quarterly jan • feb • mar 2010 from the interim director dear friends... Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2010 from all of us at the UMFA. As the new year begins, we have much to look forward to at the Museum. In an article last September, New York Times art critic Holland Cotter praised the recent work of many university art museums: “If you want to find innovative models for small-scale shows with big ideas, teaching institutions are still the place to look, particularly university art museums. 2010 UMFA National This is where the spadework research is being done, and Leadership Council where young curators are learning to curate, experimentally, visions of history through objects.” Our goal is to continue Jess Agraz to create innovative exhibitions and programs that challenge Ron Allen visitors to make new connections, stretch their imaginations, Cynthia Sue Anderson and feed their love of art and ideas. Robert F. Bennett In March, we will say goodbye to the special exhibition, Dan Berman Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art, which Toni Bloomberg will travel to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming and amaze their visitors through Labor Day. We Fred Esplin* are incredibly grateful to Marva and John Warnock for James M. Ferguson generously lending this collection to the UMFA and allowing Suzanne Ferry us to share these high-quality artifacts and artworks with our Lynn Fey visitors for these many months. John H. Firmage Two new gorgeous exhibitions will soon grace our Clark P. Giles galleries. The Continuing Allure: Painters of Utah’s Red Rock Wesley G. Howell, Jr. opens January 14 and will showcase fantastic paintings of Marian Iwasaki Utah desert landscapes by some of the West’s most presti- John C. Jarman gious artists, including Maynard Dixon and Edgar Payne. Then, on February 18, Pablo O’Higgins: Works on Paper will go on Lucinda L. Kindred view. Celebrated in Mexico but little-known in Utah, Pablo Georgianna Knudson O’Higgins was an important Salt Lake City-born artist who Jack Livingood worked side-by-side with the great Mexican muralists (includ- J. Michael Mattsson ing Diego Rivera) in the early part of the 20th century. Michele Mattsson* The O’Higgins exhibition is a prelude to a Museum-wide W. Brent Maxfield celebration of historical and contemporary Mexican art and culture not to be missed this summer. Kathie Miller Joseph J. Palmer The UMFA strives to be a relevant, inspiring resource for our community. We welcome ideas about how the Museum David Pershing* can better serve you, and we invite you to join us again and Rashelle Perry again for a variety of intriguing exhibitions and educational Scott Petty programs. Marcia Price Your ongoing support makes everything we do possible. Victoria Jane Ream Thank you. Chris Redgrave Robert H. Rose Ann B. Scott Gretchen Dietrich, Interim Director John Scowcroft on the cover: Winter Count, Plains, Sioux, ca. 1875, muslin, wax crayon, Joanne F. Shiebler WC8708499 The UMFA gratefully acknowledges the continuing support it receives from the Diane Stewart University of Utah, Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts & Parks Program, Utah Arts Council, Salt Lake City Arts Council, R. Harold Burton Foundation, C. Comstock Clayton Naoma Tate Foundation, Estate of Aurelia B. Cahoon, Lawrence T. & Janet T. Dee Foundation, Anne M. and David S. Dolowitz, Helene Druke Shaw Family, Katherine W. Dumke Raymond Tymas-Jones* & Ezekiel R. Dumke, Jr. Foundation, George S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Marriner S. Eccles Foundation, William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Emma Eccles Marva Warnock Jones Foundation, Wilma T. Gibson Family, Jeanette and O. Ernest Grua, Jr. Family, Richard and Shirley Hemingway Foundation, Estate of John W. and Helen B. Jarman, Virginia M. Whitby* National Endowment for the Arts, LaReta C. Madsen Family , Ray, Quinney & Nebeker Foundation, John & Marcia Price Family Foundation, S. J. & Jessie E. Quinney Foundation, Jenny Wilson Joseph & Evelyn Rosenblatt Family Foundation, George Q. Morris Foundation, Estate of E. Frank Sanguinetti, Ms. Suzanne M. Scott, State Office of Education, State Office of Museum Services, Paul L. & Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, UMFA National Leadership * Ex-Officio Council, Benefit Council, Docent Council, Special Exhibitions Council, Friends of the Art Museum, Young Benefactors, Friends of Utah & Western Art and UMFA Members. exhibitions January 14 – June 27, 2010 The distinctive geography of Utah’s red rock region has Top: Conrad Buff, (1886-1975), Canyon Land, ca. 1935, oil on challenged and inspired artists for over 160 years. The masonite, collection of Eden- Continuing Allure brings together the work of many artistic hurst Gallery, Palm Desert, CA masters of the West, including: Maynard Dixon, William R. Leigh, Conrad Buff, Edgar Payne, Buck Weaver, Maurice Bottom: Harold (Buck) Weaver, Freedman, Ed Mell, Gary Earnest Smith, and Charles (1889-1961), Landscape-Cloud Patterns, 1935, oil on canvas, Muench. Each of these artists strove to create, in their own collection of Sam and Diane way, an authentic American experience; their independent Stewart spirits and innovative methods are unmistakable in the landscapes they painted. Such artists traveled to south- ern Utah, often staying for weeks or months to paint the landmasses of the red rock region, capturing and interpret- ing their minimal, geometric features and wide expanses. Many of the paintings on view depict iconic Utah land- marks such as Rainbow Natural Bridge, Zion National Park, Monument Valley, and Bryce National Park. The UMFA is delighted to present this exhibition, which coincides with the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the creation of Zion and Bryce National Monuments. Programming “When the Movies Raised Kane in Kane County: Hollywood Moviemaking in Utah” Lecture by Dr. James V. D‘Arc Wednesday, March 24 • 7 pm exhibitions On View through March 1, 2010 Top: Shirt, Plains, Sioux, detail, ca. 1860, native tanned If you have not yet seen this incredible collection of deerskin, natural and dyed American Indian art, you must come to the Museum porcupine quills, multi-colored glass seed beads, human hair, before the exhibition closes! Splendid Heritage has dazzled sinew sewn, blue mineral thousands of UMFA visitors of every age for the last year pigments, WC 8803013 and will soon leave to travel to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. The exhibition features a stun- Bottom: Shirt, Plains, Sioux, ning collection of 18th and 19th century art and artifacts detail, ca. 1860, native tanned from the Plains, Plateau, and Northeast regions. Visitors deerskin, natural and dyed porcupine quills, multi-colored have seen bear claw necklaces and ball-headed war clubs, glass seed beads, human hair, and imagined the powerful warriors who once used them sinew sewn, blue mineral pigments, WC 8803013 in battle. Others have gazed admiringly at the Native art- ists’ skilled beadwork and embroidery, evidenced by the elaborately beaded cradles, bags, and moccasins. Visit Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art before it departs on March 1, and seize the opportunity to gain unique insight into the past, as well as marvel at the amazing creativity and technical ability of American Indian artists. A “Must See” Object: Sioux War Shirt The right to wear this Sioux shirt had to be earned. The wearer would have been a respected and accomplished warrior who led many battles and acted for the well being of all people in his community. This shirt was created by women with tanned hide, blue and red natural pigments, seed beads and yellow porcupine quills. The ferocious bear paws may indicate that the owner was a “bear dreamer,” a special and spiritually powerful man believed to have the ability to heal wounds. When examining this object, one might wonder about the human hair used as decoration. Most likely these locks are from members of the wearer’s family and tribe. Might they have served to remind the warrior of the weight of his responsibility to protect his people? Did they serve as added spiritual protection to keep him safe during battle? exhibitions PABLO O’HIGGINS: WORKS ON PAPER February 18 – September 19, 2010 Born Paul Higgins in Salt Lake City in 1904, artist Pablo O’Higgins attended East High School, where he took art classes from acclaimed painter LeConte Stewart. The young artist continued his education in San Diego and soon became fascinated with the vibrant Mexican mural movement to the South. O’Higgins’ contemporaries took notice of his undeniable talent. At the age of 20, legendary muralist Diego Rivera invited him to assist with art projects in Mexico. O’Higgins served as the primary assistant on several of Rivera’s On View through March 1, 2010 murals before the two parted ways, allowing him to develop his own unique style. Along with Leopoldo Mendez, O’Higgins co-founded the Taller de Grafica Popular in 1937, a group of politically motivated artists dedicated to using graphic arts as a form of social commentary. Virtually unknown in Utah, O’Higgins’ work as a muralist and graphic artist is widely celebrated in Mexico. May 6 – September 26, 2010 Celebrate the richness of Mexican art and culture at Top: Pablo O’Higgins, the UMFA this summer. From May to September the Don Lupito, 1948, lithograph Museum will host Las Artes de México, an exhibition Center: Rodrigo Moya, exploring Mexican art spanning the ancient work of the O’Higgins en el corredor de su estudio en Balisano Dominguez, Mayans and Aztecs to 20th century paintings by photograph, ca. 1957 Diego Rivera and other modern masters. Bottom: Skull Vase, Aztec, AD 1325 to 1521, earthenware Las Artes de México will be complemented by three additional exhibitions: salt 1 will highlight contemporary Mexico City-based artist Adriana Lara, marking the debut of a series of semi-annual exhibitions of work by emerging international artists; the collaborative exhibition Commu- nity: Eat, Work, Play will feature large-scale murals by local elementary school students; and Pablo O’Higgins: Work on Paper will showcase the artwork of one of the few Anglo artists who participated in the Mexican mural movement.