Diversity Within Unity: The Scope of African-American Art in Florida

December 21, 2002 – March 2, 2003

Perkins Gallery

The number of talented artists working in Florida today is extraordinary. We at the Polk Museum of Art have little problem locating wonderful artworks to present to you as part of our longstanding commitment to support in-state artists. Our surveys of contemporary art being produced throughout the state, however, have often failed to note the important work being done by African-Americans. To rectify this omission, we are pleased to present Diversity Within Unity: The Scope of African-American Art in Florida.

This exhibition includes twelve men and women from around the state whose work, taken together, is as disparate as one would expect from almost any randomly selected artists. Paintings, prints, mixed media constructions, ceramics, photographs, and drawings are presented to you as examples of the extraordinary talent often missed by art museums.

The artists included in this exhibition range in age from their mid-twenties to their early-sixties, in artistic education from those who are self-taught to university professors, and in birthplaces from Polk County to New York City, Brooklyn, South Carolina, Mississippi and Jamaica. Professionally, some have chosen art as their full-time occupation, some teach in addition to their studio work, and others have alternate forms of employment that allow them to explore their artistic passions.

There are three attributes that are shared by all twelve artists and which have led the Museum to bring them together: they reside in Florida, they are African-American, and they have made important contributions to the artistic climate in the state. It is this last factor that has been the most important for our consideration. Beyond race or geographical location, these artists, like all great artists, have been able to visualize part of the world around us in ways that can extend our own imaginations.

Artists in the exhibition:

• Rhonda Bristol (Fernandina Beach)
• John W. Butler (Winter Haven)
• Glendia Cooper (Jacksonville)
• Jonathan Green (Naples)
• Adler Guerrier (Miami)
• Nzingah Muhammad (Tampa)
• Sangoyemi Ogunsanya (Tampa)
• Vickie Pierre (Miami Beach)
• Tall Rickards (North Miami)
• James Vann (Valrico)
• Terry Wilson (West Palm Beach)
• Purvis Young (Miami)

In the Pink: An Exploration of Color in Art

September 14, 2002 – February 2, 2003

Ledger and Murray Galleries

What color seems more stereotypically Florida than pink? In the Pink: Explorations of Color in Art opens September 13 with no flamingos in view. Though the Museum certainly has no goal to collect pink artworks, it has throughout the years acquired a fascinating collection of artworks that feature the color pink, in all of its subtle shades. Taking that as its cue, the Curatorial Department has selected many of these works for an exhibition that discusses the different uses in art of this hot color. The works in this exhibition range from a terrazzo sculpture by Tampa artist Richard Beckman to intense prints by Kenny Scharf and Cesar Martinez. Among the other artists included in the exhibition are Larry Bell, Paul Brach, Leonora Carrington, Lise Drost, Bob Kane and William Renc.

Carmen Lomas Garza: A Retrospective

November 2, 2002 – January 12, 2003

Dorothy Jenkins Gallery

Born in Kingsville, Texas in 1948, Carmen Lomas Garza has established herself as perhaps the leading artist of Chicano life in the country. Her art powerfully expresses the Chicano artist by documenting the fabric of Chicano life in her vivid scenes of celebrations, healing rituals, food preparation, myths, and family stories. Her themes of love, family, death, and faith have profound relevance for people of all backgrounds.

Although Ms. Garza’s narratives record her childhood in Texas, they also reflect the memories of a generation of rural Chicanos. In addition to her artworks, she has produced a number of award-winning children’s books.

This nationally touring exhibition has been organized by the San Jose Museum of Art.

Ms. Garza’s artworks have been the focus of many important exhibitions prior to this retrospective, including a nationwide touring exhibition in 1991 and an exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in 1995 (the first one-person Latino exhibition ever held at the Smithsonian). She has received three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work can be found in the collections of the National Museum of American Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Mexican Museum in Oakland, CA, and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Chicago.

Life Sculptures by Rigoberto Torres

November 2, 2002 – January 12, 2003

Emily S. Macey Gallery

Rigoberto Torres was born in Aquadilla, Puerto Rico in 1960 and grew up in the Bronx. At the age of 19 he began a collaboration with noted artist John Ahearn that continued for nearly 20 years. Recently he moved to Kissimmee, FL and the Polk Museum of Art is proud to organize his first Florida museum exhibition.

He creates plaster and fiberglass life-casts that are empathetic studies of real people – family, friends and strangers. The focus of Mr. Torres’s career has been the use of art to define and bring together communities by celebrating the people who live there.

Mr. Torres has been selected for the Whitney Biennial Exhibition and the Venice Biennale. His work is in the collections of numerous major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and the Dallas Museum of Art.

Luisa Basnuevo: That Which is Unseen

October 5 – December 15, 2002

Perkins Gallery

Luisa Basnuevo was born in Cuba in 1962 and currently lives in Miami. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Florida International University in Miami and her Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University. She has won numerous awards including a Florida Visual Arts Fellowship and a Southern Arts Federation Fellowship through the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ms. Basnuevo has created a unique body of work that combines abstract, organic forms with pure artistic forms. Her numerous layers of painting create intense tonal variations that pulsate with emotion.

Independent Curator Janis Karam Gallo has described Ms. Basnuevo’s work as “idiosyncratic iconography [that] is strictly a visual means to exploring emotion, feeling and memory. Biomorphic forms suggesting seeds and fossils are utilized as metaphors that allow Basnuevo to explore an inner world. One camphor seed representative of a life experience spawns a comprehensive series of emotive explorations. These personal landscapes are the result of an introspective personality and an ardent passion for the act of painting. Coupled with the organic shapes that characterize her semi-abstract landscapes, the viewer can journey through an enigmatic, but meticulously painted, vista of visual and psychological depth. Atmosphere and a painterly surface make these abstracted artworks a rich visual experience.”

The Narrative Paintings of Hung Liu

August 3 – October 27, 2002

Dorothy Jenkins Gallery

Born in 1948 in Changchun, China, Hung Liu was a university student during the Cultural Revolution. She and other students were sent to be “re-educated” through four years of field labor. After attending the Beijing Teachers College, she taught painting at the Central Art Academy in Beijing. In 1984, she immigrated to the United States to study at the University of California, San Diego, where she received her Master of Fine Arts degree. She is currently an associate professor at Mills College in Oakland, CA.

Ms. Liu’s stunning reproductions of historical Chinese photographs (many taken by Western visitors) address the “cultural collisions” she faced while coming of age during the decade of the Cultural Revolution in China. Her paintings often seem both nostalgic and critical, as they combine western aesthetics with Chinese subject matter, a cross-cultural blend that communicates Liu’s unique sense of beauty. She recreates these scenes in such a way that specific issues of identity are explored: as an individual, as a member of a cultural group, and as a stereotype. Her work is in major museum collections including the National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art & Design.

Works in this exhibition will be drawn from Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami.

Untitled: What’s in a Name?

August 3 – October 27, 2002

Emily S. Macey Gallery

This exhibition presents a group of artworks from the permanent collection that share an unusual distinction: either they lack a known title or the artists have deliberately assigned Untitled or a non-specific title to their artworks. Artists sometimes choose to do this for the same reason that many composers of classical music choose to number their symphonies rather than create a more expressive title. By choosing not to assign a title, the artist allows others to experience the artwork in a fresh way, as if each viewer is the first person to encounter this object.

Most of the artworks in this exhibition have their title officially recorded as Untitled. There are, however, variations of this among the artworks in this exhibition. Several of the works come from a series that the artists completed; while the artists assigned titles to the series, they chose not to assign a title to each work within the series. A few works have titles other than Untitled, but the titles only identify what the work is, such as Video/Print or Sculpture in Two Pieces, rather than titles that refer more descriptively to the artist’s intent in creating the works.

As a part of this exhibition, visitors are invited to become actively involved, not simply by looking at the artworks on display and discussing them with friends and family, but by sharing their ideas for titles for the artwork with other visitors. Located on two pedestals in the gallery are two pairs of “notebooks” with pages that correspond to each artwork on display. If a visitor believes that one or more of the artworks in the exhibition would benefit from a title he or she has created, that visitor may write that idea in one of the notebooks. At the end of each week, the museum staff will select the most creative and appropriate label for display along with the actual label for each work.

Scott Reed: So Close to Waking

July 20 – September 29, 2002

Perkins Gallery

The Polk Museum of Art will present a collection of Scott Reed’s recent vibrant, large-scale acrylic paintings on loose canvas, as well as his delicate, atmospheric monoprints. Although he assigns his works whimsical or curious titles, such as Damn, Arriving At A Party Late With A Frog Still On My Head and After Cadabra, his works are fully non-representational and are intended to be mysterious and surprising. Reed’s painting and printmaking process is concerned with shared control; he is willing to allow his paint or ink to dictate the path toward the resolution of an image.

Reed is a Lakeland native who is currently associate professor of art at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He attended Polk Community College in Winter Haven and then received his Bachelor of Arts degree in painting from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Reed then went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Southwest Missouri State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. His works have been collected and exhibited nationwide as well as in Europe and Asia.

Bodies of Work: Figurative Artworks from the Permanent Collection

May 25 – July 14, 2002

Perkins Gallery

The versatility of the human body to portray formal and theoretical concerns in art is examined in this exhibition. Many of the works come from the Museum’s collection of contemporary art, including new acquisitions by Louisa Chase, Jeffrey Kronsnoble, and Robert Farber. However, the other works in the exhibition will come from the Museum’s collections of Asian art and Pre-Columbian art, inlucding a recently acquired ceramic figure from the Chupicuaro Culture of West Mexico, ca. 400 – 100 BC. This will enable the exhibition to provide a broader study of interpretations of the human form.

The other artists included in this exhibition are: Richard Heipp, Gary Gessford, Alice Neel, Philip Pearlstien, Julio Antoinio, R.C. Gorman, Simon Gate, Rikk Traweek, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, James Rosenquist, Alfredo Bustinza, Carla Nickerson, and Robert Kushner.

Kent Hagerman: Etchings of Florida

May 18 – September 8, 2002

Murray Gallery

The Museum’s unique collection of etchings by Kent Hagerman (1893-1978) is the focus of this exhibition. Hagerman was an important commerical and fine art printmaker of the early 20th Century. Born in Ohio, Hagerman began his studies at the Cleveland School of Art. After serving in World War I in France, he spent his leave in Paris studying at the Sorbonne. When he returned to this country, he and his brother operated the largest engraving company west of the Mississippi. He moved to Lakeland in 1933 and set up a studio at his house on Cambridge Avenue, Hagerman took great pride in the fact he was able to bring a sense of creativity to the commercial workd of advertising and illustration. These prints reveal a beautiful artistic vision and a master’s touch with the etching needle.

Looking Beyond Nature: Alternative Perceptions of the Landscape

May 18 – September 8, 2002

Ledger Gallery

This exhibition features seven artworks from the Permament Collection that demonstrate different approaches to the depiction of the landscape. Often they have accomplished this by combining or fracturing vistas to challenge our moment to moment understanding of what our eyes are sensing. Other artists have focused more on the internalization of the landscape by placing themselves squarely between nature and their creative visions. Artists included in this exhibition are: Bruce Marsh, Jerry Uelsmann, Robert Gelinas, Leslie Neumann, Rudolph Bostic, Lisa Williamson, James Twitty.

Albert Paley: Sculptures, Drawings, Graphics, and Decorative Arts

April 27 – July 23, 2002

Jenkins and Macey Galleries

This exhibition features the many diverse forms created during the last four decades by sculptor Albert Paley. From the most delicate jewelry to ornate vessels and candlesticks, from tree grates (large decorative grates for trees planted in a city environment) to large screens and plant stands, this exhibition features a broad selection of the imaginative and dynamic forms created by Paley.

Organized by Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, Florida

A Visual Diary: A Photographic Installation by Mary Ann Becker

March 16 – May 19, 2002

Perkins Gallery

This exhibition features the work of Tampa photographer Mary Ann Becker. During the last several years, she has split her time between Tampa and Paris. A Visual Diary combines text and black-and-white snapshots in a multi-media recreation of the impact of a time and place on an individual. Rather than a collection of carefully posed and composed tourist images, Becker’s collection captures glimpses of the natural intermingling of people and places.

Because of the importance of privacy to most French people, she takes her photographs quickly and from a variety of inconspicuous positions, never actually looking through the viewfinder. Her informal observations of places, now serving as memories, often lead viewers to incorporate the images into their own memory banks, as if they had traveled to these places rather than Becker. At the same time, the sheets of text, also representing Becker’s impressions of these people and places, are presented with a weight equal to that of the photographs, making viewers aware that the person behind the camera is just as important as the scene in front of it. Becker received her BFA from Wichita State University and her MFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

People’s Choice: Selections from the Permanent Collection

January 26 – May 12, 2002

Murray and Ledger Galleries

In an effort to give our visitors a more direct role in determining the artworks selected for display, we invited all visitors to the Museum to cast votes for their favorite artworks. Visitors were given access to images of approximately one-half of the Museum’s Permanent Collection; these images represented artworks currently in storage but available for exhibition. During the voting period, October 26, 2001 – January 13, 2002, visitors were asked to vote for as many as three artworks. The Curatorial Department then tallied the votes and installed the most frequently selected artworks, along with any statements made by voters that explained their attraction to their selections.

Wild Life: The Other Tradition

January 12 – April 16, 2002

Dorothy Jenkins and Emily S. Macey Galleries

Organized by the Polk Museum of Art, Wild Life: The Other Tradition presents 47 works by 19 contemporary artists from across the country who use animals as the focus of many of their artworks. Prompted by the proliferation of uncreative scenes of flocks of birds, deer, and (in Florida) manatees in wildlife art expositions, the Museum has selected artworks that reflect a variety of creative approaches to animals as the subject: the intense beauty of works by Alfredo Arreguin, Melissa Miller, Joseph Raffael, Tom Uttech, and John Alexander; the whimsical imagery of Sally Chandler, Roy De Forest, Isabel Sim Hamilton, Joseph Peragine, and Robert Sholties; the dramatic scenes by David Bates, Gaylen Hansen, Alan Loehle, and Mark Messersmith; and the investigation of spiritual, intellectual, and emotional interconnections in the work of Julie Comnick, Don Eddy, Karen Halt, Robert McCauley, and Kay Miller. The common theme in these works is the identification of some of humankind’s most basic instincts within the behavior and habitat of the animal kingdom.

Color 101: The Psychological Effects of Color

December 22, 2001 – March 10, 2002

Perkins Gallery

Continuing its effort to consider artworks in thought provoking contexts, the Museum has brought together a group of works from its permanent collection to investigate the impact of color choices made by artists. The exhibition begins with a discussion of the color theories used by artists to generate specific effects. After exploring these basic concepts using a combination of artworks and visual aids visitors are able to study the impact of these ideas through a wide range of artworks, including paintings, prints, and ceramics.

Accompanying many artworks are digitally altered reproductions that enhance the viewer’s understanding of the choices made by the artists. Among the works included in this exhibition are Keith Sonnier’s Meridian Codex: Print One, Ed Paschke’s Tampa Series #10 and Tampa Series #22, Margaret Tolbert’s Juniper Springs, and James Rosenquist’s After Berlin.

Thirty-Two Aspects of Women: 19th Century Japanese Woodblock Prints

October 6, 2001 – January 20, 2002

Murray and Ledger Galleries

During the Edo Period (1603-1867) the merchant class in Japan attained new prominence and wealth. This new class demanded objects that would mirror their own interests, everything from current events to fashion and entertainment. It was at this time that ukiyo-e was invented. The word ukiyo is a Buddhist term that means “the floating world.” This referred to our life span, the time that we “float” on earth. The word “e” refers to a picture or drawing. Ukiyo-e artists created images for the common people by focusing on subjects taken from daily life, assuming, in a sense, the role of the mass media for Japanese communities.

The last, and perhaps greatest, master of ukiyo-e was Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. His combination of traditional Japanese subject matter with western techniques led to the creation of his most popular work. In 1888 he completed Thirty-Two Aspects of Women, revealing his renowned capacity for portraying the complexity of women rather than portraying them as mere objects for the male gaze. This series traces the “history” and fashion of women during the century leading up to its printing. The “aspects” of women are humorously compared with the thirty-two identifying features of the Buddha. Colorful, beautiful, and fun, these prints are an extraordinary glimpse of Japanese art and culture.

A Western View of an Eastern Style: Japanese Prints, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Western Aesthetics

October 20 – December 16, 2001

Perkins Gallery

This exhibition features a selection of Japanese prints from the permanent collection of the Amarillo Museum of Art. Though remarkable in and of themselves, the prints will also serve as a discussion point about the influence of 19th century Japanese aesthetics on the development of Western art, specifically the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. The prints made an impact on Wright in two ways: first as an illustration of some of the finest Japanese architecture; and second as a demonstration of the Japanese ability to reorganize natural views into clear, geometrically arranged patterns of color. This exhibition will be on display during the annual Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy conference that will be held at Florida Southern College

Heavy Metal

December 18, 2010 – April 17, 2011

Ledger and Murray Galleries

Although it is not the easiest material to work with, metal is a valuable material for artists seeking a durable, rigid and slick result. Polk Museum of Art is home to an assortment of artworks assembled, poured and shaped by this heavy material. This exhibition will feature some of the finer examples of those objects.

The Serie Print Project: Serigraphs from Coronado Studio

July 28 – October 21, 2001

Perkins Gallery

The Serie Project, Inc. is a non-profit Latino arts organization located in Austin, Texas that produces, promotes, and exhibits serigraphs created by established and emerging artists. It strives to emphasize the cultural diversity of the visual arts in Austin and Texas while developing awareness of Latino art and its importance in our communities.

The Serie Print Project’s mission is to promote national and international artists from various professional levels and ethnic backgrounds. Austin artist Sam Coronado created the Project in 1993. A Master Printer works with the artists to assist and guide the production of their editions. The Polk Museum of Art will present an exhibition of 30 out of the nearly 120 serigraphs created at Coronado Studio during the last eight years. These works exemplify the quality and diversity of all the works produced within The Serie Print Project.