Friday, June 24, 2011

TAM Docents: 4 Questions Worksheets

Hello Docents-

Attached are the 4 questions worksheets for the upcoming exhibitions.

I will look forward to seeing you at next week’s training on June 30 from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm.

 

Walter Isaacs, Horses in Paddock, 1945. Oil on board, 27 5/8 x 31 5/8. Gift of Safeco Insurance, a member of the Liberty Mutual Group, and Washington Art Consortium. 
Collecting for the Future: The Safeco Gift and New Acquisitions
June 25, 2011 through January 2012
Over the last four years, Tacoma Art Museum has added more than 400 works of art to its permanent collection, most notably the large donation of works from Safeco Insurance (a member of the Liberty Mutual Group) and Washington Art Consortium. This summer, the museum shares many of these important works of Northwest art with the community. ...more

 

See you soon,

-Jana

 

Jana Wennstrom | TACOMA ART MUSEUM

Manager of Public and Volunteer Programs

 

T: 253.272.4258 x3030

1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, Washington 98402

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

celebrating his art and inspirations | Dale Chihuly’s Northwest | on view through September 25

 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

TAM Docents: Internationally-Known Tacoma Photography Legend VirnaHaffer Honored at Tacoma Art Museum

Hello Docents-

Another press release to get you started on upcoming exhibition work. There is also an end-cap set up in the ARC with information on Virna Haffer, plus she has an artist file.

Thank you,

-Jana

 

Jana Wennstrom | TACOMA ART MUSEUM

Manager of Public and Volunteer Programs

T: 253.272.4258 x3030

 

celebrating his art and inspirations | Dale Chihuly’s Northwest | on view through September 25

 

 

 

From: tacomaart-bounces@cityoftacoma.org [mailto:tacomaart-bounces@cityoftacoma.org] On Behalf Of Lisa McKeown
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 1:55 PM
To: TacomaArt@cityoftacoma.org
Subject: [TacomaArt] Internationally-Known Tacoma Photography Legend VirnaHaffer Honored at Tacoma Art Museum

 

MEDIA RELEASE
June 22, 2011
Media Contact: Lisa McKeown, Communications Coordinator, 253.272.4258 x3047, lmckeown@TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

Internationally-Known Tacoma Photography Legend Virna Haffer Celebrated

Tacoma Art Museum Honors Life and Work of Oft-Forgotten Artist

 

 

            (Tacoma, WA) – One of the most inventive Northwest artists of her time, Virna Haffer was an internationally recognized and respected Tacoma photographer who has slipped from both regional and national art history books. This summer, Tacoma Art Museum uncovers her innovative artwork in A Turbulent Lens: The Photographic Art of Virna Haffer, on view from July 2 through October 16, 2011.

            In a career spanning more than six decades, Haffer found success as a photographer, printmaker, painter, musician, sculptor, and published writer, though she is known first and foremost as a photographer. Self-taught, she began her ambitious career in the early 1920s, both running a successful portrait studio (where she photographed the likes of the Weyerhaeuser and Chihuly families) and also exhibiting her unique artistic images around the world.

            The curatorial team of Margaret Bullock, Christina Henderson, and David Martin searched through more than 30,000 of Virna Haffer’s photographic negatives, prints, and woodblocks at the Washington State Historical Society and Tacoma Public Library’s Special Collections to create this exhibition and its accompanying catalogue.

            “It is an amazing opportunity to be able to bring the life and work of Virna Haffer to light once again,” said Margaret Bullock, Tacoma Art Museum’s Curator of Collections and Special Exhibitions, and a co-curator of the Haffer exhibition. “Her artistic curiosity is palpable in her work, which in itself is staggering in its volume, diversity, and range. Her role in and impact on the Northwest photographic community is just beginning to be uncovered and understood as we explore her unrivaled photographic legacy.”

           

            Raised in the utopian community of Home Colony in South Puget Sound in the early 1900s, Haffer’s love of photography was sparked when she was just ten years old. Raised to be independent-minded and self-sufficient, she left school at the age of 15 to become a professional photographer. In 1914 she apprenticed herself to Tacoma photographer Harriette H. Ihrig where she absorbed the necessary technical skills along with the business know-how to run a commercial studio. She started exhibiting her fine art photographs in 1924.

            Haffer tirelessly experimented with techniques and evolved her own rules, pushing beyond the boundaries of her medium to methodically master a variety of photographic styles and techniques. Her body of work includes images that can be classified as pictoralist, surrealist, documentary, and modernist. She experimented with a wide range of imagery, such as multiple overlapping exposures, eccentric viewpoints, composite images, and a non-mechanical photographic process called the photogram.

            “Virna Haffer has been an all too well kept Tacoma secret,” said Stephanie A. Stebich, Director of Tacoma Art Museum. “Her work has been quietly appreciated for decades awaiting reconsideration. Given her Tacoma roots, pivotal role in Tacoma’s art community throughout her career, and diverse and stunning body of work, Virna Haffer is a perfect subject for the museum’s Northwest Perspective Series, which celebrates the work of regional artists.”

            Haffer’s passion for photography not only brought her success in business with her own portrait photography studio, but also international recognition. Her commercial portrait work can be found in homes all over Tacoma, while her fine art photographs can be found in the permanent collections of institutions as prestigious as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

            For press images, interviews, or more information, contact Lisa McKeown at 253.272.4258 x3047 or at LMcKeown@TacomaArtMuseum.org.

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HOURS                 Wednesdays–Sundays 10 am–5 pm, Third Thursdays 5–8 pm
ADMISSION          Adult $10, Student/Military/Senior (65+) $8, Family $25 (2 adults and up to 4 children under 18). Children 5 and                        under free. Third Thursdays free from 5-8 pm. Members always free.
CONTACT             253.272.4258, www.TacomaArtMuseum.org, info@TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

 

 

Do you like to work with youth ages 9 -14?

 

You are in luck! Summer Art Camp 2011 at Tacoma Art Museum is quickly approaching, and I would like to extend an invitation to all of you in the hopes you might be interested in leading a fun art project with our campers at the museum. Sound like fun? (It will be!)

 

Here is the schedule: (daily from 8-5pm, Camp begins at 9am)

 

Groovy Glass

Session 1: Tuesday- Friday, July 12-15, Ages 9-11

Session 2: Tuesday- Friday, July 19-22, Ages 12-14

 

Mixed Media Madness

Session 3: Tuesday- Friday, August 9-12, Ages 9-11

Session 4: Tuesday- Friday, August 16-19, Ages 12-14

 

Perhaps your art project will only take about an hour to complete with the campers? Maybe your project will span the entire week, but involves just 30 minutes each day? Do you have other ideas?

 

Please let me know soon if you would like to get involved. We will discuss all the details, as well as create a materials list for your project so you have everything you need. Don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.

 

I look forward to hearing from you!

Angela

 

Angela Hudson | TACOMA ART MUSEUM

Museum Educator for Youth and Family Programs

 

T: 253.272.4258 x3018

1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, Washington 98402

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

 

celebrating his art and inspirations | Dale Chihuly’s Northwest | on view through September 25

 

Saturday, July 16th

Hello Docents,

 

I hope you all got a chance to enjoy the nice sunshine we had yesterday!

 

I am still in need of one docent to help out with the following tour coming up in July:

 

Tour Type:                  Chihuly Walking Tour

Tour Contact:              Chris Galloway 916.361.2051

Organization:               Sports Leisure Vacations

Date & Time:               Saturday, July 16, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm

Guest Count:               30

 

Please let me know if you are available to help out.

 

Warm regards,

Megan

 

Megan Ristine | TACOMA ART MUSEUM

Education Assistant

 

T: 253.272.4258 x3026

1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, Washington 98402

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

 

celebrating his art and inspirations | Dale Chihuly’s Northwest | on view through September 25

 

TAM Docents: Tacoma Art Museum Showcases the Safeco Gift and OtherNew Acquisitions

Hello Docents-

I know you haven’t had much info on this exhibition so I am forwarding this on to get you started. I will get you more as it becomes available.

-Jana

 

Jana Wennstrom | TACOMA ART MUSEUM

Manager of Public and Volunteer Programs

T: 253.272.4258 x3030

 

celebrating his art and inspirations | Dale Chihuly’s Northwest | on view through September 25

 

 

 

From: tacomaart-bounces@cityoftacoma.org [mailto:tacomaart-bounces@cityoftacoma.org] On Behalf Of Lisa McKeown
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 4:02 PM
To: TacomaArt@cityoftacoma.org
Subject: [TacomaArt] Tacoma Art Museum Showcases the Safeco Gift and OtherNew Acquisitions

 

MEDIA RELEASE
June 17, 2011
Media Contact: Lisa McKeown, Communications Coordinator, 253.272.4258 x3047, lmckeown@TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

Tacoma Art Museum Showcases the Safeco Gift and Other New Acquisitions

 

            (Tacoma, WA) – Over the last four years, Tacoma Art Museum has added more than 400 works of art to its permanent collection, most notably the large donation of works from Safeco Insurance (a member of the Liberty Mutual Group) and Washington Art Consortium. This summer, the museum shares many of these important works of Northwest art with the community in Collecting for the Future: The Safeco Gift and New Acquisitions, on view June 25, 2011 through January 2012.

 

            “The works on view include a wide range of media and date from the early 1900s to today,” said Margaret Bullock, Curator of Collections and Special Exhibitions at Tacoma Art Museum. “These artworks demonstrate the richness and diversity of the artists working throughout the Pacific Northwest.”

 

            The exhibition showcases paintings, video, conceptual art, glass, studio art jewelry, photography, ceramics, fiber arts, works on paper, and sculpture. It reveals some of the exciting directions that the museum’s collection is growing and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into progress toward Tacoma Art Museum’s goal of building the premier collection of Northwest art.

 

            Many of the newly acquired artworks came from the Safeco Art Collection, founded in 1973, dedicated to exclusively acquiring Northwest art. In 2009, when Safeco Insurance became part of the Liberty Mutual Group, the company sought to disperse the collection. An innovative solution was developed to keep the collection intact and share it among the members of the Washington Art Consortium (WAC), of which Tacoma Art Museum is a member. In total, more than 800 works from the Safeco Art Collection were donated to WAC, an action that represents Safeco and Liberty Mutual’s continued commitment to the Northwest community. The donation includes works of art from prominent Northwest artists including Sonja Blomdahl, Francis Celentano, Harvey K. Littleton, Ken Shores, Layne Goldsmith, and Carl T. Chew.

 

            “Part of the museum’s ten-year plan is to expand our collection of Northwest art and to document important art historical moments and influential figures from the area,” said Stephanie A. Stebich, Director of Tacoma Art Museum. “The incredible generosity of many individuals and groups, including the Safeco Insurance Company, is amazing and inspiring. The Safeco gift contributes significantly to telling the story of Northwest art.”

 

            Artists featured in Collecting for the Future include Chang Ae-Song, Michael Brophy, Margaret and Peter Camfferman, William Givler, Layne Goldsmith, Hadley + Maxwell, Jim Hodges, Linda Hutchins, William Ivey, Manuel Izquierdo, Doug Keyes, Harvey Littleton, Paul Marioni, John McLauchlan, Judith Poxson Fawkes, Norie Sato, Matt Sellars, Jamie Walker, Nancy Worden, and Brandon Zebold.

            It is primarily through the generosity of donors that the museum is able to continue to grow its collection of Northwest art, which will then be available to future generations of Tacomans. Just two examples of these donations include the Vanessa Helder painting, which is a recent gift of the Aloha Club, one of the most important donors to the museum's collection. This group has given more than 50 iconic works in a variety of media since 1971. Secondly, the photographs purchased by Collect 21NW, a new museum patron group dedicated to acquiring major works for Tacoma Art Museum's permanent collection, beginning with photography and including other media in future years.

            Donors whose generous support has helped acquire the artworks in Collecting for the Future include the Aloha Club, Shari and John Behnke, Collect 21NW, Gale Courtney, Maureen Duryee, Gail Gibson and Claudia Vernia, Dr. Bernard Goffe, Anne Gould Hauberg, Elaine J. Jorgensen, Alice Kaltnick, Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom, Aileen and Ben Krohn, Lisa Harris Gallery, Manuel Izquierdo Trust through Bill Rhoades, David F. Martin and Dominic A. Zambito, Roger David Tyne McLennan, Janice Niemi and Dennis Braddock, Robert and Shaké Sarkis, Chang-Ae Song, Janeanne A. Upp and Dale Meyer and the Ramona Solberg Endowment, Vascovitz Family, Merrill Wagner and Robert Ryman, Clint Willour, Winston Wächter Fine Art, and Virginia and Bagley Wright.

 

            Collecting for the Future: The Safeco Gift and New Acquisitions is organized by Tacoma Art Museum. For press images, interviews, or more information, contact Lisa McKeown at LMcKeown@TacomaArtMuseum.org or at 253.272.4258 x3047.

 

###

HOURS                 Wednesdays–Sundays 10 am–5 pm, Third Thursdays 5–8 pm
ADMISSION          Adult $10, Student/Military/Senior (65+) $8, Family $25 (2 adults and up to 4 children under 18). Children 5 and                        under free. Third Thursdays free from 5-8 pm. Members always free.
CONTACT             253.272.4258, www.TacomaArtMuseum.org, info@TacomaArtMuseum.org