Memento

Please click on the title of this post to see a selection of images from the past month or so. It was a belle epoch.

Bavarian Tagenbuch

Most of this work is still in Bavaria... as part of the Amerika Thrifft Bayern exhibition and another two person show that will open in July. I may not see it again until the end of 2008 so I posted it below for the record. It's so new I am not even sure what I think of it... so please consider it a "series in progress..." aptly titled "Bavarian Tagenbuch" which refers to a journal or diary.

Portraits: More Than Just a Pretty Face

"la femme Sage" portrait of Jackie Wall 2007
Amie Oliver mixed media on birch panel 20" x 20 x 1"

excerpted from VCU press release:

"Portrait Exhibition Challenges Preconceptions"

The VCUarts Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Museum of the Arts, is pleased to announce its Summer 2008 Exhibition, Portraits: More Than Just a Pretty Face, on view June 20th through August 2nd, 2008.

This thought-provoking exhibition examines how portraits—be they artworks or everyday objects—use specific visual codes to assert individual identities, cultural norms, social roles and relationships between the person portrayed and viewers. It includes artworks in a range of media and dating from various time periods, including contemporary works by internationally renowned artists Cindy Sherman and Chuck Close, celebrated regional artists Thomas A. Daniel and Theresa Pollak, and emerging artists Timothy Rusterholz and Chinonyeelu Amobi. Many of the works have been lent by private collectors, artists, or fine arts galleries and are displayed alongside works from the Anderson Gallery permanent collection. A complete check list of the artists included in the exhibition is posted below.

Such things as baseball cards, currency, and mug shots are also presented to demonstrate that “portrait codes” are used not only by artists but also by marketing professionals, bureaucratic institutions, and anyone who has taken a snapshot of friends, families, or even pets. The salient questions that are posed in the exhibition— “How does the portrait employ or manipulate visual codes; to what end? What statement does it make about the person portrayed and who’s interest does it serve?”—draw from ongoing research by Dr. Eric Garberson, Associate Professor in the VCUarts Department of Art History. They explore the history of ideas surrounding the production and reception of portraits.

The idea for the show, curated by students enrolled in the Spring 2008 VCU graduate-level Museum Studies class, began with an intellectual challenge with which museum professionals grapple: How can academic research be displayed in an accessible yet appropriately sophisticated manner? Scholars are constantly developing new theories that change the way we think about art history,” said Samantha Best, one of the student curators for the show.

“Unfortunately, these cutting-edge theories often remain in academia without being concurrently presented to the public through exhibitions. With our show, we hope to bridge the gap between contemporary art historical research and museum practice." VCUarts’ Museum Studies program prepares students to enter the museum profession with sound foundations of critical awareness and practical knowledge. From a curriculum of readings and exercises designed to challenge the student's preconceived notions of the museum's function and role in society, students emerge with a clear understanding of current museological issues. Coursework fosters creative strategizing and critical thinking skills to meet the challenges of today's museum profession. Additionally, students gain practical experience through museum internships and projects such as Portraits: More Than Just a Pretty Face, which benefits from the ongoing support of Anderson Gallery.

“We are excited to have students use our collection to explore new curatorial ideas. The collection is a vital educational resource for VCU as well as for other museums and art institutions,” explains Amy Moorefield, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections of the VCUarts Anderson Gallery. The VCUarts Anderson Gallery is free and open to the public. Its summe hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 1- 5 pm. For more information about this exhibition or the Gallery, please call 804-828-1522, or visit our website at: www.vcu.edu/arts/gallery.


CONTACT: Anne Atkinson Blend Phone: 804-828-1845 E-mail: aratkinson@vcu.edu

Artist Unknown
Chinonueelu Uchechi Amobi
Deborah ArnettRobert Arneson
Matt Ballard
Bill Bamberger
I. Beckett
P.J. Beneduce
Edouard Boubat
Felix Henri Bracquemond
Chelsea Butrum
Chan Chow
Larry Clark
Chuck Close
Douglas Colie
Sandra Cornejo
Thomas A. Daniel
Diana M. Davis
DC Comics
Robert Doisneau
Elliot Erwitt
David Freed
Joan Gaustad
Nan Goldin
Sydney Goodman
Nancy Grossman
Richard Hamilton and Paul McCartney
Alex Harris
Cate Henry
Leslie Herman
Jonathan Hirsch
Mary Holland
Jerome Hopfer
Bradley W. Johnson
Buffie Johnson
Marion Junkin
John Kelly
Erika Koch
Jeff Lassahn
John Lennon
Micah Lexier
Adrien Lommelin
George Platt Lynes
Martson Hill Editions
Olan Mills
Layne Montgomery
Yasumasa Morimura
Robert Nantueil
Carla Nelms
William Old
Amie Oliver
G.S. Ovenden
Asam Parker
Marjorie Perrin
Photographer Unknown
Jack Pierson
N. Pitau
Theresa Pollak
Paul Pontius
Ruth Clide Proffitt
J, Protas
Larry Rivers
Alex Ritchie
Katie Robinson
Timothy D. Rusterholz
Alyssa C. Salomon
Jennifer Shephard
Cindy Sherman
Hunt Slonem
Pat Steir
David Tanner
Andre Thomkins
Dennis WInston
David Wurtzel


Please check back later for additional links.

REcent EndeaVor

Amie Oliver "Bavarian Tagenbuch" mixed media on rag paper
12" x 12 " each May/June 2008

Amerika Thrifft Bayern
a few images: left an installation shot of the group exhibition Amerika Thrifft Bayern, right: digital print and mixed media on mulberry paper by an American artist and next to last on the bottom: kinetic sculpture and installation photo by a German artist.

a preview of coming attractions... my new work in Atelier 1 at the Kunstlerhaus.
The larger pieces will be shown in an exhibition at the Sparkasse in Schwandorf
later this summer.

„Amerika trifft Bayern“ – 8. Juni bis 27. Juli 2008

Die Vorgespräche für den Künstleraustausch mit dem Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fanden im Juni 1988 statt. Heute blicken wir auf eine zwei Jahrzehnte dauernde Partnerschaft zurück!

Ein großer Dank an alle Gäste, Förderer und Künstler!
An der Ausstellung nehmen teil:
Ahart Shoshanna,
Avadenka Lynn,
Baumann Hubert,
Beck Ann,
Cahoon Craig,
Conrad Gisela,
Dorn Peter,
Engl Beate,
Gilbert Steve,
Glas Bettina,
Glas Heiner,
Goldman Jane,
Hoch Annegret,
Jacobs Blinn,
Jacobson Leah,
Kames Louise,
Kirchmair Anton,
Klier Fritz,
Moriarty Laura,
Oliver Amie,
Pylant Carol,
Rousseau Ann Marie,
Schröder Astrid,
Zitzelsberger Liz

Anläßlich des 20-jährigen Jubiläums des Oberpfälzer Künstlerhauses und des Künstleraustausches mit dem Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) komponierte der zur Zeit in Amsterdam tätige Oberpfälzer Komponist Andreas Mehringer ein neues Werk.
Um die Verbindung zwischen dem Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus und dem VCCA auch in der Komposition herauszustellen, wählte der Komponist zur Vertonung drei Ausschnitte aus dem Essay Season of the Body der amerikanischen Schriftstellerin Brenda Miller, die Mehringer
bei seinem Aufenthalt in Virginia im Herbst 2005 kennengelernt hat.
Die Komposition Season of the Body für Sopran, Baßklarinette, Baßposaune und Elektronika besteht aus den Sätzen Fearlessly, It's not my imagination sowie In utero und wird zu diesem Anlaß von der Sopranistin June Telletxea, der Baßklarinettistin Ainhoa Miranda und dem Baßposaunisten Dietmar Nigsch uraufgeführt.

Anderas Mehringer (*1975), Komponist, Filmemacher und Fotograf, studierte Komposition am
Rotterdamer Konservatorium. Seit 2004 lebt und arbeitet er als freischaffender Künstler in Amsterdam.

„In seiner Arbeit setzt sich Andreas Mehringer mit dem westlichen Lebensstil auseinander.
Dabei ist er auf spielerische und oft humoristische Weise den Widersprüchlichkeiten und Absurditäten unserer Gesellschaft auf der Spur.“
Brenda Miller ist die Autorin von Season of the Body (Sarabande Books, 2002)
und Co-Autorin von
Tell it Slant: Writing and shaping Creative Nonfiction (McGraw-Hill, 2003).

Sie arbeitet als Associate Professor im Fach Englisch an der Universität Western Washington und als Chefredakteurin der Zeitschrift Bellingham Review.

Zur Ausstellungseröffnung am Sonntag, 8. Juni 2008, um 11:00 Uhr
möchten wir Sie und Ihre Freunde herzlich einladen.
Season of the Body (Andreas Mehringer)

Satz 1:Fearlessly
Helmut Hey, Oberbürgermeister der Stadt Schwandorf
Begrüßung und Rückblick
Thomas Hanauer, 1. Vorsitzender des Fördervereins Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus e.V.
20 Jahre Künstleraustausch

Satz 2:It's not my imagination
Dr. Thomas Goppel, Bayerischer Staatsminister für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst
Festvortrag
Rupert Schmid, Bezirkstagspräsident Bezirk Oberpfalz
Grußwort
Suny Monk, Direktorin des Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
Grußwort

Satz 3: In utero
Heiner Riepl, Leiter des Oberpfälzer Künstlerhauses
zum Ausstellungskonzept, Rundgang durch die Ausstellung
Im Park des Oberpfälzer Künstlerhauses (Südseite):
Nach dem Ausstellungsrundgang wird die Eisenplastik von Klaus Caspers „Der Tänzer”
vom Bezirkstagspräsidenten Rupert Schmid an den Oberbürgermeister der Stadt Schwandorf,
Helmut Hey, übergeben. Die Arbeit wurde vom Bezirk Oberpfalz und von Förderern erworben.

Im Stadel beim Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus:
Beim anschließenden Mittagessen sind alle Gäste herzlich eingeladen.
Dort finden Sie sicher eine gute Gelegenheit Künstler aus dem Austauschprogramm der letzten
20 Jahre zu treffen.