Research Resources

Well Baby Clinic by Alice Neel

Here is some information from colleagues on Well Baby Clinic by Alice Neel:

Embodied Art Connection: Experiencing Art Through the Five Facets of Being

This was a presentation at the National Art Education Association (NAEA) conference in 2023. Here are the slides shared by presenter Cindy Ingram:

NAEA 5 Facets Presentation

Norman Akers, Interference and a Tiny Spot of Hope, 2019

Here are some resources to learn more about Norman Akers and his work:

There is some good information in the label, to at least discuss the elk’s presence:
Interference and a Tiny Spot of Hope is a presentation of the past, present, and future. Akers combines flat imagery with illusionistic space to provide an immersive and yet open-ended experience into personal, historical, and cultural issues, such as identity, disruption, dislocation, and belonging. In his paintings, Akers uses Osage stories as metaphors over illustrations, and complexity over a singular, fixed interpretation. The most prominent figure in the painting, the suspended or falling elk, is an important figure in Osage cosmology and becomes a symbol to represent ideas of being between two worlds (Osage and non-Osage), and the precarious place of being between the earth and sky, a fundamental Osage principle of balance in the world. Wind turbines found within the painting and within Osage homelands disrupt the spatial order and space between the earth and sky, and according to Akers, “obscure[d] the horizon….and the blades cut into the earth”. Other features within the painting, including tree stumps and skeletal remains along the riverbed, reference the environmental and cultural disruptions within Osage landscapes.

And here is an article about the artist:
https://www.kansan.com/arts_and_culture/theme-of-lost-identities-within-boundaries-ingrained-in-art-professor-norman-akerss-exhibit-contested-territories/article_93fade32-5e4d-11e5-864f-fb3c6c82acc4.html

And there is this video, and a painting that seems to have some similar themes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MCaPpLxTCI

Front Room by Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum

From your colleague Rose Stanley Gilbert, some information on an artist and work new to our collection:

Front Room, 2022 Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, Botswanian

And here is some information from Curator Dennis Jon:

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum-Notes

Pamela Phatismo Sunstrum-Bio

Press Release – Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum 2022

Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum Front Room Fact Sheet

(The above includes a link to the painting which was the inspiration for her work.)

Pride 2023 tour resources

Here is a PDF created by Kate Brenner-Adam and Dustin Stueck of Mia’s 2SLGBTQIA+ group, with current works–and planned works going on view–which fall into the LGBTQ lens:

Pride 2023 Tour Images for guides

Here is the self-guided Pride tour, on Mia’s website:

Pride Month self-guide

And here is gendered language guide and additional resources provided by Dustin:

Gendered Language Terminology Guide

Religious Literacy Workshop: Cultural Fluency Spring 2023

Part 1 of our Spring 2023 cultural fluency training was the lecture by Dr. Jeanne Kilde, Director of Religious Studies at the University of Minnesota, on March 30, 2023. Here is a link to the recording:

Religious Literacy Workshop: Developing Your Practical Toolkit for Talking about Religious Art with the Public

Dr. Kilde provided some handouts for this session:

Religious Diversity in Minnesota Timeline (1)

Religious Diversity Overview of US Religious Landscape Final (1)

Here is a PDF of Dr. Kilde’s slides:

PPT FINAL-MIA Religious Literacy for Guides (1)

If you attended in person, you filled out a feedback form after the lecture. so you do not need to complete any extra feedback. We were able to record your attendance at the event.

If you were unable to attend, please watch the recording, then take a minute to fill out this brief feedback form to receive attendance credit for the session:

Feedback form for Part 1 of training: Religious Literacy Workshop

Miao textiles and silver jewelry/hats

From Wikipedia: According to the 2000 censuses, the number of ‘Miao’ in China was estimated to be about 9.6 million. The Miao nationality includes Hmong people as well as other culturally and linguistically related ethnic groups who do not call themselves Hmong. These include the Hmu, Kho (Qho) Xiong, and A-Hmao. The White Miao (Bai Miao) and Green Miao (Qing Miao) are Hmong groups.

Here is something I found about the silver hats on display: Silver Ornaments of the Miao Ethnic Group

And an exhibition by the Bowers Museum, on Miao silver: https://www.bowers.org/index.php/current-exhibition/miao-masters-of-silver

A short video:

Miao Textiles at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Black History Month resources

Here are some resources for Black History Month or for giving tours focused on African American/Black American artists:

Mia’s website compilation for Black History Month

African American artwork currently on view:

African American artist/works on view, February 2024

Walkthrough with Mia Guide Jean Ann Durades (to come)

Tour Outlines

(If you care to share tour outlines. please email to Kara or Debbi, to include here.)

Rebecca Haddad_Celebration of African America Art History

Catalog for James Phillips’ exhibition

From your colleague Susan Arndt, a online catalog to an exhibition of James Phillips’ works, including Cosmic Connection:

UMUC James Phillips Exhibition, 2017

February Public Tour walkthrough with Jean Ann Durades 01.24.23

This gallery walkthrough is for the February public tour, Celebration of African American Art History.

Part 1

Part 2

Here is a link to the google doc, listing all African American art currently on view.

And here is the self-guided tour flyer as a reference:

Self-Guide Template Celebration of African American Art final QR

Fourth Family Octagon by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

From your colleague Rose Stanley-Gilbert, some information on the inspiration for Fourth Family Octagon:

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Fourth Family Octagon – (1)

Training with the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation (CHAI)

Here is a recording of the anti-ageism training with CHAI on December 13, 2022:

(VIDEO is no longer available. We only could post it for one month per CHAI.)

Note: The recording is only available for one month.

After you watch the recording, please fill out their feedback survey:

CHAI training feedback survey

Here are the presentation slides:

to come

Tour Break: Winter Solstice December Cross Currents 11.17.22

Here is the recording of the training for the December 2022 Cross Currents public tour, Winter Solstice:

Tour Break: Winter Solstice December Cross Currents

Here is the chat:

Chat for December Cross Currents

Here are the presentation slides, with the resources:

Tour Break_ Winter Solstice Cross Currents

And here are the best practices for engagement from guides who have given multiple Cross Currents tours, and some information and reminders about the tour format:

Best Practices for Cross Currents tours

Article on Elizabeth Catlett

Here is an article from your colleague, Brenda Haines:

How Elizabeth Catlett Lifted Up Black Women Through Art _ At the Smithsonian_ Smithsonian Magazine

Lucas Cranach’s The Nymph of the Spring

From your colleague Kathleen Steiger, a video:

Lucas Cranach’s The Nymph of the Spring

Peer training in Galleries 374 and 375, June 15, 2022

Jean Ann Durades, Rose Stanley-Gilbert, Mary Ann Wark presented on new works on view in Rituals of Resilience and Gallery 375. These are works all by Black artists. The training is 5 videos in total.

Here are also supporting materials from their talks, along with some additional resources provided by other guides:

From Rose:

Gio Swaby, Pretty Pretty 3, 2020 WORD

Alfred Conteh – Sauce – WORD

From Mary Ann:

mia.James Phillips Cosmic Connection 1971 2022

mia. Wangechi Mutu

and with no questions/answers: mia. object file.Intertwinedwo anwers

Some information on Afrofuturism from Kay Miller:

Afro-Futurism Explained

Afrofuturism Explained: Not Just Black Sci-Fi | Inverse

StaffSavvy Training resource page

Welcome to our Resource Page for StaffSavvy, our tour scheduling system. As we continue to train on this system, we will post materials on this resource page.

Here is a link to the slides from our Info Sessions in November 2023:

Training 11.17.23 StaffSavvy session

Here is a link to the video for our refresher on Sept. 20, 2022:

StaffSavvy refresher 09.20.22

Here is a link to the slides:

Training 09.20.22 StaffSavvy session

Here is a direct link to StaffSavvy:

StaffSavvy

Here is the recording for our introduction on May 26, 2022, to the new scheduling system, StaffSavvy:

Introduction to tour assignments in StaffSavvy

Here is the chat file:

StaffSavvy chat 05.26.22

Here are the slides:

Training 5.26.22 StaffSavvy session

The three videos we sent out to introduce the system are here:

Video 1: Introduction and changing your password

Video 2: Updating your photo and profile

Video 3: How to do a checkout or leave request

To send a group message to multiple guides in StaffSavvy, go to My Account/My Messages, then select “Send a New Message” in the top menu bar. In the “To” line, you can enter multiple guide names. Click on “Send Message” to send the message. If you are uncertain if all guides in your tour assignment are using StaffSavvy messaging, you can use email addresses provided in the guide rosters.