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(09/15/10 8:47pm)
UNC Department of Communication Studies
“Nothing Pink” (Sept. 16-19. at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday)
Studio Six, Swain Hall
$5 students, $10 general public
(09/15/10 1:09am)
There’s a reason why a Pyrex dish isn’t on display in the Ackland Art Museum right now.
(09/15/10 1:03am)
Louis Comfort Tiffany
American, 1848 – 1933
Flower Form, c. 1903
glass with striated feathering and iridescence
Gift of Dorothy and S. K. Heninger, Jr. and the William A. Whitaker Foundation Art Fund
(09/15/10 1:01am)
Clément Massier
French, c. 1845 – 1917
Islamic Form Vase, 1892
glazed stoneware
Lent by F. Eunice and Herbert F. Shatzman
Photo courtesy of Julie Magura, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University
(09/14/10 11:29pm)
Even though the smattering of students at Sunday’s opening of “Flowers from Earth and Sand” at the Ackland Art Museum seemed mostly drawn to the free food, there was still plenty of delicious art to take in at the Ackland’s newest exhibit.
(09/08/10 10:41pm)
Deep Dish Theater Company
“Mi Vida Loca” (Ongoing, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday)
Deep Dish Theater, Chapel Hill Mall
201 S Estes Dr, Chapel Hill
$12 students, $19 general public
(09/07/10 4:17am)
Former longtime professor Shirley Weiss died Aug. 31 at the age of 89.
(09/01/10 11:02pm)
Hey cats! Welcome to Canvas, the Daily Tar Heel’s Arts Desk blog. We’re your source for all the extra arts news that doesn’t fit into our slim and simple print edition.
(05/27/10 1:18pm)
Explore the Ackland Art Museum's newest exhibit "Fortune Smiles: The Tyche Foundation Gift," which includes 51 pieces of artwork donated by former Ackland Director Charles Millard. The gift is said to be the most significant the Ackland has received since the museum's opening in 1958. The exhibit debuted Sunday afternoon and will be on display through August 29. Use the left-hand navigation bar below or hover over the map's points to view eight distinctive pieces and to hear commentary by the Ackland's Chief Curator Peter Nisbet about each piece. To learn more, visit www.ackland.org.
(05/27/10 1:17pm)
Explore the Ackland Art Museum’s newest exhibit “Fortune Smiles: The Tyche Foundation Gift,” which includes 51 pieces of artwork donated by former Ackland Director Charles Millard.
(05/27/10 4:21am)
BP Oil Spill
(05/20/10 4:33am)
“It is one of the most significant gifts of artwork we’ve ever received.” The words of Nic Brown, museum communications director, echo sentiments felt throughout the Ackland Art Museum. The 51-piece gift from former Director Charles Millard’s Tyche Foundation will make its public debut Sunday. The giftMillard formed the Tyche Foundation after selling an extremely valuable piece from his private art collection, a piece that he has not identified. The primary mission of the foundation was to purchase artwork for the Ackland. The addition is fairly small in size, especially when considered within the context of the 15,500 pieces comprising the museum’s permanent collection. But because of Millard’s intimate understanding of the museum, his gift works to fill out the museum’s permanent collection in a way that many say only he could do.“It’s a really significant gift for us because he purchased all these works with us in mind,” said Amanda Hughes, director of external affairs, adding that most gifts aren’t collected to be given away. The artworkThe collection includes works that span roughly 2,500 years and represent everything from Asian art to 19th century photography to colorful modern abstract pieces. “This collection represents something about what it’s like to go to an art museum in the broadest sense,” Hughes said, pointing to the varied reactions solicited from each piece. Some are more easily identifiable, while others are more abstract.“It is eclectic,” Chief Preparator Joe Gargasz said. “Each one of these pieces fits into a niche that helps the (museum’s) collection overall.”A 17th century Mughal miniature joins the Ackland’s extensive miniature collection, though it is set apart by what it depicts.“It doesn’t fall as easily into a religious narrative as it does into sort of an academic narrative,” Hughes said, adding that it fits the Ackland’s scholarly vision.The Manjusri, a 10th century Buddhist sculpture, also speaks to the museum’s teaching mission. “To have the bodhisattva of transcendent wisdom in our midst is a lovely thing,” Hughes said.The 19th century photos offer a sense of how artists used photography as a medium, she said. The first published etching by Édouard Manet hangs in one room; 20th century artist Jules Olitski’s color field paintings in the next.The collection reflects the varied tastes of Millard, essentially leaving his legacy at the museum.The exhibit Charles Millard’s prominence in the art world also attracted other big names in North Carolina fine arts to this project. Celebrated North Carolina author Alan Guganus wrote several short fiction pieces in response to the artwork. His works are included alongside art history commentary and pictures of artwork in the Ackland’s special exhibit catalog.The museum will not include its customary explanations next to the art, honoring Millard’s artistic principles. The catalog will be on sale and available to use as a complementary guide inside the gallery, but the idea is to let the art stand for itself.“He always tells you to go and look, just go and look,” Hughes said. “We like to teach, and he’s teaching too, just teaching in a different way.”Contact the Arts Editor at arts.dth@gmail.com.
(05/20/10 4:33am)
Ackland Art Museum preparator Andrew Nagy hangs a painting for a new exhibit. DTH/Becca Brenner
(04/20/10 4:45am)
When everyday objects are thrown away, they just might end up in the hands of an artist.Jessica Dupuis, whose work is on display as part of a series by the master’s of fine arts students, created her artwork with discarded materials. The exhibition, titled “New Currents in Contemporary Art,” will be on display until May 23. “I see my sculptures as journals,” Dupuis said.Raised in Chapel Hill, Dupuis enjoyed the experience of working with materials with her hands at a young age.“I used to draw on the wall in my house,” Dupuis said. “I relish the idea that I’m covered with what I’m making.”Dupuis received her undergraduate degree at Alfred University in New York before returning to her hometown for graduate school. In her graduate experience, she has discovered the use of everyday objects to convey her ideas.Her current piece on display is a combination of clay slip, a mixture of clay and water, and newspaper using cardboard boxes as a mold. “I think there’s a lot said with such minimal form,” assistant studio art professor Mario Marzan said. “The whole exhibition is very meditative to me.”Marzan also said the work invoked certain simple structures such as the home.“We live in boxes, we show art in boxes,” Marzan said.Dupuis said she tries to use empty space to make her point.“The space invokes a certain memory,” she said.Dupuis said her inspiration comes from a variety of sources, ranging from poetry, books and images of where she has traveled. She has also said that her family and adviser, ceramics professor Yun-Dong Nam, have also been her inspirations. “My advisor pushes me and helps me focus on a direction,” Dupuis said. Nam was also enthusiastic about the piece, believing everyone can gain something from viewing it.“The quality of work has something we all can share,” Nam said. “She doesn’t explain what the box is about, but it is great to explore in your own way.”Dupuis described her process, explaining a transcendental method of creating artwork.“I just have to go and work,” Dupuis said. “I just have to let my body kind of take over in mental and physical interaction. If I keep working, my ideas come.”The piece is “a focus on the cardboard box as an object” that Dupuis believes will invoke a loose interpretation among those viewing. The differing interpretations would be a result of the use of the dainty materials, newspaper and clay slip, in the shape of the cardboard mold. “Some might view them as delicate and fragile, while others might think that it is sturdy and strong,” Dupuis said. She also said that architectural structures within her work are open for people to explore and attach their own meaning to.Dupuis wants visitors to leave linking her work to everyday life, as she put everyday life into her piece.“Art and life are connected, they are not separate,” she said.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(04/19/10 2:26am)
Photographs by T. Coke Whitworth in the Ackland Art Museum are part of the exibit. DTH/Sam Ward
(04/19/10 2:26am)
A photograph of a man holding the severed head of a deer is among the detailed scenes of rural North Carolina depicted in “Zionville.” A series of 10 color photographs in the Ackland Art Museum’s “New Currents in Contemporary Art” exhibit, “Zionville” is the work of T. Coke Whitworth, a graduating MFA student at UNC.“This series of images is about a place where I live now called Zionville in the Western part of the state. I look at tradition, heritage, memory and also the ephemera of everyday life,” Whitworth said.The series reveals Whitworth’s development as an artist and as a part of Zionville’s community.“The work in his show, comprised of photographs taken over the past year, show Coke moving from being an observer to being more of a collaborator and participant. He uses the camera as a sort of permission to further research his town of Zionville and to learn more about its history,” said Steven Sewell, an MFA student at UNC.In addition to photographs, Whitworth has created closer connections to the community and heritage of Zionville. “He has grown to especially love the place that he and his family chose to make their home as well as the neighbors who have become close friends,” Sewell said. “I’ve heard in discussions with Coke his love for the people that he’s photographing grow and grow as he’s worked on this project. I think that it’s shown clearly and visually in the photographs themselves.”“Zionville” documents landscapes and daily routines that are often overlooked.“The pieces really seem to give you a sense of place and its traditions rather than just a static image,” said senior Sachiv Shah, who visited the exhibit Sunday.While he has worked in diverse media including collage and animation, Whitworth works mainly in photography.“Photography affords me a level of description that other media do not. I’ve tried other things but I always return to photography,” Whitworth said.Whitworth did not always aspire to be an artist. He came to UNC as an undergraduate and enrolled in the journalism school. The compulsory visual component within the school introduced him to photography. For the past 10 years Whitworth worked as a commercial photographer. “I appreciate that work, but for me I needed to go further. I wanted to explore something other than what an editor asked for,” Whitworth said.Commercial photography has different purposes and constraints than Whitworth’s art. “I was taught to make a photo that readers don’t have to spend very long on to understand. You’re competing for people’s time,” Whitworth said. “I was relying on almost a formula, not to belittle that kind of work. It’s a different kind of work in the service of something that’s not me.”Whitworth admires the work of photographers Emmet Gowin, David Spear, Shelby Lee Adams and UNC professor Jeff Whetstone.Whitworth said his future work will continue the Zionville series. “What’s in the Ackland is my introduction; it’s only the beginning of that series.”His work will be on display in the Ackland until May 23. Contact the Arts Desk Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(04/16/10 5:10am)
In some parts of the world, submerging one’s head in water is considered torture. To graduate student Emily Scott Beck, it’s art.Beck’s work is featured in the “New Currents in Contemporary Art” exhibition with the work of three other graduate students in the Ackland Art Museum.Despite working with metals, jewelry and sculpting as an undergraduate, Beck decided to use audio and video for all her graduate work. She said it helped her better express what she was trying to say.“Building these large sculptures all of a sudden felt kind of silly,” Beck said. “I was making these big grandiose sculptures to say something, but I wasn’t really saying it. I was just making a sculpture to hide what I was saying.”One of her new works, “Churn,” features video of several women speaking their hidden thoughts while submerged in water.“I was actually working on another piece that was about being a woman, and it just felt so hard to talk about. Every time I was speaking about that piece, I just felt like I was choking on my words,” Beck said.This gave Beck the idea of speaking under water and observing how water can choke and limit people’s hearing.“It’s very fresh. It’s very creative. It’s very honest. It has a sense of humor to it with a very strong underlying message,” said Jim Hirschfield, her graduate adviser and a UNC art professor for 22 years.Beck said she wasn’t afraid to be part of her art. She is featured in several pieces, including “Churn” and a phone call audio piece.“It’s more just my curiosity about life and what we go through and how we feel about certain things. Having people being willing to share that with me is awesome, and I’ll often share that with the viewer,” she said.On a pedestal in the exhibition is a sticky note with the phone number 1-800-704-3596. Beck said most people are not sure what to do with it, but the intention is to have viewers call the number and listen to an audio piece of phone conversation excerpts from her life.“It shows the monotony of daily conversation but also the way we comfort each other and talk about issues in life,” Beck said.When the number is dialed, Beck greets the caller as if she were engaged in a conversation. It progresses into clips of different phone conversations, with repetition of words like “wow,” “yeah” and “right” to give the sense of everyday speech.All of Beck’s pieces revolve around the idea of human interaction and how people conduct it in different ways.“I’ve been thinking about the concept of communication and how we shield certain aspects of our identity because we’re scared of being too vulnerable. On the other hand, how we sort of project a certain façade while sometimes feeling something differently on the inside,” she said.In another piece, four men in their 30s individually share experiences on video, and Beck manipulates the footage to show the similarities of their conversations and actions, such as scratching their noses.“I like how she manipulates conversation and language. It shows how people are different but at the same time similar and connected,” freshman Chad Rappleyea said while perusing the exhibit.Next year, Beck wants to focus on making art and getting into museums. Hirschfield said he thought she would succeed post-graduation.“When Emily has an idea, she pursues it and pursues it to its conclusion. She’s not just satisfied with ‘It’s OK.’ For her, it has to be excellent. There’s no step along the way where she takes a shortcut. That’s pretty amazing,” he said.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(04/16/10 5:10am)
Video artwork by Emily Scott Beck, a master’s of fine arts student, is on display at Ackland Art Museum.
(04/09/10 3:38am)
UNC graduate students used the unconventional subjects of hunters, clay boxes, beds and submerged speaking in an exhibition that marks the culmination of their two-year Master of Fine Arts degree program.
(03/19/10 4:03am)
The art at the Ackland Art Museum is going out tonight.An exhibition of photographs depicting daily life in Kibera, Kenya, one of Africa’s largest and poorest slums, will be displayed from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. tonight on the museum’s lawn.The exhibit, titled “Kibera Illuminated: Lives in East Africa’s Largest Slum,” was organized by Carolina for Kibera, Students for CFK, Student Friends of the Ackland and Ackland Art Museum.The photographs of Kibera were taken by young girls living in the slum. The girls were given cameras by the CFK program “Binti Pamoja” which means “Daughters United” in Swahili.Alex Loizias, the Kibera Illuminated program coordinator who spent the summer interning for CFK in the slum, was involved in the project from the beginning. She said giving cameras to locals rather than visitors grants a different perspective.“The goal is to really turn the idea of travel photography on its head,” she said.Hundreds of girls who had no formal training in photography participated in the program over the course of several years.Displayed on a brick wall in front of Ackland, the eight photos are presented in large boxes that are illuminated from within and resemble television screens. The images depict local women and children living in poverty-stricken situations.Nic Brown, the director of communications for the Ackland, said this is the first time in at least three years that there has been an entire exhibition outdoors.“This is unlike anything that we’ve done in recent memory. We’re very excited about the possibility of putting this amazing exhibition on display,” he said.Ashley Hedges, a first-year graduate student who attended Thursday’s opening, said she was interested by the insider’s perspective of the artwork.“It is heart-wrenching and a really neat idea. When there’s such terrible things like this and you can illuminate them, it’s amazing,” she said.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.