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I Could Have Danced All Night!

Published March 12, 2013 Art & Teaching , works of art 2 Comments
Tags: ballet, Chagall, dance, fashion, poetry, pop, popular culture

Artists take cues from the surrounding world when creating their own works of art. Inspiration can come from any number of subjects including fashion, popular culture, and poetry. The DMA is currently playing host to an exhibition titled, Chagall: Beyond Color, which features the artist’s paintings alongside his works in sculpture, ceramics, and collage. The DMA is the only US venue for this exhibition, so you definitely don’t want to miss it!

: Reading a good book

Marc Chagall never aligned himself with any single movement, but combined elements from various styles including Cubism, Fauvism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. He also drew inspiration from his Jewish background, Russian upbringing, and many international travels. While Chagall is most famous for his paintings, he also experimented with other media and venues. For example, he designed and produced costumes and scenery for the production of the ballet Aleko, choreographed by Léonide Massine and set to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A Minor.

Marc Chagall, A Wheatfield on a Summer's Afternoon, Study for backdrop for Scene III of the ballet Aleko, 1942, Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest

Marc Chagall, A Wheatfield on a Summer’s Afternoon, Study for backdrop for Scene III of the ballet Aleko, 1942, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest

Three years after the immense success of Aleko, Chagall worked on the stage curtain, sets, and costumes for Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird. The ballet, based on a Russian folktale, was restaged by the American Ballet Theater with choreography by Adolphe Bolm.

Marc Chagall, Model for the curtain in the first act of “The Firebird” by Stravinsky: The Enchanted Forest (Maquette pour le rideau de scène du 1er acte de “L’Oiseau de feau” de Stravisky: La forêt enchantée), 1945, Private collection

Marc Chagall is not the only artist to have been inspired by the passionate art form of dance. As a strong cultural element, dance can be found represented in a variety styles throughout history and across geography. Below are some examples of works in the DMA collection that also draw inspiration from various forms of dance.

: Female ancestor figure, Toba Batak people, Indonesia, 19th century or earlier, wood, the Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.

: Male ancestor figure, Toba Batak people, Indonesia, 19th century or earlier, wood, the Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.

: Male ancestor figure, Toba Batak people, Indonesia, 19th century or earlier, wood, the Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.

: Male ancestor figure, Toba Batak people, Indonesia, 19th century or earlier, wood, the Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.

: Male ancestor figure, Toba Batak people, Indonesia, 19th century or earlier, wood, the Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.

: Female ancestor figure, Toba Batak people, Indonesia, 19th century or earlier, wood, the Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.

: Date: 2000-1800 B.C., Bronze, Dallas Museum of Art, Irvin L. and Meryl P. Levy Endowment Fund

Pilar Wong
McDermott Intern for Community Teaching

Spring and Summer Programs for Teachers

Published March 7, 2013 Art & Teaching Closed
Tags: Cindy Sherman, Museum Forum, teacher programs, teacher workshops

We’re looking forward to welcoming Cindy Sherman (and all of her many personas) to the DMA in just a few short weeks. The exhibition Cindy Sherman opens on March 17th and serves as a retrospective of her work from the 1970s to the present. Teachers will have an opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with the photographs during our Teacher Workshop on Saturday, March 23rd. We’ll focus on themes of performance, transformation, and process as we explore the exhibition. There are still several spaces available in the workshop, and tickets can be purchased online.

Cindy Sherman. Untitled #119. 1983. Chromogenic color print, 48 1/2 x 7' 10" (115.6 x 238.8 cm). Courtesy the artist and Metro Pictures, New York © 2012 Cindy Sherman

March also marks the early registration deadline for our annual Museum Forum for Teachers: Modern and Contemporary Art. Over the course of this week-long program, teachers spend one full day at each of five different metroplex cultural institutions: the Rachofsky Collection, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the DMA, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and the Kimbell Art Museum. The week focuses on modern and contemporary art in our respective collections and special exhibitions. Museum Forum is always the highlight of my year, and I’m looking forward to another great session! This year’s Museum Forum will be held from July 22-26 and is open to secondary teachers from all disciplines. If you would like to join in on the fun, we are currently accepting applications. March 29th is our early application deadline–any teachers who apply before that date will receive a 10% discount on their tuition.

2012 Museum Forum for Teachers

I hope to see you at the DMA this spring!

Shannon Karol
Manager of Docent and Teacher Programs

Spring Break Staycation at the DMA

Published March 5, 2013 Art & Teaching 1 Comment
Tags: Art you SmARTer, Center for Creative Connections, family tour, photo shoot, spring break, staycation, Story Time

Just four more days until it is officially spring break here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area! My most memorable spring breaks as a child were a visit to Disney World (every child’s dream, right?) and another trip to Sea World in San Antonio.

But for the most part, we tended to enjoy spring break at home. If you are indulging in a staycation this year, let us help you travel the world from the comfort of your hometown. So pack your bags, grab your camera, and hitch a ride on the DMA Express! We have someplace fun for you to visit each day of spring break, Tuesday, March 12 – Friday, March 15. For the complete spring break schedule, click here. Here’s the itinerary:

First stop: Japan

Enjoy a pretend picnic among the cherry blossoms as you listen to stories and rhymes about Japan during story time. Surrounded by the beautiful Japanese screens, it won’t be hard to imagine an afternoon in the Land of the Rising Sun. But if Africa, Italy, or New York City are more your style, we can schedule a “layover” or two along the way. Each day we’ll venture out into a different gallery, read award-winning children’s books, and take a closer look at the art.

Story Time takes place from Noon–12:30 p.m.; meet at the entrance to the Center for Creative Connections on Level 1.

Next stop: Russia

Fly through the Russian sky in our drop-in family photo shoot. Taking inspiration from the Chagall: Beyond Color exhibition, we’ve created a dream-like backdrop for a scene in which you are the star! First take a stroll through the exhibition and get acquainted with the work of Marc Chagall. Then use props and simple costumes and insert yourself into your own version of a Chagall painting. Don’t forget your camera—this will be a photo shoot you don’t want to miss!

The Photo Shoot takes place from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Tech Lab in the Center for Creative Connections on Level 1. The Chagall: Beyond Color exhibition requires a special exhibition ticket.

Next stop: Mexico

Now let’s head down south to Mexico. Or perhaps you would like to go north for a stroll along the Seine in Paris? During our interactive gallery tour just for families, we’ll explore the jungles of South America, ancient shrines in India, the bustling streets of New York City and more. Education staff will be your tour guides, offering all the amenities—hands-on art explorations, sketching, stories, and a personalized look at the Museum’s collections.

The Interactive Gallery Tour takes place from 2:00-2:30 p.m. Meet at the entrance to the Center for Creative Connections on Level 1.

Next stop: Europe

Fans of The Amazing Race will be right at home on this leg of our adventure. Watch out for detours and roadblocks in the form of a rousing game of ART You SmARTer Than Your Grown-Up? This game is like a mix of Charades, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, and Cranium, but with an artsy twist. In the galleries we’ll split into two teams for a head-to-head competition between adults and kids. One team member might have to draw a picture with their eyes closed for their team to guess, while the other team must act out a work of art. Who will win the battle of wits and creativity? Come and find out!

ART You SmARTer Than Your Grown-Up? takes place from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Meet at the entrance to the Center for Creative Connections on Level 1.

Final stop: France

Wind down your travels and take in a family film in C3 Theater. We’ll be playing Dropping in on Picasso—an entertaining animated video featuring the loveable Puffer the bird interviewing Pablo Picasso about his artwork. After the show, take your newfound knowledge with you and search the galleries to discover Picasso in the Museum’s collection.

The Family Film takes place from 4:00-4:30 pm in C3 Theater.

Spring break is the perfect time to make it a day at the DMA. We hope to see you soon!

Leah Hanson
Manager of Early Learning

Seeing Red

Published February 28, 2013 Art & Teaching Closed
Tags: Dallas Theater Center, Mark Rothko, Red

This month we have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with our neighbors at the Dallas Theater Center on their play Red, showing until March 24. Red, a two-actor play about the painter Mark Rothko, focuses on an enormous commission Rothko received from the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building in New York. During the play, Rothko’s fictional assistant Ken increasingly probes and questions Rothko about his intentions for his Seagram paintings as well as his theories on art.

To experience the play, audience members must walk directly into a re-creation of Rothko’s studio—the play’s set—and sit around its perimeter. Rothko intended viewers of his work to be completely immersed in his paintings. Reflecting that intention, viewers of Red must be completely immersed in the play, literally sitting in the set among the actors.

Our collaboration with DTC began with a DMA-hosted workshop for staff from both organizations. (Read about the impetus for the collaboration and the staff workshop on our blog Uncrated.) As part of the collaboration, we invited area high-school students to a matinee of Red followed by an in-depth and interactive conversation about Mark Rothko and related artists in the DMA galleries.

Of course we spent time visually exploring Rothko’s Orange, Red and Red. We encouraged the students to immerse themselves in the painting. We reminded them of Rothko’s line from the play:

“You’ve got to get close. Let it pulsate […] Let it wrap its arms around you; let it embrace you, filling even your peripheral vision so nothing else exists or has ever existed or will ever exist. Let the picture do its work—But work with it. Meet it halfway…Engage with it!”

We asked students to describe the experience of entering into the painting as if it were a place. What do you see? What does it smell like? How is the weather? How would you describe this place to someone who has never been there?

We also explored the work of artists that Rothko discusses in the play, such as Pablo Picasso and Robert Rauschenberg. Rothko’s character says “We destroyed Cubism… We stomped it to death. Nobody can paint a Cubist picture today.” Students investigated Picasso’s Bottle of Port and Glass and discussed the ideas behind Cubism in comparison to Rothko’s process and ideas about art. Similar discussions were facilitated around Rauschenberg’s Skyway, and we talked about the cycle of artists creating art in response or in opposition to artists that came before them. In Red, Rothko worries that the “young artists” like Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg are out to kill him, much in the same way he claims to have destroyed the Cubists.

Lastly, we looked at Karla Black’s installation Exactly That in comparison to Orange, Red and Red. The students responded in a number of ways: Both incorporate large rectangular forms; The process to create both was precise and thought out. One student noticed that both included a perimeter of some sort. However, he thought that Rothko’s soft brown outlines drew viewers into the painting, while Black’s hanging strips of tape functioned like a barrier.

What kinds of comparisons can you make with these works?

: Jackson Pollock, Portrait and a Dream, 1953

: An Alamo Soldier

Be sure to check out new online teaching materials about Rothko on CONNECT! And thanks to our colleagues at DTC for this great collaboration!

Artworks shown:

Mark Rothko, Orange, Red and Red, 1962, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
Pablo Picasso, Bottle of Port and Glass, 1919, Dallas Museum of Art, Museum League Purchase Fund, The Cecil and Ida Green Foundation, Deedie and Rusty Rose, The Pollock Foundation, Mary Noel Lamont and Bill Lamont, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas O. Hicks, Howard E. Rachofsky, an anonymous donor, Mrs. Charlene Marsh in honor of Tom F. Marsh, Gayle and Paul Stoffel, Mr. and Mrs. George A. Shutt, Dr. Joanne Stroud Bilby, Mr. and Mrs. Barron U. Kidd, Natalie (Schatzie) and George T. Lee, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy L. Halbreich, Dr. and Mrs. Bryan Williams, and Mr. and Mrs. William E. Rose
Robert Rauschenberg, Skyway, 1964Dallas Museum of Art, The Roberta Coke Camp Fund, The 500, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Mark Shepherd, Jr. and General Acquisitions Fund
Karla Black, Exactly That, 2012, Courtesy Stuart Shave/Modern Art, London and Galerie Gisele Captain, Cologne

Andrea V. Severin
Interpretation Specialist

Friday Photos: Artwork Comic Strip

Published February 15, 2013 Art & Teaching , Friday Photos , People 1 Comment
Tags: artwork comic strip, Go van Gogh, interpretation, stories in art, Vishnu as Varaha, volunteer training

Last Friday, new Go van Gogh volunteers spent time in the galleries with artworks from our 3^rd grade Stories in Art program. Stories in Art encourages students to spend time looking closely at different elements of an artwork, trying to discover a “story” behind it.

As part of the program, volunteers become storytellers, telling a story that inspired our artwork Vishnu as Varaha. Our Vishnu sculpture illustrates just one moment in the story A Boar Saves the World, so we spent some time imagining what the rest of Vishnu’s adventure might look like and created a comic strip from our ideas.

To create our comic, each volunteer took 1-2 sentences from the story and sketched their interpretation. Below is the resulting artwork comic strip and an image of our Vishnu as Varaha sculpture inserted in the proper place in the narrative.

Enjoy!

Amy Copeland
Manager of Go van Gogh and Community Teaching Programs

: Travel Painting of the Virgin Mary and Child, Mexico, late 18th century

: Defense of Vienna, Mexico, c. 1690’s

: Kimberly Daniell, PR Specialist

: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

: View Inside and Outside Mexico City, Mexico, c. 1640

: Views Inside and Outside Mexico City (detail), Mexico, c. 1640

: A concrete poem created by one of the teachers

: Queta Watson, Editor

Artwork shown:

Vishnu as Varaha, 10th century, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David T. Owsley via the Alvin and Lucy Owsley Foundation and the Alconda-Owsley Foundation, E.E. Fogelson and Greer Garson Fogelson Fund, General Acquisitions Fund, Wendover Fund, and gift of Alta Brenner in memory of her daughter Andrea Bernice Brenner-McMullen

Young Masters at the DMA

Published February 5, 2013 Art & Teaching Closed
Tags: Community Connection, student artwork, Young Masters

MT Young Masters 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:

AP Art History – an original essay in response to a work in the DMA’s permanent collection
AP Music Theory – an original four minute composition
AP Studio Art – an original two-dimensional or three-dimensional art work

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:

Dr. Susan Bakewell, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art History at University College, University of Southern Maine, and former College Board AP Ar History Chief Reader
Erin Cluley, Exhibitions and Public Relations Manager at the Dallas Contemporary
Dr. Blaise Ferrandino, Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Texas Christian University and College Board AP Music Theory Consultant and Reader
Dr. Robert Frank, Associate Professor of Composition and Theory at Southern Methodist University
Erin Hannigan, Principal Oboe of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Adjunct Associate Professor of Oboe at Southern Methodist University
Paul Jeanes, Foundation Faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art and College Board AP Studio Art Exam Table Leader
Martha MacLeod, Curatorial Administrative Assistant for European and American Art at the Dallas Museum of Art
Maria Teresa G. Pedroche, Head of Community Engagement at the Dallas Museum of Art
Charissa N. Terranova, Assistant Professor of Aesthetic Studies at The University of Texas at Dallas

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

1^st Place: Benjamin Lee from Plano Senior High School
2^nd Place: Stephanie Chen from Plano Senior High School
3^rd 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
1^st Place: Trey Strickland from Plano East High School
2^nd Place: Joshua Choe from Creekview High School
3^rd 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

Teen Learning Lab

Published January 29, 2013 Art & Teaching , Creativity , Museum Insight , Teaching for Creativity , Technology 1 Comment
Tags: research, science

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

New on the Bookshelves

Published January 10, 2013 Art & Teaching Closed
Tags: architecture, books, Chuck Close, gallery activities, picture books, reading

This week’s rainy weather is the “perfect storm” to send me to my sofa snuggled up with a stack of good books. I’m a self-proclaimed bookworm, and have blogged before {here and here} about how learning to read is similar to learning to look at art. Both involve making meaning through understanding context as well as visual cues, and the desire to communicate ideas. For many young children, picture books are their first introduction to art and illustration, and thus one of my favorite teaching tools. Here is my latest round-up of books to tuck in your bag on your next visit to the Museum. Or, simply enjoy them at home!

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Green is exactly what the title proclaims it to be—a beautiful, engaging concept book about the color green. Each two-page spread features a different type of green with a clever cut-out that reveals a peek into the next page. There’s “lime green,” “forest green,” “jungle green,” and “glow green,” to name a few. I used this book with preschoolers to talk about how there’s not just one green, but many, and the illustrations and simple text offered a concrete way for the kids to think of how to describe different shades of a single color by connecting to real-world objects.

Gallery connection: Read Green in the American painting and sculpture galleries on Level 4 and go on a scavenger hunt to see how many different types of green you can discover in the art.

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building by Christy Hale

For every young block-loving builder out there, this book is a dream come true! Illustrations of busy children building structures out of blocks, constructing houses out of playing cards, and finagling a fort out of blankets and pillows are paired with photographs of actual buildings that closely resemble the children’s creations. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum, Tokyo’s Yoyogi National Stadium, and Frank Gehry’s Bilbao Guggenheim are just a few of the architectural marvels highlighted. Concrete poems for each structure mimic the shapes of the buildings and show-off the beauty language can create.

Gallery connection: Bring Dreaming Up and a sketch pad along for a visit to the Formed/Unformed exhibit. Read the book, look at the wonderful variety of chairs on display, and then draw your own design for a new chair!

Mice by Rose Fyleman, illustrated by Lois Ehlert

Two sneaky mice are out in the night getting into all kinds of things! But these “mice are nice,” and their adventures nibbling on treats, climbing into things, and even making art are sure to delight. Ehlert’s signature collage illustration style is built around the use of several simple shapes—triangles, circles, and rectangles and begs to be imitated by young artists.

Gallery connection: Use Mice as your artistic inspiration and make your own collage characters at the art-making space in the Center for Creative Connections. We provide the paper, tape, and pencils—you provide the imagination!

Chuck Close: Face Book by Chuck Close

What if you could sit down one afternoon with artist Chuck Close and just ask him anything you wanted to? That scenario actually happened for a group of fifth graders in Brooklyn. Armed with questions like “What made you start to draw?” and “Why are your paintings so big?,” these children helped start the conversation that became the basis for this autobiography. A flip-book feature allows readers to mix and match foreheads, eyes/nose, and chins from several of Close’s own self-portraits and offers an up-close look at the small squares that compose each work of art—squares of paint, fingerprints, and leftover bits of paper.

Gallery connection: The DMA’s piece by Chuck Close isn’t currently on view, but you can discover another artist’s fingerprints hiding in the art by exploring the installations by Karla Black. Or, spend some time in our European galleries sketching the faces you find in the portraits on display.

Happy reading!

Leah Hanson
Manager of Early Learning Programs

Exciting Things in Store for 2013!

Published January 8, 2013 Art & Teaching Closed
Tags: Center for Creative Connections, Chagall, Cindy Sherman, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA Friends, exhibition, JFK, Late Night

2013 is only two weeks old, but it is already looking to be a fantastic year! This is a groundbreaking year for the Museum, and as always our goal is to invite everyone to have an unforgettable experience with the DMA. This is just a sneak peak into the many exciting activities and engaging programs that will take place at the DMA this coming year.

Free General Admission!! Perhaps the most exciting news of the year: the DMA will offer free general admission to everyone beginning January 21st. We are in the midst of planning some fun opening-day activities, including tours of the collection, performances in the galleries, art-making activities and much more! In addition to free general admission the Museum is also offering free membership which we are calling DMA Friends. Everyone who comes to the Museum can join the DMA Friends program free of charge. This unique approach to membership values participation and engagement, and DMA Friends will gain expanded access to Museum programming and will be rewarded for their activity within the Museum and in the local cultural community. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting program or learn more from our Director, Maxwell L. Anderson.

Events and Programs

Late Nights at the DMA Every third Friday of the month the Museum stays open until midnight and offers a multitude of experiences for visitors of all ages. Join us Friday, January 18th as we celebrate the DMA’s 110th birthday! Dance the night away to the music of Brave Combo, join in on a special workshop with guest artist John Hernandez, whose work Hi-C Avenger is currently on view in the Center for Creative Connections (C3), explore our special exhibitions, compete against other teams in a Creativity Challenge, go on personal tours, and more! Check our Late Night page for a complete schedule of upcoming events.
Autism Awareness Family Celebration February 2nd The DMA is a leader in providing inclusive experiences for a diverse set of audiences. The Autism Awareness Family Celebration provides a safe, comfortable way to introduce the Museum to families of children with autism and show them how they can have a successful visit to the DMA with their child on the Autism Spectrum. The Center for Creative Connections will be open and available before the Museum opens, from 9am – 11am, for parents and children to play and enjoy art together in a fun environment. Participate in staff-led gallery experiences, enjoy an interactive musical performance, and create a work of art in the studio. Pre-registration is required as space is limited.
First Tuesdays at the DMA The Museum arranges special, thematic programming on the first Tuesday of every month that is specifically designed for children ages five and under, but of course all ages are welcome! We invite families to enjoy thematic art-making activities, story times, performances, and gallery activities. Activities are focused on a different theme each month. February 5th: Materials Mania; March 5th: Over the Rainbow. Check our family page regularly for event updates and a complete list of activities.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Marc Chagall, Entre Chien et Loup (Between Darkness and Night), 1943, oil on canvas, private collection

Chagall: Beyond Color February 17 – May 26, 2013 This beautiful exhibition places the prolific artist’s beloved paintings alongside his works in sculpture, ceramics, and collage to explore his relationship with space and volume. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be a display of costumes made by Marc Chagall in 1942 for the production of the ballet Aleko, choreographed by Léonide Massine with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet’s première took place in September 1942 in Mexico City, followed by the Ballet Theatre of New York production, and the costumes have not been seen in the U.S. since. Dallas is the only US city to secure access to this exhibition, what a treat!

Loren Mozley, Winter Fields, 1948, oil on canvas, collection of Susan and Claude Albritton III

Loren Mozley: Structural Integrity February 17 – June 30, 2013 Within the realm of Texas art, Mozley played a key role in shaping generations of young artists who received instruction from him during his tenure of thirty-seven years (1938-1975) in the art department at the University of Texas, Austin. The exhibition is the first retrospective of the artist’s work since 1978 and will bring together choice works by Mozley (1905-1989) dating from the late 1930s through the 1970s with the aim of re-visiting Loren Mozley’s bodu of work and revealing his debt to forerunners such as Cézanne, and his responses to modernist trends.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled, 1981, Type C print, Dallas Museum of Art

Cindy Sherman March 17 – June 9, 2013 Cindy Sherman is widely recognized as one of the most important contemporary artists of the last forty years, and is arguably the most influential artist working exclusively with photography. This traveling retrospective exhibition traces the groundbreaking artist’s career from the mid-1970s to the present and brings together more than 170 key photographs from a variety of the artist’s acclaimed bodies of work, for which she created numerous constructed characters and tableaus. This is the first comprehensive museum survey of Sherman’s career in the United States since 1997, the exhibition draws widely from public and private collections, including the DMA.

Marble statue of a discus thrower (diskobolos), Roman period, second century A.D., © The Trustees of the British Museum (2012).

The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece May 5 – October 6, 2013 This internationally touring exhibition of more than 120 objects explores the human form through exquisite artworks exclusively from the British Museum’s famed collection of Greek and Roman sculpture. Iconic marble and bronze sculptures, vessels, funerary objects, and jewelry are among the treasures that explore the human form, some dating back to the second millennium B.C.

Gene Gordon , John F. Kennedy reaching out to crowd in Fort Worth, November 22, 1963, 1963, gelatin silver print, Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy May 26 – September 15, 2013 In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the DMA will bring together the works of art installed in the president’s suite at the Hotel Texas during his fateful trip in 1963. The original installation, orchestrated by a small group of Fort Worth art collectors, was created especially for the president and first lady in celebration of their overnight visit to the city and included paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Thomas Eakins, Lyonel Feininger, Franz Kline, and Marsden Hartley, and sculptures by Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore, among others.

Jim Hodges, With the Wind, 1997, Scarves and thread, Fuhrman, Amanda and Glenn, photo by Alan Zindman

Jim Hodges: sometimes beauty October 6, 2013 – January 12, 2014 This October, Dallas will premiere a major traveling exhibition and the first comprehensive survey to be organized in the United States on the work of contemporary American artist Jim Hodges. Co-organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and the Walker Art Center, this exhibition explores the trajectory of the artist’s twenty-five-year career, highlighting the major themes that unify his multilayered and varied practice. Comprising approximately seventy-five works produced from 1987 through the present, this exhibition examines how Hodges transforms both everyday and precious materials into poignant meditations on themes including time, loss, identity, and love.

We hope to see you soon!

Danielle Schulz
McDermott Intern for Family Experiences

Friday Photos: Go van Gogh creations

Published January 4, 2013 Art & Teaching 2 Comments
Tags: Art activity, Go van Gogh

Today’s Friday photos are a few of the collages, mosaics, prints, drawings, and more that students can create during Go van Gogh outreach programs. Our spring Go van Gogh schedule still has openings, so schedule your art-making fun today.

We hope to visit your classrooms this New Year!

Amy Copeland
Manager of Go van Gogh and Community Teaching

: Félix González-Torres, Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1987-1990, wall clocks, Dallas Museum of Art, fractional gift of The Rachofsky Collection © The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation, courtesy of Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York

: Marsden Hartley, Mountains, no. 19, 1930, oil on board, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.

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