Archive for May, 2013

Friday Photos: Creativity Squared

Ever wonder what happens to the responses left behind in the Center for Creative Connections (C3)? As a member of the C3 team, I’m one of the people who reviews these visitor contributions. One of my favorite activities is the doodle pad on our yellow clipboards. On these doodle pads, there are six drawing squares that each offer a light line drawing as a starting point for visitors to begin their own creation. I love to see how our creative visitors each bring a unique perspective to this activity. For today’s post, I pulled some of my favorite responses to the square based on the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Watch the slideshow below for a quick peak into the creative minds of C3 visitors. Stop by next time you’re at the DMA and contribute your own creativity!

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Jessica Fuentes
C3 Gallery Coordinator

Culinary Canvas: Cornflake Cookies

The Roaring Twenties continue to hold a certain allure in pop culture today, with movies like The Great Gatsby providing just one recent example. The era was not only one of glamour and excess, but also one of innovation and modernization, characterized by new inventions, new music, and the “New Woman,” who had greater freedom than ever before. The booming economy provided the average consumer with extra money to spend, and the advent of mass advertising ensured that name brands were in high demand. Razor, the DMA’s iconic 1924 painting by Gerald Murphy, perfectly embodies this period: the matches, pen, and razor would have been easily recognizable and understood as the necessary accoutrement of the modern man. As part of this burgeoning commercial era, newly available food products like boxed cereal and marshmallows became a favorite addition to recipes of the time, which focused on quick yet dainty dishes that could be easily whipped up by the busy working girl. Try out this month’s vintage recipe and and see if you find it just as nifty as the decade itself.

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Gerald Murphy, Razor, 1924, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of the artist

Cornflake Cookies

Yields about 24 cookies
Level: Easy

¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
4 egg whites, room temperature
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup cornflake cereal, crushed
1 cup marshmallows
½ cup chocolate chips (optional, for additional sweetness)

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In small bowl, stir together brown sugar and white sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add salt and vanilla. Continue beating on medium-high, slowly adding sugar, until stiff peaks form. Watch closely to ensure whites are not over-beaten.

In separate bowl, mix together chopped walnuts, cereal, marshmallows, and chocolate chips if desired. Gently fold nut mixture into batter with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated. Batter will be thick and sticky.

Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes until tops are crinkled and golden, watching closely to ensure cookies do not brown. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet then transfer to metal rack to cool completely.

 

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Finished batter

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Recipe adapted from Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads.

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

DMA Athletes in Training

One of my favorite parts of my job is that I get to spend one morning every month talking with our fantastic Gallery Attendants about works in the collection. So far, we have discussed European art, shared Personal Responses to works in the collection, written Facebook profiles for photos in the Cindy Sherman exhibition, and compared three vastly different works in our American collection. Last week, we spent time in The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece: Masterworks from the British Museum.

After looking at the discus thrower, the Gallery Attendants were asked to divide into teams of two. Each team had to select a sport and strike a pose that epitomizes an athlete participating in that sport. The rest of us had to guess which sporting event they were re-creating. Their poses were creative, clever, and funny, and we couldn’t resist sharing them with you!

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Shannon Karol is the Manager of Docent and Teacher Programs at the DMA.

Hotel Texas: Oral Histories

John F. Kennedy’s legacy is continuously remembered and honored nation-wide, especially this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of his tragic death. If you were alive in 1963, you may have personal memories of President Kennedy’s fateful trip to Texas, or perhaps memories of that time have been recounted to you by family or friends. As you stroll through the newly opened Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F.  Kennedy, consider using your smartphone or other web-enabled device to listen to eleven individuals recount vivid memories of JFK’s time in Fort Worth and Dallas.

To access these audio clips, visit www.dma.mobi and scroll to the section titled Hotel Texas: Oral Histories under Special Exhibitions.

photo of jfk stop

The tragic ending of that trip often overshadows the excitement and optimism that characterized the Metroplex as the area planned for this presidential visit, a rare occurrence at the time. Hear Kaye Buck McDermottJim Wright, or Ronnie Martin recall the preparations made for JFK’s visit to Fort Worth. Or listen to Michael Okon and Jarrold Cabluck remember the crowds waiting to catch a glimpse of the president and First Lady. Certainly, many memories of this trip were sad ones. In a powerful and moving interview, Diane Cody remembers turning twelve on November 22, 1963.

These audio clips are part of an ongoing audio-visual Oral History Project at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (TSFM). Through informal personal interviews, TSFM staff explore the history and culture of Dallas during the 1960s and preserve personal recollections about the life and death of President John F. Kennedy. Learn more about the project and listen to more personal recollections on The Sixth Floor Museum’s Oral History Project page.

smartphone logo

 

Look for this smartphone logo next to a three digit code on labels in the galleries to access more audio and video material about works of art in our collection at www.dma.mobi.

Andrea V. Severin
Interpretation Specialist

Hello, Summer!

Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer. Enjoy a fun, free (and cool) summer at the DMA with free general admission every day during Museum hours and free activities every week. Check the DMA’s website in the coming weeks for details!

Nic Nicosia, Vacation, 1986, cibachrome photograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Meisel Photochrome Corporation

Nic Nicosia, Vacation, 1986, Cibachrome photograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Meisel Photochrome Corporation

Friday Photos: A Fond Farewell!

Today we bid adieu to our wonderful 2012-2013 McDermott Interns. They have spent the last nine months with us at the DMA researching artworks, contributing to exhibitions, assisting with programs, and generally helping to make our Museum a dynamic and engaging place to experience art. We appreciate all the hard work they’ve done–we couldn’t do it without them!

Take a look at some of the adventures they had along the way and join us in wishing them well as they embark on new ones!

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Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

Over and Out

Today is the last day at the Dallas Museum of Art for the 2012-2013 McDermott Interns. Pilar and I have had a great time working together for the Family, Access, and School Experiences team and writing for Canvas. We will miss the DMA and wanted to reflect on our time here.

Pilar celebrates her birthday at the DMA!

Pilar celebrates her birthday at the DMA!

3 things I learned at the DMA:

  1. I have learned that elementary school girls are obsessed with One Direction! In spending lots of time teaching our Go van Gogh outreach programs, I’ve gained quite an insight as to what’s cool these days (hint, it’s not me).
  2. While I am a McDermott education intern, there are also four McDermott curatorial interns with whom we share office space. I have learned so much about the curatorial side of the museum field through daily interactions with these awesome future curators!
  3. I have had the amazing opportunity to learn how to teach in a formal classroom setting through Go van Gogh. This experience has allowed me to understand the differences in practice between formal and informal instruction styles.

Favorite part of the internship:

I was able to develop a new Go van Gogh curriculum that is based on American History as told by DMA artworks. I not only learned a ton about the editing and review process that takes place at a large institution, but I also had a great refresher course on American history!

Post-internship plans:

I will be doing lots of travelling this summer: Colorado, New Mexico, Amsterdam, the south of France, and Spain! After which, I’ll end up in Vancouver where I will be starting in the Master of Museum Education program at the University of British Columbia.

Pilar Wong
McDermott Intern for Community Teaching

Alex bids farewell from Emery Reves' study

Alex bids farewell from Emery Reves’ study

3 things I learned at the DMA:

  1. I’ve really enjoyed working with our docent corps of about 100 volunteers. They are an enthusiastic, intelligent, generous bunch. I’ve learned a great deal from the DMA docents, and I will miss working with them.
  2. As the Gallery Teaching Intern, I toured mainly with elementary school students. That age group consistently offered refreshing interpretations of works of art, and their enthusiasm and frankness is something to which more adults, myself included, should aspire.
  3. I’ve definitely learned the importance of flexibility and openness. Some of the best experiences I’ve had have resulted from spontaneous changes – whether filling in last-minute for a docent or allowing visitors to choose what they want to see and discuss.

Favorite part of the internship:

I loved writing docent guides. These guides help introduce the docents to special exhibitions and the DMA’s permanent collection. They offer art historical and contextual information, as well as ways to interpret these shows for a variety of audiences. It combines my interest in research and art history with my passion for education.

Post-internship plans:

I’ll be sticking around Dallas for June and July. Then I will embark on my version of The Great American Roadtrip as I head back to the east coast. In the fall I will begin the Arts in Education master’s program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Alex Vargo
McDermott Intern for Gallery Teaching

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this experience so fulfilling. Have a great summer!

Sincerely,
2012-2013 McDermott Interns

DallasSITES from a Dallas Transplant

How do you navigate your way in a new city’s art community? That became my challenge when I moved from Philadelphia to Dallas in September 2012 to become the new McDermott Curatorial Intern for Contemporary Art. Of course, I did my research: numerous Google searches helped me make a page-long list of contemporary art venues I wanted to visit during my internship. But assisting on the DMA’s newest exhibition, DallasSITES: Charting Contemporary Art, 1963 to Present, was what really taught me about Dallas’s artistic legacy.

Two members the Dallas art scenes who have been influential for decades: Janet Kutner and Paul Rogers Harris c.1960s, Courtesy of Paul Rogers Harris, Dallas, TX

Two members of the Dallas art scene who have been influential for decades: Janet Kutner and Paul Rogers Harris, c.1960s, Courtesy of Paul Rogers Harris, Dallas, TX

I’ve spent the past nine months combing through archives, researching galleries, and learning about the evolution of the Dallas art scene. The exhibition, consisting mainly of ephemera from the past fifty years, will illustrate how dynamic the art community of North Texas has been. As a recent transplant, this project became my personal crash course. This history lesson served me well.

Map of Dallas, Courtesy of Swoon the Studio, Dallas, TX

Map of Dallas, Courtesy of Swoon the Studio, Dallas, TX

Dallas itself is a large city, and over the years the art scene has concentrated in different neighborhoods. Artists were extremely active in Fair Park and Uptown during the 1960s and 70s. With the establishment of the Arts District in the 80s, many art-related activities migrated to downtown. Deep Ellum became a serious locus for the arts in the 80s as well. Today, many galleries and institutions have relocated to the Design District. Interestingly, artist activity continued in all of these neighborhoods even when the larger cultural trends shifted. Meanwhile, universities produce interesting programs and bring important artists to visit and work in North Texas. The ephemera on view in DallasSITES reflect these events.

A visitor at the 1989 Dallas VideoFest, Courtesy of the DMA Archives

A visitor at the 1989 Dallas VideoFest, Courtesy of the DMA Archives

Some fun facts learned from this project:
Q: What is the oldest continuously running gallery in Dallas? A: Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden, established in 1955. Q: What is the oldest and largest video festival in the United States? A: Dallas’s own VideoFest! First held in 1986 at the Dallas Museum of Art, it provides a platform for experimental video art and Texas artists.

Claes Oldenburg, Poster for Injun Happening at the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, April 6-7, 1962

Claes Oldenburg, poster for Injun happening at the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, April 6-7, 1962

Claes Oldenburg is an iconic artist of the pop art movement, but did you know that in 1962 he staged one of his famous “happenings” in Dallas? Injun became a two-day collaboration with local artists at the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts (which merged with the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in 1963 to form the Dallas Museum of Art). That was a fun discovery! Oldenburg’s relationship with Dallas has continued for several decades. Further, I discovered that one of my favorite artists, Oliver Herring, participated in a 1997 group show called Termite Terrace at Angstrom Gallery in Dallas’s Fair Park neighborhood. When DallasSITES opens, visitors will truly see how active this community has been. One of the best parts of contemporary art is the opportunity to meet artists and other art lovers at openings and talks. Each month, there are dozens of exhibition openings, artist talks, and panels that keep Dallas exciting. There are established museums, commercial galleries, and temporary spaces ranging from empty storefronts to an artist’s living room. Artists from across the United States and even internationally are showing in nearby spaces, while the roster of local talent continues to grow.

Dallas’ art scene in action: A packed house at CentralTrak for its NEXT TOPIC series panel, “Creating an Art Community/Scene” on May 2, 2013, Courtesy of Sally Glass and CentralTrak, Dallas, TX

Dallas’s art scene in action: A packed house at CentralTrak for its NEXT TOPIC series panel “Creating an Art Community/Scene” on May 2, 2013, Courtesy of Sally Glass and CentralTrak, Dallas, TX

When you see all the ephemera in DallasSITES presented in one room, the cultural wealth of this city becomes readily apparent. On May 26, you, too, can experience a crash course of your own for free!

Alexander Unkovic is the McDermott Curatorial Intern for Contemporary Art at the DMA.

Meaningful Moments with Mozley

The Dallas Museum of Art offers a wide variety of educational programs, classes and workshops for the diverse set of guests who visit the Museum each day, and I feel lucky to be a part of a great number of these. One of my favorite classes to work with has been the Meaningful Moments group, which is a part of the DMA’s Access Programs for visitors with special needs. Meaningful Moments is a monthly program designed specifically for individuals with early stage dementia and their family members or caregivers. Every month, education staff design an interactive class with conversation time in the galleries, as well as a studio component. Each monthly session focuses on a particular creative theme, ranging from special exhibitions, to artworks from a particular artistic genre or geographic location, to visiting artists. April’s theme centered on the Loren Mozley: Structural Integrity exhibition, on view at the DMA until June 30.

Meaningful Moments group in Loren Mozley.

Meaningful Moments group in Loren Mozley: Structural Integrity

Loren Mozley, though an artist in his own right, played a key role in shaping generations of young Texas artists who received instruction from him during his thirty-seven year tenure in the art department at The University of Texas at Austin. This was a wonderful exhibit to share with the Meaningful Moments group because it centers on a Texas-based artist who was heavily influence by nature–themes which are central to the lives of many participants.

As part of the program, we encourage conversation and the mutual sharing of stories, as this type of socialization and exchange can not only build a stronger relationship to the works of art, but also fortify the bond between the individuals with Alzheimer’s and their spouse or caregiver. With more than 500,000 people over the age of 65 nationwide affected by Early Onset Alzheimer’s, and with no known cure, the DMA and other art institutions are offering creative ways of potentially slowing down the progression of the disease in the early stages. It is hoped that facilitated conversations about art, which encourage focused looking, responding and remembering, will offer joyous moments and strengthen cognitive skills.

In the Loren Mozley program, participants shared stories with one another regarding their vacations to central Texas or New Mexico, drawing connections between their perceptions of the landscape and those that Mozley presented in his artwork.  Additionally, they were eager to learn more about and discuss Mozley’s friendship with Georgia O’Keeffe and his admiration for Paul Cezanne.

Our fruitful gallery discussion was followed by an open-ended studio activity that related back to Loren Mozley’s artistic process. We took advantage of the gorgeous April day and walked over the to Klyde Warren Park to engage in some still life and landscape drawing. Armed with sketch pad and charcoal, couples sat throughout the park and created their own works of art, which they shared with one another.

The Meaningful Moments program has garnered attention as the first program of its kind in Dallas, taking shape a little over five years ago. For this reason, there is a wonderful sense of community and friendship among members, many of whom have attended since the program’s inception. This program is so much more than a monthly outing to an art museum for adults with early stage dementia and their care partners. It’s special, for both staff and visitors, because it is an opportunity for a group of friends to share their collective life experiences and love of art with one another.

Two couples in the Meaningful Moments group

Two couples in the Meaningful Moments group

To become involved in the Meaningful Moments program, or to learn more about the DMA’s Access programming in general, please call 214-922-1251 or e-mail us at our Access programs address.

Danielle Schulz
Teaching Specialist

Seldom Scene: Re-Installing 50 Years Later an Art Exhibition for President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy

This weekend, the DMA-organized exhibition Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy opens. It brings together works of art that were on view in President Kennedy’s Fort Worth hotel suite in 1963. This is the first time the works have been reunited in fifty years. We’ve been installing in the galleries this past week, prior to the Sunday opening of this free exhibition.

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