Brooke Musterman

30 Americans

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Episode 52: Brooke talks with Rock Hushka, chief curator of the Tacoma Art Museum about the 30 Americans exhibition which runs until this Sunday, January 15, 2017. The critically acclaimed showcase of influential African-American artists who have have emerged as leading contributors to the contemporary art scene in the United States was put together nearly a decade ago, but is making its West Coast debut at the TAM. Eight of the thirty artists featured have strong Pacific Northwest connections, and the TAM has several programs related to the exhibition to involve the community in the discussion.

Featured Image: Glenn Ligon, America, 2008. Neon sign and paint, ed. of 1 plus AP, 24 × 168 inches. Courtesy of the Rubell Family Collection. A group of 30 Americans artists, left to right: Rashid Johnson, Nick Cave, Kalup Linzy, Jeff Sonhouse, Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, Barkley L. Hendricks, Hank Willis Thomas (front row), Xaviera Simmons, Purvis Young, John Bankston, Nina Chanel Abney, Henry Taylor, Mickalene Thomas (front row), Kerry James Marshall, and Shinique Smith.

Photo credit: Kwaku Alston, 2008.

400-dpi-7-inch-walker_kara-camptownladies-1998

Kara Walker Camptown Ladies, 1998 Paper, 8 × 55 feet Courtesy of the Rubell Family Collection

Jean-Michel Basquiat Bird On Money, 1981 Acrylic and oil on canvas

66 × 90 inches Courtesy of the Rubell Family Collection

Glenn Ligon America, 2008 Neon sign and paint, ed. of 1 plus AP 24 × 168 inches Courtesy of the Rubell Family Collection

400-dpi-7-inch-johnson_rashid-thenewnegro-2008

Rashid Johnson The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (Thurgood), 2008 Lambda print, ed. 2/5 69 × 55½ inches Courtesy of the Rubell Family Collection

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Hank Willis Thomas Who Can Say No to a Gorgeous Brunette? from the Unbranded series, 1970/2007 Digital C-print Edition 1 of 5 31⅛ × 30 inches Courtesy of the Rubell Family Collection

Legendary Zelda

Episode 53: In Montgomery, Alabama, a few streets away from the Alabama State University campus, is a museum dedicated to the most famous couple of the 1920’s, F. Scott and Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald. For many, the Fitzgeralds provide the lens through which we now understand, or attempt to understand, the Roaring Twenties.

The Fitzgerald Museum is housed in the last home that the couple lived in together. Scott and Zelda never owned a home and famously never settled down. They rented this house in 1931-32, and since 1999 it is the one place in the world that the lay person can visit to learn of Scott and Zelda’s legacy. The Fitzgerald Museum is now the permanent home that Scott and Zelda never had during their lifetime.

Brooke talks to Willie Thompson, the Executive Director of The Fitzgerald Museum, about the troubled and turbulent life of Zelda Fitzgerald and about her career as an artist.

The Fitzgerald Museum website can be found at thefitzgeraldmuseum.org and has information on the museum’s events including a breakfast celebrating Scott’s 120th birthday on Saturday, September 24, 2016, and an annual Fitzgerald Gala which takes place in April. The Fitzgerald Gala is a “Jazz Age” party of epic proportions, and guests from all over the southeastern United States will be in attendance, decked out in 1910s, ’20s, and ’30s costumes.

Anniversary Painting, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

Notre Dame, Paris Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

Zelda Gawaine, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

Rhododendrons, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

Featured Image: Candler, North Carolina, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

Emancipating the Past: Kara Walker’s Tales of Slavery and Power

Episode 52: “I wanted to make art where the viewer wouldn’t walk away, he’d get pulled into history, into fiction, into something totally demeaning and possibly very beautiful.” -Kara Walker

Kara Walker has created art that is unquestionably provocative, challenging and thought-provoking. Her silhouette images present the brutality of slavery in a way that is both demeaning and beautiful.

Brooke talks with Jennifer Navva Milliken of the Bellevue Arts Museum in Bellevue, Washington about Emancipating the Past: Kara Walker’s Tales of Slavery and Power, which runs through November 27, 2016. Milliken gives a brief biography of Kara Walker and explains the challenges and rewards involved in curating this powerful and moving exhibition.

Kara Walker
African/American edition 22/40, 1998
Linocut. 44 x 62 in.
Photo: Courtesy of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation
Photo: Frank Ross

Kara Walker
The Emancipation Approximation (Scene #18), edition 7/20, 1999-2000
Screenprint. 44 x 34 in.
Photo: Courtesy of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation

Kara Walker
The Keys to the Coop, edition 39/40, 1997
Linoleum block. 46 X 60 1/2 in.
Photo: Courtesy of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation

Kara Walker
An Unpeopled Land in Uncharted Waters: Savant, edition 19/30, 2010
Etching with aquatint, sugar-lift, spit-bite and dry-point. 27 X 17 in.
Photo: Courtesy of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation

Kara Walker
Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated): Confederate Prisoners Being Conducted from Jonesborough, edition 21/35, 2005
Offset lithography and screenprint. 39 X 53 in.
Photo: Courtesy of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation

Featured Image:
Kara Walker
An Unpeopled Land in Uncharted Waters: No World, edition 19/30, 2010
Etching with aquatint, sugar-lift, spit-bite and dry-point 27 X 39 in.
Photo: Courtesy of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation

Rosetta DeBerardinis

Episode 51: Brooke talks with accomplished visual artist Rosetta DeBerardinis about her art, her inspiration, her process and about her experience as an artist. DeBerardinis is a New Yorker who now has a full-time studio practice in Washington, D.C., just a short walk away from Capitol Hill. Her large abstract paintings have been exhibited nationally and internationally in museums, commercial galleries and art venues and included in both public and private collections. She has won awards from the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities and has been featured in The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Richmond Times-Dispatch and other publications.

Before embarking on a career as a full-time artist DeBerardinis was a corporate attorney, a playwright, a writer and editor with numerous by-lines, as well as a competitive fencer who trained with the U.S. Olympic Team. She also happens to be a lively and insightful conversationalist.

To learn more DeBerardinis and her art please visit her website at rosettadeberardinis.com.

Mel Ramos at Bernarducci Meisel Gallery

Episode 49: Brooke talks with Louis K. Meisel of Bernarducci Meisel Gallery at 37 East 57 at 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Since 2000 Bernarducci Meisel has exhibited the work of the iconic masters of Pop Art and Photo Realism alongside that of up and coming artists.

Meisel tells Brooke about the origins of the Pop Art movement, his personal history and how he came to be involved in the visual arts.

All images used with permission.

Carole Morisseau: Paintings & Drawings

Episode 11: On this episode I chat with Treena Ericson, as well as Carole Morisseau about the Paintings & Drawings exhibition at the Scarab Club in Detroit Michigan.

Clockwise: Robert Twelve-Hundred | Charcoal (28″ x 34″); :Conversation with My Paintbrushes.
Carole Morisseau

Ceremonial Face #7 | Tempera and mixed media (8″ x 10″)

Carole Morisseau is a multidisciplinary artist, trained in the visual and performance

arts, as well as an educator and entrepreneur. As a visual artist, Morisseau is

accomplished in the genre of nouveau réalism (new realist) styles of art. Her

signature is comprised of strong images, bold colors, and thought-provoking

themes, which she often incorporates into series to help fully explore her newest

concepts. She has exhibited nationally at the New York and Atlanta Black Fine Art

Shows, Philadelphia International Art Exposition, and the Congressional Black

Caucus Session, in Washington, DC. A select roster of local exhibitions includes the

National Conference of Artists, Detroit Scarab Club, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Dell

Pryor and Arts Extended Galleries. Her work can be found in private and public

collections.

Morisseau believes that “art is the cornerstone that helps children learn.” To that

end she has taught art and dance at the Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit and

the Detroit Public Schools. She served as a professor of dance at Marygrove College,

Wayne State University, and Wayne County Community College. She also founded

and directed the Detroit Dance Company for 36 years. Morisseau attained her

teacher certification in art education from Central State University, Wilberforce,

Ohio, and continued her studies at several institutions including the Charles McGee

School of Art, College for creative Studies, as well as the Columbia College of Art,

Chicago and School of the Art Institute in Chicago. She is currently enrolled at

Wayne State University in the Educational Leadership Masters Degree Program.

Her book, Paintings & Drawings can be found on amazon.com.

Strategies for Survival

Episode 48: Arts and Crafts. Folk Art. Queer Art. An homage to tradition. A political statement. Commentary on the Art world. At first Bren Ahearn’s cross stitch samplers seem to lend themselves to simple and straightforward labels. But on closer examination these works defy and transcend these labels, sometimes with wit and sometimes with depth of meaning.

The Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington state is presenting a selection of Ahearn’s needlework in Strategies for Survival, an exhibition which will run through January 15, 2017. Brooke talked to curator Stefano Catalani about the history of needlework and its place, or lack of place, in fine art circles. Catalani also provided insight into the various ways Ahearn’s pieces have been interpreted and received.

Bren Ahearn, Sampler 1, Photo: Allison Tungseth

Bren Ahearn, Sampler 2 Photo: Allison Tungseth

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Bren Ahearn, Sampler 2, Photo: Kiny McCarrick

Featured Image: Bren Ahearn, Sampler 5, Photo: Kiny McCarrick

All images used with permission

Art and Stories from Mughal India

Episode 47: In the first half of the 15th Century (CE) Zahirrudin Muhammad Barbur led his armies from Central Asia to decisive victories in battles at Panipat, Khanwa, and Ghagra on the Indian Sub-Continent. Through these victories Barbur, who claimed a maternal descent from Genghis Khan and paternal descent through the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur, established the foundation of the Mughal Empire, which would dominate large portions of present-day India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan for the next three-hundred years.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is presenting Art and Stories from Mughal India through October 23, 2016. This exhibition presents works of art from this thoroughly fascinating historical era. Brooke talks with Sonya Rhie Quintanilla, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art about this world-class exhibition. Their conversation provides glimpses into the artistic expression of an empire that created the Taj Mahal, among countless other gifts to world culture, and which closely examined and attempted to reconcile Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and other religious traditions.

An excellent app dedicated to the exhibition is available on the App Store on Apple devices. Search CMA Mughal in order to download a tour, a hundred images from the exhibition and an audio glossary.

The dream of Zulaykha, from the Amber Album, about 1670. Mughal India. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; 32 x 24.4 cm (page); 21.9 x 15.4 cm (painting).
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, 2013.332 (recto)

: Women enjoying the river at the forest’s edge, about 1765. Mughal India, Murshidabad or Lucknow. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; 33.1 x 24.9 cm (page); 30.5 x 22.2 cm (painting). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection , 2013.351 (recto)

: Nur Jahan holding a portrait of Emperor Jahangir, about 1627; borders added 1800s. Mughal India. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; 30 x 22.1 cm (page); 13.6 x 6.4 cm (painting). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, 2013.325 (recto).

: Layla and Majnun in the wilderness with animals, from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi (Indian, 1253–1325), about 1590–1600. Attributed to Sanwalah (Indian, active about 1580–1600). Mughal India, made for Akbar (reigned 1556–1605). Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper; 24.9 x 16.8 cm (page); 18.6 x 16.2 cm (painting). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, 2013.301 (recto).

: Posthumous portrait of the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah (r. 1719–48)holding a falcon, 1764. Muhammad Rizavi Hindi (Indian, active mid-1700s). Mughal India, probably Lucknow. Opaque watercolor with gold on paper; 28 x 23.8 cm (page); 14.4 x 10.3 cm (painting).The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline NevesClapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection,2013.347 (recto)

Image 11. Brooklyn Museum_Architectural panel_86.189.4

Image 10. AsianArtMuseum_Wine Cup in the Shape of a Turban Gourd

Clockwise: Pierced railing, about 1655. Mughal India. Marble; 33.5 x 64 x 5.5 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch, 2009.202.67. Image© President and Fellows of Harvard College

Architectural panel, 1700s or early 1800s. Mughal India. Marble inlaid with variegated semiprecious stones; 46.4 x 24.4 x 7.5 cm. The Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gary Smith, 86.189.4

Ring, 1700s–1800s. India. Gold, enamel, and chased stones; diam. 2.3 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L.Whittemore Fund ,1944.68

Hookah bowl, about 1700. Mughal India. Gold on blue glass; h. 19.8 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cornelia Blakemore Warner Fund, 1961.44.

Wine cup in the shape of a turban gourd, 1625–50. Mughal India. Nephrite. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60J485. Photograph © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Featured Image: The Annunciation, from a Mir’at al-quds (Mirror of Holiness) of Father Jerome Xavier (Spanish, 1549–1617), 1602–4. Mughal India, Allahabad, made for Prince Salim (1569–1627). Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper; 26.2 x 15.4 cm (page); 20.6 x 10.2 cm (painting). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2005.145.2.

Psychic Compound

Episode 46: The C24 Gallery in New York City is featuring the creations of London artist Nick Gentry in an exhibition entitled Psychic Compound, which will run through September 2, 2016. Gentry incorporates found objects such as film negatives, VHS tapes, X-rays, and floppy discs into his paintings; paintings that are not only striking portraiture but also thought provoking insight into the ever accelerating speed of technological innovation and obsolescence.

Brooke talked with Gentry and exhibition curator Michelle Maigret about Psychic Compound, the inspiration for and influences on Gentry’s art, and about the arc of his career to this point.

Lloyd Ney: Local Color

Episode 45: The art of Lloyd Raymond “Bill” Ney (1893-1965) is far-ranging in terms of style, era, geography, subject and medium. The Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is presenting Lloyd Ney: Local Color, a showcase of Ney’s works, through September 11, 2016. Ney, a native of nearby New Hope, Pennsylvania, travelled throughout the United States and the world, and participated in a variety of artistic scenes. He was an outspoken Modernist, notable for his ambition and the controversies which marked his career.

Brooke talked to Louise Feder, assistant curator of the Michener Art Museum, about the exhibition. Feder wrote her master’s thesis on Ney and in this interview she provides context for the artist and his art. She also credits Ney’s family for preserving many of his works and for helping to maintain his legacy.

Programming at the Michener Art Museum includes a Curator’s Conversation and Gallery Talk on Wednesday, August 24, 2016, at 1 pm, and a Curator’s Lecture, on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, also at 1 pm.

Lloyd Raymond Ney (1893-1965), Untitled Series, New London, Ohio, ca. 1954, oil on canvas, James A. Michener Art Museum. Gift of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.

Featured Image: Lloyd Raymond Ney (1893-1965), Mechanic Street, New Hope, ca. 1934, oil on canvas, H. 30 x W. 36 inches. James A. Michener Art Museum. Gift of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.

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