Must-Read Books from Vietnam and the Diaspora

Bob Cozzolino’s blog story: Why the Vietnam War still matters: Connecting the art of the 1960s to our time

Here is the Teacher’s Guide for the exhibition, written for Grades 6-12:

Mia_ArtistsRespond_Teachers_Guide_V2

From your colleague Susan Arndt, a recommendation for the podcast Saigon 1965 from Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History series.

From your colleague Marne Zafar, books about the Native and African-American experiences in Vietnam.

1) Strong Hearts, Wounded Souls: Native American Veterans of the Vietnam War
2) Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War – An Oral History

From your colleague Emily Shapiro, a NYT article on artist Hans Haacke: Hans Haacke, Firebrand, Gets His First U.S. Survey in 33 Years

From your colleague Margie Crone, a YouTube video with a choice of the Top 5 Vietnam War songs. As those touring know, a Spotify playlist is also available for visitors to listen to as they go through the exhibition. Here is a Mia blog post on how and why the playlist came to be, written by Curatorial Fellow Esther Callahan: How we created a playlist for “Artists Respond,” an exhibition of Vietnam War-era art

From your colleague Joy Yoshikawa, a good podcast series: The American War

From your colleague Manju PArikh,, an article on Hans Haacke: Hans Haacke, at the New Museum, Takes No Prisoners

From your colleague Jane Mackenzie, a great podcast on MPR about the soldiers who opposed the Viet Nam War: Soldiers for Peace

Resources specifically for Artists Reflect: Contemporary Views on the American War. 

This is an excellent TPT documentary on the Hmong involvement in the secret war run in Laos by the CIA:

America’s Secret War: Minnesota Remembers Vietnam

Another  informative PBS video: The Hmong and the Secret War

Information on Cy Thao’s series of 50 paintings (16 of which are on display: 1, 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 35, 38, 40, 43, 45, 48, and 50): Cy Thao – U of M 18

Additional information on Cy Thao from your colleague Joy Yoshikawa:

Cy Thao Hmong Migration

From Curator Bob Cozzolino, some websites with more information on artists within Artists Reflect:

HUONG NGO AND HONG-AN TRUONG

DINH Q. LÊ

An-My Lê

Cy Thao

TUAN ANDREW NGUYEN

PAO HOUA HER

For more information on our local Southeast Asian community, check out the SEAD Project website:

The SEAD Project started in 2011 with the vision of a group of Southeast Asians who wanted to not only connect with their roots and heritage but to think bigger and beyond preservation. We’re growing a diaspora movement.

Mia blog post: The American War: “Artists Reflect” recounts the Vietnam War from the Southeast Asian perspective

Pronunciation of artists’ names:

Name pronunciation_Artists Reflect

 

 

Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists

Welcome to the exhibition resource page for Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists.

Below is the video link to the training lecture on May 2/4:

HoOP Training May 2

Here is a PDF of the gallery layout, as of May 2, 2019:

HoOP 24×36 050219

Here are the gallery panels and labels for objects:

AAA190008_HOOP_Panels_Themes_26x26

AAA190008_HOOP_Panel_Intro_54x34

HOOP_Wall_Labels_17May19

HOOP_Deck_Labels_16May19

Regarding the multi-linguistic approach, here is a brief story by Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation and Participatory Experiences:

Why We Translated an Exhibition’s Labels Into Dozens of Native Languages

Pronunciation Guide:

Native Nations pronun guide

Here is the audioguide transcript:

TRANSCRIPT HOOP AUDIOGUIDE

Here is a FAQ developed for VE volunteers, with lots of great information on the exhibition:

Hearts of Our People FAQ

These three documents were given to the VE volunteers and staff who are working the exhibition, with some top FAQs and also information on microaggressions to be aware of while giving tours or when you are within the galleries:

FAQ Top Five

Microaggression HoOP2

Say this, not that

Here is the special edition of the Docent Muse, devoted to the exhibition:

HOOP Muse May, 2019

From your colleague Angie Seutter: I heard a great interview with Dakota Hoska on KFAI, along with two MIA guides. They talk a lot about HOOP and the Native American collection in general. It starts around the 75 minute and runs until the end mark of 120 minutes.

From your colleague Elizabeth Winga, an article on the origins of the jingle dress:
And from Kathleen Steiger, an additional article on the Jingle Dress:
From your colleague Margi Crone: TPT will be airing original productions that share stories of Native Americans in Minnesota. This collection of programs and events gives everyone the opportunity to learn more about themselves, their neighbors and their world.
An article on Rose B. Simpson, and her El Camino:
An article written by Rose B. Simpson, discussing her journey to becoming an artist:
And here are some fun facts directly from the artist Rose Simpson:
From Ann Isaacson, a resource on trauma from Native Hope:
Various articles from national publications on the exhibition:
Ian Frazier, Staying Native. Review of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present
by David Treuer, in New York Review of Books. HoOP artist Joan Hill’s work is embedded in the article.
Here is the Native community’s video on visiting Mia to see HoOP:
Mia’s Teachers’ Guide:

The Art of High Style: Minnesota Couture

The Art of High Style: Minnesota Couture 1880–1914 will be opening May 16, 2019 – August 4, 2019.

Explore Minnesota’s little-known historic couture fashion industry and learn about the female artisans who led it. Minneapolis and St. Paul designers had strong ties with metropolitan Europe, particularly Paris and London, with respect to training, design trends, and fashion fabrics. Minnesota’s couturiers satisfied more than just vanity; they offered proof that a refined lifestyle was possible in a young, developing state. Featured in this installation will be historic dress from the Minnesota Historical Society collection—most never displayed before—set in context with paintings and works on paper from Mia’s collection.

Here are the panels from this exhibition:

MN Couture Panel and Wall Text_D&E EDIT

Here are the exhibition labels:

MN Couture Label Text_CurLI_D&E EDIT

Following are some online resources from artsmia and the Minnesota Historical Society:

(includes links to the collections within the article)
Nicole LaBouff has also provided a photograph of the label inside JJ Hill’s suit, as requested from the gallery training session:
Here are some additional research resources and information from Josie Owens:
From Emily Post’s column: Hats Off! Hat Etiquette for Everyone
From the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco: Corsets in Context: A History
And finally, a fun little video to answer one question which came up in the session on women’s dress:

Mapping Black Identities training and resource page

Mapping Black Identities Rotation 2 Material 2020 – Artist information

Here is a link to the recorded training session by the Contemporary curatorial staff on Mapping Black Identities,on February 7, 2019:

Mapping Black Identities

Please note that at the start, the sound quality is poor. If you are able to listen to it with headphones, turned to the highest, you should be able to hear it.

Here is the lecture PowerPoint:

Mapping Black Identities Presentation_training pdf

Here is the updated checklist of objects in the exhibition:

Mapping Black Identities Checklist

Here are the labels for the objects:

Mapping Black Identities Labels PDF – Press

Here are resources on the films showing in the Black Box:

Mapping Black Identities- 3 Films Presentation Notes and Resources

This is a MPR story on the exhibition:

Black Identities exhibit marks cultural shift for Mia

From our curatorial staff comes a wealth of research documents on the artists represented in the exhibition, linked here below:

Charles Gaines Supporting Docs

Deana Lawson Supporting Docs

Delita Martin Supporting Docs

Elizabeth Catlett Supporting Docs

Emma Amos Supporting Docs

Frank Bowling Supporting Docs

Igshaan Adams Supporting Docs

J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere Supporting Docs

Joe Overstreet Supporting Docs

Julie Mehretu Supporting Docs

Kerry James Marshall Supporting Docs

Kevin Beasley Additional Supporting Doc_ Black Relief

Kevin Beasley Supporting Docs

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Supporting Docs

MBI Presentation Training Research Content

Museums are now clamoring for Frank Bowling’s work

From your colleague Jean London, an article on Frank Bowling’s work:

Non-Synchronous Cartographies: Frank Bowling’s Map Paintings

Please note there is a separate post for the rotation, with a video of that gallery training on January 30, 2020. Here is a link to that page.

 

 

Growing the Collection – Label Copy and Resources

LABEL COPY_Growing the Collection

Here are a couple more points of information, coming from the pop-up gallery training:

Samuel Levi Jones deconstructed medical text for his Agent Orange collage.

And the Ray Johnson Estate had done a 4-page paper on Hat with Red Eyes. The PDF is attached:

Hat with Red Eyes – Ray Johnson – from Dennis Michael Jon

Here is a New Yorker article on Lonnie Holley:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/29/lonnie-holleys-glorious-improvisations

Here is some information on artist Thornton Dial from Dennis Michael Jon:

here’s a link to an article that mentions that Dial was raised by a household of women. My comments on his reverence for woman and their roles in black families and the community were likely drawn from various sources.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2056700,00.html
Here’s a long quote from Dial that I found on the Souls Grown Deep Foundation’s website. He doesn’t mention being raised by women in this text, but does talk about his personal values and shares his thoughts on the importance of family.
http://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/thornton-dial
Also, see text passages on the subject of the tiger and the woman in Dial’s art beginning on page 145 of “Thornton Dial: Thoughts on Paper.”
https://books.google.com/books?id=zLfqCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA144&lpg=PA144&dq=thorton+dial+symbolism+women&source=bl&ots=nnfDOwbyA6&sig=ACfU3U33HFpz5JT3tNkaIOGenxCEZAyfhw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi_9KfOs4LhAhUG1qwKHRhPDXcQ6AEwDnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=thorton%20dial%20symbolism%20women&f=false

Love Affairs: The Tale of Genji gallery rotations part 2

 Love Affairs: The Tale of Genji in Japanese Art is going to have Rotation 2. Here are training materials for the Rotation:

JKA Docent Training Winter 2018 Genji Rotation 2

UPDATE: Message from Curator Aaron Rio, on 11/28/18:

Dear docents and guides,

I hope you have been enjoying “Love Affairs: The Tale of Genji in Japanese Art” and have had a chance to review the packet of information for part 2 of this exhibition, which opens this Saturday. For reasons that could not be avoided, the following two works from part 1 will stay on view for the duration of the exhibition. Both have been very popular and well utilized on tours, so I am sure this will make some of you very happy.

Gallery 253, 2013.29.14.1-2, Scenes from The Tale of Genji in the Four Seasons
Gallery 237, 2013.29.374, Wedding robe with design of standing curtains, maple trees, and large drum

This means that the following two works slated to appear in part 2 will not be exhibited after all:

Gallery 253, 2013.29.301.1-2, Scenes from The Tale of Genji on Silver Ground
Gallery 237, 2013.29.1140, Wedding robe with design of carriages and bridges

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. I also hope to see many of you at the Genji-related talks here at Mia on the morning of December 8.

Warm wishes,
Aaron

Egypt’s Sunken Cities

On this page we’ll continue to add information from the exhibition as it becomes available.

Audio Guide Transcript: Mia Audioguide Transcript FINAL

Labels and Panels:

SunkenCitesPanels_09.24.18

SunkenCitesLabels_09.25.18

Egypt Family Guide: Egypt_Gallery_Guide

Gallery Plan:

ESC 100218 gallery plan

Logistics for touring, on 11.8.18:

PPT for Logistics discussion: ESC Logistics session

Logistics discussion video

Here is the Top 10 FAQs: Top Ten FAQ Egypt

Here is a direct link to the film that is playing in Pillsbury Auditorium on Fridays: Swallowed by the Sea

Here is a direct link to the introductory video in the exhibition: Egypt’s Sunken Cities intro video

Talking points for tours: Race and Ancient Egyptians talking points

For general information on the history of the excavation and the selected Art Adventure objects, check out the AAG Egypt curriculum and Teacher’s Guide:

LIN19858_AA_Egypt_Guide_GUTS3

LIN190364_Egypt_TeachersGuid_v2

Here are the routes, if you are touring an AAG Egypt group: Tour Routes

Video of Jan-Lodewijk Grootaers lecture (on 9/27/18)

Two documents from Jan-Lodewijk’s lecture:

Key of gods

Egypt timeline

Video of Franck Goddio’s lecture (on 10/26/18)

Here are the maps in a PDF, showing the ancient coastline and where the cities were located:

Canopus and Thonis-Heracleion (1)

Mia fact sheet for the exhibition: ESC Fact Sheet for docents and guides

Check out this link on the press release for the exhibition at SLAM. The press release contains links to some high resolution images that could be downloaded on iPads or tablets:

SLAM press release with images

Here is a great PDF of the Crowns of Egypt, from Lucy Hicks: crowns

As we receive research information from you all, we’ll update and post in this Peer Sharing Research Document:

Egypt resource document 12.03.18

STOP and CHAT (Egypt Art Cart) materials:

Video of the Stop and Chat training on November 3:

Part 1 Stop and Chat training

Part 2 Stop and Chat training

Information (images) that will be available on laminated sheets at the cart:

Hieroglyphics-for-Iry-N-Akhet

Egyptian-Gods-and-Symbols

Rosetta Stone

Canopus and Thonis-Heracleion (1)

Image of Taweret

The Mediterranean

These information sheets will be in a binder on the cart:

Hieroglyphics

Horus Child

Egyptian Faience

Taweret

Book of the Dead funerary papyrus

 

Horse Nation video

From Dakota Hoska, here is some information on the video currently playing in Horse Nation:

“The man dancing is paying homage to  his beloved horse who has passed away.  After the horse passed (I’m not sure how the horse died), the man created his dance regalia to honor the horse and he also dances wearing the regalia to honor his horse at ceremonies and pow wows.  The tail on the back of his regalia is the actual horse’s tail. The regalia itself can be seen at All My Relations Arts, so the docent can encourage visitors to go there to see the outfit.
This exhibition is in 3 places, ours display is up the longest, but it is also at All My Relations and Two Rivers.
This is part of a train of thought that is specific to many Native tribes.  When you wear something you are imbued with the characteristics of the person who wore the item before you or the animal that is represented.  It is possible that the man is taking on some of the characteristics of his horse, although I haven’t spoken to that artist so this may not be definite for his regalia.  However, it is possible.
Also, it shows how we believe that all living beings are gifts not commodities.  They are people (nations) with their own agency, their own purposes, and they teach us and provide for us out of pity for our inabilities.  None of us can survive without the animals we rely on.  Horses were a great gift for us for friendship, for battle, for hunting.  They were allies.  This man is dancing to honor his horse because of all of these things.”

Art in Bloom flowers and plants

From your colleague Lynn Dunlap. a useful reference to flowers and plants used in AIB designs, recently updated in January 2020. According to Lynn:

“Each year, we have a few plant books in the lounge but it’s hard to find some plants due to names, clarity of photos, etc.  It seems docents often are trying to figure out which plant is ‘green trick’ or what’s that plant with the red tinged leaves.

This database includes common names, botanical names, two photos and additional notes, such as the symbolism of flowers.”

AIB plant materials 1_1_2020 update

The Rabblerouser and the Homebody: Minnesota’s Elizabeth Olds and Wanda Gág

The Rabblerouser and the Homebody: Minnesota’s Elizabeth Olds and Wanda Gág:

Exhibition Dates: March 24 – December 9, 2018

Before and after writing her famous children’s book Millions of Cats (1928), Wanda Gág was a printmaker, creating lithographs as intimate and exuberant as her books. Meanwhile, fellow Minnesotan Elizabeth Olds was writing herself into history by helping to transform screenprinting, traditionally a commercial process, into a medium for fine art. Her efforts, part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program of arts patronage, enabled artists to put low-cost art in the hands of a mass audience.

Olds’s prints used humor, satire, and a socially conscious viewpoint to document American life during the unsettled 1930s. Gág’s work came from a more private place: a spinning wheel, tree, or sleeping cat was enough to ignite her one-in-a-million imagination.

This exhibition celebrates these two Minnesota-grown artists with prints, drawings, and preparatory materials for their children’s books.

Exhibition copy:

Olds_Gag labels for G315_FINAL

Olds_Gag labels for G316_FINAL

Panels:

Olds_Gag_Panels_FINAL

Power and Beauty

We’ll continue to post materials to help prepare for the salon conversations and art cart use during the special exhibition Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty: Concept and Design by Robert Wilson. Videos of various trainings will also be linked on this page.

The arts of the Chinese Qing court rivaled that of Europe’s great kingdoms. This opulence served to affirm imperial power and prestige, and also as stagecraft for the emperor’s leading role as “son of heaven.” “Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty” presents treasures from the museum’s renowned collection of Chinese art, including rare court costumes, jades, lacquers, paintings, and sculpture. Mia’s curator of Chinese art, Liu Yang, has collaborated with celebrated artist, director, and New York-based stage designer Robert Wilson to create an experiential exhibition that engages the senses and evokes the otherworldly, intoxicating—and even dangerous—world of the Qing (pronounced “ch’ing”) court (1644–1912).

Here is the initial press release, announcing the show:

Power-and-Beauty-Press-Release

Here is a PDF of Liu Yang’s article on the exhibition:

Power and Beauty final Liu Yang

Pronunciation guide for article (courtesy of Mingjen Chen):

Chinese pronunciation

and here is the gallery map from that article (but please note, it is not quite final):

gallery plan

Here is the exhibition checklist, with small photos of the objects:

Power and Beauty in China’s Last Dynasty_Exhibition Checklist.docx

Here is the PDF of Matthew Welch’s article:

Power&Beauty_MWelch

Here is the video of the training session with Michael Lapthorn, exhibition designer, on December 13, 2017:

Power and Beauty info session with Michael Lapthorn

Videos of the training session on January 11, 2018:

P&B 1.11.18 1

P&B 1.11.18 2

Video of the training session by Liu Yang, on February 8, 2018:

P&B 2.8.18

Online resources for learning more about Robert Wilson and his work are located in the Resource document at the end of this post.

Here are the scents being used in the galleries:

Scents by gallery

Some refreshers on Daoism and Confucianism:

Daoism refresher

Confucianism refresher

For a refresher on the Ming/Qing Dynasties, here are materials from the last docent class, a recorded video, the PPT for the lecture, and the lecture handouts, including a great handout on Chinese robes!

Video links to Ming and Qing Dynasty lecture

Ming-and-Qing-dynasties

Imperial-Chinese-Court-robes-of-the-Qing-Dynasty-1644

ming-and-qing-handout

For a refresher on Buddhism, here is a PDF of lecture slides, with good information on the origins of Buddhism:

Buddhism Origins_DH

Here is a general overview and best practices for Art Cart facilitation:

110324_Introduction to Art Carts_General

And here are some links (each is a separate document) for additional handouts from art cart training:

1. Inkstone;  2. Silk Worms;  3. Bird cage;  4. Cricket Cage_ Power & Beauty;  5. Dǒugǒng; 6. Lacquer Box with Carved décor;  7. P&B Ancient Bronze Vessel;  8. P&B Calligraphy and Writing Implements;  9. P&B Pair of Jade Carved Ducks and Raw Jade; 10. 8 Daoist Immortals; 11. P&B Imperial Chinese Court Robe; 12. P&B Seated Buddha statue; 13. P&B Cloisonne Vase_ Power & Beauty ; 14. P&B 500 Lohans; 15. Buddha Diagram; 16. P&B Silk Cocoons; 17. P&B porcelain vase

Here are the PDFs with the details of the Imperial Robe symbols. These are from the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, from an exhibition on Chinese textiles:

Imperial Robe symbols 1

Imperial robe symbols 2

And here is the entire manual for the China art cart, with the new objects:

Power and Beauty Art Cart Manual

Here is the video of the China Art Cart training on 2/17/18:

China Art Cart training for Power and Beauty

Sample questions, pre-visit and post-visit, for Stop And Chat:

Stop & Chat discussion questions

FAQ for Power and Beauty:

FAQ Power and Beauty

Fact Sheet for Docents and Guides:

Fact Sheet for docents and guides

Finally, here is a Resource document, with links to online articles and videos that pertain to the exhibition. We will continue to add resources to this document and post revised versions. If you find an article or video to share, please email information to Kara (kzumbahlen@artsmia.org):

Resources for Power and Beauty 02.27.18