Invisible Elephant: New Works by Theo Wujcik and Kirk Ke Wang

July 7 – October 13

Galleries I & II

The central concept for this exhibition of contemporary artworks will be an ancient parable telling of six blind men who encounter a large elephant.  According to the parable, each man feels a different part on the elephant and defines what they are encountering based on their individual perspectives.  One blind man feels the elephant’s trunk and concludes it is bamboo.  Another man touches the elephant’s ear and believes it to be a fan.  A third man feels the elephant’s leg and decides it is a pillar.  The remaining three men feel other distinct parts of the elephant and develop alternative ideas as to what it is they are encountering.  The underlying message of this parable is the diversity of interpretation and how respective interpretations are often false because they are based on synecdochial information.  The story itself has several different iterations traversing various cultures and religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism and Jainism.

The idea for this exhibition began last year after Wujcik and Wang partnered to produce new paintings for an unrelated group project at Polk Museum of Art titled Visual Unity 2, which paired artists to co-produce new art works for exhibition. While collaborating on this project, their individual interests in the other’s national identity became apparent. Their two collaborative paintings and each of their individual pieces were fluent and woven into their cross cultural grounding.  For Invisible Elephant, Wujcik and Wang will work individually to produce new works based on their different perspectives in relation to the other’s cultural background.

Members’ Reception: 6pm-8:30pm, Friday, September 21, 2012

Annual Exhibition Sponsors

The Muses

Dorothy Chao Jenkins

Peterson & Myers, P.A.

National Endowment for the Arts

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Puterbaugh

The Reitzel Foundation

SunTrust Foundation

Mrs. George W. Truitt

Fleetwing Corp.

Heacock Insurance

Men of Iron

Outsider vs Folk

Murray & Ledger Galleries

June 2, 2012 – September 2, 2012

The term art brut was first coined by twentieth-century French artist Jean Dubuffet.  Art brut (or ‘raw art’) labeled the growing interest in art produced by patients in asylums and called attention to the viability of artworks produced by artists living beyond the realm of popular culture.  According to Dubuffet, “Those works created from solitude and from pure and authentic creative impulses – where the worries of competition, acclaim and social promotion do not interfere – are, because of these very facts, more precious than the productions of professionals.”  In 1972, the term outsider art became the official English translation of art brut and remains the most widely accepted description of such artworks.  However, in recent decades, the American renditions of these unique artworks have spurred renewed interests and sharper criticisms.  As a consequence, the term folk art, with its more negative connotations, has become the common nomenclature.  This exhibition uses such pieces from Polk Museum of Art’s permanent collection to initiate a conversation about the contemporary state of art brut.

Surface Effects

January 28 – April 21, 2012

Perkins Gallery

Prickly. Gritty. Rough. Smooth. Fuzzy. Texture in artwork creates additional interest because it appeals to two of our senses, touch and sight, instead of just one. It incites curiosity and provokes imagination. Texture can be used to give a two-dimensional object the illusion of being three-dimensional. It can be deceptive, giving cold, solid marble the appearance of being light and soft. Surface Effects explores the various applications of texture in artwork.

3-D

April 28 – August 18

Perkins Gallery

Sculpture has become a common part of modern-day life, coming in all shapes and sizes, from lawn gnomes to mannequins to public art. Sculpture was originally used for religious or political purposes, like the Sphinxes of ancient Egypt or the idols of Mayans or Incas. Sculpture gained popularity in ancient Roman and Greek societies and was explored again during the Renaissance. Since then, sculpture has been increasingly used as an artistic medium. 3-D will showcase sculptures from the museum’s permanent collection.

Albert Paley: Sketches & Steel

March 31-June 23, 2012
Gallery I & II

Albert Paley’s use of steel can be described as industrial poetry. His large sculptures combine an apparent heaviness with an almost lost sense of gravity as unfurled and animate forms construct massive works of art. Upon seeing his work, it is surprising to learn that Paley completes for each piece a planning process that includes an abundance of preliminary sketches and cardboard models. This exhibition will focus on both sides of Paley’s creative process: the plan and the end product. His steel sculptures will be on view alongside the initial sketches Paley produced to create the sculptures. By understanding Paley’s process, viewers will gain a new perspective on his constructed steel creations.

Sponsored by:

Heacock

and The Men of Iron

Hunt Slonem: An Expressive Nature

December 17-March 24, 2012
Dorothy Jenkins Gallery

Contemporary works by New York- and Louisiana-based artist Hunt Slonem are sought after by collectors from around the world.  His vibrantly colored works can be found in nearly 100 international museum collections and countless other corporate and private collections. Slonem’s expressive paintings pivot between the fantastic and the natural. As a youth in Hawaii, he developed an early affinity for nature, especially the various species of tropical birds living on the island. These natural forms ultimately became the subjects for his artworks, appearing in large lavishly colored paintings and constructed sculptures. As an artist, Slonem is fascinated by the many expressive faculties of color. His paintings are layered with thick brushstrokes of vivid color, often cut into in a cross-hatched pattern that adds texture to the overall surface of the painting. This surface patterning combines with the rich colors and recognizable subject matter to create paintings that are as physically exciting as they are aesthetically rich.

Günter Wirth

November 19-February 26, 2012

Murray & Ledger Galleries

Günter Wirth is a German artist who has dedicated his artistic career to the exploration of geometric forms, primarily rectangles and circles. He studied at the Academy of the Fine Arts in Berlin and later received a degree in civil engineering. As his work developed, he became increasingly interested in exploring the potential within two-dimensional space. He flattened and minimized his use of color and began using a rectangle, which he viewed as an “O” with squared corners, as a means of extending the space of the picture beyond the frame. The rectangle also serves as a counterpoint to the more organic or more fluid imagery within, behind or beyond the rectangle.

From the Flat Files

March 3 – May 26

Murray & Ledger Galleries

Most museum-goers only ever get to see a fraction of a museum’s collection. Due to the cost, time, and space required to frame and house artwork, a large portion of museums’ pieces go unframed and are stored in flat files, cabinets where artwork is laid flat in drawers. These pieces are unfortunately hidden away from the rest of the world, only seen by a select few of the museum staff. In From the Flat Files, the museum will reveal some of its never-before-seen treasures.

The Blues

October 15 – January 21, 2012
Perkins Gallery

Color is a complex thing.  Throughout art history it has been studied, categorized and subjected to a variety of interpretations.  From these years of study, we realize that the three primary colors (red, yellow and blue) are the fundamental colors and the key ingredients to produce any other color of the spectrum.  That makes blue a rather important player in the art world.  It has traditionally symbolized sorrow and, ironically, happiness.  In abstract paintings, blue’s cool tone is typically used to give the impression of receding space on the two-dimensional canvas.  In more natural or representational paintings, blue is often mixed with other hues to depict realistic shadows caused by natural light.  Musically, blue is the label for an entire genre of music founded by African-Americans in the Deep South during the 19th century to express grief or distress.  In conjunction with its annual Red, White & The Blues celebration, Polk Museum of Art pays homage to the cool color by displaying works from its Permanent Collection wherein blue is a major component.

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• The Muses
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• Peterson & Myers, P.A.
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Mr. & Mrs. Robert Puterbaugh
• The Reitzel Foundation
• SunTrust Foundation
• Agriculture and Labor Program Inc.
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• Fleetwing Corp.
• Tinsley Family Concessions
• Mr. & Mrs. Andy Hernandez
• Dr. & Mrs. Emilio Montero
• BCI Engineers & Scientists

“EN PLEIN” SIGHT: Paintings by Lilian Garcia-Roig

September 17 – December 10, 2011
Dorothy Jenkins Gallery

Lilian Garcia-Roig is a native Cuban and currently a professor of art at Florida State University.  Although her work is rooted in historical convention, she transcends the typical definition of a landscape painter.  Her large-scale, surface leavened works pivot between the recognizable and the abstract.  Her intent is to reconcile these two opposing styles by picking up where Vincent van Gogh left off: painting outdoors (or en plein air) with thick thrashes of paint to produce lavish landscapes.  Yet, Garcia-Roig invents a tangent by allowing the landscape to dissolve into an arrangement of abstract forms; as you approach her paintings, they begin to appear less like natural landscapes and more like arrangements of abstract forms.  Her chosen painting style only contributes to this oscillation between realism and abstraction, combining brushwork with thick globs of color forced directly onto the canvas from the paint tubes.  These paintings arrive at being unconventional by way of progressing what was once conventional.

Jessica Lange: In Mexico

September 17 – December 10, 2011
Emily S. Macey Gallery

Throughout the recent decades, as photography has finally seen itself thrust onto the scene as a legitimate art form, photographers have increasingly defined themselves more personally.  Far from mere reputations as journalists or commercial sentimentalists, photographers have become the eyes of the art world and the bridge between manual creation and technological production.  Jessica Lange is certainly no exception when focusing on the personal side of contemporary photography.  Through Lange’s photography, we witness a fusion of intimacy and curiosity. Her portfolio titled Mexico, showcased in this exhibition, consists of compelling slivers of her experience with the country’s culture.  Although unmistakably Mexican, these scenes are more than glimpses into another culture; Lange successfully uses a photographer’s sensibilities to conjure a broad representation of her own experience.

Exhibition Sponsors: Robert & Malena Puterbaugh
Reception Sponsor: Fleetwing Corporation

Recent Acquisitions

December 17-March 24

Gallery 2

The Museum is constantly updating and adding to its Permanent Collection. This exhibition will showcase some of the newer acquisitions, including photographs by Ansel Adams, André Kertesz and Alfred Eisenstaedt, all purchased by the Art Resource Trust. In addition, the exhibition will include two pieces of artwork purchased during the 2011 MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire by-the-Lake: a sculpture by William Kidd and a seascape by Richard Currier. The show also will include a small Rembrandt etching donated by William and Norma Roth.

Figuration

May 28 – October 8, 2011

Perkins Gallery

This exhibition will focus on artworks from the Permanent Collection that feature the human figure.

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• The Muses
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• Peterson & Myers, P.A.
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Mr. & Mrs. Robert Puterbaugh
• The Reitzel Foundation
• SunTrust Foundation
• Agriculture and Labor Program Inc.
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• Fleetwing Corp.
• Tinsley Family Concessions
• Mr. & Mrs. Andy Hernandez
• Dr. & Mrs. Emilio Montero
• BCI Engineers & Scientists

The (Lost) Art of Drawing

August 13 – November 13, 2011

Murray and Ledger Galleries

In our contemporary world defined by experimental art media and digital design, the simple act of drawing seems to hold a less important role in the art world.  Despite its apparent absence, drawing is still a fundamental basis for fine arts and has been reformed to relate more to preliminary sketches, printing techniques or digital design.  This exhibition includes artworks from the Museum’s Permanent Collection that exemplify how drawing remains an important component of creative process.

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• The Muses
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• Peterson & Myers, P.A.
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Mr. & Mrs. Robert Puterbaugh
• The Reitzel Foundation
• SunTrust Foundation
• Agriculture and Labor Program Inc.
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• Fleetwing Corp.
• Tinsley Family Concessions
• Mr. & Mrs. Andy Hernandez
• Dr. & Mrs. Emilio Montero
• BCI Engineers & Scientists

Form/Function: Decorative Arts From the Permanent Collection

July 2-September 10, 2011

Dorothy Jenkins & Emily S. Macey Galleries

The correlation between artistic design and functionality has always been a defining characteristic of Decorative Art. Furthermore, this is a major pivot point when discussing the differences between works that have traditionally been deemed fine art and those that are considered decorative art. With this exhibition, PMoA will explore this relationship as exemplified in numerous works from the Permanent Collection. Decorative Art objects from various cultures and time periods will be displayed, from Georgian silver to Asian porcelain to Pre-Columbian ceramics. Each artwork will be displayed according to how its form relates to its intended function. Will your artistic sensibilities persuade you to view these beautiful objects as being purely decorative, or will you focus more on their utilitarian characteristics?

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• The Muses
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• Peterson & Myers, P.A.
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Mr. & Mrs. Robert Puterbaugh
• The Reitzel Foundation
• SunTrust Foundation
• Agriculture and Labor Program Inc.
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• Fleetwing Corp.
• Tinsley Family Concessions
• Mr. & Mrs. Andy Hernandez
• Dr. & Mrs. Emilio Montero
• BCI Engineers & Scientists

Young Curators: Montessori Selects

April 22 – August 20

Murray and Ledger Galleries

The spring of 2011 will mark the end of Montessori Middle School’s first year of holding classes at Polk Museum of Art. To mark this occasion, PMoA offers these students an opportunity to participate in deciding what is displayed in two galleries. The 40 students have been divided into pairs and will choose an artwork from the Permanent Collection. Each team will then provide their own commentary on their decisions. This exhibition will introduce us to their perception while also allowing the students to become more involved with the curatorial processes at PMoA. These ‘young curators’ are sure to impress and add a new perspective to the exhibition experience.

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• Cowles Charitable Trust
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• The Reitzel Foundation
• The Hazelle Paxson Morrison Foundation
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• BCI Engineers & Scientists

Annie Leibovitz: Women

April 2 – June 26, 2011

Dorothy Jenkins and Emily S. Macey Galleries

Exhibition Reception: Friday, April 1, 6:00 – 8:30pm. FREE for Members, $10 Non-Members.

Annie Leibovitz is one of the most famous photographers working today. Her photographs have been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and in the often imitated “Got Milk?” advertising campaign. In this exhibition of more than 60 photographs, Leibovitz focuses on the American woman at the turn of the millenium with portraits from a broad spectrum of society. Among the recognizable faces are Betty Ford, Gloria Steinem, Toni Morrison, and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Annie Leibovitz: Women was made possible by the Women’s Museum: Institute for the Future, Dallas, TX.

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• Cowles Charitable Trust
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• The Reitzel Foundation
• The Hazelle Paxson Morrison Foundation
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• BCI Engineers & Scientists

Women’s Views

February 5 – May 22, 2011

Perkins Gallery

This exhibition will include works from the Permanent Collection which were created by women. With some of the largest museums coming under fire for rarely showcasing female artists from their collections, we devote an entire exhibition to works by some of the many talented women in our collection. Painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers, weavers and ceramicists from around the country will be represented in this exhibition. Artists will include Hung Liu, Barbara Kruger, Fonchen Lord, Jean Yao, Maggie Taylor, Miriam Schapiro, and Dianora Niccolini.

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• Cowles Charitable Trust
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• The Reitzel Foundation
• The Hazelle Paxson Morrison Foundation
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• BCI Engineers & Scientists

The Big Picture

January 15 – March 26, 2010

Emily S. Macey Gallery

Exhibition Reception: Friday, January 14, 6:00 – 8:00pm. FREE for Members, $10 Non-Members.

It is ironic to think that an artwork’s large size makes it invisible.  That can easily happen within an extensive museum collection; sometimes oversized works are shown less often because of their cumbersome size or the lack of exhibiting wall space. Polk Museum of Art wants to counteract this by devoting an entire exhibition to some of the largest artworks in its collection. The Big Picture will create an opportunity for the Museum to show off the size of its collection while giving our audiences the opportunity to view an exhibition of giants. This exhibition will include works from the Museum’s Permanent Collection by such artists as Hunt Slonem, Theo Wujcik, John Briggs, Gilberto Ruiz and Philip Pearlstein.

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• Cowles Charitable Trust
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• The Reitzel Foundation
• The Hazelle Paxson Morrison Foundation
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• BCI Engineers & Scientists

Retrospect and Restoration: Paintings by Humberto Calzada

January 15 – March 26, 2011

Dorothy Jenkins Gallery

Exhibition Reception: Friday, January 14, 6:00 – 8:30pm. FREE for Members, $10 Non-Members.

Humberto Calzada is a leading figure from the first generation of exiled artists to have developed outside of Cuba. He introduces historically charged imagery into a modernist pictorial tradition. His paintings of architectural scenes are based on observations and memories of Cuba. He combines the scientific approach of Renaissance perspective with the state of uncertainty of de Chirico’s piazzas and the experience of 20th-century abstraction with nostalgic sentimentality.

Humberto Calzada was born in Cuba in 1944 and has lived in the United States since 1960. In 1966 he received a degree in Industrial Engineering, followed by a MBA in Finance (1968) from the University of Miami. He began painting in 1972 and since 1976 has dedicated his time exclusively to painting. His work has been said to carry on the classical Latin American artistic tradition: dreamlike realism, tension created by the contrast between calm and conflict, and the use of timeless symbols as a universal language.

Throughout his career, he has applied these themes using architectural imagery. He depicts harmony through the use of natural elements, and he depicts conflict through the opposition of the ephemeral movement of light and water against the static force of stone and glass.

Exhibition Sponsors:

Mr. and Mrs. Andy Hernandez
Dr. and Mrs. Emilio Montero

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• Cowles Charitable Trust
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• The Reitzel Foundation
• The Hazelle Paxson Morrison Foundation
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• BCI Engineers & Scientists