Posts Tagged 'Nic Nicosia'

Friday Photos: Vacation

1987_366_7

This large photograph by Nic Nicosia, titled Vacation, was installed in the Center for Creative Connections (C3) in early July. At first glance this appears to be a normal, everyday scene of a family picnic, but as you look closer it becomes apparent that there are some unusual aspects to this photograph. Is it a snapshot or is it staged? The children appear very natural, but the mother seems posed.  The ground looks like real dirt and leaves, but the tree and sky are a painted backdrop.  Then, between the branches you can see an airplane on fire and hurling to the ground. This is not your typical vacation.

As the summer comes to a close, the Dallas Museum of Art education staff has taken some time to reflect on our own unusual vacation experiences. We hope you enjoy our snapshots.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Jessica Fuentes
C3 Gallery Coordinator

 

#DMAVacation

Nic Nicosia, Vacation, 1986, cibachrome photograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Meisel Photochrome Corporation © 1986 Nic Nicosia, Dallas, Texas

Nic Nicosia, Vacation, 1986, cibachrome photograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Meisel Photochrome Corporation, © 1986 Nic Nicosia, Dallas, Texas

Earlier this month, the large photograph Vacation by Nic Nicosia was installed in the Center for Creative Connections (C3). Vacation is one of seven photographs that comprise Nic Nicosia’s Life As We Know It series. In this series depicting contemporary American life, Nicosia plays with everyday topics such as fashion, youth, and violence. Through his use of fabricated environments and staged scenes, Nicosia blurs the line between illusion and reality. This surreal atmosphere is enhanced by the ironic twists, such as the burning plane in the background, on what would otherwise be ordinary situations.

Inspired by this work of art, the C3 team created a photo station where visitors can pose for their own staged picnic-themed photograph. Some have embraced the surreal nature of Nicosia’s work more than others. Check out our visitors’ photographs and stop by C3 to snap a photo of your DMA vacation.

Jessica Fuentes is the C3 Gallery Coordinator

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

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

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

Holiday Lights, Camera, Action!

Every December, I get in a merry holiday spirit and devote the month to putting up decorations in my apartment and listening to festive music both at home and in my car. But my favorite part is watching an endless amount of holiday movies. And with holiday classics on the brain, I can’t go long without being reminded of one of my many favorite films while going about my day- even while working here at the Museum!

Take a look at the following works of art found here at the DMA and read the clues below each image. Put your holiday movie knowledge to the test and see if you can figure out which movie each work of art is most reminiscent of. Click the link paired with each image to see if your guess is correct!

vacation

Nic Nicosia, Vacation, 1986, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Meisel Photochrome Corporation

It’s time for a holiday vacation spent with kids and the spouse. Just be careful stringing thousands of lights on the house!

house

Lucille Jeffries, Woman Reading Beside Square Top House, n.d., Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. C.P. Wright.

Having the house to yourself for the holidays may seem ideal, but beware of bumbling burglars who are on a mission to steal.

lovebirds

Ruth L. Guinzburg, Love Birds, n.d., Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Robert A. Beyers

Do you feel it in your fingers? Do you feel it in your toes? For these holiday love birds, their love just grows and grows!

lamp

Boston and Sandwich Glass Company, Lamp, c. 1860-1875, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Dallas Glass Club

It’s an event-filled holiday for a boy wanting a B.B. gun, complete with a leg lamp, a bunny suit, and decoder pen fun!

afternoon train

Doris Lee, Afternoon Train, 1944, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts, The Alfred and Juanita Bromberg Collection

All aboard a magical train to the north, where hot chocolate, Santa, and adventures come forth!

So how did you do? Are you a Roger Ebert in training or does your movie knowledge need a little brushing up? Tell us in the comments and be sure to let us know which holiday movie you find yourself re-watching every year!

Amy Elms
McDermott Education Intern for Visitor Engagement

New Resources for Teachers

ATWAS Pachy imageExplore ten works of art in the new All the World’s a Stage:Celebrating Performance in the Visual Arts teaching materials.   These resources include information, images, music, and  much more! 

I encourage you and your students to discover ways that these works of art communicate ideas about the power of performance.

Until next time…

Jenny Marvel
Manager of Learning Partnerships with Schools

Getting to Know a Work of Art

Currently I am working on teaching materials for the All the World’s a Stage: Celebrating Performance in the Visual Arts exhibition.  Education staff creates online resources for the works in our collection as well as for special exhibitions.  One of my favorite aspects of writing and creating resources is getting to know a work of art on a more personal level.  Usually my research includes looking closely at the work of art, reading about the artwork and artist in the Museum’s object file (a file full of history about the object), and gathering information online and in books about the artist, culture, or the work of art.   

After the completion of the teaching materials, I often come away with one or two favorite works of art.  Although there are many shining stars in All the World’s a Stage, Nic Nicosia’s Act #9 stands out for several reasons.  

Nic Nicosia, Act #9, 1995

Nic Nicosia, Act #9, 1995

The idea that life is divided into multiple stages, from childhood to adulthood, might be translated into the chapters, or acts, of someone’s life.   The man in Act #9 appears as an old man – nearer to the conclusion of his life rather than the beginning.   This man, Nic Nicosia, the artist who made this work, stands on a stage.  By putting on makeup to appear older, he felt that he “became” the character.   It seems like he is facing an audience and delivering a monologue much like Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. 

Without getting too philosophical, it is interesting to consider that we are all actors on the stage of life and we all have different roles to play.  There is no doubt that art is powerful and can have strong impact on how you see the world.  

Look forward to the launch of the All the World’s a Stage teaching materials in the next few weeks.

Until next time…

 Jenny Marvel

 Manager of Learning Partnerships with Schools


Archives

Flickr Photo Stream

Categories