Official behind-the-scenes blog of the Dallas Museum of Art
Uncrated went behind the scenes in our Chilton Galleries last week to capture the installation of our newest exhibition, Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection, which opens this weekend.
Photography by Adam Gingrich, Marketing Assistant, Dallas Museum of Art
'Afternoon Train' (1944) by Doris Lee, a print in the DMA collection.
While famous songs about trains by Gladys Knight, the Grateful Dead, or Bob Marley* might not exactly bring to mind Dallas’s DART system, a quick, easy, and scenic trip to the Museum by light rail or trolley does offer much to sing about. The DMA is a short walk from DART’s St. Paul Station, and the McKinney Avenue Trolley lets off visitors right at our front door.
Every day, more than 220,000 passengers ride trains, light rail, and buses to move across our city. Whether they’re on their way to the DMA and the Arts District or to another destination, everyone who rides DART encounters works of art. Through the Station Art & Design Program, local artists are commissioned to envision the design concept and theme for every DART station and to lead teams consisting of architects, engineers, designers, and contractors to create unique installations and environments at each stop. In addition to site-specific works of art—including mosaics, sculpture, and photography—the artists also design structural and functional elements like columns, pavers, and windscreens unique to each station.
Hatcher Station. Artist: Vicki Meek. Image: Courtesy DART
Lovers Lane Station. Design Artist: Pamela Nelson. Photo: Courtesy DART
Southwestern Medical District/Parkland Station. Artist: Susan Kae Grant. Image: Courtesy DART
If you travel through one of DART’s fifty-five stations, look for the work of some well-known members of Dallas’s artistic community, such as Benito Huerta, Vicki Meek, Susan Kae Grant, and Pamela Nelson, among many others. You might also encounter works by artists who are represented in the DMA’s collections. Tom Orr and Frances Bagley, for example, were individually commissioned by DART for several stations. Orr was the station artist at DART’s Bush Turnpike Station, which is surrounded by both a large freeway as well as open, green space. To respond to the location of the station, he designed large steel and wire columns that were planted with vines to create large-scale topiaries.
Tom Orr's Installation at the Bush Turnpike Station. Image: Courtesy DART
Frances Bagley served as the station artist for Union Station, Convention Center Station, and Cedars Station (all along the Blue and Red DART lines); on each project, Bagley collaborated with other artists to create installations that reflect the particular site of each station.
In 2009 Bagley and Orr collaborated on a gallery-scaled installation that was included in the DMA’s special exhibition Performance/Art. The piece was based on the pair’s design for the Dallas Opera’s 2006 production of Verdi’s Nabucco. The installation recalled the setting for the opera’s biblical story and portrayed the artists’ interpretation of the Euphrates riverbank, the idol of Baal, and the Hanging Garden of Babylon.
Mural Detail from Union Station. Image: courtesy DART
Tom Orr and Frances Bagley's Installation in the DMA's "Performance/Art" exhibition.
Take advantage of this great spring weather and DART to the art . . . but don’t forget to explore the works of art along the way. Use DART’s guides to learn more.
* Take a look at this list of one writer’s Top Ten Train Songs.
Lisa Kays is Manager of Adult Programming at the Dallas Museum of Art
Did you know that the Dallas Museum of Art is an exciting place to spend your Thursday nights? Thursday evenings at the Museum are filled with live jazz music in the cafe and artist encounteers in the Center for Creative Connections. Teachers and students receive free admission from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. each Thursday with a valid school I.D. Did you also know that the DMA has its own YouTube channel featuring a brand new video all about Thursday Night Live at the Museum?
A second video has just been released all about Late Nights at the DMA. On the third Friday of each month, the Museum stays open until midnight. In my opinion, this is the best time to be at the Museum–the whole building pulses with energy and excitement! From live performances to lectures to art-making activities, there are experiences that everyone will enjoy. In fact, tonight is the April Late Night, so watch the video below and then head down to the DMA for a night of art and fun!
Shannon Karol
Manager of Docent Programs and Gallery Teaching
My colleague Amy Copeland and I recently led a teaching session focused on a few works of art in the Dallas Museum of Art’s amazing Indonesian collections. Our session in the galleries highlighted an expressive ancestral couple and a beautifully carved door with mythical creatures, emphasizing ways to look closely as well as explore geography and belief systems through objects from Indonesia.
Spirits abound in Indonesia. A mysterious energy animates the entire universe. Human beings and animals, trees and plants, the ancestral dead, stones, man-made objects, even traditional houses — all share in this vital force. Man has been inspired to give many of these spirits tangible form, to make the unseen visible.
— Dallas Museum of Art wall text
Female ancestor figure, Toba Batak people, Sumatra, Indonesia, 19th century or earlier, wood, Dallas Museum of Art, the Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
Male ancestor figure, Toba Batak people, Sumatra, Indonesia, 19th century or earlier, wood, Dallas Museum of Art, the Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
This male and female pair represents an ancestral couple from the Toba Batak peoples on the island of Sumatra. The two objects were originally bound together with a third object and kept out of sight in the uppermost region of the house inhabited by the Batak lineage founder. This region of the house was a space the Batak associated with the upperworld, where gods and ancestors reside. Only a privileged few were ever allowed to view or touch these powerful ancestors who both protected as well as carried the potential to inflict harm. What I love about this couple are their expressive qualities. Look closely at their faces — the eyes, the noses, and the mouths. Next, notice their posture. Both have knees bent slightly and their backs held in a certain way. Viewing these in the galleries is best so that you can walk all the way around them. Finally, perhaps what attracts our eye most are the large hands of the female. The male once had separately carved hands as well. You can see the rectangular slots on either side where his hands were once attached. The hands on the female are up, with palms turned inward. This gesture expresses the Batak greeting of “Horas”, or hello.
Door with protective symbols, Kayan people, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, c. 1850-1900, wood, brass, and shell, Dallas Museum of Art, the Roberta Coke Camp Fund
The Kayan people of East Kalimantan in Indonesia live in longhouses, which can be very large structures that rise from the ground on stilts. The longhouse is a series of contiguous, individual spaces connected by a common verandah. The organization of the spaces in the longhouse is similar to the American concept of apartment structures. Each space houses a family, so a longhouse is the residence for many people. This wooden door was either as the main door to the longhouse or as the door to the individual space of the chief. The animal symbols carved on the door protected inhabitants from evil spirits and intruders. Look closely for animal forms on the door. The white, shell circles contrast sharply with the dark wood. These circles are the eyes of the protective, mythical creature called the aso, a form resembling both a dog and a dragon.
In addition to looking at objects in the galleries, Amy and I shared some general information about Indonesia during the session that help us begin to know and connect with this far away location.
Nicole Stutzman
Director of Teaching Programs and Partnerships
This summer, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the DMA Teen Docent program! Over the course of the last ten years, we have noticed that a lot of our new applicants have older siblings who were also teen docents. There are even a few teen docents whose moms are DMA docents during the school year. I’m going to turn the spotlight on two teen docents who are sisters, and who also happen to be my cousins. For us, the teen docent program really is a family affair.
Leah is currently a junior, and this will be her third summer as a teen docent.
Leah, what was your best tour experience from last summer?
My best teen docent experience from last summer was a tour for a group of girls who were in second, third, and fourth grade. They really got into the tour, and we had a great time talking, sketching, and playing games inspired by works of art in the galleries.
What are the benefits (in your opinion) of being a teen docent?
Being a teen docent, you get service hours in a fun way. You get to talk with kids, teach them about art, and meet other teens who have the same interests as you. It is also a great way to build up confidence in leadership and public speaking, as there will never be anyone quite as opinionated as a group of 20 little kids…
Abby will be a freshman in the fall, and this will be her first summer as a teen docent.
Abby, why do you want to join the teen docent program?
I was inspired to become a teen docent after going on a tour of the DMA with Shannon. I also want to serve the community by educating young children about art. I want to keep art alive in this community.
What are you most looking forward to when you become a teen docent?
I am looking forward to talking with kids about artworks at the DMA. I also look forward to giving tours with my older sister. I enjoy art, so getting to instill the same love for art into young visitors will be very rewarding for me.
Abby, Shannon, and Leah--three Karols with a connection to the teen docent program
This will be my second year leading the teen docent program. I’m so excited to reconnect with our great volunteers and to welcome a new class of docents to the program. Teachers, if you have students (grades 9-12) who you think would make great teen docents, we would love for them to apply. Please email me (SKarol@DallasMuseumofArt.org) to request an application.
Shannon Karol
Manager of Docent Programs and Gallery Teaching
Do you have everything ready for Uncle Sam on April 18? We think this work by DMA staff member Robert Ramirez—our accounts payable coordinator—sums up the task. You might have seen it on view during our recent exhibition Insourced: Works by Dallas Museum of Art Staff exhibition.
Robert Ramirez, My Love to Rinna, 2010
The Center for Creative Connections (C3) welcomes the unique perspective of community partners through a series of C3 Community Partner Response Installations (CPRI). Installed in a central gallery for approximately six months, each CPRI is a response to the current exhibition in the Center and offers visitors an opportunity to consider the themes of the exhibition in new ways. CPRI are the products of close, collaborative, and interactive working relationships between community partners and DMA staff.
Sculpting Space: 299 Chairs is the sixth CPRI to be installed. Students and faculty from the Architecture Cluster at Skyline High School in the Dallas Independent School District created this installation of classroom chair assemblages that stretch, hang, fly, and twist throughout a central gallery in C3. For these students, the process of creating Sculpting Space involved the application of classroom ideas and concepts to a real-world scenario and fostered many new connections with the DMA and Dallas-based cunningham architects.
“In order for us to flourish and bloom as students, we must first open ourselves to new ideas.”—Alberto Huerta
“Working with more people, you will hear interesting ideas that you never would have thought of alone.”—Erica Jackson
Several months ago, the students began the project by sketching chairs. Skyline teachers Tom Cox and Peter Goldstein then led students in a variety of exercises including the study of negative and positive space in DMA artworks as well as investigating spatial concepts such as fluent, voluminous, implosion, organic, and rotating through the making of 2D drawings and 3D models. Several workshops with architects Gary Cunningham and Rizi Faruqui and DMA staff focused on how to connect the chairs, what connectors would hold the chair assemblages together, and how to consider the visitors’ experiences in a space sculpted by chairs. Along the way, three DISD elementary schools swapped out their old kindergarten chairs for new ones, thus providing the high school students with chairs full of character and marked with history.
Google Sketch-Up was used to build scale models of the gallery space, providing a blueprint for the final installation of the assemblages. Videos created by Element X Creative accompany the installation, documenting behind-the-scenes aspects of the project and featuring several Skyline students sharing their experiences.
“The one true connection we have made was with the chairs and when we were little kids. They bring back memories of childhood.”—Luis Garcia
“The new connections we make will be with the people that view our work. We will not be there to explain what we made, so we have to try to convey that in shape and form.”—Sandra Benitez
Sculpting Space: 299 Chairs will be on view in the Center for Creative Connections through October.
Nicole Stutzman is Director of Teaching Programs and Partnerships.
All I can say is “Thank goodness it’s Friday!” I found a few works of art that reflect how I spend my weekends.
Until next time….
Jenny Marvel
Manager of Programs and Resources for Teachers
Works of art:
Edgar Degas, Aria after the Ballet, 1879, Pastel gouache, and monotype mounted on cardboard, Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, 1985.R.26
Eastman Johnson, Five Boys on a Wall, 1875-1880, Oil on composition board, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Roland S. Bond, Mrs. Alfred L. Bromberg, and Margaret J. and George V. Charlton, 1978.8.FA
Geoff Winningham, Untitled, 1985, Color photograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Jackson, Walker, Winstead, Cantwell & Miller, 1986.22.11
Richard Long, Tennessee Stone Ring, 1984, Stone, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund with a matching grant from The 500, Inc., 1985.120
Coreen Mary Spellman, Untitled (girl reading in bed), 1945, Etching, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Helen, Mick and Thomas Spellman, 1994.160
Geoff Winningham, Untitled, 1985, Color photograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Jackson, Walker, Winstead, Cantwell & Miller, 1986.22.4
Roger Kuntz, Paris Café, n.d., Silkscreen, Dallas Museum of Art, Mrs. Killborn Karcher and Mr. and Mrs. John A. Prather Prize, 1st Annual Dallas National Print Exhibition, 1953, 1954.17
Pietro Paolini, Bacchic Concert, 1625-1630, Oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, The Karl and Esther Hoblitzelle Collection, gift of the Hoblitzelle Foundation, 1987.17
Printmaking has been around since the fifteenth century. There are many types of printmaking processes, such as woodcuts, etchings, engravings, lithographs, and monotypes. The earliest print technique, the woodcut, was used to illustrate books. To make a woodcut, the artist carved a design from a piece of wood and inked the block. Ink would only stay on the areas of the block that were not carved. Eventually, artists looked for new ways to create images, which resulted in etchings and engravings.
Etchings and engravings were favored by artists. To make either type of print, an image is drawn onto a metal plate with a v-shaped tool called a burin. The plate is coated in an acid-resistant surface and ink is beaten into the incised lines with a tool called a dabber. Then, the plate is submerged in an acid bath, which opens up the lines and exposes the metal surface. The acid creates the depth of line by reacting with the areas of exposed metal. Afterwards, the plate go through a printing press. In the engraving process ink rests in the engraved lines and the plate is run through a press. Both prints allowed for greater flexibility with images and a variety of lines and tones in the final product.
Advances in the print world saw the emergence of lithographs and monotypes during the nineteenth century. Lithographs are a direct medium; the image is drawn on a flat stone with a greasy oil or crayon and run through a printing press. Monotypes have ink drawn onto a glass or copper plate and transferred to paper. Monotypes produce one image; printing another image results in deteriorated quality.
To help you better understand prints, I included some images of the printmaking process. I hope you enjoy seeing how they are created! If you would like to explore works on paper in the DMA’s galleries, prints by the following artists can be found in the collection: Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre Bonnard.
Amy Wolf
Coordinator of Gallery Teaching
As a special treat for our Dallas Museum of Art jazz (and other music) lovers—and in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month—we will showcase the music of the great composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington in the Atrium (part of Thursday Night Live!) during April.
We thought that this would be a great time to spotlight Wendell Sneed, our Coordinator of Jazz in the Atrium. Wendell is a long-time employee of the DMA (18 years!), but more than that he is our own local celebrity and Dallas jazz legend! Wendell was a member of the popular 1970s Dallas funk group Soul Seven and was featured in the 2008 KERA documentary South Dallas Pop—When Funk Was King (visit this link to listen to a clip of Wendell — on drums — and Soul Seven performing with Eddie Purrell).
Soul Seven Album Cover (Wendell is the one on the far left)
I sat down to chat with Wendell about what influenced him to become a jazz musician and to get a bit more information about the great line-up for April.
Wendell Sneed, Jazz in the Atrium Coordinator
What got you interested in jazz to begin with? When did you start playing?
My high school band director, Mr. Allison Tucker, was a jazz drummer. He got me interested in music and was my first mentor. I originally wanted to be an athlete in school but hated all the running! By the late 50s I was totally hooked on the drums and jazz and was playing with several bands around town. By the time I was 17, I was touring all around the Southwest and beyond.
What was your favorite gig while you were out on the road touring?
Besides my time with Soul Seven, my favorite gig was when I was the Music Director for a group called “The Honey Combs” in the late 70s. We had a couple of singles that went “gold.” One of them was the tune “Want Ads.”
What is your favorite Duke Ellington tune?
My favorite Ellington tune is a little obscure. It’s called “Come Sunday.” It actually is one of his sacred music compositions. Of course, I like many of the more well known Ellington tunes also.
What is your favorite work of art in the DMA’s collections?
Leadbelly, by Michael G. Owen, Jr., in the American sculpture collection is my favorite. I think about Mr. Owen creating this work and wonder what it was like to talk to Leadbelly himself as he worked on it. Leadbelly’s music became a very important influence on many musicians from many different genres—from blues, to folk and even rock. I wonder sometimes why Mr. Owen chose to portray Leadbelly in this light—solitary and without his guitar in sight.
Michael G. Owen Jr.'s Leadbelly (1943)
Tell us a bit more about the acts you have booked for the April Ellington Showcase.
We will kick off the month on April 7 with the UNT Repertory Ensemble, which is a group dedicated to playing and preserving the art of “classic jazz.” Next, on the 14th, we have pianist Dave Zoller and his group Daybreak Express. They specialize in doing exclusively Ellington material. On the 21st, we will feature the top student jazz band from Carroll Senior High School. They were the finalists for the Essentially Ellington Competition, founded and judged by Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center in New York City.
I am most excited about the performance planned for April 28. We will feature Shelley Carrol, who was a member of the Ellington Orchestra for many years after graduating from the University of North Texas. He will be joined by a very special guest, Duke Ellington’s grandson, Paul Ellington. Paul will share stories of Duke and his compositions that Shelley and his quartet will perform.
Viktor Schreckengost and the Cowan Pottery Studio's Jazz Bowl (c. 1930 -1931)
In addition to the acts Wendell mentioned, on April 14 and 21 we will offer tours of jazz-related artworks in the DMA’s collections, including the Jazz Bowl (pictured above), led by curators and other staff.
Denise Helbing is Manager of Partner Programs at the Dallas Museum of Art.
