Posts Tagged 'Thanksgiving'

Home Is Where the Art Is

“Now this is the good stuff,” notes Leon Pollard, an artist from the Stewpot Art Program, as he settles in front of Jean Baptiste Marie Pierre’s The Abduction of Europa. We’re exploring flowers in the DMA’s collection, and Leon, who was recently commissioned to paint a mural for his church, immediately points out how Pierre skillfully guides the viewer’s eye across the expanse of the oversized 18th-century canvas. He breaks into a characteristic grin and says, “I really look forward to coming every month. It’s always an education—an inspiration.”

Leon sharing his work in the Sculpture Garden

This summer we marked the one-year anniversary of our monthly gallery teaching program in partnership with The Stewpot, a community outreach program that serves homeless and at-risk populations here in Dallas. Beyond addressing basic survival needs, The Stewpot offers enrichment opportunities for healing, financial support, and personal growth. The Stewpot Art Program offers class time and art supplies to individuals looking to express themselves creatively, grow as artists, and support themselves through the sale of their work. Thanks to Tanya Krueger, one of our DMA docents who also volunteers for The Stewpot, we were able to connect and coordinate a monthly visit for Stewpot artists here at the DMA. Visit by visit, we’ve gotten to know each other and the artists have grown more comfortable in the Museum. A favorite memory of mine is when one of the artists, Donald of Dallas, dropped by to visit during a rainy day, knowing he was welcome at the DMA.

Working with the Stewpot Art Program has been an eye-opening introduction to the realities of homelessness in our community. Our diverse group includes former teachers, first responders, and veterans. Importantly, there is no single narrative of homelessness, and we should never assume that homelessness reflects the consequence of an individual’s poor decisions. Over the past year, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of building relationships and inviting our community into the Museum. This point was driven home when Leon observed, “I used to sleep in the Arts District because it’s peaceful and you can sometimes hear music. I never knew this was here! Now I learn something new every visit by looking at the art.”

Luis with David Alfaro Siqueiros’s Self-Portrait (The Great Colonel) in the México 1900–1950 exhibition earlier this year

Words cannot express how grateful and thankful I am to work with this group and get to know the artists. Together, we’ve seen art come alive through our participants’ experience and interpretations. We’ve shared moments of joy and gratitude—such as when one of the artists, Luis, broke into applause in front of David Alfaro Siqueiros’s Self-Portrait (The Great Colonel), which was on view in the special exhibition México 1900–1950: Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, José Clemente Orozco, and the Avant-Garde—and we’ve encouraged each other to take risks and try new styles and subject matter when we sketch in the galleries. We’ve celebrated graduations, new jobs, and a participant receiving a new set of dentures. We have even taken solace in the timeless beauty of the Keir Collection following the unexpected loss of a participant. Our experience illustrates that art is for everyone, and that studying art helps us understand the human experience and enriches our lives. Looking back, especially during the Thanksgiving season, on our time together sharing gallery discussions, art making, and an appreciation for art and each other’s company, I am deeply thankful for the opportunity to work with the amazing Stewpot artists.

Lindsay O’Connor is the Manager of Docent and Teacher Programs at the DMA.

A Thanksgiving Trifecta

It is well known in my family that the only foods I need on my plate for Thanksgiving dinner are turkey, corn, and mashed potatoes. No other food needs to pass my way at the table.

In honor of my favorite holiday meal, I share with you images of turkeys and corn from our collection. And while we don’t have any works of art featuring mashed potatoes, Matthew Barney’s The Cloud Club does feature whole potatoes…and a piano.

Helen Altman, Turkey, 1995, scorch on paper, Dallas Museum of Art, The Texas Artists Fund and gift of Karol Howard and George Morton, © Helen Altman, 1997.152.4

Helen Altman, Turkey, 1995, scorch on paper, Dallas Museum of Art, The Texas Artists Fund and gift of Karol Howard and George Morton, © Helen Altman, 1997.152.4

Otis Dozier, Wild Turkey, 1987, lithograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, ©Denni Davis Washburn, William Robert Miegel Jr, and Elizabeth Marie Miegel, 1990.63

Otis Dozier, Wild Turkey, 1987, lithograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, ©Denni Davis Washburn, William Robert Miegel Jr, and Elizabeth Marie Miegel, 1990.63

Untitled (mola: turkey with two monkeys), Latin America, 20th Century, cotton, applique, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, DS.1990.300

Untitled (mola: turkey with two monkeys), Latin America, 20th Century, cotton, applique, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, DS.1990.300

Otis Dozier, Indian Corn, 1965, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, ©Denni Davis Washburn, William Robert Miegel Jr, and Elizabeth Marie Miegel, 1990.47

Otis Dozier, Indian Corn, 1965, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, ©Denni Davis Washburn, William Robert Miegel Jr, and Elizabeth Marie Miegel, 1990.47

Otis Dozier, Maize and Windmill, 1937, oil on Masonite, Dallas Museum of Art, The Barrett Collection, Dallas, Texas, ©Denni Davis Washburn, William Robert Miegel Jr, and Elizabeth Marie Miegel, 2007.15.20

Otis Dozier, Maize and Windmill, 1937, oil on Masonite, Dallas Museum of Art, The Barrett Collection, Dallas, Texas, ©Denni Davis Washburn, William Robert Miegel Jr, and Elizabeth Marie Miegel, 2007.15.20

Otis Dozier, Maize and Farmhouse, 1939, oil on Masonite, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, ©Denni Davis Washburn, William Robert Miegel Jr, and Elizabeth Marie Miegel, 1990.40

Otis Dozier, Maize and Farmhouse, 1939, oil on Masonite, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, ©Denni Davis Washburn, William Robert Miegel Jr, and Elizabeth Marie Miegel, 1990.40

Corn Cob Effigy, Pre-Columbian, 900-1500 A.D.?, ceramic, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Nancy G. Sayles, 1987.377

Corn Cob Effigy, Pre-Columbian, 900-1500 A.D.?, ceramic, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. Nancy G. Sayles, 1987.377

Matthew Barney, The Cloud Club, 2002, mixed media, Dallas Museum of Art, Contemporary Art Fund: Gift of Arlene and John Dayton, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon E. Faulconer, Mr. and Mrs. Bryant M. Hanley, Jr., Marguerite and Robert K. Hoffman, Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, Deedie and Rusty Rose, Gayle and Paul Stoffel, and three anonymous donors; DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund; and Roberta Coke Camp Fund, © 2002 Matthew Barney, courtesy Barbara Gladstone, 2003.24.1.A-D

Matthew Barney, The Cloud Club, 2002, mixed media, Dallas Museum of Art, Contemporary Art Fund: Gift of Arlene and John Dayton, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon E. Faulconer, Mr. and Mrs. Bryant M. Hanley, Jr., Marguerite and Robert K. Hoffman, Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, Deedie and Rusty Rose, Gayle and Paul Stoffel, and three anonymous donors; DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund; and Roberta Coke Camp Fund, © 2002 Matthew Barney, courtesy Barbara Gladstone, 2003.24.1.A-D

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stacey Lizotte is Head of Adult Programming and Multimedia Services

Thanksgiving Still-Lifes

Inspired by the DMA’s newest exhibition, Bouquets: French Still-Life Painting from Chardin to Matisse, I thought it would only be appropriate for my first Canvas blog post to incorporate still-lifes from our collection. So with Thanksgiving just behind us, I wanted to share some my favorite food-related still-lifes in our collection.

This 17th century still-life makes even the most wonderful Thanksgiving leftovers seem bland. Anyone care for some lobster?

Abraham Hendricksz Van Beyeren, Still Life with Landscape, 1650s, Dallas Museum of Art, The Karl and Esther Hoblitzelle Collection, gift of the Hoblitzelle Foundation

Abraham Hendricksz Van Beyeren, Still Life with Landscape, 1650s, Dallas Museum of Art, The Karl and Esther Hoblitzelle Collection, gift of the Hoblitzelle Foundation

After all of the yummy turkey, stuffing, casseroles and potatoes , how about some fruit (and maybe champagne) to lighten your leftover hangover?

Severin Roesen, Fruit Still Life with Champagne, 1848, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pauline Allen Gill Foundation

Severin Roesen, Fruit Still Life with Champagne, 1848, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pauline Allen Gill Foundation

The Friday after Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday all on its own. I like to stay in, enjoy my friends’ and families’ company, relax and read the paper, and eat some yummy leftovers (maybe even a turnip or two!). It is the best part of the holiday weekend!

William Michael Harnett, Munich Still Life, 1882, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase

William Michael Harnett, Munich Still Life, 1882, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase

I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday! And if you didn’t finish your Christmas shopping last weekend or you’re looking for a cyber Monday fix, don’t forget to check the Museum Store’s website to find many unique presents and local crafts!

Happy Holidays!

Madeleine Fitzgerald
Audience Relations Coordinator for Programming

Thankful for the DMA

Any other year at this time, I would be heading home to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family in Maine. This year, however, marks my first Thanksgiving away from home – the journey from Texas to New England is a bit too far to make for the holiday! I recently moved to Dallas to take part in the DMA’s McDermott Internship Program, which runs from September to May. Being away from my family is difficult this year, but I am grateful for all of the experiences that have been offered to me as the McDermott Graduate Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching.

While my intern duties cover a wide variety of roles here at the Museum, one of my main focuses is Go van Gogh, our community outreach program that brings a piece of the DMA to local elementary and middle schools. This past week, I spent time at Martha Turner Reilly Elementary School with a class of 4th graders. Our program was called Art of the Lone Star State, and it offered the students (and myself) the chance to learn more about the history of this state through art. We looked at works of art that depict Texas landscapes and cityscapes before making our own landscapes with watercolor pencils.

The opportunity to work with children is one of the reasons I applied for this internship, so I am extremely happy that I get to work with our Go van Gogh program.

All of the amazing Go van Gogh programs would not be possible without our volunteers! Go van Gogh has over 30 volunteers, both in Dallas and the surrounding Metroplex. These individuals volunteer their time with the programs in schools, but also spend time here at the DMA for volunteer training. During training, the volunteers become the students as we simulate the programs that they teach. We also spend time in the galleries, looking at the works of art that the students will see. Being a Go van Gogh volunteer shows a commitment to the DMA and to education, and we are extremely grateful to have such wonderful volunteers!

Go van Gogh is just one of the many programs I have been involved with during my time at the Museum. Three months into my nine month internship, I have worked closely with the docents, given school tours, and been involved in programs with Booker T. Washington High School, just to name a few! While I miss my family, I am thankful that I have this position and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the internship brings! And of course, I’m thankful for the opportunity to drive our amazing van around town!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Liz Bola
McDermott Graduate Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching

Friday Photos: DMA Thanksgiving Potluck

On Monday, DMA staff broke bread together for a Thanksgiving potluck. Check out all the amazing treats and eats we enjoyed!

We hope you and yours enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving holiday too!

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

Steamboat Mayflower

While New England can claim the original Mayflower, the South has the Steamboat Mayflower! The DMA’s collection includes this 1855 color lithograph by Nathaniel Currier of the high-pressure steamboat Mayflower.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and safe travels whether by plane, car, or steamboat!

Nathaniel Currier, after Charles Parsons, High Pressure Steamboat Mayflower, 1855, color lithograph, Dallas Museum of Art, Junior League Print Fund

Nathaniel Currier, after Charles Parsons, High Pressure Steamboat Mayflower, 1855, color lithograph, Dallas Museum of Art, Junior League Print Fund

Stacey Lizotte is the head of adult programming and multimedia services at the DMA.

Culinary Canvas: Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

This month’s recipe is inspired by one of my favorite artworks in the collection, Orange, Red and Red. Like Rothko’s work, these muffins are composed of layers that add to a more complex flavor. And with Thanksgiving only yesterday, they’re the perfect way to utilize that leftover pumpkin for a Black Friday breakfast. Enjoy!

Mark Rothko, Orange, Red and Red, 1962, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Yields 12 regular or 6 large muffins
Level: Easy

Streusel:

¼ cup flour
¼ cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Muffins:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 ounces nonfat vanilla yogurt
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line muffin pan with paper liners or lightly spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Streusel: Stir together flour, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in cold butter until mixture forms into small crumbs. Set aside.

Muffins: In medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, pumpkin, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and ginger until combined. In another bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture in two batches, stirring with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Divide batter evenly between muffin cups, filling each cup slightly less than ½ full. Spoon an even layer of streusel into each cup. Cover streusel with remaining batter until each cup is ¾ full. Spoon remaining streusel on top of batter, evenly covering each muffin.

Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Recipe adapted from CHEFS Pumpkin Walnut Bread with Streusel.

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

Happy Thanksgiving from the DMA

The DMA wishes you a Happy “Turkey” Day with Don Eddy’s Williams Bar-b-qued Turkey from 1973.

Don Eddy, Williams Bar-b-qued Turkey, 1973, color lithograph, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Dr. Roy M. Fleischmann

And start your Black Friday now with the “Paint It Black” board on the DMA’s Pinterest page.

Kimberly Daniell is the Public Relations Specialist at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Thanksgivingtime

I always look forward to Thanksgiving, as it kicks off my favorite time of year. I also love spending the day watching parades and eating delicious food with my family and friends, while acknowledging the people and things for which I am grateful. (I am thankful for so many things this Thanksgiving!) What I really look forward to each year, however, is indulging in one specific dish…

This poem is titled after my favorite Thanksgiving food. Can you guess the title (and my favorite dish)?

The potato that ate all its carrots,

can see in the dark like a mole,

its eyes the scars

from centuries of shovels, tines.

May spelled backwards

because it hates the light,

pawing its way, padding along,

there in the catacombs.

The poem is titled Yam by Bruce Guernsey.

I found this poem and many others through a great poetry resource: The Poetry Foundation website. A  sorting feature helps users browse through poems by poet, subject, occasion, or even holiday!

Poetry can be a great vehicle to connect with artworks. Take the following stanza from John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem, The Pumpkin. Think of a work of art that resonates with the poem. Why did you make that association?

Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before,
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?

Here are some works of art that I associated with Whittier’s stanza.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Andrea V. Severin
Interpretation Specialist

Artworks shown:

  • Matthew Barney, The Cloud Club, 2002, Mason and Hamlin Symetrigrand piano with stainless steel, silver, white mother-of-pearl, gold lip mother-of-pearl, black lip mother-of-pearl, green abalone, quartersawn Honduras mahogany, lacewood, walnut, ash burl, redwood burl, madrone burl, and Chilean laurel marquetry; internally lubricated plastic; potatoes; concrete, and sterling silver, Dallas Museum of Art, Contemporary Art Fund: Gift of Arlene and John Dayton, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon E. Faulconer, Mr. and Mrs. Bryant M. Hanley, Jr., Marguerite and Robert K. Hoffman, Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, Deedie and Rusty Rose, Gayle and Paul Stoffel, and three anonymous donors; DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund; and Roberta Coke Camp Fund
  • Stephen De Hospodar, Family Portrait, 1932, Linoleum cut, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the artist
  • Russel Vernon Hunter, Sunday after Dinner, 1943, Oil on masonite, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase
  • Doris Lee, Thanksgiving, 1942, Lithograph, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts, The Alfred and Juanita Bromberg Collection, bequest of Juanita K. Bromberg
  • William S. Warren (designer), “Vogue” pie server, 1935, Wallace Silversmiths (manufacturer), Dallas Museum of Art, The Jewel Stern American Silver Collection, gift of Jewel Stern

THANKS!

Dear Teachers,

In honor of Thanksgiving, we’d like to express our appreciation for some of the people who made an impression on us throughout our lives.

I have always had great teachers in my life, and they’re part of the reason I wanted to go into Education in the first place.  I would especially like to thank my high school Humanities teacher, Ms. Hall, for giving me my first exposure to art.  Without her excitement and enthusiasm, I never would have taken art history courses in college and probably wouldn’t be working at the DMA today!

I am thankful for three special teachers who have always been in my life (two of my sisters and one of my brothers-in-law), who inspired me to become involved in all of the arts including theater, literature, music and visual arts. They gave me the confidence to do what I love!

Thank you to my junior high math teacher, who encouraged, challenged, and rewarded me both in and out of class.  I aspire to be an educator who can blend all of those things and inspire hard work and a sense of accomplishment in her students.

Educators, you deserve the biggest THANK YOU of all!  I appreciate the dedication to your students, and the inspiration you instill in them.  Thank you for making the Museum a part of your classroom, and I look forward to seeing you and your students.

Happy Thanksgiving,
DMA Educators


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