Friday, March 17, 2006

Viktor Schreckengost

Some (very interesting) info that I researched on Victor Schreckengost, mainly because I was wondering if this painting was done by an African-American artist. (the answer is no)

 

Viktor Schreckengost
(born 1906, and turned 100 this year!)

“It is estimated that every adult alive in the United States today has handled objects designed by Viktor Schreckengost or one of his students.” http://www.clemusart.com/viktor/what.html

The son of a commercial potter in Sebring, Ohio, Viktor Schreckengost learned the craft of sculpting in clay from his father. In the mid-1920s, he enrolled at the Cleveland School of Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art, or CIA) to study cartoon making, but after seeing an exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art he changed his focus to ceramics. Upon graduation in 1929, he studied ceramics in Vienna, Austria, where he began to build a reputation, not only for his art, but also as a jazz saxophonist. A year later, at the age of 25, he became the youngest faculty member at the CIA. In 1931, Schreckengost won the first of several awards for excellence in ceramics at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and his works were shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, and elsewhere.

By the mid-1930s, Schreckengost had begun to pursue his interest in industrial design. For American Limoges, he created the first modern mass-produced dinnerware, called Americana. Along with engineer Ray Spiller, Schreckengost designed the first-cab-over-engine truck for Cleveland's White Motor Company. By the end of the decade, he had designed the first Mercury Bicycle for Murray, Ohio. In 1939, the bicycle and The Four Elements in clay were displayed at the New York World's Fair.

In the 1940s, Schreckengost's designs for children's pedal cars (as well as bicycles and toys), helped Murray, Ohio become the world's largest manufacturer of pedal cars. His design and ceramic work was interrupted by World War II, when he was recruited by the Navy to develop a system for radar recognition that won him the Secretary of Navy's commendation. After the war, Schreckengost resumed his industrial design career creating products for Murray, Sears, General Electric, Salem China Company, and Harris Printing, among others. Approximately 100 million of his bicycles were manufactured by Murray, making it the largest bicycle-maker in the world. He retired from industrial design in 1972, but continues teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

(The above information is from an exhibition, “Viktor Schreckengost and 20th-Century Design”, that was shown at the Cleveland Museum of Art from November 12, 2000 to February 4, 2001. An online version of the exhibition is still available and is very interesting: http://www.clemusart.com/viktor/ )

 

To see an interesting assortment of his art and designs:
http://www.clemusart.com/viktor/World/ns/index.html

 

About Blue Revel (1931), the painting that’s in GAT:
http://www.clemusart.com/viktor/World/ns/wall9.html

Jazz and African-American Themes

Visits to the Globe Theater, in Cleveland, where a group of faculty members from the Cleveland Institute of Art had rented a box, inspired this painting.

Some viewers may feel that this work uses caricature and racial stereotypes in a fashion that seems demeaning by today's standards. Although they touch a sensitive nerve, these works are worthy of our consideration. They not only present the complete picture of Viktor Schreckengost's career as represented by this exhibition, but they also carry significance as historical documents rooted in the era in which they were made. The 1920s and 1930s saw a growing awareness of the vital role of African-Americans in giving a distinct character to American culture. Jazz music swept not only the United States but Europe as well, and the African-American dance hall performer, Joesphine Baker, became the rage of Paris. Schreckengost recognized this and used works like Blue Revel to express his enthusiasm for jazz and other African-American themes.

There are many parallels between Schreckengost's work and that of African-American artists of the period, such as Archibald Motley in Chicago, whose images of African-Americans are very similar in character. Another key figure in establishing the style of these images, with its mix of caricature and cubism, was the New York-based Mexican cartoonist, Miguel Covarrubias, who published an influential book of sketches titled Negro Drawings in 1928.

 

 

Heide Fernandez-Llamazares

Assistant Museum Educator and Docent Coordinator

hllamazares@TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, Washington 98402

T: 253.272.4258 x3018

F: 253.627.1898

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

Become a Member Today!

 

 

Ammi Phillips

Since children on school tours often ask about the Ammi Phillips painting in Great American Thing, I did a bit of research on him (first question: isn’t “Ammi” a woman?).

Heide.

 


Phillips, Ammi (1788-1865)

 

http://mattatuckmuseum.org/collections/art/ammi.htm

Colebrook artist Ammi Phillips (1788-1865) was a self taught portrait painter, learning his style from imported prints. He traveled throughout New England with his easel and paints seeking commissions from the growing middle class, newly prosperous after Independence.

 

http://www.artnet.com/library/06/0670/T067071.asp

(b Colebrook, CT, 24 April 1788; d Curtisville [now Interlaken], MA, 11 July 1865). American painter.

Apparently self-taught, he began his prolific and successful career as a portrait painter c. 1811. During his lifetime, he moved several times across the borders of New York, western Connecticut and Massachusetts in search of commissions. Like many of the itinerant artists of the 19th century, he struggled to achieve pictorial solutions and a distinctive style, yet he developed so dramatically that historians originally classified his paintings as the work of two different artists: ‘The Border Limner’ and ‘The Kent Limner’.

The earliest works, from his ‘Border’ period (c. 1812–19), are marked by simple forms, shaded outlines and soft, pastel colours. They include ambitious full-length portraits (e.g. Harriet Leavens, c. 1815; Cambridge, MA, Fogg) as well as three-quarter and bust-length examples (Dr Russell Dorr, c. 1814–15; Williamsburg, VA, Rockefeller Flk A. Col.).

In the 1820s he experimented with techniques and formats, developing an attention to detail and naturalism that suggests the influence of Albany portrait painter Ezra Ames.

By the 1830s, the decade of his ‘Kent’ portraits, his compositions present his sitters as large, stylized shapes that nearly fill the canvas, while his use of rich, saturated colours creates striking contrasts of light and dark. Typically in this decade, his female sitters are shown leaning forward while male sitters sit upright with one hand draped over a chairback. Among his most appealing and successful works are portraits of children from this period. Blond Boy with Primer, Peach and Dog (c. 1838; priv. col., see Lipman and Armstrong, p. 143) exemplifies the bold simplicity of his compositions and the dramatic success of his designs.

After the 1840s he returned to more conventional poses, and by the late 1850s his work showed the influence of photography. He continued to work at least until 1862, the year of his last dated paintings.

 

From ‘The Border Limner’ period (c. 1812-19):

Harriet Leavens Art Print by Ammi Phillips

Harriet Leavens (c. 1815) by Ammi Phillips

 

From ‘The Kent Limner’ period (1930s):

"Portrait of a Girl in a Red Dress" Giclee Print

Portrait of a Girl in a Red Dress (1835) by Ammi Phillips

 

9 works by Ammi Phillips at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC:

http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/psearch?Request=S&imageset=1&Person=24650

 


 

Heide Fernandez-Llamazares

Assistant Museum Educator and Docent Coordinator

hllamazares@TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, Washington 98402

T: 253.272.4258 x3018

F: 253.627.1898

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

Become a Member Today!

 

 

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Docents Needed: select Tuesdays, from 5:15-8:00 pm for "After Hours with Georgia O'Keeffe"

I am looking for a few docents for a new project (details below). This is a new type of private event that we are testing for the first time with The Great American Thing, and if it is successful, it will probably be repeated with other exhibitions.

 

Tacoma Art Museum is offering a new evening program called After Hours with Georgia O’Keeffe. This program will offer private groups a wine and cheese reception, followed by a brief, 10-minute art history presentation related to The Great American Thing (lecture and slide presentation by a docent – YOU!), and time to explore the galleries. This event is not only about Georgia O’Keeffe – the event name is just catchy marketing – it’s about The Great American Thing while focusing a little, tiny bit on the 8 works by Georgia O’Keeffe. The wine and cheese reception and presentation will take place in the Event Space, and the museum will stay open until approximately 8 or 8:30 pm for these events.

This new event is being targeted toward companies who want to do something nice for their employees. It is a group event, not for individuals.

 

After Hours with Georgia O’Keeffe will be available at 5:30, 6:15 and 7:00 pm on the following dates:

  • Tuesday, April 11
  • Tuesday, April 18
  • Tuesday, April 25
  • Tuesday, May 2
  • Tuesday, May 9
  • Tuesday, May 16

 

After Hours Docent Commitment:

·        Each After Hours with Georgia O’Keeffe event will require one docent to give the presentation – depending on the number of groups that we attract, there may be up to three presentations on one night. It would also be great to have a second docent to float in the galleries and answer questions.

·        Time: Docents would have to be at the museum from 5:15 to approximately 8 pm.

·        Training: There will be a special, one-hour training session on Tuesday, April 4 from 5:30-6:30 pm. Patricia McDonnell will be preparing a PowerPoint presentation that docents will use in the After Hours presentation, and Patricia will go through the PowerPoint presentation during this training session and tell you everything you need to know.

·        You can sign up for a single After Hours date or for several dates. (or even for all of them!)

 

I know that some of you have had bad experiences in the past with special events where attendance was very low or the attendees were more interested in drinking wine than seeing art. Please be assured that the After Hours events do have minimum attendance requirements and will not happen unless there is an interested group.

 

Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in helping with this event, or if you have questions about it.

Thanks for your dedication!

 

 

Heide Fernandez-Llamazares

Assistant Museum Educator and Docent Coordinator

hllamazares@TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, Washington 98402

T: 253.272.4258 x3018

F: 253.627.1898

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

Become a Member Today!

 

 

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Check out artst.org for Georgia O'keefe


Hello Fellow Docents

http://www.artst.org/

has an excellent biography and more importantly, a chronological list
of all her paintings ... so, you can truely see how her style evolved.

It might answer some of your and our visitors questions.

PS : It also features Matisse, Degas, and Picasso

--
Regards,
Sanjeev Narang

***

email: ask {*at*} eConsultant dot com
<a href="http://www.eConsultant.com">www.eConsultant.com</a>

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Tomorrow = 03/16 = Third Thursday = Cutters Point Coffee 5:00pm + ArtWalk


Hello Fellow Docents and Interesting People,

Spring is here! There is sunlight for much longer; the cherry blossoms
are trying hard ... you should too ... to come to out of your winter
hibernation!

A gentle reminder that this month's Docent Coffee / Third Thursday
coffee will be at Cutters Point Coffee, 5:00pm + with the same "No
Agenda" and same "No RSVP Required" policy as the last few times !

Day: Third Thursday
Date : 03/16/06
Place : ** Cutters Point Coffee **
Time: 5:00pm +

The museums will be open free and late; the galleries will be open; we
can take the train to the theater district. No agenda is good freedom.

No RSVP; Just show up!!

--
Regards,
Sanjeev Narang

***

email: ask {*at*} eConsultant dot com
<a href="http://www.eConsultant.com">www.eConsultant.com</a>

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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Docent Needed: Wednesday, June 7 from 1-5

Can anyone do a docent shift (or trade a shift) on Wednesday, June 7 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm?

 

We don’t expect you to be in the galleries, on your feet, for the entire four hours! Please feel free to take a break whenever and wherever you need it – in the ARC, the Untitled CafĂ©, the Museum Store, or outside the museum. Just let Visitor Services know where you are, and they will find you if someone requests a docent.

And I will always contact you if there is a tour or other event for which you are needed at a specific time. Otherwise, it is completely up to you to decide when you are most needed and how long you can manage in the galleries.

 

Please reply only if you are available, and I will confirm whether or not you are needed.

 

Thanks for your time!

 

Heide Fernandez-Llamazares

Assistant Museum Educator and Docent Coordinator

hllamazares@TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, Washington 98402

T: 253.272.4258 x3018

F: 253.627.1898

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

Become a Member Today!

 

Docent Needed: Wednesday, May 31 from 1-5

Can anyone do a docent shift (or trade a shift) on Wednesday, May 31 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm?

 

We don’t expect you to be in the galleries, on your feet, for the entire four hours! Please feel free to take a break whenever and wherever you need it – in the ARC, the Untitled CafĂ©, the Museum Store, or outside the museum. Just let Visitor Services know where you are, and they will find you if someone requests a docent.

And I will always contact you if there is a tour or other event for which you are needed at a specific time. Otherwise, it is completely up to you to decide when you are most needed and how long you can manage in the galleries.

 

Please reply only if you are available, and I will confirm whether or not you are needed.

 

Thanks for your time!

 

Heide Fernandez-Llamazares

Assistant Museum Educator and Docent Coordinator

hllamazares@TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, Washington 98402

T: 253.272.4258 x3018

F: 253.627.1898

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

Become a Member Today!