Category Archives: 2024 – Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology

Stories on Tours – incorporating picture books

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We love using storybooks to discuss art!

Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest is a great picture book to use when discussing Preston Singletary’s Raven Steals the Moon:

Preston Singletary (b. 1963)
Raven Steals the Moon, 2007
Glass, blown and sand carved

 

Ish is a lovely book to use to introduce the idea that art doesn’t have to be perfect or representational, and that we all see art in our own way. We often read it near the Elizabeth Murray painting Landing:  Ish picture book read aloud

 

Elizabeth Murray (1940 – 2007), Landing, 1999, Oil on four canvases

 

The Pot that Juan Built is all about Juan Quezada Celado and his process, check in out!: The Pot that Juan Built read aloud (this one looks long, but the 2nd half is reading the afterward about the artist, which we don’t do on tours, but is worth watching for your own knowledge)

Juan Quezada Celado (b. 1940)
Red on Black Jar, 1999
Polychrome clay, 12 x 11.75″

These are just a few of the books we use regularly on our tours for children, especially groups that are K-2nd grade.

We are often able to find picture books that relate to special installations and temporary exhibitions as well. Right now in Actions for the Earth we have several picture books in the exhibition space itself, so families can read while they visit:

 

Eric-Paul Riege Weaving Dance Durational Performance

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Eric-Paul Riege
Diné + American, b. 1994
blanket 4 epr [2] draped upon Shádi’ááh to keep him warm

Shádi’ááh, 2022
Mixed fibers
Private collection
Courtesy of the artist and STARS, Los Angeles

epr blanket [2], 2012–present
Fiber
Courtesy of the artist

Label’s extended identification text:

Eric-Paul Riege makes fiber artworks that draw upon his Diné upbringing and the worldview of hózhó, which conveys a web of physical, mental, and spiritual life. In this work, organic materials and mass-produced, store-bought products seamlessly interact to create animated works of contemporary vitality that are a testament to the aliveness of tradition. The handmade sheep is a potent symbol for the artist, as the U.S. government’s policies have long decimated the sheep population which had acted as a source of livelihood, a weaving resource, and held ceremonial significance for Diné (meaning “the people” in the Navajo language). In his work, Riege grapples with the complex interactions between personal and political discourse, while keeping his familial practices of weaving and jewelry-making strong in the emblematic textile piece.

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The video below showcases a Weaving Dance Durational Performance by Riege for the the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, which was part of his Hólǫ́—it xistz exhibition in 2019.

Riege’s work is featured in Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology.

 

 

Zines! Let’s talk Elements and Principles

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We’ve been into zines recently here at the Nerman, with both a lichens and an embroidery zine featured in the Actions for the Earth exhibition currently on view. Running with that, we developed a couple zines for discussing the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Enjoy!

Elements and Principles Zine (PDF)

And if you’ve never folded a zine before, here’s some instructions:

Plant Diagram for Actions for the Earth

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Some folks have been asking about what plants are in the planting bed in the gallery for the Actions for the Earth exhibition. I made a diagram of what we planted, which lists both common and latin names (my handwriting is small, but you should be able to zoom in).

They are all plants that are native to the prairie. Following the exhibition closing we have permission to keep them in the JCCC greenhouse until early spring, at which time we’ll plant them on campus, completing the sustainability loop of this particular artwork!

mandala seedling map (PDF)

A printed copy of this diagram is also available at the desk, for visitors who may have questions.

Actions for the Earth resources

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Thanks to docent-in-training Deepthi for sending along a link to curator Sharmila Wood and artist Katie West discussing the museum’s current exhibition Actions for the Earth:

Curator Sharmila Wood Interviews Artist Katie West The Artist’s Digest

There is also a video of Sharmila talking on the museum’s digital guide, scan the QR code here to access.

And if you would like to read all the labels for this exhibition, here is a PDF of those:

Labels for Actions for the Earth from ICI (PDF)

Actions for the Earth resources

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We are so excited about our upcoming exhibition, Actions for the Earth opening tonight, Aug 9th!

Installation image and program schedule (PDF)

This is the first in a series of posts about resources and references for this exhibition.

The artists Ackroyd and Harvey have a small photograph in the exhibition titled “Beuys’ Acorns, 2007”. Find out more about the artist Joseph Beuys and his project “7,000 Oaks – City Forestation Instead of City Administration” in this article:

Joseph Beuys: Healing a Wounded World – Artland Magazine

This quote is on the label for the work: “We must continue along the road of interrelating socioecologically all the forces present in our society until we perform an action which extends to the fields of culture, economy and democratic rights.” – Joseph Beuys

Additionally they have a link to the Culture Declares Emergency
movement (co-founded by Ackroyd and Harvey):

www.culturedeclares.org