Official behind-the-scenes blog of the Dallas Museum of Art
We have less than a week until the opening of Chagall: Beyond Color here at the Dallas Museum of Art. The DMA is the only U.S. venue for this exhibition, which features Marc Chagall’s sculptures, ceramics, collages, paintings, and costumes. To tide you over until the opening on Sunday, February 17, below are a few installation shots from the past week.
On January 21st the Dallas Museum of Art introduced Free General Admission and our Free Membership Program. That same day we also rolled out our new art cart, which allows for artistic activities in our permanent collection galleries. Each week the cart will be in a different location, stocked with a variety of activities to choose from. For the rest of this week you can find us in the 2nd Floor European Gallery. Come by, say hi, and make some art!
Jessica Fuentes
C3 Gallery Coordinator
This is the fifth and final post in a larger series finding connections between the ever-mystical tarot cards and the extraordinary collection of the Dallas Museum of Art. Head over to the first, second, third, and fourth posts for an introduction and earlier connections.
Temperance is the fourteenth trump card in a traditional Tarot desk. Representing the cardinal virtue of temperance, the winged figure pours water from one chalice to another diluting the unseen wine. This, as well as the stance of one foot on land and one in water, symbolizes balance and moderation in one’s life.
Mark Manders, Composition with Three New Piles of Sand, 2010, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund
Leaning backwards, the one-limbed figure in this piece remains perfectly balanced with the assistance of taut ropes. While the figure does not express general comfort, its expression is distinctly calm. As the figure is in control of its balanced stance, it accurately represents the equilibrium of temperance.
The Tower is the sixteenth of the Major Arcana cards. Considered an ill omen, the image shows two people falling or fleeing from a burning building. Thought to refer to the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, the Tower symbolizes looming failure, ruin and catastrophe.
Claude-Joseph Vernet, A Mountain Landscape with an Approaching Storm, 1775, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, Mrs. John B. O’Hara Fund
Claude-Joseph Vernet’s monumental landscape captures the terror associated with the destructive power of natural disasters. Amidst the ominous clouds, craggy coast, and wind-whipped trees, anxious workers struggle to find sanctuary far from the violent storm’s path.
The Wheel of Fortune is the tenth trump card. Depicting a six- or eight-spoked wheel crested by a sphinx, the Wheel of Fortune card is inscribed with the symbols for the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Also visible are the letters T-A-R-O with reference to the card deck or R-O-T-A, the Latin word for wheel. The Wheel of Fortune signifies a turning point in one’s life and often represents destiny and the cycles of life.
Shiva Nataraja, 11th century, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Eugene McDermott, the Hamon Charitable Foundation, and an annonymous donor in honor of David T. Owsley, with additional funding from The Cecil and Ida Green Foundation and the Cecil and Ida Green Acquisition Fund
Deity of creation, destruction, and rebirth, the Hindu god Shiva is shown as Shiva Nataraja, the Divine Dancer. In this form, Shiva embodies the energy of the entire cosmos and, surrounded by flames, dances the rhythm of the universe. The precise positioning of his hands promise release from the endless wheel of rebirth.
The World is the final card in the major arcana. Surrounding an untarnished nude woman, figures referenced in the Book of Revelation are depicted in each corner, including a lion, a calf, a beast with the face of a man, and an eagle. These figures also signify the classic four elements in astrology: Leo, Taurus, Aquarius, and Scorpio. The World represents completeness, accomplishment, and wholeness.
Miguel Covarrubias, Genesis, the Gift of Life, 1954, City of Dallas, Gift of Peter and Waldo Stewart and Stewart Company, 1992
Inspired by a budding acorn, Miguel Covarrubias created the 12-foot tall and 60-foot long mural Genesis, the Gift of Life. Saturated with creation stories, the mural explores the beauty of the earth and the life it sustains.
I have greatly enjoyed researching for and writing my Reading the Cards series. I have learned a great deal and hope you have as well!
Pilar Wong
McDermott Intern for Community Teaching
The Dallas Museum of Art and its Arts District neighbor, Dallas Theater Center, are collaborating in an unprecedented way on the upcoming production of John Logan’s Tony Award-winning play Red, a bio-drama about iconic 20th-century artist Mark Rothko. Rothko once said, “I think of my pictures as dramas; the shapes in the pictures are the performers.”
Months ago, Joel Ferrell (DTC’s Associate Artistic Director and Director of Red) and Bob Lavallee (set designer) came to the DMA for a sneak peek at our Rothko painting currently in art storage so that they could examine the stretcher and the back of the canvas.
Bob LaVvallee and Mark Leonard in art storage
Bob discussed his preliminary plans to turn the 9th floor of the Wyly Theatre into Rothko’s Bowery Studio. Joel mentioned that the actors portraying Rothko (Kieran Connolly) and his assistant Ken (Jordan Brodess) in Red will be priming and painting a canvas on stage to music in a “muscular dance,” and that “they wanted to get it right.” Joel and Bob peppered Mark Leonard (the DMA’s Chief Conservator) and Gabriel Ritter (the DMA’s Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art) with questions about Rothko’s use of materials, and great dialogue followed about the seriousness with which Rothko approached his art and creative process. On another visit, I helped production staff browse through books in the DMA’s Mayer Library to find the best photos of Rothko inside his studio in an effort to re-create it faithfully.
On January 16, the entire DTC staff, ranging from actors to production staff and administrators, joined DMA staff in an afternoon-long workshop. We immersed ourselves in the art of Mark Rothko through lively conversations with Carol Mancusi-Ungaro, who has written on Rothko’s techniques and directed the conservation of his Rothko Chapel paintings; by exploring works of art in the galleries with DMA staff by artists who came before and after Rothko; and through a sustained look and written reflection on Rothko’s painting Orange, Red and Red, which currently hangs in the South Concourse. We finished the afternoon by sharing our responses with each other, seeking to make meaning of what can seem to be an enigmatic painting.
Carol Mancusi-Ungaro discusses Rothko’s painting technique with DTC and DMA staff.
Many staff agreed that the longer you looked closely at Orange, Red and Red, the more it reveals to you and rewards you. DTC Brierley Resident Acting Company member and Master Teacher Christina Vela said, “The great masters don’t offer answers, they keep asking you questions; you’re forced to continue to struggle with them.” Bob Lavallee remarked that you have to be physically in the room with the work of art in order to really understand it (as opposed to looking at an image on a screen)–much like theater. Antay Bilgutay, Interim Director of Development, said, “Having the space and opportunity to take my time with a Rothko painting changed my perception of his work.”
Joel Ferrell shares his reactions with a DTC colleague.
We invite you to get your tickets soon to see Red, and then come to the DMA to spend time in front of this mesmerizing work of art. Imagine you are inside the world of this painting. You might ask yourself these questions:
What do you see around you?
What do you smell, hear, and taste?
What do you feel?
How might you describe this place to someone who isn’t here?
One opportunity to do just that is to attend Red In-Depth on Saturday, February 23, a program that includes a matinee performance of Red, followed by time with staff in the galleries exploring the art of Rothko and his contemporaries. Two similar in-depth experiences will take place on February 19 and 27 with middle school and high school students.
Carolyn Bess is Director of Programming and Arts & Letters Live at the Dallas Museum of Art.
If you haven’t had the chance to view the fantastic artworks in the Young Masters exhibition, be sure to stop by before the exhibition closes on February 17, 2013. This annual exhibition is organized in partnership with the O’Donnell Foundation’s incentive program, Create Schools of Excellence in Fine Arts Education, and recognizes the artistic achievements of students and teachers in Dallas area schools. This year, 56 works of art were selected for the exhibition out of 620 works submitted for consideration.
I had the chance to interview Maria Teresa G. Pedroche, Head of Community Engagement here at the DMA, about her role in co-curating the studio art selections and organizing the overall exhibition.
What is the history of the O’Donnell Foundation Advanced Placement Arts Incentive Program with the DMA?
Since 1995, the O’Donnell Foundation and the Dallas Museum of Art have generously sponsored Young Masters. Young Masters celebrates the creativity and skill of each grant program: AP Art History, AP Music Theory and AP Studio Art. Integrating all three disciplines at this prestigious event highlights and reinforces the interconnectedness of the arts.
How are student artworks chosen to be featured in the exhibition?
Participating AP Fine Arts students are invited to submit the following works:
The final works and award winners for each program are selected by a panel of artists, art historians, and musicians.
What is your favorite part about working on this exhibition?
For the past 13 years I have seen students exhibit strength and diversity within a broad range of styles and expressions; their autobiographical statements express their thoughts with clarity and elegance. During the Late Night in January, students were interviewed by Nancy Churnin of the Dallas Morning News before visitors voted for their favorite works in the exhibition. It was enriching for visitors to have the opportunity to talk with students in the gallery. The Young Masters exhibition inspires both children and adults!
Who picks the first, second, and third prize artworks? When will we know which works are chosen?
The final works and award winners for each program were selected by a panel of artists, art historians, and musicians. They included:
Young Masters and their teachers were honored tonight at an awards ceremony held at the Dallas Museum of Art. Here are the winners:
AP Art History
1st Place: Benjamin Lee from Plano Senior High School
2nd Place: Stephanie Chen from Plano Senior High School
3rd Place: Conner Frew from McKinney Boyd High School
Honorable Mention: Macy Huang from Plano Senior High School
Visit the Young Masters AP Art History Gallery
AP Music Theory
1st Place: Trey Strickland from Plano East High School
2nd Place: Joshua Choe from Creekview High School
3rd Place: Dylan Hunn from Plano West Senior High School
Honorable Mention: Josh Sniderman from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Honorable Mention: Chase Dobson from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Visit the Young Masters AP Music Theory Gallery
AP Studio Art
1st Place: Samuel Hersh from Plano Senior High School
2nd Place: Mackenzie Miller from Lovejoy High School
3rd Place: Sungkeun Kim from Creekview High School
Honorable Mention: Audrey Allen from McKinney Boyd High School
Honorable Mention: Anna Fields from Richland High School
Honorable Mention: Larissa Logelfo from McKinney Boyd High School
Honorable Mention: Lea Menaul from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Honorable Mention: Hayley Parsa from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Honorable Mention: Lauren Ussery from Coppell High School
Visit the Young Masters AP Studio Art Gallery
What is the People’s Choice Award?
The Young Masters Exhibition Awards Ceremony reminds me of the Academy Awards. Three years ago I suggested we add the People’s Choice Award and invited visitors to vote for their favorite work in the exhibition. The response has been rewarding–visitor’s voices count and students appreciate the feedback.
The upcoming Late Night on February 15–our first with free admission–will showcase students in the exhibition from 7-9pm. You can vote for your favorite work of art during Late Night from 6-9pm and check apstrategiesarts.org after February 18 to see which work earned the People’s Choice Award.
How has the inclusion of works by AP Music Theory and AP Art History in the exhibition changed the overall exhibition experience?
Visitors experience Young Masters in a whole new way through our smARTphone tour at www.DMA.mobi. Everyone enjoys hearing original music compositions and essay readings by students featured in Young Masters. Including Art History essays and Music Theory compositions strengthens the exhibition.
For more information on Young Masters, check out Guide Live and the Arts Blog of the Dallas Morning News.
Thanks to the O’Donnell Foundation! We congratulate the artists on their accomplishments and acknowledge their dedicated teachers for motivating students to reach their full potential. The arts are the soul of the community helping to reflect and promote the city’s history and the community’s cultural diversity: past, present, and evolving. It is an honor to work with the O’Donnell Foundation. We are grateful to Edith and Peter O’Donnell for their generous support, along with their dedicated staff, especially AP Arts Director Deborah Moore for her creative leadership on this program that builds confidence and self-esteem and inspires students and teachers to reach to the highest level in the arts.
Amanda Blake
Head of Family, Access, and School Experiences
On February 17, the DMA will present for the first time the works of Loren Mozley (1905-1989), a Texas-based artist known for his integration of two dominant influences: Cézanne and the Taos Art Colony. Raised in New Mexico, the young Mozley worked in Taos for a few years before continuing his studies in Paris. His landscapes and still lifes represent the integration of cubist philosophies with the modernist practices of the American Southwest.
Paul Cézanne, Abandoned House near Aix-en-Provence, 1885-87, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection
Loren Mozley, View of Ronda, c. 1969, oil on panel, Private Collection
Loren Mozley: Structural Integrity brings together eighteen works spanning the period of 1937-1976. The exhibition offers a fine representation of the artist’s concerns with geometric forms, decorative patterns, and gradations of color to emphasize contrast, depth, and weight.
Loren Mozley, Snowy Range, 1948, oil on canvas, Collection of Judge and Mrs. B. Michael Chitty
Ernest Blumenschein, Mountains Near Taos, 1926-34, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Helen Blumenschein
Works by many of the artists who influenced Loren Mozley are on display at the DMA. Look for works by Paul Cézanne, Arthur Dove, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Everett Spruce throughout the American and European galleries on Levels 2 and 3. What other works at the DMA relate to Loren Mozley? Post your comments here.
Everett Spruce, Tree and Rocks, 1932, oil on Masonite, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Maggie Joe and Alexandre Hogue
Loren Mozley, Driftwood, Birdsnests, and Milkweed Pods, 1943–44, oil on canvas, Private Collection, Dallas
Elizabeth Donnelly is the Exhibitions Assistant at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Not everything is bigger in Texas! The DMA’s collection contains works that range in size from the miniscule, such as the gold Veraguas Armadillo Ornament that takes up approximately .5 square inches, to the very large, like Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Stake Hitch which stands at over 53 feet. This Friday Photos post is meant to draw attention to works in the collection that are often overlooked because of their size. I’d venture a guess that the smallest work in the DMA is somewhere in the collection of African beads, Mesoamerican gold ornaments, or Greek jewelry.
Click on the images below to find out their exact dimensions. You might be surprised…
Can you find these tiny pieces in the Museum? Or better yet, can you find something even smaller?
Artworks shown:
Alex Vargo
McDermott Intern for Gallery Teaching
This month, I wanted to solve one of my cooking conundrums: What to do with leftover egg yolks? After only using the whites in a recipe or for breakfast, the poor yolks might end up wastefully tossed in the trash. In the spirit of reducing waste and making something out of materials on hand, the inspiration for this month’s recipe is Family Portrait 1963, currently on view in C3. Martin Delabano created this unique sculpture of his family out of recycled and reused objects, like a coffee can and a guitar. These tasty cookies will undoubtedly bring your family together, all while making use of something you might have thrown away.
Martin Delabano, Family Portrait 1963, 2001, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Bryant M. Hanley, Jr., Lorine and David H. Gibson, and Sonny Burt and Bob Butler
Cake Batter Sprinkle Cookies
Yields about 50 cookies
Level: Very Easy
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 egg yolks
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup colorful sprinkles, preferably jimmies
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar, beating at medium speed until light. Add almond extract and egg yolks and continue mixing until fully combined.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt onto wax paper. Slowly add flour mixture to mixer, mixing on low speed and scraping down sides of bowl until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in sprinkles by hand with rubber spatula.
To form cookies, scoop off about a teaspoon of dough then roll between hands to shape a ball slightly taller than it is wide. Bake until just crinkled on top, about 11-12 minutes, watching closely to ensure cookies do not brown.
When removed from oven, cookies will look very soft and should remain so at room temperature. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet then transfer to metal rack to cool completely.
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives
Many Dallasites know Raphael Parry for his extensive work in shaping the Dallas theater scene over the last thirty years. He currently serves as Executive and Artistic Director of Shakespeare Dallas, where he has directed or performed in over twenty-five Shakespearean productions. He also serves as a founder and Chief Artistic Officer of Project X: Theatre, a producing company that focuses on new play development. Raphael has been recognized by the Dallas Theatre League and the Dallas Theater Critics Forum with the Standing Ovation Award for his continued contributions to Dallas Theater.
What you may not know is that Raphael has deep ties to the Dallas Museum of Art, serving as Director and host of Arts & Letters Live’s Texas Bound series for almost two decades. The series showcases Texas-connected actors reading short fiction and essays by Texas-connected authors to a live audience. We like to say that it is “story time for adults.”
Raphael will reprise his role as Director and host again during the 2013 season of Texas Bound on February 11 and on May 6, when he will also participate as an actor.
We caught up with Raphael for a short Q&A about his involvement with Texas Bound.
Raphael Parry, Director and host of the Texas Bound series at the DMA
How long have you been involved with Texas Bound?
My first season I was an actor reading a very short story—less than three minutes long. The next year, I was invited to serve as Director and host—that was 1995. I will be starting my 18th season this year.
What do you enjoy most about working with the series?
Getting to read a huge number of stories, as we search to select just the right ones for the series. It has really brought me a profound appreciation for the art of the short story. And our audience is so generous and eager to hear the readings. It is always a pleasure to take part in Texas Bound in performance.
Texas Bound rehearsal, 2012
Can you talk a little bit about the process of selecting the stories and casting them?
It starts with a huge collection of stories that have been sifted through after an open call for stories. Our Producer, Katie Hutton, reads through all the submissions and selects the ones that are candidates for Texas Bound. At this point, we have approximately eighty to one hundred stories that we can consider for the Texas Bound series. We meet twice weekly starting in the late summer and I read the stories out loud to Katie and her team. What works on paper can often not transfer to a successful story being read out loud. After reading each story, we discuss three to four potential actors that would be the right match for the story. After reading all of the stories over many weeks, we have a small collection of stories that are strong candidates. Then the real puzzle work begins. We have to find a combination of stories that add up to the right length for the evening and have some balance. We often use a meal as the metaphor for the evening: appetizer, main course, and dessert. We are looking to create a balance and flow.
What is your most memorable Texas Bound experience?
The most memorable experiences are when everything comes together: the actors, the stories, and the audience. There have been many evenings where the flow is fantastic, and we are all moving through the performance with each story and reading building on another. It is like floating on a cloud when it all clicks, and then it’s over—like an ephemeral dream it all dissolves and we are left with a great memory.
What story or stories are you most excited about this season?
“The Dangerous Animals Club” by Dallas native Stephen Tobolowsky
All of the stories intrigue me, as we work so hard to find just the right ones. I am looking forward to hearing Stephen Tobolowsky read his essay “F.A.Q” from his book The Dangerous Animals Club. He has such an interesting voice, and his essays are so personal yet universal. Also, John Benjamin Hickey is reading Patricia Highsmith’s “A Curious Suicide”; it is a murder mystery with a unique tone. Those two are standouts from a stellar field of stories.
Stephen Tobolowsky will read on February 11. Photo by Jim Britt.
Matt Bomer will read on February 11.
John Benjamin Hickey will read on May 6.
Join us for the first Texas Bound of the season on Monday, February 11. For more information on this season of Texas Bound, visit our website. You can order tickets online or call 214-922-1818.
Katie Hutton is the Program Manager for Arts & Letters Live at the DMA and Producer of Texas Bound.
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The DMA, in partnership with the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, is a proud recipient of a 2013 IMLS Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums Grant! This grant is for the planning and design of a joint, media-based Learning Lab for middle and high school students to collaborate, create, and connect with peers, experts, and mentors in an environment that is comfortable, social, and cutting edge. One of only twelve projects to receive funding this year, ours will examine the question, “Where do art and science intersect?”
The most exciting part is that the entire project–from its design to its programs–will largely be teen-generated. In addition to getting feedback from local teens, a teen council will be formed that will work directly with Museum staff to shape a more specific vision and plan for the Lab. It will be especially interesting to hear the specific aspects of art and science teens want to explore.
The Learning Lab will be informed by research on teen participation in new media such as the concept of HOMAGO (Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out). So not only will teens be able to participate in programs centered around issues that interest them, they will also be able to experiment, tinker, and learn on their own using state of the art media tools in the areas of audio, film/video, drawing, photography, communication/writing, and design.
All of this represents an exciting shift in the way we think about our audiences and it’s our hope that the Lab truly gives teens a sense of ownership in the DMA and the Perot. Having them generate their own content instead of participating in what we think they want is a concept that’s at once scary and exhilarating; but above all, it’s one that’s long overdue.
The Learning Lab Team is just beginning the planning phase of the project, so we will post updates as our ideas grow and develop. In the meantime, check out the Chicago Public Library’s YOUmedia, an amazing Learning Lab example. And tell us what you think–where do art and science connect? What types of programs involving the two would you want to see?
JC
C3 Program Coordinator
