When:
September 06, 2019
Time:
05:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Category:
MulvaneEvents
Location:
Mulvane Art Museum - 2nd level, North Gallery
Details:

Join us on First Friday for a joint reception of 100 minus 5, Endangered Art - A Reprise and Novel Art. Armando Bogarin, the Museum's Visiting Artist from Paraguay, will be in attendance. Also, meet Ian and Michael Young, father and son, who created the art in the exhibition Novel Art. Hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be served.

The count-down to the 100th anniversary of the Mulvane Art Museum has begun. Spanning the 95-year history of presenting exhibitions and educational programs, the
Museum has welcomed generations of art appreciators. Community support has
allowed the Mulvane to build and maintain a highly respected permanent collection. Leading up to the 100-year celebration in 2024, the Mulvane will highlight the art collection through changing annual exhibitions titled 100 minus. These exhibitions honor the artists, the art, and those who have visited and supported the Mulvane Art Museum over the course of a century.

The Mulvane Art Museum owns nearly 5,000 works of art, a majority of which ar
e works on paper. 100 minus 5 features a selection of prints that have been rarely seen, and in some cases, this is the first time they are on exhibit. There is a narrative that runs through the exhibition but it is not a story in the traditional sense. Instead of characters and settings, the story here is one of artistic concepts and movements. Although the art of printmaking is the over-arching plot, the characters are Geometric Abstraction, figurative studies, contemporary versions of Abstract Expressionism, contemporary Surrealism, and the Post-Modern voice.

The prints presented for this exhibition celebrating 95 years of art, were created between 1965 and 2018 and represent a wide range of aesthetic values and formal considerations. Some of the artists utilize a minimalist idiom in the form of flat colors and shapes to organize space and, in some instances, to poke fun. Others are exploring classical forms and others are integrating text. Still others are utilizing non-traditional means to create impressions and convey meaning. In the end, each of the prints represent the rich and exciting story of printmaking and the history of the Mulvane Art Museum’s collecting practices.

On February 1, 2018, the Mulvane Art Museum concurrently launched an exhibition and fundraising project titled Endangered Art. Curatorial staff selected works from the Museum’s permanent collection identified as “most in need of conservation,” to be incorporated in a rare exhibit (February 2, 2018- July 14, 2018) providing an opportunity for the public to see twenty-seven paintings that do not typically go on view because they are in need of conservation, cleaning, and framing. In this process, Mulvane curatorial staff engaged a fine art conservator to assess the selected/exhibited paintings and is currently working to raise the necessary funds to conserve artworks from the permanent collection that require conservation care. The project has funded the conservation of seven artworks to date.

Endangered Art: A Reprise features artworks from the permanent collection that are in need of conservation that were not included in our initial exhibition. Further, it demonstrates the dramatic transformation of our recently conserved paintings. Incorporating behind the scenes documentation of the conservation process, and presenting new research generated as a result, this exhibition serves to fulfill the Mulvane Art Museum’s mission, “to provide members of our community a museum where they can learn to think independently and critically about art,” and intersects with Washburn University’s 2022 Strategic Plan to continue educational programs “firmly rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, emphasizing creative and critical thinking.” The generated research and correlated programming for this project provide insights into the field of art conservation and underscore Endangered Art’s interdisciplinary scope—utilizing science and technology.

This comprehensive endeavor is an effort in transparency— designed to acknowledge the poor condition of these paintings and further educate an intellectually and financially engaged public on the historical and aesthetic value of artworks held in the Mulvane’s permanent collection. Endangered Art engages the community on a personal level, and offers an opportunity for visitors and members of Washburn University to feel a sense of ownership and responsibility for the artworks as they receive conservation. This exhibition is made possible by the generosity of local donors.

The exhibition Novel Art: Narrative Paitings by Michael and Ian Young features twenty-two paintings from the private collection of Kansas City collector Fred Whitehead. Michael Young and Ian Young, father and son, each created paintings based on famous literary works, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Both series were created at the request of the collector, who first met the Youngs in 2010.