Report: Lecture for the KHS and the NEH

A good picture cannot be taken in Chao Auditorium at the U of L.
Case in point.

Friday afternoon I presented a lecture "Louisville’s Confederate Monument: Narratives of Commemoration, Loss, and Gender" to participants in the Kentucky Historical Society's NEH-sponsored conference entitled "Torn Within, Threatened Without: Kentucky and the Border States In the Civil War.” 

On the East face of the monument, I am introducing participants
to the process and production of Louisville's Confederate Monument.

The participants attended over 20 separate sessions, which consisted of six lecture gatherings—including one by State Historian and fellow GC faculty member, Dr. Jim Klotter— as well as four breakout/research sessions and ten site visits. 

Save the Date: March 22 artist Mary Miss

Peter Morrin of the University of Louisville's Arts & Culture Partnerships and I are working on Public Art and the City 2013 - the third installment of public art symposia. This year's theme is "Public Art In/And/On the Landscape" and we are inviting artists, parks administrators and curators to discuss their work and practice.

The Keynote lecture will be given by Mary Miss, an artist who has pushed the boundaries of sculpture and installation as well as architecture and place. She has developed the concept of a laboratory and its site as a conduit for creative activity. The "City as Living Lab" is a framework for making issues of sustainability tangible through collaboration and the arts.

The afternoon will consist of a series of comments by scholars from varied disciplines who will foster thinking about ways for the community to think more deeply about environmental issues.

The overall goal of this year's symposium is to pose questions and examine instances where arts can  engage larger issues of sustainability.

The event is free for students, but you do need to register. More info will be posted on the Arts & Culture website.

Hope you can make it! (*PS: Yes, the senior show opens that evening. There's plenty of time to do both that day!)

Report: Cressman Center for Visual Arts and ENID: 2013

Friday evening I had the opportunity to speak as part of a panel discussion entitled "Sculpture, Contemporary Art, and the Public Space" arranged by Stacey Reason from the University of Louisville. Panelists included myself; Mary Dennis Kannapell, Pyro Gallery; Andrew Cozzens (MFA, Wash U and artist whose work is on view at PUBLIC); and Chris Radtke, COPA. The panel discussion was in conjunction with the ENID : 2013 exhibition at the Cressman coordinated by Reason and overseen by Professor John Begley of the U of L.

My contribution to the discussion lay, first, in a brief overview of Enid's biography (1869-1934) and, second, a look at her career in light of the contributions of male and female sculptors of the time (c. 1890-1930).  

Enid Yandell, Bust of J.J. Rucker (Collection of Georgetown College)

My research on Yandell has been on going for a few years and is a project that I only became interested in as a result of studying a bust of Yandell's owned by Georgetown College -- the portrait of Dr. James Jefferson Rucker, mathematics professor at GC. Rucker's story is interesting to me because it was under his leadership the College was one of the first schools in Kentucky to become a co-ed institution. Women from the College's affiliated Female Seminary -- run by Rucker  and his wife -- began attending classes with men in 1884 and, by 1892, women were admitted as regular students.

Suzanne Mitchell, Vaino, 42” x 22” x 17”, tree pods and wood

Yandell's story is interwoven with that of contemporary art, particularly through the group known as ENID, a collective of female sculptors based in Louisville. Showing as a group since 1999, through formed up at least two years earlier, this artist group connects with Enid and yet their work conceptually, materially, and otherwise may differ from hers. Fifteen artists are featured in the exhibition including Caren Cunningham, Gayle Cerlan, Jeanne Deuber, Ewing Fahey, Sarah Frederick, Valerie Fuchs, Mary Dennis Kannapell, Fran Kratzok, Shawn Marshall (whose Vaina is pictured above), Suzanne Mitchell, Joyce Ogden, Jacque Parlsey, Cynthia Reynolds, Gloria Wachtel, Melinda Walters.  

Enid Yandell in her Paris studio at work on Pallas Athena (Courtesy Archives of American Art)

I enjoyed sharing my research on Yandell with my co-panelists and the audience but, perhaps even more, was captivated by the work on view and the comments and conversations before, during, and after the panel. Thanks to the U of L's Cressman Center for bringing us together and for furthering the knowledge of Enid Yandell and the group known as ENID. 

Public Art and the City: Louisville 2012 Review

Last Friday, Peter Morrin and I welcomed close to 90 participants to the second annual public art symposium, held at the University of Louisville. Students from Georgetown College, U of L, and K State were in attendance, as were faculty from the U of L, UK, Bellarmine, Ohio State, and SCAD. In addition arts professionals and curators, including our very own Art Gal, Lori Meadows from the KAC, Karen Gillenwater from the Carnegie Center, were in attendance. The number of artists, in comparison to last year, was significantly lower; but the number of students and general public members had increased!

Before the official "start" of the symposium, several of us trekked to the Rodin on the campus of the U of L to closely view the stone, the bronze, its two layers of patination, and its wax. Above: Shelley Paine and Bernard Barryte closely inspect patina and marks of the patineur as Patrick Mohr looks on.

The symposium began with a session devoted to Rodin's history, his work, emplacement, and critical fortunes. Papers were offered by Chris Fulton and Bernard Barryte (from the U of L and Stanford University, respectively). The focus shifted to the science of Rodin, with papers by conservator Shelley Paine and image specialist Bill Mongon.

Paine and Mongon introduce the science of Rodin's art, above. The Keynote was offered by Renee Piechocki, pictured below.

Session II offered attendees the opportunity to hear "how to" do something in the field of public art. Breakout sessions were chaired by Garry Bibbs (Head of Sculpture, UK), Lori Meadows (KAC), Karen Gillenwater (Carnegie Center), Renee Piechocki (Keynote), and Chris Huskisson (Take it Artside!). Patrick Mohr (SCAD) offered a session on how to create temporary public art.

Session III focused on case studies from the region (sorry, no photos!). The symposium ended with a closing and final thoughts from Earl Grey and Peter Morrin. And, the day ended, as it began, in front of the sculpture, in quiet contemplation.

Above, artist and Curator Malcolm Cochran taking in Rodin. I enjoyed talking with you about this piece, Malcolm!!!

Thanks to everyone who attended this year's symposium.

We look forward to seeing you in 2013.

Upcoming Lecture: Memorial Mania

Memorial Mania

The Hite Art Institute at the University of Louisville presents the Frederic Lindley Morgan Lecture entitled "Memorial Mania," by Erika Doss, author of the book with the same title.

Why do we make memorials in America today, and why do we make so many of them? Doss's talk focuses on contemporary American interests in memory and history and urgent desires to express them in public art and commemoration. Location and contact information are located here.

Fans of public art, American studies, and contemporary issues may find this lecture of great interest. Doss is professor and chair of the Department of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She has authored several American studies titles over the past two decades, including Spirit Poles and Flying Pigs: Public Art and Cultural Democracy in American Communities and Elvis culture: Fans, Faith, and Image.

Hope to see you there!