Exhibitions

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

 

Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe

On Artsmia.org:

“In the 1700s, historical events and sights were documented by view painters.

Commissioned by princes, popes, and ambassadors, such artists recorded memorable moments first hand, ranging from the Venetian carnival to an eruption of Vesuvius. This first-ever exhibition on the golden age of view-painting includes over 50 scenes of historic events. Turning the beholder into an eyewitness, these paintings, many never seen before in America, bring the spectacle of the past to life. Features key works from leading view painters, including Canaletto, Bellotto, Robert, Panini, and Guardi.”

Preliminary checklist for Eyewitness Views:

Eyewitness Views Checklist_11316 prelim list

Here are the final labels for Eyewitness Views, file dated 09.06.17:

EV_final labels_09.06.17

Here are the final panels:

Eyewitness Views final Panels

Here are the final subpanels, file dated 09.06.17:

EV_final subpanels_09.06.17

Here is the final transcript from the audio guide:

Transcript Eyewitness Views_Final audio guide

This is the teacher guide, posted on Artsmia.org’s exhibition page:

Eyewitness Views_TeacherGuide

Fact sheet from Curatorial Affairs:

Eyewitness Views Fact Sheet 8-1-17

This is a resource document, with modern images of Venice and other events, as well as pertinent articles and videos. If you would like to add any resources, please email them to Kara (kzumbahlen@artsmia.org) and she’ll update the document.

Resources for Eyewitness Views 09.12.17

The slides from Peter Bjorn Kerber’s lecture will be posted when received. Here are the notes from the lecture, shared by your colleague Josie Owens:

Eyewitness News lecture notes 2

From your colleague Shelly McGinnis, some information on Spain’s monarchy:

Spain’s monarchy

More information on Panini and his workshop:

Biography of Panini and On Ruins and Prophecy

Here is a map of the exhibition:

Eyewitness Views gallery layout

Pronunciation guide for Italian names and terms:

Italian Names and Terms PDF

Here is an article and video about the Palio in Siena:

The Palio in Siena

Americas Galleries Rotations, June 2017

Tobie Miller has shared these rotation documents with you so everyone can prepare for the changes in the Americas Galleries. With the gallery construction beginning on May 24, Gallery 261 will be impacted right away, with objects deinstalled in the south wall cases.

According to Tobie, “The rotation is happening during the month of June, but we never know how registration will start so any piece could move throughout the month. Additionally, the South wall cases in 261 will be deinstalled next week for construction of the doorway between 261 and 262 and we will be heading right into the rotation.

The spreadsheets attached are broken down by gallery and install/deinstall.
These are not complete because Jill is currently working with members of the Cherokee and Dakhota communities to curate two cases – one being the Dakhota case on the north wall of 259 and the other being interpretation of the Rauschenberg going into 261 south wall case (currently the Arctic). As well, Andrea Carlson is guest curating the case that juts out from the wall in 259 and that list is attached.”
As additional information comes in, it will be posted. Please note that some objects are merely being moved (e.g., Arctic objects, from 261 to 260) and reinstalled in another gallery, so look through all documents. (G261a, The Frank Big Bear collage will be deinstalled after June 20th.)
Here are the documents from Tobie: