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Holiday Greetings from the Archives

Published December 15, 2016 Archive 2 Comments
Tags: Christmas, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Jerry Doyle, Texas Centennial

Traditionally, the fall and winter holidays are the time when we reach out to family and friends, often with a ubiquitous holiday card, sometimes enclosing new pictures of the family, or a letter trying to stuff in every notable thing anyone in the family has done since the last letter. When I was a kid, we taped the cards we received to a glass door in our living room, and we would try to guess how soon after Thanksgiving we would receive something from that one relative who always sent the first card of the season.

My dad was a graphic designer and had artist friends. Their holiday cards were always my favorites, and I could often guess who sent the card based on its creative style. Finding artists’ holiday cards in the DMA Archives always reminds me of that tradition, so I thought I would share a series of cards by cartoonist Jerry Doyle from the early 1930s.

Doyle family holiday card, c. 1933, from the Jack Nolan Scrapbook

Jerry Doyle (1898-1986) was the editorial cartoonist for the Philadelphia Record and Philadelphia Daily News, and was known for his political cartoons about the New Deal and World War II. And, if you are a cartoonist, you create holiday cartoons featuring your family.

Cover of the Doyle Family holiday card, 1932, Jack Nolan Scrapbook.

Cover of the 1932 Doyle family holiday card, from the Jack Nolan Scrapbook

Inside of the 1932 Doyle family holiday card, Jack Nolan Scrapbook.

Inside of the 1932 Doyle family holiday card, from the Jack Nolan Scrapbook

The Doyle Family holiday card for the 1931-32 season, served a dual purpose of holiday greetings and birth announcement, Jack Nolan Scrapbook.

The Doyle family holiday card for the 1931-32 season served the dual purpose of holiday greeting and birth announcement, from the Jack Nolan Scrapbook

You may wonder how the archives came to have holiday cards from a Philadelphia cartoonist. It’s a round-about tale, but makes sense in the end. Doyle sent the holiday greetings to Jack Nolan of Trenton, New Jersey. In 1936, Nolan was employed by Eastman Kodak and worked as a vendor at the Texas Centennial. He kept a scrapbook with ephemera from the Texas Centennial and the Great Lakes Exposition, as well as other traditional scrapbook fare like ticket stubs, invitations, identification cards, newspaper articles, and other small paper items, including the three holiday cards from Jerry Doyle. The archives acquired the scrapbook because of its Texas Centennial connection—the book itself even has a Centennial seal on the cover. I was happy to find that the scrapbook contained cool things that weren’t even related to the Centennial.

Happy Holidays!

Hillary Bober is the Archivist at the DMA.

Sights, Sounds, and Smells

Published December 12, 2016 Behind-the-Scenes , Center for Creative Connections , Collections Closed
Tags: Center for Creative Connections, Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Pop-Up Art Spot

Recently, the DMA’s Center for Creative Connections team and our Manager of Access Programs, Emily Wiskera, put their heads together to develop a new Pop-Up Art Spot with sensory-based activities. On Saturdays in December, pop in to the Museum to see Passages in Modern Art: 1946-1996 for FREE in the Barrel Vault Gallery on Level 1 and enhance your art experience.

With these Sensory Squares, you can explore what works of art might feel like if we were allowed to touch them. Look at nearby works of art as you feel each square and consider which works you think relate to each texture.

Check out a bag of scent bottles and a ring of art cards. Sample the scents and reflect on what memories or images come to mind when you smell them. Find each work of art on the cards provided and compare the scents to the artwork. Which scents do you connect with each work of art?

Interested in origami? Pick up a piece of paper and try your hand at figuring out the folds Dorothea Rockburne made to create the form in Locus Series #6.

Jessica Fuentes is the Manager of Gallery Interpretation and the Center for Creative Connections at the DMA.

Sensory Sensation

Published December 9, 2016 Behind-the-Scenes , Center for Creative Connections , Education , Exhibitions Closed
Tags: cats, Dallas Museum of Art, Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt, DMA, education, sensory

At the DMA, you can currently visit Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt, featuring works from the extensive holdings of the Brooklyn Museum. The appeal of an exhibition about both cats and ancient Egypt seemed like the perfect opportunity for the DMA to experiment with a multisensory interpretive space within an exhibition setting, essentially creating a satellite, smaller-scale Center for Creative Connections (C3). While C3 is an experimental space focused on innovative and diverse ways of interpreting a selection of DMA artworks, the Divine Felines Creative Connections Gallery is intended to contextualize the exhibition through a variety of interpretive interactives. In this space, visitors can step up to a listening station and hear tales of the Egyptian deities, sniff incenses that would have filled ancient temples, or see a real mummy and watch a film about mummification.

divine_felines_member_preview_2016_109_o2_edited

This diagram shows the layout of the 1,600 square feet of gallery space at the back of the Divine Felines exhibition.

This educational gallery also provides DMA staff with insight into our visitors’ interests and preferences. The more we know about our visitors’ expectations and interests, the more equipped we are to provide them with meaningful gallery interactives. First, we keep track of the number of visitors who enter the Divine Felines Creative Connections Gallery and compare it to the total number of visitors to the exhibition. In October, nearly 70% of visitors to the exhibition entered the Creative Connections Gallery. And, interestingly, Thursdays saw the highest percentage of visitors entering the space.

Additionally, three days a week for two hours at a time, we observe visitors in the gallery to determine which activities they interact with and how long they engage within the space. To structure our observations, we created a tracking sheet (see image above) where we note participation in specific activities and the total duration of their visit to the space. Our system of tracking notes depth of engagement within an activity. For example, in relation to the short film about mummification we are curious to know if the visitor:

Reads the label outside of the film room.
Enters the film room.
Sits down on the bench.
Watches the whole film.

Finally, we ask half of the visitors we observe if they are willing to take a quick survey on an iPad. The questions we ask relate to visitors’ motivations for entering the educational space and what components visitors would like to see in future educational spaces.

So far, we’ve noticed a few interesting trends. In October, for example, the majority of observed visitors spent time looking at the mummy or Thoth sculpture and visited the scent bar. Here is the breakdown of how many visitors participated in each activity in October.

Other data points to date:

Visitors spent an average of 10 minutes in the space.
Over 70% of visitors entered the gallery with a group; 30% were alone.
On average, visitors smelled 8 out of the 10 fragrances at the scent bar.
On average, visitors listened to 2 out of the 5 stories at the listening station.
Slightly more visitors picked up the all-ages self-guide than the family guide.

*Note: Visitors were able to choose more than one response.

We would love your feedback, too. What educational tools would you like to see at the DMA?

Jessica Fuentes is the Manager of Gallery Interpretation and the Center for Creative Connections at the DMA. Andrea Severin Goins is the Head of Interpretation at the DMA.

A Wondrous Woven Magic

Published December 2, 2016 Behind-the-Scenes , Exhibitions Closed
Tags: Art and Nature in the Middle Ages, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Nature

Earlier this week, the DMA exhibitions team wrapped up the installation for Art and Nature in the Middle Ages, which opens Sunday, December 4. Here, our team of skilled preparators carefully unfurl a tapestry from the Middle Ages, overseen by conservators and couriers who traveled with the art from the Musée de Cluny in Paris, France. This exhibition contains a variety of different types of objects: liturgical objects in precious metals, capitals and keystones from building structures, large woven tapestries, unbelievably detailed manuscripts including Books of Hours, and fifteen illuminated stained glass windows. It’s only on view in the US here at the DMA. We hope you’ll come see it, and us, soon.

Skye Malish-Olson is the Exhibition Designer at the DMA.

Cyber Monday

Published November 28, 2016 Members Closed
Tags: Cyber Monday, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, DMA Membership

Congratulations! You survived Black Friday 2016! But if you are like us, you might be spending this evening searching Cyber Monday deals to finish off your list.

Black Friday is the ultimate day to go shopping for all of the best deals, steals, and doorbusters, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. If you busted down the doors of all your favorite stores (or even if you didn’t), we would like you to enjoy 10% off a one-year DMA membership. This incredible Cyber Monday deal is only good until MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.

Experience 12 full months of exclusive DMA Member benefits, including:
Free parking in the Museum’s garage
Free admission to all special exhibitions
EXCLUSIVE exhibition Member Preview Days
And so much more!

Most importantly, no doors to bust down.

Shaken AND Stirred

Published November 16, 2016 Collections , Exhibitions 1 Comment
Tags: Art, cocktails, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Prohibition, Shaken Stirred Styled: The Art of the Cocktail, Silver

Whether you like your adult beverage shaken or stirred, we think you’ll enjoy this. A celebration of over 100 years of cocktail ware design, Shaken, Stirred, Styled: The Art of the Cocktail opens at the Dallas Museum of Art this Friday, November 18, during the DMA’s Late Night event. Organized chronologically and divided into sections that correspond to major shifts in the consumption of cocktails, the exhibition features nearly 60 works drawn primarily from the Museum’s collection. It explores the relationships between political, social, and economic currents, developments in technology, quotidian practices of consumption, and design styles. An interactive display prompts visitors to explore the history of spirits and cocktails alongside that of the vessels in which they were prepared and served. Below are a few highlights paired with historically accurate cocktails included in the exhibition’s interactive display. Cheers!

“Skyscraper” cocktail shaker, cups, and tray, William Waldo Dodge, designer, 1928–31, silver, Dallas Museum of Art, The Patsy Lacy Griffith Collection, gift of Patsy Lacy Griffith by exchange, 2008.48.1–12

It would not be surprising if this monumental skyscraper-inspired cocktail shaker once held the ingredients of the Sidecar, one of the most popular cocktails during Prohibition.

The origin of the Sidecar—a shaken mixture of cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice, served in a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass—is debated, but commonly believed to be Paris or London at the conclusion of World War I (1914–18). Whatever its origin, the Sidecar quickly crossed the Atlantic and conquered the speakeasies in the newly “dry” United States.

Penguin cocktail shaker, Emile A. Schuelke, designer, Napier Company, manufacturer, Meriden, Connecticut, 1936, gilded silverplate, Dallas Museum of Art, The Jewel Stern American Silver Collection, gift of Jewel Stern, 2002.29.8.a–b

The owner of this gold-accented, silver-plated Penguin cocktail shaker, touted by its manufacturer as the “master of ceremonies at successful parties,” may have utilized it to shake Daiquiris, which peaked in popularity in the 1930s.

Despite possible antecedents native to Cuba, the Daiquiri as it is known today—a shaken mixture of white rum, lime juice, and simple syrup—was first recorded by American mining engineer Jennings Cox in 1902. The Daiquiri shares its moniker with the Taíno (indigenous peoples of the Caribbean) name for a beach near Santiago de Cuba.

Circa ’70 pitcher-mixer with mixer spoon, Gorham Manufacturing Company, Providence, Rhode Island, designed 1960, silver and ebony, Dallas Museum of Art, The Jewel Stern American Silver Collection, Decorative Arts Fund, 2002.29.68.a–b)

This futuristic Circa ’70 beverage mixer was likely used to stir dry gin Martinis in the 1960s.

Like the Manhattan, the Martini is a spirit-based and vermouth and bitters-laced cocktail that originated in the 19th century. It appeared in print in Jerry Thomas’s How to Mix Drinks, published in 1862. While 19th-century recipes recommend sweet vermouth, by the 1950s dry vermouth was mixed with dry gin and orange bitters and then poured into a classic cocktail glass.

Samantha Robinson is the Interim Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the DMA.

Building Blocks

Published November 10, 2016 Behind-the-Scenes , Guest Blog Post 1 Comment
Tags: AIA, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition

The DMA’s M2 hallway is hosting work by the winners and finalists of the 2016 Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition, which celebrates the best in architectural delineation by professionals and students throughout the world. Averaging more than 400 entries from 25 countries in recent years, KRob is currently the most senior architectural drawing competition anywhere in the world.

Julien Meyrat, a senior designer at Dallas-based architecture firm Gensler, shared some insight into the history of this four-decades-old competition. Be sure to visit the work, on view through December 5 and included in free general admission, on your next visit to the DMA.

What is the Ken Roberts Delineation Competition?
The AIA Dallas Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition (or “KRob” for short) is an annual event that recognizes excellence in how architecture is visualized through drawing. Organized by the Dallas chapter of the American Institute of Architects, students and professionals from around the world are invited to submit drawings and renderings done either by hand or by digital means. Most entries are received by the competition’s official website, but people are also encouraged to deliver their submission to the AIA Dallas office. A three-person jury selected by the committee evaluates the entries for technical and expressive qualities and not for the merit of the architectural designs they illustrate. Winners are chosen for various categories: Hand Drawing, Digital/Mixed Media, Travel Sketch, Physical Submissions, and 3D Printing.

How did it get started?
Dallas architect Jack Craycroft noticed an abundance of quality perspective drawings produced by young designers who worked alongside him in the early 1970s. When he was installed as president of AIA Dallas in 1974, he decided to create a competition for Dallas-area architects to showcase their delineations that would have otherwise been given to clients or hidden in flat-file storage cabinets. He enlisted his young up-and-coming colleague Ken Roberts to lead the new committee to organize the event. It was a major success, though Roberts tragically passed away several months later. AIA Dallas resolved to make the new delineation competition an annual event, and renamed it after its first committee chair.

What has changed about the competition over the years?
Going on its 42nd year, the Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition is the longest-running architectural drawing competition anywhere. Thanks to Dallas’s supportive community of architects and faculty from the University of Texas at Arlington, the competition has served as a window into how we continue to find new ways of depicting buildings and environments. One can study how hand drawing was enhanced with a variety of physical media, how the computer enabled exponentially new avenues for visual communication, and how films and video games continue to influence the way individuals tell stories in their delineations. Eight years ago, KRob opened itself to the world, allowing individuals from over 25 countries to participate. Recently the competition added a new category for 3D-printed models, since this new media continues the critical tradition of using drawing as part of the dynamic design process. The annual exhibition that features the winning finalists is intended to convey the tremendous breadth in visual and graphic talent inherent in the art of architectural drawing.

Thomas Rusher, registered architect, Rusher Studio LLC, 3D print, 2016.

Julien Meyrat, AIA, is a senior designer at Gensler. He is also a former chair of the AIA Dallas Ken Roberts Committee.

Headed to the Polls

Published November 8, 2016 Exhibitions Closed
Tags: Concentrations, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, election day, lucie stahl, vote

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost. —John Quincy Adams

[Images: Lucie Stahl’s Mascot Face-Off (2016) and Defeat (2016) on view in Concentrations 60: Lucie Stahl. Both works © Lucie Stahl.]

The Sum of All Parts

Published November 2, 2016 Behind-the-Scenes , Conservation , Members 2 Comments
Tags: art conservation, Artifacts, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, François Lepage

The DMA’s conservation team works on a variety of projects throughout the year. DMA Associate Conservator Laura Hartman shared insights on one fascinating project in the Fall issue of the DMA Member magazine, Artifacts.

Flowers in a Vase with Two Doves (detail), François Lepage, 1816–20, oli on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund, 2016.23.M

François Lepage, Flowers in a Vase with Two Doves (detail), 1816–20, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund, 2016.23.M

In 1925, Dallas philanthropist Gertrude (Trudie) Terrell Munger endowed a fund for acquisitions to the Museum’s permanent collection. For over ninety years, the Munger Fund has been instrumental in the purchase of some of the DMA’s greatest treasures across its encyclopedic collection. These include Claude Monet’s The Seine at Lavacourt, Camille Pissarro’s Apple Picking at Eragny-sure-Epte, and the important old-master painting Basket of Flowers by Osias Beert the Elder. This spring, the Munger Fund acquired another world-class work: Flowers in a Vase with Two Doves, a beautifully preserved 19th-century painting by the Lyonnais artist François Lepage. The DMA’s conservation team examined it under the microscope to study the artist’s technique a bit closer.

Exquisite in its highly polished finish and attention to detail, Flowers in a Vase with Two Doves is meticulously painted and beautifully preserved, making its examination both enjoyable and an important opportunity to see a work of art as intended by the artist. Lepage has been described as a methodical and slow painter, and it has been suggested that it took him four years to complete this work. At first glance, the surface appears smooth and highly refined, but when observed under magnification each meticulous brushstroke becomes evident, revealing a surprisingly free and painterly technique.

Droplets of water, for example, are expertly applied to petals and leaves to create a convincing optical effect. These droplets, when observed under magnification, reveal a somewhat abbreviated painting approach.

Lepage also used his brush to quite literally add texture, heightening the illusion of tactile effects. Tiny details reveal the use of linear and directive brushstrokes in dialogue with such small highlights as the textured dots found along the butterfly’s wing and at the center of the chamomile flowers.

Microscopic examination of works of art often reveals important and interesting perspectives not immediately visible to the naked eye. This type of study allows conservators to better care for each work of art, giving a fundamental look into an artist’s working techniques.

—Laura Hartman is the Associate Conservator at the DMA.

Pumpkin Perfect

Published October 31, 2016 Behind-the-Scenes , Education Closed
Tags: Dallas Museum of Art, DMA, Halloween, John Singer Sargent, lucie stahl, Pumpkin

Our Education Department is always up for a creative challenge, so we celebrated today’s holiday by dressing up our pumpkins in their DMA finest for our annual Great Pumpkin Contest. Competition was fierce, but the winning, Linus-approved trophy was awarded to Emily and Jennifer, for their take on everyone’s favorite, somewhat creepy, DMA toddler, Dorothy. Check out all the terrific submissions below. Happy Halloween!