A Cincinnati Artist Spends Time with a President

Cincinnati's history of art patronage is grounded in recordings of relationships between politicians and artists. The venerable Taft Museum of Art stands as perhaps the grandest link between the arts and a president even if in family name only (Charles Phelps Taft, who lived in the mansion from 1873 until his death, was the half-brother of President William Howard Taft).

But before Taft there was a relationship cultivated between a Cincinnati artist and a President-elect. Until now, I don't believe I've ever heard of Thomas Dow Jones. In the NY Times you can read a wonderful story of the sculptor's work on a bust of Abraham Lincoln. It is an interesting bit of history that captures a relationship between an artist and his subject and the importance of portraiture. Interesting too is the dance between the mediums of sculpture and photography.

Taft Show Again Draws Intense Emotion, Wonder

The last two times I was moved to near tears in a gallery, I was at the Taft. This is a good feeling that lasts well after the visit, well after the exhibition closes.

Since finally seeing Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos at the Taft Museums of Art, I've been haunted by the challenging subjects illustrated in the show. Critical of the ruling class as well as common societal practices that victimize women, children, and the working class resulted in a series of images that are either horrific (Todos caerán)or in some cases comical (Asta su abuelo). While walking through the gallery I found myself either turning away in knowing disgust, looking more closely (the gallery provides guests with magnifying glasses to better look at the detailed prints), or uncomfortably laughing at Goya's commentary.

I shouldn't be surprised by the mixture of emotion this series draws. I've seen many of these and taught about Goya and his struggles late in his career over the realization many of his earlier paintings celebrated the very class he grew to dislike. But Goya's questioning of humanity itself is most jarring. Ironically, even the most cynical person walking through the gallery recognizing similar societal ills as part of contemporary American culture would be moved to wonder and perhaps hope things are better now.

Even with the threat of the Inquisition, Goya faced truth, even if privately, and continued with his account of the atrocities of war with his Disasters of War series. This viewer's hope is that cynicism does not bar today's artists from an honesty that may even draw tears.

Local Art Writer Sees Literature in Donnelly's Paperwork

Aeqai writer Maria Seda-Reeder reviews Keystone artist, Kristine Donnelly's Paperwork.

Taft Museum Receives Highest National Recognition

The Taft Museum of Art has achieved accreditation from the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for a museum. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.
AAM Accreditation is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability, and earns national recognition for a museum for its commitment to excellence in all that it does: governance, collections stewardship, public programs, financial stability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 35 years, AAM’s Museum Accreditation program strengthens the profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and to provide the best possible service to the public.
“AAM accreditation is a wonderful endorsement of the Taft,” said Deborah Emont Scott, the Taft’s director/CEO. “It reflects the quality of the Museum’s operations including exhibitions and programs, and recognizes the tremendous undertaking by the Taft’s staff, board, and volunteers on the accreditation project as well as the high quality of their day-to-day work at the Taft. We are especially thrilled by the AAM’s recognition of the Taft’s community outreach efforts, specifically the Duncanson artist-in-residency program, which the AAM highlighted as a noteworthy program for outreach to diverse audiences.”
Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited. Among those institutions are 316 art museums and centers, with the Taft one of only 26 art museums accredited in Ohio. The only other accredited institutions in Cincinnati are the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
“Accreditation assures the people of Cincinnati that their museum is among the finest in the nation,” said Ford W. Bell, president of AAM. “As a result, the citizens can take considerable pride in their homegrown institution, for its commitment to excellence and for the value it brings to the community.”
Accreditation is a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, review and evaluate the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes three years.
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The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

Taft Names Violinist, Nokuthula Ngwenyama 2010 Duncanson Artist-in Residence

The Robert S. Duncanson Society of the Taft Museum of Art has selected violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama as the 2010 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence from a talented pool of local and national candidates. A nationally recognized orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, Ngwenyama will be the Taft’s 24th resident artist.

Ngwenyama learned about the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence program during a visit to Cincinnati in April when she performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall. She describes the Taft’s historic Duncanson murals as “beautiful, peaceful works of art.”
The Taft Museum of Art established theDuncanson Artist-in-Residence program in 1986 to honor the achievements of contemporary artists of African descent working in a variety of disciplines and media. The program also honors the relationship between African American painter Robert S. Duncanson and his patron, Nicholas Longworth, who commissioned Duncanson to paint landscape murals in the foyer of his home, now the Taft Museum of Art.
“I think that it really shows the contribution that African Americans have made to the fine arts for such a long time. To be able to have a tie to that legacy is a wonderful honor,” Ngwenyama says. “To pay tribute to the relationship that Duncanson had (with Longworth) has given me a sense of tradition in this country that I wasn’t really aware of.”

Gramophone Magazine has proclaimed Ngwenyama’s playing as providing “solidly shaped music of bold, mesmerizing character,” and the Washington Post describes her as playing "with dazzling technique in the virtuoso fast movements and deep expressiveness in the slow movements.”
Ngwenyama’s orchestral appearances include performances with the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Indianapolis Symphonies, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra. She has been heard in recital at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the Louvre, the Ford Center in Toronto, the Maison de Radio France, and the White House.

Born in California of Zimbabwean-Japanese parentage, Ngwenyama came to international attention when she won the Primrose International Viola Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions at age 17. She graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music. As a Fulbright scholar she attended the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris and received a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard University.

“I hope to highlight the legacy (between Duncanson and Longworth) and make sure it continues today,” says Ngwenyama, “and show that the arts cross racial boundaries.”

In addition to her performance activities Ngwenyama served as visiting assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame in 2007, teaching in the field of ethnomusicology. She joined the faculty of Indiana University as visiting associate professor from 2008-10. Ngwenyama is the current director of the Primrose International Viola Competition and president-elect of the American Viola Society.

During her residency, Ngwenyama will give public performances and workshops. She will also engage in educational outreach activities with students both in the classrooms and at the Taft.
Artist-in-Residence Events
Thursday, November 4, 6-8 p.m.
Taft Museum of Art
Reception with the artist. Free.
Sunday, November 7, 2-3 p.m.
Taft Museum of Art
Family Concert: Strings and Things, with Nokuthula Ngwenyama. Free.

Thursday, November 11, 7 p.m.
Allen Temple A.M.E Church, 7080 Reading Rd., Cincinnati
Nokuthula Ngwenyama in Recital
Sandra Rivers, piano
Free. No reservations taken.
Sunday, November 14, 2 p.m.
Taft Museum of Art
Nokuthula Ngwenyama in Recital.
Sandra Rivers, piano
Free.
All events are free but reservations are required and seating is limited unless noted above. For reservations or information please call (513) 684-4528 or 4516.

ArtWord: Kristine Donnelly

Kristine Donnelly, Detail of Untitled (Fan Shapes)

This month, the Taft Museum of Art will open its second Keystone Contemporary exhibit. This annual series highlights the work of an emerging artist in the Tristate region with a small scale solo show. This year, the museum is featuring the work of Kristine Donnelly. While preparing for this solo show and working at the Cincinnati Art Museum as the Coordinator of Family Learning, Ms. Donnelly took the time to meet with me and answer some questions about her work.

1. Like many successful artists, you began as a figural painter. Can you tell me a bit more about your earlier work? What specifically does painting not allow you to do that your current medium does? And perhaps just as interesting, what challenge does cut paper provide (for you and your viewer) that painting may not?

I worked directly from life when painting the figure. I created life-sized multiple figure oil paintings. My work dealt with personal narratives and memories. I loved working with oils: the richness of the color, the opacity of the pigment, the transformative power that a simple color wash could have. When creating large multiple figure paintings, I was most interested in the act of composing. I began works with many preparatory drawings and studies, always moving things around and changing viewpoints and space. Even half way through a painting, it was always so exhilarating to scrap a canvas down and start again when I’d realize a new, more interesting arrangement. At times I was more interested in the directing of a painting than the finish work and details. I was also intrigued by negative spaces: the small abstractions of color, the forgotten, “unimportant” areas. I would spend weeks laboring over the contour of a nose or the flesh tones. However when a painting was finished I was usually most interested in the flat negative shapes that took only seconds to paint.Although I loved paint, a few years ago it became apparent that this medium was no longer the proper vehicle for my ideas. The figure slowly exited my work. I then created images of painted patterns and ornamental designs. Color became less important as I struggled to find crisp edges and dimension. Initially the move from paint to cut paper was hesitant. However I quickly fell in love with the new material and new vocabulary for making work.

I’m interested in the limitations of paper. It is both fragile and temporary. My works test the tolerance of paper. By cutting, pulling, stretching, sewing, and tacking paper, it is transformed. Failures are common as I try to create different forms. Ideas often result in discarded piles on the studio floor. Making work that is by nature temporary is very exhilarating. Knowing that my work eventually will expire (rip, crease, fold, etc,) makes me more likely to experiment- to take risks when making it.

Paper is pedestrian. It is encountered on a daily basis. Everyone understands paper. In my work the screenprinted patterns and cut paper designs transform the paper. However they aren’t meant to completely disguise it. It is still paper. I intentionally leave pencil

lines, mistaken cuts, and scraps. The work is often hung with thumbtacks.

Kristine Donnelly, Unraveled (Detail)

2. What fascinates me most about your work is the prominence of the organic form and your ability to tease these out of architectural spaces. So often, artists maintain the grid as subject of nearly every abstract exploration of architectural space. I see a connection between your figural work within the frame of a painting and your current organic forms within the architectural grid. What is it that you hope your viewer will see in these forms?

In my current work, the patterns I create are composites from a variety of sources: images of skin, biological cells, lace patterns, and architectural elements. Creating the pattern is painstaking and deliberate. My intent and thought process behind the patterns is abstracted and obstructed from the viewer. It isn’t necessary that that the viewer have full insight into the origin of the forms. Viewers will see structures both fragile and strong that can’t easily be defined. They’ll find connections to biology, craft and textiles. The cuttings also invite the viewer to question and redefine positive and negative space. Viewers can look at the pieces and through the pieces. Wall, floor, light and shadow become players in the pieces and bring new definitions.

3. The materials and tools you use to make your work are common everyday objects. Even what you do with this medium can be seen as something rather fundamental. I think of paper cutting we do as children to make paper snowflakes. This comparison is not meant to undermine or in any way minimalize you work, but to emphasize the universal that is your process,the materials, and finally the monumental impact your work achieves. Do you think allusion to (illusion of?) the familiar is the reason your work is so successful? Explain more your dance between the individual and the universal present in all of your work.

As I said earlier, I hope that the universal material brings understanding and approachability to my work. The labor and delicacy is meant to confront and engage. Certainly my work could be made in a fraction of the time by using technology. It would be perfect and flawless. However my work is by choice laborious. The images are hand screenprinted.

The openings are hand cut. Cutting the shapes of a repeated pattern is much like a choreographed dance. My hand knows the designs so intimately. It moves almost without thinking from one curve to the next. It is quick and meticulous. Economical and deliberate. It is a quite and meditative act, this repeated cutting. It’s interesting because the idea of “cutting” is violent and frightening. However the cutting used to create my work is very calming. The delicate process of cutting is central to the pieces.

Kristine Donnelly, Enclosure (Detail)

4. As an MFA student, you studied the work of Tara Donovan. When she was here at the CAC, you had an opportunity to work with her. While I imagine it was pretty exciting for you to work with her, I’m sure she was equally thrilled to work with you. What exactly did you explore in her work prior to her visit to Cincinnati? Did your ideas about her work change after the CAC exhibit?

I had the opportunity to work on the installation crew for the Contemporary Arts Center’s Tara Donovan in 2009. It was very surreal to no only meet this artist, but to assist in creating her pieces for an exhibition. At the time, Donovan’s work challenged every definition I had for what art should be: permanent, archival, recognizable, narrative, etc. I loved how she made art from everyday objects. I loved how her work was both feminine and masculine. How it evoked aesthetic responses in both artists and non-artists. I felt that her work was in dialog with French landscape paintings, but in 21st century terms. How pencils and buttons became topographical maps and plastic straws looked like wrinkles of skin.
It was exciting to work with Tara and her crew and learn about the creation process and discuss the site-specific nature of her work. The pieces changed shape and stature within the different exhibition spaces. The unique architecture of the CAC played a prominent role in the shaping of Donovan’s work. It was interesting to hear how her work was developing and changing from new materials to processes.

5. While you both may use similarly recognizable materials, Donovan’s work seems to rest more on the unit that is repeated. We easily recognize the Styrofoam cup or plastic straw, for instance. Your work though requires one to look closer in order to identify the unit; to note repetition or pattern. Explain how pattern and repetition in interior decorated spaces is the focus of your work, yet not necessarily immediately apparent to the viewer. Do you run the risk of the viewer simply loving the look and texture of your pieces as interior decoration only?

The screenprinted patterns in my work are taken from organic (cellular) and architectural forms as well as established patterns and motifs from historical wallpaper and lace. I combine different sources to create a composite image that becomes a pattern by repeating it via screenprint. I take long rolls of paper and repeatedly screen print the motif. The repetition is lessened when I begin cutting into the paper rolls. The patterns are compromised with new openings and negative shapes. When the cut paper rolls are combined to create a larger form they are often twisted, layered, rolled, and piled. Thus the patterns are further abstracted and obstructed. The screen printed patterns and the cut paper openings then become the vehicles for design. They play off the existing architecture, both exposing and covering it. They create a new definition for the work. The viewer is invited to investigate the detail and texture of the piece as well as the space it resides in.
Certainly my work has a dialog with decoration. I’m interested in wallpaper- how it can recede subtly in the background or loudly overtake a space. It is a cheap impermanent way to assign a space an “identity.” I’m also interested in draperies- how beautiful forms are created to serve as a covering. Delicate curtains are intended to conceal things and bring privacy. My work explores the function and forms of decorative elements.
When invited to make work for the 2010 Keystone Contemporary Exhibition at the Taft Museum, I was immediately excited about exploring the Taft’s interior decoration. The draperies, walls, and floors, were central to creating work for the exhibition. I relied on the Taft’s interior architecture, patterned designs, and color palette.

Kristine Donnelly, Cover Up

Kristine Donnelly: Paperwork will open at the Taft Museum of Art on August 6, 2010 and will be on view through October 24, 2010 in the Keystone gallery. Ms. Donnelly will give a talk at the museum on August 22 with a reception following. See here for more information and to make reservations for this talk.

Any Images of Smoking in Art?

While in Ripley, OH today, I also visited the Ohio Tobacco Museum. The museum features the history of tobacco farming , the handling of tobacco and lots of memorabilia, such as cigarette packs, matchbooks, cigars, pipes, ashtrays and marketing materials. I remember when the act of smoking was removed from cigarette advertisements. There was a short period of time when almost all television and film characters did not smoke. It was as if everyone quit smoking at the same time. Yet the presence of tobacco and smoking is pretty heavy in our history and culture.

While touring this small museum housed in a 2-story brick house, I tried to recall where smoking finds a place in fine art. I thought of Kirchner's Self-Portrait as a Soldier.

A couple that have been pointed out to me:

@taftmuseum: We have a "smoking lounge" with 3 in 1 room, including this one. http://bit.ly/bo4dTI

@emefem: The Whistling Boy by Duveneck at the CAM. Also Jean Leon Gerome, orientalist painter, has several with hookahs. Does that count?

@theartmuse: Picasso's drawing of a man smoking a pipe and Manet's Indian woman smoking come to mind.

Any others?

Are there others?

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Art Exhibition and Benefit for 2009 Taft's Duncanson Artist-in-Residence, Brian Joiner

The Robert S. Duncanson Society of the Taft Museum of Art annually recognizes the achievements of contemporary African American artists through the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence program. In 2009, the Taft named Brian Joiner. As the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence, Joiner was the creative director and teacher of a number of educational programs at the Taft Museum of Art.

This week, we in the art community learned that Brian is gravely ill.

Pamela and Lennell Myricks are planning an exhibition/benefit to be held on Friday, April 23 from 5-10PM at the studio of Mary Barr Rhodes above the Carl Solway Gallery, 424 Findlay Street, Cincinnati OH 45214. Carl Solway, one of the world's most important art dealers, will be showing his private gallery collection which few have seen. There will also be an exciting exhibition on the third floor in Aisle Gallery with the work of Terence Hammonds and Mark Patsfall. Eugene Goss and Billy Larkin are providing celebration music. This will be a major art world event not to be missed.

There will be a huge selection of work from every series Brian has completed. Prices will range from $50.00 to $12,000.00. For non collecting friends there are many options. Please attend to celebrate an incredible body of work. For Brian's care there will be a donation box for small donations. Larger donors may send a check to Raymond Thundersky Inc. for Brian Joiner.



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Taft Presents Exquisite Drawings from New York Historical Society

Not too long ago you could find me quickly breezing past landscape paintings as simply another collection of mountains and seas. But within the past few years I've grown a strong admiration for 17th Century Dutch art traditions. In fact, I'm not sure yet which I enjoy more, the landscape, genre painting, or the portraiture. I'm most interested in the social commentary of the period that each painting provides, but certainly the exquisite detail of a lace collar or crystal stemware catches my eye. It is a similar visual treasure trove of Drawn By New York: Watercolors and Drawings from the New York Historical Society that enrapt me and nearly brought me tears during its opening at the Taft Museum of Art.

Drawn By New York includes drawings by a number of well-known artists like Louis Comfort Tiffany and John Singer Sargent, and the museum is sure to try to entice a larger audience with these big names. However, the Taft has done an exceptional job of choosing only about 80 works from the New York Historical Society that these big names are not what will awe or inspire you.

The detail of these drawings and watercolors effectively compete with the information on the labels. As much as I wanted to read about each of the drawings, less than half way through the exhibition, I stopped reading and simply looked. It was this letting go of the text that helped make this journey through American history an emotional one.

Like 17th Century Dutch Art, the drawings of Drawn By New York tell a visually detailed story of our history and presents a commentary on our culture that is sometimes critical, sometimes celebratory, but certainly American.

We Don't Have to Wait Until February

For years art exhibitions focusing on African-American found a home on the gallery schedule in February, African-American History Month. Appropriately, programing recognizing the culture fills the month's calendar of events. While happy to welcome such recognition, I'm probably not the only one who has looked forward to a time when exhibitions of works by Romare Beardon could be viewed anytime throughout the year. Well, the Taft Museum of Art has challenged the exhibition schedule with The Chemistry of Color currently on view.

This really is such a beautiful show including some of my favorite artists. Along with Beardon you can see Faith Ringgold, Jacob Lawrence, and Betye Saar. The show also presents objects from the late 20th century. All of the works not only present well-known elements of African-American history, but also a wide spectrum of artistic influences from Latin-America, Asia, Africa, Europe and those of fellow Americans. Equally vibrant are the various artistic genres and media. You will find, references to music, dance, and architecture in oils, collage, textiles, and sculpture.

The Chemistry of Color is on view now through November 1, 2009. Be sure to visit as you may not get another chance to see such works until February 2010.

Taft Museum names Director

Cincinnati.com is reporting that Deborah Emont Scott has been named director and chief executive officer at the Taft Museum of Art. She will join the museum Nov. 9. Most recently she served as chief curator at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo. Scott is the sixth director since the Taft was founded in 1932.

Marc F. Wilson, the Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell Director/CEO of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, said, "She has faith in the power of art and in the accessibility to all of enriching, enjoyable experiences with works of art."

A native of Passaic, N.J., Scott is a graduate of Livingston College of Rutgers University. She earned a master's degree in history of art at Ohio's Oberlin College.
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With my BA in art history from the University of Kansas, I've spent much time at the Nelson-Atkins. Also, I'm originally from Lorain, OH, up the street from Oberlin. So I hope path-crossing in Cincinnati will result in our meeting each other sometime soon.

Welcome back to Ohio and into my neighborhood....again.

Review of Emil Robinson's "Axis Mundi"

The Taft Museum of Art is now exhibiting Axis Mundi, a solo show by Cincinnati artist Emil Robinson. As noted in my interview with the artist, my review of the show is now available to read in AEQAI.

In the review I explore how this realist painter celebrates his ties to abstraction.