TAM Docents: In the Galleries: Tangents can be relevant

Hello Docents-
Perhaps some of the information below will help some of you with your upcoming presentations but I think we can all benefit from a bit more knowledge about our Biennial artists. Thanks once again to Ellen Ito for helping to enlighten us.
Enjoy!

-Jana

Jana Wennstrom
Volunteer Programs Coordinator
TACOMA ART MUSEUM
T: 253.272.4258 x3030

 

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From: Google Documents [mailto:noreply@google.com] On Behalf Of ellenito@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:53 AM
To: Ellen Ito
Subject: In the Galleries

 

 

 

 

Let there be light!

Tannaz Farsi's fluorescent tubes have brought to mind other artists who utilize light as a medium. I am hoping some visitor will want to discuss the work as it might relate to that of the awesome Dan Flavin:

Dan Flavin
the diagonal of May 25, 1963 (to Constantin Brancusi), 1963
yellow fluorescent light
8 ft. (244 cm) long on the diagonal



Dan Flavin
the nominal three (to William of Ockham), 1963
cool white fluorescent light
8 ft. (244 cm) high

While I was gathering up these images I learned that Dan Flavin's employment history included being a mailroom clerk at the Guggenheim Museum and also stints as a guard at the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History.

Find more here:http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2004/flavin/introduction/introduction.shtm
and here: http://www.diabeacon.org/ltproj/flavbrid/photo2.html

Process, anyone?
One of my favorite works from the previous NW Biennial were the ceramic Fu Dogs and Turtle Wedding by Seattle artist Jeffry Mitchell. What is he up two now, two years later? Still making great work- and he also participated in the audio tour that accompanied SAM's Fresh Impressionism exhibit last summer. Here's a great video where he talks a bit about his artistic process via a little spin through his studio:
http://seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/interactives/freshImpressionism/jeffryMitchell.htm

One of my favorite artists in the current Biennial is Margie Livingston. She also has a video discussing her work here:
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/exhibitDetail.asp?eventID=11149


(Not Soap)Opera!
NW Biennial artist Rick Araluce:http://web.mac.com/rickaraluce/Site/Rick_Araluce.html is also employed as a set designer for the Seattle Opera. This made me think of some other artists who have created sets for operatic performances.

Judy Pfaff designed a set for an opera called Regina,(1959) by Marc Blitzstein, which is based upon the 1949 play The Little Foxes, written by Lillian Hellman.
http://www.judypfaff.org/
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/pfaff/index.html


Judy Pfaff,set for Regina,2005

David Hockney has a long history in stage design, particularly for operas and the dramatic theater. He designed the set for the Royal Court Theatres production of Alfred Jarrys play UBU ROI in 1966, and has done design work for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as well as operas in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
PBS' American Masters series aired a documentary about Hockney's theater work called The Colors of Music:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/david-hockney/introduction/103/


David Hockney 1987 set for the LA Opera production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde

That's all this time,

Ellen