Posts Tagged 'Mourners'

A Day in the Life: Intern Ashley

Published October 28, 2010 Art & Teaching , Friday Photos Closed
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When asked to write a post about a day in life of my job here at the DMA, I wondered how I would ever choose what to include.  My days at the Museum are so varied, from docent trainings on Mondays, meetings galore on Wednesdays, to catching up on anything yet to be done on Fridays.  So, I decided to select a day that is one of my favorites and really illustrates the reasons why I love my time at the DMA: Thursdays!

My Thursday calendars primarily consist of two activities: touring and researching. 

Touring: From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday mornings I have the pleasure of touring K-12 students at the museum.  I typically arrive at the docent desk fifteen minutes before my tour to ensure that everything is on schedule before welcoming the children into the Museum.  Once everyone is in the door, we talk about museums, museum visits, and things to remember while on the tour.   The students are always eager to share their knowledge of museum etiquette: “stay with the group,” “use inside voices,” and “keep a safe distance between ourselves and the art.”  Next, we head into the galleries to look closely at six or so works of art.  Since we only have an hour for our tour, I attempt to be as strategic as possible, selecting objects across a wide variety of cultures, time periods, and media.  The students are amazed to realize how much they can discover just through looking and how much knowledge they already have.  It is such a joy to share in their experience!

Research: My Thursday afternoons are spent researching various objects in the collection, compiling information, and writing text, which eventually becomes online resources for teachers to use in their classrooms.  I also research special exhibitions and some of our collection for upcoming teacher workshops.  For example, I’ve been conducting research the last few weeks on The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy in preparation for our upcoming workshop on French art.  It is wonderful to have the opportunity to learn about periods in history and styles of art to which I’ve had little exposure or with which I’m less familiar. 

Teaching and research are two of my passions, and I feel so lucky to be able to dedicate a large amount of my time to pursuing both.

Ashley Bruckbauer

Programs and Resources for Teachers Intern

Friday Photos: Mesquite ISD

Published October 15, 2010 Friday Photos 1 Comment
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We are fortunate to have a long-standing partnership with Mesquite ISD students and art teachers, and we all look forward to their DMA visits each year.  Last Thursday, thirty art and social studies teachers from Mesquite ISD spent the evening at the Museum exploring the galleries and special exhibitions in preparation for their upcoming DMA Mesquite Week visits.  Teachers visited a variety of special exhibitions, including The Mourners, the new C3 installation Encountering Space,  African Masks, and Mexico 200: Jose Guadalupe Posada.  After spending forty-five minutes in the galleries, teachers created a lesson plan relating to one of the exhibitions that they will use in their classrooms. The Posada exhibition sparked a lot of great ideas with the teachers, and it was exciting to hear how they plan on having students turn 2-D illustrations into 3-D works of art.

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This week we welcomed 7th and 8th grade students from each Mesquite middle school for docent-guided visits.  Students spent time in our special exhibitions, as well as in our European galleries.  Art I students focused on art historical developments during their tour, while Art II students viewed contemporary art. Over 1,200 Mesquite middle schoolers visited the DMA this week, and we’ll see each Mesquite 6th grader before the month of October is over!  

Shannon Karol
Coordinator of Museum Visits

Let’s Celebrate the Arts

Published October 8, 2010 Art Beyond Sight , Art in October Closed
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On Saturday we were excited to launch Art in October in the Dallas Arts District with a free admission day of activities and even an exhibition sneak peek.

 

Art in October

 

There are so many wonderful cultural events happening every day in Dallas, and especially in the Arts District, that we need a month to celebrate them all!  Here at the DMA we hosted a delegation from Dallas’s “Sister City,” Dijon, France–five Michelin-starred chefs and one sommelier–outside our Flora Street Entrance.

 

Chefs from Dijon shared some amazing dishes with visitors.

 

 

Some delicious French food prepared by our visiting chefs from Dijon.

 

For four hours they prepared and offered samples of food and wine  from Burgundy, the land of The Mourners.

 

Visitors enjoying a free sneak peak at "The Mourners"

 

Inside, we had performances throughout the day, including spoken word pieces by Booker T. Washington students, flash mob dances, and an appearance by the Plano Senior High Chamber Singers in full medieval dress (see them again on the October 15 Late Night).

 

The Plano Senior High Chamber Singers

 

 

Masterpieces in the works at the Space Bar in C3

 

Your Museum staff happily joined in on the fun, even grabbing a few bites of escargot panini along with our more than 4,500 weekend visitors. We can’t wait for the rest of the Art in October celebration!

All the Duke's Mourners

Published October 7, 2010 works of art 1 Comment
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The exhibition The Mourners: Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy opened at the Dallas Museum of Art this past Saturday, October 2.  Forty small, exquisitely carved alabaster figures fill a deep blue gallery where we have the opportunity to look closely, examining every detail in their hands, faces, and drapery.  The figures represent a traditional funeral procession in the Middle Ages.  Included among the procession are choir boys, a Bishop, deacons, Carthusian monks, and lay people.  In this case, the figures mourn for John the Fearless, the second Duke of Burgundy, and are part of John’s elaborate tomb.

During the early 15th century, John was a powerful figure in the Burgundy Court, which was established in Dijon, France by John’s father, Philip the Bold.  He profited from his father’s strategic political moves, expanded territory, and wealth.  Both Philip and John worked with many artists and commissioned works to decorate their homes as well as the Charterhouse of Champmol, a monastery that Philip initiated in 1383.  The Dukes were both entombed in the Charterhouse originally.  Eventually the tombs were moved to a main hall in the duke’s former palace, which had become part of the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Dijon.

The Mourners will be on view at the Dallas Museum of Art through January 2, 2011 and a great number of programs and resources accompany the exhibition.  Teaching resources created by the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, the next venue for the exhibition, present more information about the history of the Dukes of Burgundy and the creation of their tombs.  Grab your 3-D glasses and view the mourners in the round with 21st century technology, or see an interactive presentation about John the Fearless’ tomb.  In early November, Dr. Sherry Lindquist will give a lecture on the sculptural innovation of these medieval sculptures.  Students and teachers are invited to celebrate the art of France throughout the Dallas Museum of Art this fall and winter.  View The Mourners, the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, and works of art in the second floor European galleries during your Museum visit and participate in the French Art Teacher Workshop on November 13.

Nicole Stutzman
Director of Teaching Programs and Partnerships

French Art – Vive la France!

Published September 28, 2010 Art & Teaching , Museum Insight Closed
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Mourning Figure

This fall has many exciting educational opportunities. French Art tours will be offered in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy. These tours focus on the Mourners exhibition as well as French art in the Museum’s collections. Tours will also tie into the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. French art tours begin October 12, 2010.

In addition to this, the Richard R. Brettell Series will highlight French art with a lecture on Thursday, October 28 titled Rodin, His Collectors, and the Gates of Hell. For more information on this program, please visit the Museum web site.

Finally, the European galleries have new and favorite works of art that grace the wall. This reinstallation showcases seventeenth- and eighteenth-century works of art. Don’t miss a chance to see the works of art and see the new galleries at the Museum!

Amy Wolf
Coordinator of Gallery Teaching

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