Category Archives: Exhibitions

Ebony G. Patterson Announced as 2024 MacArthur Fellow

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Ebony G. Patterson was recently announced as one of the 2024 MacArthur Fellows, sometimes also referred to as the “genius grant.” The Nerman Museum owns one of her pieces:

Ebony G. Patterson, Untitled Lightz II, 2013, mixed media on paper, 75 x 100 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Gift of the H Tony and Marti Oppenheimer Foundation. Photo: EG Schempf

Patterson has also been featured in a some of our exhibitions!

Listen to Patterson discuss Untitled Lightz II:

Learn more about her MacArthur Fellow award:

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:

Gabriel Mills: Aunechei

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Gabriel Mill’s exhibition at the Nerman Museum features large scale abstract works in the Oppenheimer New Media gallery, though they do not feature new media but one of the oldest media – oil paint. Read about Gabriel’s thoughts on how his work relates to the long history of painting in an interview:

SPOTLIGHT: GABRIEL MILLS | PLATFORM (platformart.com)

And more about his process here:

Gabriel Mills: TIDSOPTIMIST | Micki Meng (friendsindeed.art)

The museum is so excited not only to be hosting this exhibition but also to have a work by Mills in the permanent collection. We were able to pull Gabriel aside to discuss this work specifically, Thira. Listen here:

Audio Player

We also have bookmarks now available with an image of Thira to give to visitors!

 

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.

Emilio Villalba’s creative trajectory

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If you attended Emilio’s talk at the museum last week, you may recall that he indicated that the series on view at the Nerman Museum right now is very different from earlier bodies of work that he has made. Check out some images of his earlier series in these articles and interviews and learn more about his creative process and trajectory getting to Everything is Something:

moderneden.com interview with Emilio

artsy.net Interview with Emilio about earlier series of work

dolbychadwickgallery.com Emilio’s current gallery

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)