Storrs, CT, May 22, 2012—The William Benton Museum of Art at the University of Connecticut Storrs campus has announced the summer exhibitions that will be on view June 2 through August 5, 2012.
FOUR SEASONS: The American Landscape in TransitionInspired by the beauty of the yearly cycle, Four Seasons brings together scenes of rural and urban life that reflect the activities, atmosphere, and appearances that characterize a year. Nostalgia weighs heavily in the paintings, prints and photographs in the exhibition, eliciting memories of childhood sledding during winter’s first snowfall, the anticipation of spring’s budding flowers, a cool breeze on a summer’s day at the beach, and the crisp, invigorating chill of the air in autumn.The works in Four Seasons were drawn from the Benton’s collection of late nineteenth- to late twentieth-century American art. Among the featured works are Childe Hassam’s The Lilies (1905), Maurice Prendergast’s Early Fall, New Hampshire (c. 1912), Frank Alfred Bicknell’s April Morning (ca. 1920s), Carleton Wiggins’s Unfolding Year (1924), Guy C. Wiggins’s Mantle of Winter (1924), Reginald Marsh’s A Morning in May (1936), Grant Wood’s July Fifteenth (1939), six engravings depicting seasonal sights from drawings Winslow Homer did for Harper’s Weekly in the 1850s and 1860s, and Fairfield Porter’s Sunset and Lilies (1960).
FROM OBJECTS TO OBJECT: Found Sculpture by Leo Sewell
From Objects to Object is a fun-filled celebration of the extraordinary talent of Leo Sewell. The Philadelphia sculptor finds recognizable objects of plastic, metal and wood and he nails, bolts and screws them together to create whimsical and immediately appealing sculptures. On exhibition are more than a dozen of his colorful works—dogs, ducks, dinosaurs, nut bowls, full-size figures, wall hangings and more—all of them “green,” the offspring of trash heaps, yard sales and flea markets.Sewell grew up near a Naval community dump in Annapolis, Maryland, where he began playing with its “found” objects before he was ten. With the help of his father and access to his father’s workshop, young Leo began using the items he found to create assemblages that were not yet about art but about building. As a college student in the 1960s, he studied modern art—writing a Master’s thesis on the “Use of the Found Object in Dada and Surrealism”—and decided to dedicate his life to making sculptures from manufactured objects. To date he has produced more than 4,000 sculptures. GOOD NEWS ABOUT
THE DRESS EXHIBITION!We’re pleased to report that the Benton’s popular spring exhibition, Women of New England: Dress from the Industrial Age, 1850–1900, will reopen in the Gallery at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, June 8, 2012 with a reception from 6–8 pm. The exhibition will be on view Monday through Friday from 10 am–4 pm through Wednesday, August 15, except July 4.
A MIDDAY MOSAIC of SUMMER PROGRAMS MUSICAL EVENTS• June 14, 12:15 pm: The Zachenski Brothers—with Jeffrey Chen on cello and electronics and Gregory Zaluski on guitar and electronics—bring together classical and world influences with modern and electronic components, creating vibrant and evocative soundscapes.• June 21, 12:15 pm: Drumming About You: An Interactive Concert with Bob Bloom, a performer known for his concerts at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts and the First Night celebrations in Hartford, Westport, and Boston.• July 19, 12:15 pm: Jennifer Darius, Vocalist, performing a program of Art Songs.
CAMPUS ART WALK: June 7, 12:15 pm • Meet at The Benton and set off with a museum docent to see some of the remarkable art on the Storrs campus.
SCAVENGER HUNT: July 12, 12:15 pm • The intricate works in From Objects to Object: The Sculptures of Leo Sewell are the subject of fun family scavenger hunts in the style of an “I Spy” game. The difficulty levels range from the obvious to the elusive.
FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY FILMS: June 28, 12:15 pm • Marwencol: After being beaten into a brain-damaging coma by five men outside a bar, Mark Hogancamp builds a 1/6th-scale World War II-era town in his backyard and populates it with dolls representing his friends and family. 2010. 83 minutes.July 26, 12:15 pm • Waste Land: This uplifting documentary follows contemporary artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil where he photographs an eclectic band of pickers of recyclable materials at the world’s largest garbage dump. 2011. 98 minutes.
ART21 FILM FESTIVAL Over the past decade, Art21 has established itself as the preeminent chronicler of contemporary art and artists through its Peabody Award-winning biennial television series, “Art in the Twenty-First Century.” The Benton is pleased to show films from Seasons 5 and 6. East Gallery. Running time: 1 hour.• Change: How do artists respond to a world in flux? In what ways do artists act as agents of change, and what kinds of aesthetic choices do they make to express it? Featured artists: Ai Weiwei, El Anatsui, Catherine Opie. June 8, 12:15 pm / June 9, 2 pm• Boundaries: How do artists respond to a world in flux? In what ways do artists act as agents of change, and what kinds of aesthetic choices do they make to express it? Featured artists: David Altmejd, assume vivid astro focus, Lynda Benglis. June 15, 12:15 pm / June 16, 2 pm • History: How do artists mine the past to explore the present? Why do some historical events shape the way we think today, and why have some been forgotten? In what ways do artists use their own histories to examine the human condition? Featured artists: Marina Abramovic, Glenn Ligon, Mary Reid Kelley. June 22, 12:15 pm / June 23, 2 pm• Balance: In what ways can art convey equilibrium or disequilibrium? What is reality? How do artists perceive and express it? Featured artists: Rackstraw Downes, Robert Mangold, Sarah Sze. June 29, 12:15 pm / June 30, 2 pm• Systems: What new grammars and logics do artists invent in today’s supercharged, information-based society? Why do we find comfort in some systems while rebelling against others? Featured artists: Julie Mehretu, John Baldessari, Kimsooja, and Allan McCollum. July 6, 12:15 pm / July 7, 2 pm• Compassion: In what ways do artists’ feelings of empathy contribute to works that tackle problematic subjects and address the human condition? Featured artists: William Kentridge, Doris Salcedo, and Carrie Mae Weems. July 13, 12:15 pm / July 14, 2 pm• Fantasy: How might desires and taboos shape our ability to imagine? What role does technology play in wish fulfillment? Featured artists: Jeff Koons, Mary Heilmann, Florian Maier-Aichen, and Cao Fei. July 20, 12:15 pm / July 21, 2 pm• Transformation: Costumes and masks, makeup and style, dolls & mannequins, stage and cinema—what strategies do we use to refashion identity? Do we seek out excess and extremes in order to see ourselves more clearly? Featured artists: Yinka Shonibare MBE, Cindy Sherman, and Paul McCarthy. July 27, 12:15 pm / July 28, 2 pm
MUSEUM HOURS: Exhibition halls: Tuesday–Friday 10 am–4:30 pm / Saturday & Sunday 1–4:30 pm / The Store & The Beanery: Tuesday–Friday 8:30 am–4 pm. The Museum will be closed July 4 for Independence Day.PARKING: Visitor parking is available this summer in the South Garages and at several metered locations throughout the campus. Transportation Services operates an Accessible Van Service. For details, please visit www.park.uconn.edu
THE WILLIAM BENTON MUSEUM OF ART is The Connecticut State Art Museum and located at the University of Connecticut campus, 245 Glenbrook Road, Unit 2140, Storrs, CT 06269. Free admission. Donations are gratefully accepted. Accessible. Ph 860.486.4520. www.thebenton.org. www. facebook.com/benton.museum
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