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Art + Science = Whole Brain Fun

Remember when it was all the rage to call each other left- or right-brain dominant? While these references are still popularly used today, skepticism is growing among scientists as they learn more about the brain.

Strengths in logical, analytical, and verbal thinking have been associated with the left side of the brain, and creative and intuitive thinking have been associated with the right side. Scientific and mathematical types may be labeled “left-brainers,” while artists are considered “right-brainers.”

The reality is that there’s a bit more crisscross throughout the cranial wires. Both sides of our brains may actually tackle the same problem or idea, but each may approach a solution differently. Bottom line: Te brain aims to work efficiently and this means that most of the time the whole brain is working together. How is the health of your whole brain?

Join us for a day that engages and challenges the whole brain! On Saturday, April 12, the worlds of art and science deliberately cross over and mash up at the DMA’s first Art + Science Festival, held in partnership with the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Here are a few highlights to stimulate your neurons:

Stretch your mind during various 20-minute gallery talks with experts. Why might a curator use a CAT scan to learn more about an African sculpture? What can a facial recognition scientist reveal about a portrait?

Catch Between the Folds, a short film about artists and scientists who devote their lives to origami.

Inspect art materials and the natural world up-close using DIY digital microscopes with the DMA/Perot Teen Advisory Council.

Sit in the Perot’s Portable Universe (only the coolest movable planetarium in town) for one of two featured presentations, The Sky at Night and The Search for Water. After the Portable Universe, marvel at the connections your brain makes as you gaze upon masterworks in two DMA exhibitions. Encounter the realm of the stars in Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World, which includes a collection of astrolabes (early astronomical computers), a celestial globe, and an astrological album. Alexandre Hogue: The Erosion Series takes an in-depth look at Hogue’s powerful images confronting the tragedies and environmental issues of the Dust Bowl era.

Practice your mind-hand-eye coordination by making some art. Explore lines, shapes, and patterns through the creation of a string art installation with artist Amy Adelman.

All of these experiences and more await you for FREE at the DMA’s Art + Science Festival on Saturday, April 12. Come for a visit and challenge your whole brain! All ages are invited.

Nicole Stutzman Forbes is Chair of Learning Initiatives and Dallas Museum of Art League Director of Education at the DMA.

Images:
George W. Bellows, Emma in a Purple Dress, 1920-1923, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase; Standing power figure (nkisi nkondi), late 19th-early 20th century, wood, iron, raffia, ceramic, pigment, kaolin, red camwood, resin, dirt, leaves, animal skin, and cowrie shell, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of the McDermott Foundation; Alexandre Hogue, Drouth-Stricken Area, 1934, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase, (c) Olivia Hogue Marino & Amalia Hogue

Artist Astrology: Aries

Published April 8, 2014 Just for Fun , works of art Closed
Tags: Aries, Artist Astrology, Collection, DMA, Miró, Van Gogh, Vasarely

This month we are celebrating our assertive Aries artists (March 21 – April 20)! The first sign of the zodiac, Aries individuals are born leaders. They are characterized by fearlessness, persistence, and energy. Aries crave adventure, reveling in challenging situations where they can test their passion and determination. This high-energy and enthusiasm often lends itself best to individual, rather than group work. Aries exude a confidence and self-assurance that can be difficult for others to understand. Their confidence encourages them to explore their ideas and they are happy to pave their own path. Aries set their own rules and do not let anything stand in the way of reaching their goals!

Three of our favorite Aries artists in the DMA Collection include Vincent van Gogh (March 30), Victor Vasarely (April 19), and Joán Miró (April 20).

1985_R_80

Vincent van Gogh – March 30

Now one of the most well-known artists in the world, Vincent van Gogh achieved very little recognition during his lifetime. In fact, in the ten years that he worked as a painter, he only sold one work (Irises). Van Gogh’s painting style was primarily influenced by two movements, the Pointillist techniques of Georges Seurat and the Japanese ukigo-e woodcut practice. He combined these distinct practices to create a style uniquely his own. His use of bold brush strokes and thickly applied paint is often referred to as Expressionistic. This suggestion also refers to van Gogh’s unique ability to empathize with his subject, as demonstrated in the joyous, almost comical way he depicted the wheat above. Unfortunately, van Gogh was known to set impossibly high standards for himself. He also battled mental illness and depression, a disease that ultimately took his life in 1890. Sheaves of Wheat (above) belongs to van Gogh’s last series of paintings, completed in Auvers-sur-Oise between June-July 1890. While he did not exude an Aries’ confidence and self-assurance, Van Gogh’s artistic originality and independence have made him one of the most significant artists of the 19th century.

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Victor Vasarely – April 19

Victor Vasarely is considered one of the primary leaders of the Op art movement of the 1960s. He expanded upon the geometric language of the Bauhaus movement and artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee (both in the DMA’s collection) in order to produce a “dynamized” effect. He believed that this new language transformed relatively stable structures into more vibrant, optical configurations. Vaserely’s designs are a treat for the eye and a challenge for the mind.

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Joán Miró – April 20

Joán Miró’s artistic style is characteristic of an Aries artist. Throughout his prolific career, Miró resisted joining any art movements, preferring to explore and develop a style that was uniquely his own. While frequently equated with the Dada and Surrealist movements of the 1920’s, he never officially joined either group. His style, however, shares some commonalities with these movements, namely his interest in automatic drawings and childlike sensibilities. Miró’s art remained largely consistent throughout his life as he continued to explore these themes and ideas. He is especially noted for his loose, free-flowing shapes, known as “biomorphic” forms. In the 1940s and 1950s, Miró continued to defy traditional artistic traditions by expanding his techniques to new mediums, including etching (as seen above).

And the list of Aries artists goes on! Including such masters as Jean-Honoré Fragonard (April 5), Raphael (April 6), and Leonardo da Vinci (April 15).

Come back next month to learn about our tenacious Taurus artists!

Artworks shown:

Vincent van Gogh, Sheaves of Wheat, July 1890, Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection
Victor Vasarely, Meride, 1961-1963, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase, Contemporary Arts Council Fund
Joán Miró, Woman and Bird in Front of the Moon (Femme et oiseau devant la lune), 1947, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Frances Pratt

Hayley Prihoda
McDermott Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching

Art Everywhere US: A Very, Very Big Art Show

Published April 7, 2014 Collections , Dallas , DFW , Special Events Closed
Tags: Art Everywhere US, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Frederic Edwin Church, Gilbert Stuart, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein

Be a guest curator for the largest art exhibition in America! Beginning today, you can vote for your favorite American artworks from art museums across the country, including the DMA. Art Everywhere US is a public celebration of great American art.

The process to create this celebration began this past New Year’s Eve, when I e-mailed the directors of four leading U.S. museums—the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art—asking if they would jump in feet first with the DMA and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America to create a 100-work synopsis of American art history. I was thrilled when everyone agreed right away, and by January 2014 we were off to the races.

I asked each museum to submit 30 works, yielding 150, and I had the unenviable task of winnowing the list down to 20 each to reach 100. We were seeking a balanced result, representing every period of American art from across the nation, with attention to ethnic and gender diversity, and the inclusion of iconic works alongside whimsical ones. We stuck to two-dimensional works given their planned reproduction on out-of-home media.

It is now up to you to help decide which of these 100 works will be part of the first Art Everywhere US project.

Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1958

Gilbert Stuart, George Washington, c. 1821

Frederic Edwin Church, The Icebergs, 1861

Roy Lichtenstein, Cold Shoulder, 1963

Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930

From now through May 7, you can vote for your favorite 10 works daily to help inform the final 50 works. The final works will be reproduced this August on as many as 50,000 outdoor displays from coast to coast. Make sure you get to see your favorite work of art on a billboard during your commute this summer, whether it’s the DMA’s The Icebergs, the Art Institute of Chicago’s American Gothic, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Campbell’s Soup Can, the Whitney’s Little Big Painting, or the National Gallery’s George Washington. We aren’t trying to stack the deck in the DMA’s favor, but instead are enjoying the playful spirit of this massive endeavor. Vote early and vote often! And please share your votes with #ArtEverywhereUS and connect online.

(Images in slide show: Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1958. Encaustic on canvas. 30 5/8 x 45 1/2 x 4 5/8 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Art © Jasper Johns, Licensed by VAGA, New York, N.Y.; Gilbert Stuart, George Washington, c. 1821. Oil on wood. 26 3/8 x 21 5/8 in. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of ThomasJefferson Coolidge IV in memory of his great-grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Coolidge, his grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Coolidge II,and his father, Thomas Jefferson Coolidge III.; Frederic Edwin Church, The Icebergs, 1861. Oil on canvas. 64 1/2 x 112 1/2 in. (1 m 63.83 cm x 2 m 85.751 cm). Dallas Museum ofArt, gift of Norma and Lamar Hunt.; Roy Lichtenstein, Cold Shoulder, 1963. Oil and magna on canvas. 68 1/2 x 48 in. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of RobertH. Halff through the Modern and Contemporary Art Council (M.2005.38.5). Photo courtesy of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, by Kevin Ryan.; Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930. Oil on Beaver Board. 30 3/4 x 25 3/4 in. (78 x 65.3 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago, Friends of American Art Collection.)

Maxwell L. Anderson is the Eugene McDermott Director of the DMA.

Friday Photos: If the Shoe Fits

Published April 4, 2014 Friday Photos , Just for Fun Closed
Tags: Art Beauty Shoppe, NAEA, shoes

This past week, some of our Education staff attended the 2014 National Art Education Association Convention. I’ve had the great fortune to attend this convention annually since 2004. I personally look forward to it every year for a number of reasons: hearing about the great work of museum colleagues around the country, spending time with DMA colleagues outside of our work environment, making friends and connections at other museums, and exploring the host city and all it has to offer.

This year’s conference was in beautiful San Diego. Even though it was a work trip, it still felt like a mini vacation. How could it not, with this view outside of my hotel room?

I attended many interesting sessions and took a lot of notes. I always make a point of reviewing my notes soon after I return from a conference, knowing that there are great ideas I can apply to my own professional practice.

While speaking with my officemate Amanda Batson after we returned, we discovered that we both bought shoes during our trip.

This inspired me to hunt for fabulous footwear throughout the DMA. Look for these sweet kicks during your next visit!

Find these stylish ladies on the fourth floor

Not a shoe, but still pretty cool: Jack Hatchway is a one-legged veteran of the sea, shown here in a painting inspired by The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle by Tobias Smollett

Look for these delicate shoes in the Belle Chambre of the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection

I love these Japanese sandals, called geta, though I can’t imagine walking in them

This Indian dancer performs barefooted, but with many anklets that make their own music as she dances

The bust in the lower left of this painting is thought to be a kind of visual signature for this revolutionary Spanish artist

A young artist reimagines the high heel, made entirely of pencils and found objects

Happy shoe hunting!

Artworks shown:

Isaac Soyer, Art Beauty Shoppe, 1934, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Public Works of Art Project
Francis William Edmonds, Commodore Trunnion and Jack Hatchway, c. 1839, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Maxus Energy and Nina B. Super by exchange, the Roberta Coke Camp Fund and the General Acquisitions Fund
Belle Chambre, Dallas Museum of Art, Wendy and Emery Reves Collection
Figurine, Japan, late 19th century, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, Mrs. John B. O’Hara Fund
Dancing Figure, India, Probably 12th–13th century, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Alvin and Lucy Owsley Foundation
Pablo Picasso, The Guitarist, 1965, Dallas Museum of Art, The Art Museum League Fund
April Armstrong, Lead Foot, 2013, Plano East Senior High School, featured in Young Masters 2014

Melissa Gonzales
Center for Creative Connections Gallery Manager

Educator Resources: Islamic Culture

Published April 3, 2014 Art & Teaching , Resources Closed
Tags: Islam, Islamic Art, Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World, resources, Teacher Resources

Quran Bifolio, Tunisia, Qayrawan, late 9th – early 10th century , vellum, ink, gold, silver, and blue dye, Furusiyya Art Foundation, Vaduz, Photo © Noel Adams

We are thrilled to present Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World at the DMA through June 29. The exhibition explores light in Islamic culture–in the physical and metaphysical sense–through both secular and sacred works, produced in places from Spain to Asia, dating from the 7th century to the 21st. The Islamic world is vast, and the diversity of cultures embraced by Islam is rich. To assist you in teaching about Islamic culture, we’ve pulled together some useful online resources:

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History – Islamic Art
This series of essays chronicles the historical periods of Islam, including the art that was produced during each.
Metropolitan Museum of Art – Art of the Islamic World
This resource provides background information about the art and culture of the Islamic world and teaching ideas for supporting studies of English language arts, math, science, social studies, world history, and visual arts.
Islam: Empire of Faith – PBS Documentary and Website
This informative documentary, narrated by Ben Kingsley, illustrates the entire history of Islam. The documentary is accessible via YouTube or available for purchase through Shop PBS.
Islam: Empire of Faith – Educational Resources
These lesson plans are designed for secondary social studies, civics, religion, and language arts classes to accompany the PBS Islam: Empire of Faith video and website.
Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
This online resource provides an historical overview of the periods of Islam, with examples of artwork from each period in LACMA’s collection. The resource includes great examples of contemporary Islamic art.
Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture – Teaching Resources
These teaching resources were created in conjunction with a 2013 exhibition at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, curated by Sabiha Al Kemir, the curator of Nur.
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Read about several works of art in Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World.

Bowl with bird, 9th-10th century, Iraq, luster-painted, Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., Brooklyn, USA

Andrea Severin Goins
Interpretation Specialist

The Nur Dialogue Experience

Published April 2, 2014 Exhibitions 1 Comment
Tags: Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Islamic Art, Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World

As the senior advisor for Islamic art at the DMA, my responsibilities include engaging with institutions worldwide to create dialogue on behalf of the Museum. The most recent project involved curating the exhibition Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World, which itself required many complex negotiations! The project started in Spain four years ago, when I was asked by the Fundación Focus-Abengoa in Seville to develop their first Islamic art exhibition. Seville is no stranger to Islamic history. Almost 800 years of Islamic rule in Spain resulted in a strong presence of Islamic culture, which survived beyond 1492, when Muslims lost Spain to Christian forces. As an Islamic art exhibition in Seville, Nur was particularly significant, being paradoxically a first of its kind, yet, naturally at home. In Dallas, the Nur exhibition holds another great significance, as it is the first major exhibition of Islamic art in the 111-year history of the DMA. So, there is a great deal to learn about Islamic culture. But first of all, there is a great deal to “unlearn.” For this reason, the exhibition journey starts with a white entrance space, which aims to give the visitor a sensation of light, and is also a white slate, which prepares us to see for the first time. White light holds the full spectrum of colors.

The Nur exhibition is at the heart of the cultural exchange venture at the DMA. With Nur, the dialogue starts with the silence of a white space, suggesting that listening is key in any dialogue. There is dialogue between the objects themselves as they link different cultures living within one culture. An example of this is a Torah case from 16th-century Syria, which is made of copper and decorated in the typical Islamic style of silver inlaid arabesques.

There is a strong connection between these objects that come from places as far apart as Spain and Asia, brought together in a configuration that creates a dialogue with the visitor. Islamic art objects are often small and they require us to humbly come close and look. They are filled with details. In the exhibition space, these details are brought to the fore by virtual screens (I prefer to call them virtual screens rather than videos!), which create other planes. They are positioned in such a way in the exhibition space so as not to interfere with the objects, but they complement the display, attract attention to some of the key aspects within the objects, and invite us to look at the objects again and again. They reveal the immense world within, sometimes, the tiniest of objects. And sight becomes insight.

The exhibition journey reflects content and container being one; without props, the exhibition provides an experience of a different way of seeing the world. Through aspects such as reflection and attention to minute detail, a harmonious musicality is created. The exhibition concepts and design were shaped closely together to create an experience of a multilayered reality. For example, this is suggested by the openings in the walls between sections that allow us a glimpse into the next space as we make an enjoyable journey of discovery through the exhibition. Passing one of these openings, we sense the presence of another world, suggesting that what see is only part of the whole.

Sabiha Al Khemir is the senior advisor for Islamic art at the DMA.

DMA of Thrones

Published April 1, 2014 Just for Fun 3 Comments
Tags: April Fool's Day, GoT

The long-awaited season 4 premiere of the hit HBO drama Game of Thrones is upon us! This Sunday, April 6, we’ll return to George R. R. Martin’s epic world where the Lannisters, Starks, Targarians and Baratheons continue to battle for control of Westeros amidst all the betrayals and plot twists that keep everyone guessing.

And the DMA has some exciting news: If you’ll be tuning in, be sure to keep an eye out for the candelabrum, pictured below. This piece was loaned to the series as a prop for the Royal Wedding at King’s Landing!

Candelabrum (one of a pair), Frederick Elkington & Co., designed 1872, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Paul Zane Pilzer, Jeffery S. Juster, Mrs. John O’Boyle and Mrs. Barron U. Kidd in honor of Alan M. May

APRIL FOOLS!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Published March 31, 2014 Collections , DFW Closed
Tags: Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Major League Baseball, Nic Nicosia, opening day, Texas Rangers

We’re cheering on our Texas Rangers during Opening Day!

Nic Nicosia, Bobby Dixon & the Texas Stars, 1986, screenprint, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, Dallas, Texas

Friday Photos: Turn Your Classroom into an Exhibition!

Published March 28, 2014 Art & Teaching , Friday Photos Closed
Tags: classroom activity, exhibition, exhibition design, How-to, student artwork

Last month I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon touring the DMA with four Gifted/Talented students from Bland Elementary. In preparation for an exhibition they were planning at their school, they wanted to learn how museums design gallery spaces, considering decisions such a display, framing, labels, chronology, etc. Ms. Carissa Brophy, the Gifted/Talented teacher at Bland Elementary, recently answered a few questions about this project. We hope the success of her exhibition can inspire a similar project at your school!

How did you develop the idea for a student art exhibition? Is this something you have done in the past?

Ms. Brophy: Students discussed what areas of study we could look at for the year and decided that art was an area our small school could improve upon since we do not have an art teacher at our elementary… The group decided that we could take all of our individual works and create a mini-museum for our school to view. This was a new concept for us.

During the tour, what did your students learn about exhibition design?

Ms. Brophy: My students learned that the space around art can impact the experience of the viewers–small art may need an intimate or small space while large art can fill a large room and be a focal point. Frames can impact the experience of the patron… [and] must match the style so they do not overpower the art. The students [also] learned that you should label artworks to identify medium, type of display mat, artist’s name, year created… and labels should not interfere with the viewing [experience].

What do you think the students gained from visiting the museum? What information did they take away from the experience?

Ms. Brophy: They learned to look at art from different perspectives… They [also] gained knowledge of ways to display collections of art [and] appreciation for other’s art.

How was this new information translated into the exhibition design for your classroom?

Ms. Brophy: We viewed the space in our room with the desire to create flow for our patrons to enjoy all the student-created art, not just stand in one spot.

Are there any elements of the exhibition that you found more successful than others?

Ms. Brophy: Students loved the entire experience [and] parents said they loved the [classroom] museum. We had several comments on the digital tour the artists recorded for their display.

Do you have any suggestions for teachers who want to adapt this idea for their classroom?

Ms. Brophy: Have fun and let the students make it their own!

A huge thank you to Ms. Carissa Brophy and all of her students at Bland Elementary! And congratulations on your wonderful exhibition!

Hayley Prihoda
McDermott Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching

Installing Light

Published March 26, 2014 Behind-the-Scenes , Exhibitions , Lecture Closed
Tags: Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir, light, Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World

Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World is opening this weekend and the DMA is the only venue outside of Europe to host this exhibition featuring rarely seen objects from around the world. We’ve been preparing for weeks for Sunday’s opening, as you can see in the photos below,

Learn more about the exhibition and the artistic techniques used to enhance the effect of light found in the objects on display in Nur from the DMA’s senior advisor for Islamic art, Dr. Sabiha Al Khemir. And on Thursday, April 3, your lecture ticket will also include admission to Nur: Light in Art and Science from the Islamic World!