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MAGAzine F A L L 2 0 0 7 TRANSactions: Contemporary Latin AMERICAN AND Latino Art From the Director The Memorial Art Gallery, with its expansive collection of world art, has long offered temporary exhibitions that reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of western New York. In recent years, we’ve showcased narrative paintings by American TRANSactions showcases political collisions and master Jacob Lawrence, treasures from Africa’s 40 works from the past two universal consequences.“ Kuba Kingdom, a sacred sand painting created by decades by artists from the A number of works present United States, Mexico, Cuba, Tibetan monks, and even, in Sites of Recollection, serious subjects in witty, Puerto Rico, Spain, Brazil, room-sized installations representing five distinc- sometimes humorous ways. Perry Colombia, Argentina and Chile. tive cultural traditions. Vasquez’s cartoonish Keep on By turns humorous and critical, Crossin’ (below) is a passionate inspirational and tragic, the This year we are pleased to present TRANSactions: manifesto and a charge to all exhibition seeks to dispel Contemporary Latin American and Latino Art, an individuals to continue crossing the myth that Latino artists exhibition that opened in San Diego, CA before borders of all kinds. Luis Gispert’s are a homogeneous group Wraseling Girls exploits viewers’ traveling to Rochester and Atlanta. We are proud with common experiences misconceptions about women, that Rochester will play a role in this significant and ambitions. national exhibition. Art that moves across and beyond And true to our goals of collaboration and diversity, we have established a year-long, com- geographical, cultural, political and munity-wide partnership showcasing the creativity and vision of contemporary Latin American and aesthetic borders is the subject of this Latino artists. “Across Borders Rochester” was con- ceived by the Gallery in conjunction with Nazareth major traveling exhibition that comes College Arts Center and joined by a number of to MAG this fall. It’s also the occasion area arts and cultural organizations. Collectively, we will offer exhibitions, lectures, film, dance, for a year-long, community-wide music and poetry that celebrate the legacy and vitality of Latino life and culture. series of events. (See “Across Borders,” box at right.) All of us at the Gallery look forward to seeing you American iconography and Western art. Gabriel Kuri uses here for TRANSactions, as well as at the events the receipt from a Mexican sponsored by our community partners. Wal-Mart (transformed into an exquisite, hand-loomed tapestry) to examine the relationship between art and consumerism. And Iñigo Grant Holcomb Manglano-Ovalle’s Paternity Mary W. and Donald W. Clark Director Test (Museum of Contemporary “Often resisting classification Art San Diego) (cover and right) as ‘Latin American’ or ‘Latino,’” uses colorful maps of DNA samples writes curator Stephanie Hanor in to challenge the boundaries the exhibition catalog, “these between art and science. artists create works that tell stories of cultural hybrids, Others are more somber, yet equally provocative. Salomón Developed by MAG and Nazareth College Arts Center in cooperation with other area cultural organizations, this year-long, community- wide partnership includes programs of interest to the Latino community and the Rochester community at large. For details and additional events, go to acrossborders.rochester.edu. Huerta’s Untitled Figure (right) and James Luna’s photo triptych Lucha Libre: Masked Mexican Wrestlers Half Indian/Half Mexican Exhibition on view through January 27 at George Eastman House explore issues of identity. International Museum of Photography and Film Alfredo Jaar’s large-scale Art:21 Video Screenings photographic installation Six Four episodes from season 4 of the PBS series feature Alfredo Jaar, Seconds/It is Difficult is a Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle and 15 other contemporary artists powerful view of the personal Tuesdays, October 2 & 9, 7 pm at RoCo repercussions of the Rwandan Thursdays, October 4 & 11, 7 pm at MAG genocide. And Maria Fernanda TRANSactions is drawn from the Cardoso’s installation Cemetery— collection of the Museum of Contem- Exhibition Opening Party: TRANSactions Vertical Garden is a poignant porary Art San Diego (MCASD), Friday, October 5, 8–11 pm at MAG reference to the social costs of which has made a priority of violence and political unrest in collecting and commissioning art Tango Buenos Aires her native Colombia. of the border region and works by Friday, October 5, 8 pm at Nazareth College Arts Center artists of the Americas. At MAG only, the exhibition Lecture: TRANSactions Curator Stephanie Hanor includes a related work on loan TRANSactions is not the first Sunday, October 7, 3 pm at MAG from the Smithsonian American exhibition that MAG has hosted Especially for Educators: Art and Identity Art Museum. from MCASD. Blurring the Wednesday, October 10, 4–6:30 pm at MAG Boundaries: Installation Art TRANSactions is accompanied 1969–1996, on view here in the by a fully-illustrated bilingual TRANSactions/Hispanic Heritage Family Day spring of 1998, also showcased catalog and bilingual wall labels. Sunday, October 14, noon–5 pm at MAG MCASD’s permanent collection. Manuel Rivera-Ortiz: India Exhibition on view October 19–November 9 at Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester Gallery TRANSactions Artist Lecture: Alfredo Jaar Thursday, October 18, 7 pm at MAG Lecture: Poet Ray Gonzalez Sunday, October 21, 2 pm at MAG Latin Film Festival January 2008 at the Little Theatre SPONSORS TRANSactions is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and Ballet Hispanico (pictured) made possible by the generous contributions of MCASD’s International Collectors, Friday, January 11, 8 pm at the Cochrane Exhibition Fund, the City of San Diego’s Commission for Arts and Culture, The James Irvine Foundation and Cooley Godward Kronish LLP. Nazareth College Arts Center In Rochester, it is sponsored in part by Deborah Ronnen, with additional support from Charlotte and Raul Herrera, the City of Rochester, and the Rochester Hispanic Business RPO Philharmonics: Spanish & Latin Classics Association; and with the assistance of New York State Senator Joseph Robach. Thursday & Saturday, February 7 & 9, 8 pm at Eastman Theatre Clockwise from top: Salomón Huerta, Untitled Figure, 2000 (detail). Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Tiempo Libre Paternity Test (Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego), 2000. Perry Vasquez, Keep on Crossin,’ 2003–05. All works from the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Saturday, February 16, 8 pm at Nazareth College Arts Center Grant Holcomb photo by Kimberly McKinzie. 2 Seeing America “Seeing America,” a major major traveling exhibition reinstallation of the Gallery’s was on view in fall 2006, noted American collection, is concurrently with Georgia now open to the public. O’Keeffe: Color and Spanning four centuries and Conservation. The unprece- occupying 7,000 square feet dented need for exhibition on MAG’s first floor, the new space offered a perfect oppor- installation brings together tunity to plan for an enhanced some of the finest works in the artist abandoned for outstanding collection of presentation of one of MAG’s the collection as it constitutes reasons unknown. American art. As early as preeminent collections. what chief curator Marjorie Three galleries are grouped 1913, the year of its founding, Catalog Searl calls “a journey in chronologically—“Art of a MAG was championing and space and time.” Young Nation” (Colonial era– acquiring such major works Many of the works in “Seeing The 114 works range from 1900); “Controversy and as John Twachtman’s master- America” are highlighted in a the Colonial era, exemplified Change” (1900–1950); and ful White Bridge. Nearly a catalog published by the by John “Art and Ideas” (1950–the century later, the American Gallery in 2006. Seeing Singleton present). A fourth, “Focus collection continues to grow America: Painting and Copley’s on Rochester,” brings together and diversify, as illustrated Sculpture from the Collection unfinished such works with local connec- by three recently acquired of the Memorial Art Gallery portrait tions as MAG’s portrait of works—an 1800 tall case of the University of Rochester (ca. 1762) clock by Simon Willard, a examines 82 objects and their of Boston 1937 modernist painting by connections to American silversmith Nathaniel Hurd Irene Rice Pereira, and a history, culture, literature to politically charged mixed- “chlorophyll print” by Binh and politics. The 336-page, media pieces by contemporary Danh from the 2006 exhibi- coffee-table size book is avail- artists Jaune Quick-to-See tion Extreme Materials. able in hardcover ($65) or Smith and Christian Boltanski. A large part of the collection softcover ($40) at the Gallery Store (276.9010). In between are works by was in storage in fall 2006 to such masters as Thomas Cole, make way for My America: An online version is also Winslow Homer, Augustus Art from The Jewish Museum available at mag.rochester. Saint-Gaudens, Thomas Collection, 1900–1955. This edu/seeingAmerica. Eakins, John Sloan, George Bellows, Helen Frankenthaler, Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, Jackson Pollock, Jacob Maxfield Parrish’s Interlude Lawrence and Dale Chihuly. (which once hung in Eastman Of particular interest, Georgia Theatre), Fritz Trautman’s O’Keeffe’s Jawbone and Galaxy and Wendell Castle’s Fungus (1937) is displayed Last Judgment. for the first time in a way An adjacent gallery, renovated that allows visitors to see the in 2002, houses American brightly colored, unfinished decorative and folk arts. abstract painting on the reverse—a painting that A century of commitment dates to the 1920s and that ERSINGER “Seeing America” documents W P. the Gallery’s longstanding commitment to building an RICHARD THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Binh Danh, Found Portraits Collection: from the Cambodian Killing Fields at Tuol Sleng (2003). Marion Stratton Gould Fund. Thomas Ridgeway Gould’s The West Wind (1876) greets visitors to the reinstalled galleries.