SPRING 2021 fiamagazine Board of Trustees 1 Elizabeth S. Murphy, President From the Executive Director CONTENTS Thomas B. Lillie, First Vice-President Mark L. Lippincott, Second Vice- President When the pandemic’s grip on our patterns programming to be a suitable alternative executive director 1 news & programs 18–24 Elisabeth Saab, Secretary Martha Sanford, Treasurer of socialization and communication is to visiting in person during the pandemic. exhibitions 2–10 education 25 John Bracey Eleanor E. Brownell finally over, we can expect the experience Since June 2020, we’ve seen a 29% increase art on loan 11 art school 26 Ann K. Chan will have changed our behavior in many in our Facebook page’s total impressions James D. Draper, Founders Society acquisitions 12–13 contributions 27–29 President ways. During the March through June and the total number of engagements are Mona Hardas calendar 14–15 membership 30–32 Carol Hurand shutdown at the FIA, social media outlets, up 12.5%. The FIA’s Instagram accounts Lynne Hurand our website, and e-news were the only continue to grow steadily. The open and films 15–17 museum shop 33 Raymond J. Kelly III, FIA Representative to FCCC Board way we could keep the museum “open” click-to-open rates for our eNewsletters Alan Klein Jamile Trueba Lawand to our public. And while the importance are well above the average for Art, Culture, Eureka McCormick of digital or virtual communication has Entertainment. Since the beginning of William H. Moeller Jay N. Nelson been increasingly understood over the March 2020, the website has seen a 16.5% Office Hours Admission Karl A. Olmsted Mon–Fri, 9a–5p Adults $10.00* Dr. Brenda Rogers-Grays years, it was the COVID-19 pandemic and Michael Rucks 12 & under FREE subsequent shutdown of all entertainment, Gallery Hours Mary Coe Ryan Students w/ ID $8.00* Mon– Sat, 10a–5p; Sun, 1p–5p Sharon A. Simeon sports, arts, and cultural venues that really Senior citizens 62+, $8.00* Patricia Spangler Closed on major holidays brought home how vital and effective these active military, & veteran Theresa A. Stephens-Lock Tiffany Stolzenfeld tools have become in keeping in touch with FIA Theater Hours Lynne A. Taft-Draper, Friends of Fri & Sat, 7:30p; Sun, 2p Modern Art President the world around us and each other. Even David T. Taylor Museum Shop & Gregory G. Viener when restrictions were lifted, allowing us to Art School Gallery Jan Werschky reopen in July, we had to make significant Shannon Easter White 810.234.1695 * Free to FIA members and adjustments with some still working from Mon–Sat, 10a–5p; Sun, 1p–5p Genesee County residents FCCC Board Representative David Stickel home, others on and off in the office, and The Palette Café all of us on greatly increased social media 810.249.0593 Website Mon–Fri, 9a–5p; Sat, 10a–5p; Administration schedules. flintarts.org Sun, 1p–5p John B. Henry, Executive Director Michael A. Melenbrink, Director of Over the last two decades the FIA increase in page views. These numbers Address The Museum Shop, Art School Finance & Administration has devoted significant time and effort indicate that the public’s appetite for 1120 E. Kearsley St. Marissa Pierce, Acting Director of Gallery, and The Palette Café are Flint, MI 48503 Development developing our virtual platforms and social museum entertainment and learning online open late for select special events. Tracee J. Glab, Curator of Collections media outreach. And with prohibitions and is increasing and most likely will continue. Telephone & Exhibitions Monique M. Desormeau, Curator of limitations on indoor gatherings remaining So, as we move beyond the pandemic, our 810.234.1695 Education Donovan Entrekin, Director of the Art in place, and the galleries the only in-person intention is to keep expanding our efforts Fax School 810.234.1692 Sarah Mullane, Director of Member & experiences we could offer, the curatorial to provide additional program content Guest Relations and education staff began producing virtually. content for a weekly e-newsletter providing We still eagerly await the moment we can digital access to exhibitions, permanent return to a full schedule of live presentations fia collections, curator and artist’s talks, lectures, of films, lectures, family programs, classes The FIA is a non-profit, equal FIA Exhibitions and Programs cover image films, fund raisers, Art School schedule and fundraising events. After all, the opportunity employer, and are made possible in part with from the exhibition (page 8) provides programs and the support of the updates and studio activities for our virtual aesthetic experience is incomplete unless services without regard to Michigan Council Boris Lovet-Lorski “visitors” to enjoy at home. The Museum encountered as the artist intended: seeing race, color, religion, national for Arts and Cultural American, born Lithuania, 1894–1973 Shop added online shopping as well. And the true color, texture and scale of a work origin, age, gender identity, or disability. Affairs, a partner Sieglinde (detail), 1930s agency of the National Carved plaster with ebony-like with visitor safety in mind, we converted our of art in person; feeling the energy of a Operating support for the Endowment finish 3 1 FIA is provided in part by for the Arts. 10 /8 × 5 /2 × 2 inches 200+ stop audio tour to a format accessible performance on stage or simply sharing an the Charles Stewart Mott Bequest of Mary Mallery Davis, on our visitors’ smartphone, computer or event with a large audience. There’s really Foundation. 1990.53 This magazine, made possible tablet. no substitute for authenticity. FIA operations are funded in through a generous donation by part by the Genesee County Lynne Hurand, is published four As we increased the creation and Arts Education and Cultural times per year for mailing to FIA presentation of new content, we discovered John B. Henry Enrichment Millage funds. members, museums, and libraries more and more people finding our virtual Executive Director Your tax dollars at work. around the country. 2 CLOSING SOON ON VIEW 3 Glass in the Fourth Found Objects The Art of Purvis Young Dimension through 4.11.21 through 3.21.21 Graphics Gallery Harris-Burger Gallery At first glance, what looks like chaotic While we live in a three-dimensional world and our brains and abstract brushstrokes and pencil are trained to see height, width, and depth—mathematicians, marks are actually meaningful images —all physicists, and artists have long considered the fourth dimension part of Purvis Young’s rich visual lexicon. and its possibilities for alternative realities. Although authors and Boats, horses, warriors, and prisoners fill scientists have sought to describe the concept, it is inherently Livio Seguso his canvases (wood panels, discarded intangible and invisible. Einstein defined it as “spacetime,” a Italian, born 1930 receipts, and pages ripped from books) Rigel, 2001 mathematical model that fuses the three dimensions of space and Blown, cut, polished and exploring themes of both freedom the one dimension of time into four dimensions. Philosophers laminated glass and imprisonment. Although he was 1 1 1 14 /2 × 14 /2 × 11 /2 inches consider a metaphysical meaning, seeing it as the connection Courtesy of the Isabel considered the unofficial historian of his between the mind and reality. Artists, since the early 20th century, Foundation, L2017.80 neighborhood of Overtown, Miami, the tried to represent the fourth dimension, moving beyond realistic Photo credit: Douglas themes in his work are universal to the Schaible Photography representations of the world toward abstraction. The plasticity of Black experience. Young’s paintings and glass in its molten form has enticed many artists to explore non- drawings became his voice of protest objective, or abstract, forms since the beginning of the Studio for the injustices he and his community Glass movement in the 1960s. Whether it is an intentional optical experienced. On his bicycle, he circled illusion or just the natural properties of glass, each artwork in this his neighborhood, gathering materials, exhibition implies something beyond height, width, and depth. Purvis Young EXHIBITIONS In this exhibition, you are encouraged to look at the object from Purvis Young EXHIBITIONS American, 1943–2010 multiple angles to allow for different viewing experiences. Big Smiling Head in Landscape with People, 1980’s Mixed media on found wood panel 7 7 24 /8 × 21 /8 × 2 inches Gift of Selig D. Sacks, 2019.313 © Larry T. Clemons / Gallery 721 / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Purvis Young American, 1943–2010 Untitled, 1970’s Ink on paper 1 8 × 14 /4 inches Gift of Dr. Sharon A. Simeon, 2020.41 © Larry T. Clemons / Gallery 721 / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York supplies, and inspiration for his works. In 1964, while serving three years Graphics Gallery in prison for breaking and entering, Young studied art books and pored sponsored by over Old Masters such as Rembrandt and El Greco. It was during this period that he experienced a shift in consciousness in which he realized that he could use his art to express himself and his grievances with the world. After his release and move to Miami’s neighborhood of Overtown, Livio Seguso he began painting and never stopped until his death in 2010. 4 ON VIEW 5 Posing Beauty in African American Culture through 4.18.21 Hodge and Henry Galleries Jeffrey Henson Scales Sponsored by Posing Beauty in African Jeffrey Henson Scales American, born 1954 American Culture Young Man in Plaid, New explores the contested York City, 1992 Digital print ways in which African 5 3 35 /8 x 35 /4 inches and African American Courtesy of the artist beauty have been y gala Lauren Kelley represented in historical American, born 1975 communit and contemporary Pickin’, 2007 Color-coupler print contexts.