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View this email in your browser Press Release Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit For Interviews and Images Contact: Mike Kulick [email protected] Elysia BorowyReeder [email protected] 313.832.6622 2014 ADVANCED EXHIBITIONS SCHEDULE MOCAD announces its eighth summer season of exhibitions and programs, presenting three expansive solo artist exhibitions. The season takes place May 16 – July 27, 2014 and offers rare opportunities to see new work by important national and international artists along with compelling musical innovators. The season is curated by Elysia BorowyReeder, MOCAD's Executive Director, Greg Baise, Curator of Public Programs, and Amy Corle, Curator of Education and Public Engagement. MOCAD’s Exhibition and Public Engagement programs serve as a platform for influential artists and performers who cannot be seen anywhere else in Detroit. BorowyReeder, curator of the José Lerma's La Bella Crisis exhibition, says "MOCAD is an avid champion of artists early in their careers and we give them an atmosphere where they are encouraged to foster a crossfertilization of ideas and dynamic interaction with visitors. Lerma's La Bella Crisis suggests new ways of experiencing art—visitors are invited to walk on top of his paintings and travel through a visual history. The exhibition is also a celebration of the diversity of artistic expression that puts the artist in the center of the community. It’s also an opportunity for visitors to have a chance to meet and exchange ideas with the artists.” EXHIBITION OPENING MAY 16, 2014 Dara Friedman Projecting MOCAD presents three video works by Dara Friedman that focus on performance and public space. Musical is a confluence of 60 singing performances that took place on the streets of Midtown Manhattan, creating a sprawling American musical that is at times both uproariously funny and devastatingly sad. For Dancer, Friedman worked with Miamibased dancers capturing their movements that echo the architecture and vibrancy of Miami. In Friedman’s newest video work, PLAY, 17 couples, some reallife couples, others paired by the artist, all of them actors, develop and play out scenes of intimacy. Friedman’s work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. She has exhibited most recently at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C. and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Born in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, Friedman now lives and works in Miami, Florida. Dara Friedman Projecting is organized by MOCAD. It is curated by Elysia BorowyReeder, Executive Director of MOCAD and coordinated at MOCAD by Zeb Smith, Exhibitions Coordinator. José Lerma La Bella Crisis In La Bella Crisis, Puerto Rican artist José Lerma revisits MOCAD's history by transforming the museum’s main gallery, once an auto showroom, into a series of booths like those typically found at international art fairs where art is routinely displayed and sold to the public. Lerma’s installation, created specifically for this site using found materials, paintings, and personal artifacts, will evolve over the period of a month with the artist laboring in the gallery every day to create an everchanging still life and sociopolitical portrait. Visitors are encouraged to speak with Lerma while he uses the gallery as an artist studio and to return on June 13, 2014 to see the finished piece, which addresses issues concerning labor and comments upon the effects of transient economic models, the authenticity of simple objects, and the beauty of impermanence. José Lerma currently lives and works in New York and Chicago, where he is a faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Artist Talk with José Lerma, June 7 at 1pm Lerma discusses his ever evolving exhibition and the beauty of Lerma discusses his ever evolving exhibition and the beauty of impermanence. Support for José Lerma: La Bella Crisis provided in part by Kavi Gupta CHICAGO|BERLIN and Andrea Rosen Gallery. José Lerma: La Bella Crisis is organized by MOCAD. It is curated by Elysia BorowyReeder, Executive Director of MOCAD and coordinated at MOCAD by Zeb Smith, Exhibitions Coordinator. Steve Locke there is no one left to blame Originally organized by The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston and curated by Helen Molesworth, Barbara Lee Chief Curator, there is no one left to blame is an exhibition of new work by Detroitraised artist Steve Locke. In a selection of paintings and neon signs, Locke captures a vulnerability not normally associated with conventional ideas of masculinity. Instead, Locke complicates our conceptions and subtly suggests the possibility of new ideas and expanded freedoms. Locke currently lives in Boston where he is an Associate Professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Artist Talk with Steve Locke, May 17 at 1pm Steve Locke discusses poles, portraiture, presence, and painting: the elements of his exhibition there is no one left to blame. Support for Steve Locke: there is no one left to blame provided by Samsøn Projects, the Patrice K. Aaron Family Foundation, Burt Aaron, and Spectrum Neon. EXHIBITION OPENING Midwestern Voices and Visions Friday, June 13, 6 8pm On view June 13 through July 27, 2014 Admission: Free for MOCAD Members, $5 Suggested donation Seven artist residency programs, led by the Alliance of Artists Communities and the Joyce Foundation, set out to identify strong voices that represent today’s most promising and provocative talent and that reflect the rich diversity of the Midwest. These are artists whose work may as yet be unfamiliar but whose compelling visions help define the region and the country. Midwestern Voices and Visions celebrates and promotes the work of highly talented, yet underrecognized artists of color. It broadens awareness of and support for the opportunities available at Midwestern residency programs for artists of diverse backgrounds. Featured artists: Maria Calderon, C.C. Ann Chen, Cristina Correa, Sayaka Ganz, Eric J. Garcia, LaMont Hamilton, Jiieh G. Hur, Diane Ramos. Midwestern Voices and Visions is curated by Alix Refshauge. Support for MOCAD's Exhibitions is generously provided by the Taubman Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts. Additional funding for programming and educational initiatives is provided by the Edith S. Briskin/Shirley K. Schlafer Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and Renaissance Media. EXHIBITION OPENING NIGHT Friday, May 16 Admission: Free for MOCAD members, $7 Admission after 9pm Join MOCAD for a night of art, music, and drinks at our 2014 summer exhibition opening reception. MOCAD members are invited to an exclusive members' Preview Hour at 6pm, with the general public exhibition opening at 7pm. Featuring Detroit hiphop duo Passalacqua supported by DJ Hugh Whitaker. MOCAD is pleased to present three expansive solo exhibitions featuring the works of Dara Friedman: Projecting; José Lerma: La Bella Crisis; and Steve Locke: there is no one left to blame. Schedule for the evening: 6pm: MOCAD Member’s Preview 7pm: Public Exhibition Opening 9pm: Music (Admission begins 9pm, $7 for nonmembers) 10pm: Galleries close The MOCAD bar will be open accepting cash and credit. EXHIBITION TALK Steve Locke Saturday, May 17, 1pm Admission: Free for MOCAD Members, $5 suggested donation for nonmembers Steve Locke discusses poles, portraiture, presence, and painting: the elements of his exhibition there is no one left to blame. 2014 ADVANCED PUBLIC PROGRAMS SCHEDULE The Department of Education and Public Engagement (DEPE) aims to provide a point of access into contemporary art, contributing to a lifelong conversation with challenging thoughts, objects, and ideas. Through this program, the Museum and its surroundings function as sites for investigation, experimentation, and collaboration. Institutional critique is an important element in this work. The role of the contemporary art institution is currently shifting and it is critical to explore what an institution in today’s society means to the public. The Public Engagement Program, in particular, represents an artistdriven approach to visitor engagement, while the Education Program delves into the learning that is an outcome of artmaking. Audiences of all ages are involved in not merely didactic activities, but innovative performance, experimental public projects, and unexpected opportunities for selfreflection. By taking the longview on arts education, the mission is not to create legions of artists, but rather to empower and highlight the lifeenriching qualities of creative thought, art, and communitybased practices. DEPE programming, as a whole, aims to be artistically forward thinking, intellectually ambitious, technologically adept, and culturally inclusive. MOCAD YOUTH + FAMILY PROGRAMS FAMILY DAY Portraits with John Maggie Sunday, May 18, 12 4pm Admission: Free Join us for a funfilled day of portraitmaking with Ann Arbor's John Maggie. Maggie will create portraits of kids and/or any photos of family pets or loved ones brought in by participants. Attendees will also be able to take a shot at creating their own masterpiece portraits, by choosing from a number of templates of famous Detroiters. Explore the fun of drawing, painting, and portraitmaking with a variety of media and supplies, provided at no cost. Topsoil Cafe will serve a kidfriendly menu. FAMILY DAY The Power of Letters with Dianetta Dye Sunday, June 15, 12 4pm Admission: Free Fibers artist Dianetta Dye will lead a special Family Day involving a collaborative project in which participants will create a mixed media 26letter and word selfaffirmation work. Participants will learn the power of letters and of words from a visual standpoint, especially in relation to how they see themselves. Working as an artist in Detroit for over 35 years, Dianetta Dye received her bachelor and masters in fine arts from Wayne State University.