PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2013

ROCHESTER ART CENTER PRESENTS SURVEY EXHIBITION OF -BASED ARTIST DAVID RATHMAN; Opens Friday SEPTEMBER 13, 2013

David Rathman: Stand By Your Accidents September 13, 2013 – January 19, 2014

Opening on September 13, 2013, Rochester Art Center will present the first major museum survey exhibition of Minneapolis-based artist David Rathman. This exhibition will provide a comprehensive overview of the artists’ output spanning a twenty-two year period. Including over 100 works produced between 1991-2013, this exhibition brings together important pieces from individual and institutional collections throughout the United States.

Through his masterful use of ink, oil paint, and watercolor, David Rathman confronts iconic emblems and motifs regularly associated with notions of masculinity—the American West, rock and roll, boxing, David Rathman, I’m Holding on for that Teenage Feeling, 2007, football, hockey, and the automobile. Frequently incorporating text watercolor on paper, 20 1/4 x 27 inches. Courtesy of Ling Chang and and image, his works present themselves as fractured narratives— John Gatins. a singular, crucial moment of action in an otherwise protracted story that has been gradually unfolding out of view. His protagonists seem to be caught in a moment of reflection or introspection, showing, in many instances, signs of fragility—answering for things they have done or responding to the things done to them, standing proudly firm or humbly making amends.

In many of the works, Rathman considers the emotions of defeat, or what could have been. His pensive characters rarely seem to taste success, triumph, or the joy of victory—they remain inches or miles from an intended objective. Rathman’s nameless antiheros are frozen in a contemplative state, rife with the intertwining themes of melancholy, humor, failure, mortality, nostalgia, and acceptance. But as is often the case in literary, filmic, and art history, we have a desire to empathize and identify with the underdog. In this way, Rathman’s work possesses the unique ability to build connections with the viewer—formally, conceptually, and emotionally. David Rathman, Above Ground, 2002, ink on paper, 22 x 25 inches. Courtesy of . David Rathman lives and works in Minneapolis. He received a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1982. Rathman was the recipient of a Bush Foundation fellowship in 1992, McKnight Foundation Fellowships in 1993 and 2000, and a Book Award in 2000. He has had solo exhibitions at Mark Moore Gallery, Culver City, CA; Larissa Goldston Gallery, New York, NY; Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, MN; Mary Goldman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Clementine Gallery, New York, NY; and Franklin Art Works, Minneapolis, MN. He has participated in group shows at Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; Cohan and Leslie, New York, NY; and Clementine Gallery, New York, NY. Rathman’s work is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago; the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis; the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; Stanford University, Stanford, CA; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

A catalog will be produced in association with the exhibition, featuring an interview with the artist by Siri Engberg, Curator, Walker Art Center, and essays by Kris Douglas, Chief Curator, Rochester Art Center, and Minnesota writer Brad Zellar.

40 Civic Center Drive SE | Rochester, MN 55904 | www.rochesterartcenter.org | 507-282-8629 This exhibition is organized by Rochester Art Center and curated by Kris Douglas, Chief Curator.

David Rathman: Stand By Your Accidents and the exhibition catalog are supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation.

Images and Exhibition Checklist Available; Exhibtion Catalog to be Produced in November, 2013 ABOUT ROCHESTER ART CENTER A leading center for contemporary art, the Rochester Art Center is a non-collecting institution located in the heart of Rochester’s historic downtown on the Zumbro River. Designed by Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), the Art Center’s simple and clean design works harmoniously with nature – linking the indoors to the outside to create a shimmering complement to the river below. The Art Center shares a connection to Mayo Park with Mayo Civic Center and Rochester Civic Theatre. Founded in 1946, Rochester Art Center presents an ongoing schedule of exhibitions, across a broad spectrum, of new and innovative work by local, regional, national, and international artists, dynamic education programs for all ages, and has an active program of community partnerships and visitor engagement initiatives.

Rochester Art Center is located at 40 Civic Center Drive SE, Rochester, MN, 55904. Hours are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm, Thursday: 10 am – 9 pm FREE, Sunday: 12 noon – 5 pm.

For more information, please call 507.282.8629 or visit www.rochesterartcenter.org.

Vision To be a cultural center for innovation and creativity through contemporary art.

Mission The Rochester Art Center offers the opportunity for all people to understand and value the arts through innovative experiences with contemporary art. Through world-class exhibitions and programs, we present a welcoming, integrated, and diverse experience that encourages questioning, creativity, and critical thinking. These exhibitions and programs are designed to reflect the dynamic relationship between art and society. They educate, challenge, and connect individuals to our world in compelling new ways. We are committed to being a cultural center in our community and to enhancing our region as a destination for creativity and innovation. We provide value through engagement with broad communities, strong collaborations with other organizations, and a history of excellence.

Funding is provided in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders.

Rochester Art Center is a fiscal year 2013 recipient of an institutional support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is funded, in part, by the arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

For additional information about exhibitions and programs, visit www.rochesterartcenter.org

High resolution images available upon request. Please contact Naura Webb at [email protected] or 507-424- 3318.

CONTACT Kris Douglas | Chief Curator 507-424-3306 | [email protected]

Shannon Fitzgerald | Executive Director 507-424-3307 | [email protected]

40 Civic Center Drive SE | Rochester, MN 55904 | www.rochesterartcenter.org | 507-282-8629