January–March 2017 THE OPEN ROAD: PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE AMERICAN ROAD TRIP 1 Welcome from the Members’ Opening Executive Director The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip Dear Friends, Wednesday, February 8, 7 p.m. Joining the MFA is a Be one of the first to enjoy these compelling photographs. homecoming for me. I grew Refreshments Cash Bar up in Clearwater, and, like so Complimentary Valet Parking many students, discovered art at the MFA – the first museum I ever visited. In retrospect, that experience changed my life and inspired my career. The MFA’s encyclopedic collection is a treasure and an exceptional educational resource. It tells the many stories of civilization from antiquity to the present day. It encourages students and adults alike to learn about the past through concrete objects, and, with a recent focus on contemporary art, including new media and video, to look toward the future. Museums are a place of learning, discovery, enjoyment – and sometimes solace. We live in an increasingly small world, where understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures, beliefs, and ideas are powerful tools to fuel hope and a sense of New Executive Director Kristen A. Shepherd was introduced to connection to others. MFA supporters by Chairman of the Board Mark T. Mahaffey at a reception on Monday, November 14. Greeting the crowd were (left to right) Vice Chair Cathy Collins, who chaired The MFA has an impressive tradition as the the search committee; Mr. Mahaffey; and Ms. Shepherd. community’s museum, a feeling underscored by the very nature of our building. The colonnade on Beach Drive seems to embrace the city, and the entrance on Bayshore faces a stunning expanse of water. Both set a tone for openness, warmth, and possibility. Board of Trustees 2017 Executive Committee Mr. Joseph C. Jimenez I am deeply honored that the Board of Trustees has Mr. Mark T. Mahaffey, The Hon. Richard selected me as the new Executive Director and am Chairman Kriseman, Mayor thrilled to be joining you as part of the MFA family. of the City of I look forward to getting to know you, our members, Mrs. Cathy Collins, Vice volunteers, and donors, and contributing to the Chairman St. Petersburg, ex vibrant community of St. Petersburg. Mr. Wayne (Skipp) officio, nonvoting Fraser, CPA, Treasurer Ms. Fay Mackey Thank you for everything you have done and Mr. R. Clark Mason, Ms. Christina M. Majeed continue to do for the MFA. We are on an exciting Secretary Ms. Mary Alice journey – together. Mr. Darryl A. LeClair McClendon Mrs. Glenn Mosby Mrs. Patti Novack Warm regards, Mr. Fred S. Razook Jr. Mr. James Reichert Ms. Kristen A. Shepherd, Dr. Dimity Carlson, Executive Director, President, The ex officio, nonvoting Margaret Acheson Kristen A. Shepherd Trustees Stuart Society Mrs. Erin Smith Aebel, Honorary Trustees, Esq. nonvoting Mr. Roy Binger Mrs. Isabel Bishop, Ms. Laura Militzer Bryant Honorary Memorial On the cover: Dr. Gordon J. Gilbert Trustee Ryan McGinley (American, born 1977) Mr. James R. Gillespie, Mr. Seymour A. Gordon, Dakota Hair (detail), 2004 JD, LLM Esq. C- print Courtesy of the artist and Team Gallery, New York Mr. Robert L. Hilton Mrs. Hazel C. Hough MFA photos: Bridget Bryson Mr. Troy Holland, Esq. Mrs. Carol A. Upham 2 CURRENT | UPCOMING | EXHIBITIONS The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip Hazel Hough Wing Thursday, February 9–Sunday, June 4 Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road. – Jack Kerouac, On the Road The American road has been a muse for writers, musicians, film directors, painters, and photographers. Jack Kerouac’s William Eggleston (American, born 1939) On the Road (1957) and John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley Untitled from the Los Alamos Portfolio (1965-1974) (1962) are classics in American literature. Dye transfer print ©Eggleston Artist Trust Courtesy Cheim & Read, New York Easy Rider (1969), starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, featured the motorcycle, almost as a protagonist and as a The Americans from the mid-1950s and continues to the present symbol of rebellion. Thelma and Louise (1991), with Susan day with images by Ryan McGinley and Justine Kurland. Cars, Sarandon and Geena Davis, the first feminist road movie, billboards, signs, the landscape, urban and rural areas, motels and attracted a large audience. restaurants, and, of course, people dominate. Organized by the Aperture Foundation in New York, The The entire exhibition has a cinematic quality and has three film stills, Open Road is a visual tour de force, includes approximately including one from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, 1960. (Remember 100 photographs, and traces the rise of road culture in the Bates Motel?) There is even a vintage battery-operated toy car America. It begins with Robert Frank’s extraordinary series (around 1960s/70s) that stops for the passenger to take a photo. Ed Rusha’s Twentysix Gasoline Stations, created as an artist’s book, reveals the Modernist imprint on the landscape in the 1960s, and Garry Winogrand’s 1964 captures a country in the throes of change. Lee Friedlander’s American Monument and Stephen Shore’s Uncommon Places revel in turning expectations upside down. The acclaimed Japanese photographer Shinya Fujiwara in his American Roulette series and Frenchman Bernard Plossu bring the perspective of outsiders to the American experience. Ryan McGinley and Justine Kurland emphasize freedom and experimentation, often by photographing those on the margins of society, including their young friends. They do not judge. In fact, they take an optimistic, even romantic view, reflected in the title of McGinley’s first photography book, The Kids Are Alright (1999). No road trip would be complete without the Sunshine State, reflected in two photographs, Florida (1967 and 1970), by Joel Meyerowitz and Joel Sternfeld’s Wet’n Wild Aquatic Theme Park, Orlando, Florida, September 1980. Many other leading photographers are represented, including William Eggleston (from his Los Alamos Portfolio), Inge Morath (Road to Reno), and Alex Soth (Sleeping by the Mississippi). Curated by David Campany and Denise Wolff, The Open Road takes Ed Ruscha (American, born 1937) visitors on an unforgettable journey. It is supported in part by the Phillips 66, Flagstaff, Arizona (1962) National Endowment for the Arts. Gelatin silver print Courtesy of the artist 3 Pick-a-Pic Sunday, January 8, 4-6:30 p.m. Marly Room, MFA Make history and vote for a photograph to enter the collection. Everyone gets a vote! Music by the Lakewood High School Jazz Ensemble Savory Hors D’Oeuvres Signature Libation Cash Bar New Photography Gallery The Miriam F. Acheson Gallery is now dedicated to showing images $25 for Friends of Photography members from the Museum’s photography collection, one of the largest and $35 for all others finest in the Southeast. Robin O’Dell, Manager of Photographic Become a presenting sponsor and reserve a table for Collections, selects the works, which will be rotated on a regular basis. eight. Friends of Photography members get five votes. Not a member? Join today! Greg Smith: Breakdown Lane Helen and Dick Minck Gallery of New Media All proceeds go toward the purchase of the winning photograph. Saturday, January 21–Sunday, May 7 *** Greg Smith is a multidisciplinary artist who notes that his work often centers on a character attempting to “create something, trying to “America through the Eyes of structure his environment, but who’s also kind of hapless, and, in the the Tintype, 1856-1890” end, probably doomed.” Presented by Dr. Robert L. Drapkin Based in New York City, he is best known for his videos, though he also Sunday, March 19, 3 p.m. produces installations and sculpture. He has a PhD in Physics from Bayview Room Harvard University and pursued a career in science, before turning $10 for Friends of Photography members to art full-time. His innovative work explores the big questions of our $20 for nonmembers experience, using humorous, homemade methods. Smith’s video Breakdown Lane (2013) functions as both an exploration of the archetypal journey inherent to the road movie and as a reflection on the video medium itself. Throughout the absurd narrative, he rigorously attempts to maneuver his improbable automobile out of the breakdown lane. Critic Sarah Goffstein has written that “beyond optical accidents, the makeshift mechanics of Smith’s vehicle put the artist at risk…It is hard not to expect electrocution or explosions.” The video is shown on an improvised theater in the center of his installation and was selected by Curator of Contemporary Art Katherine Pill to complement The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip. Photographer unknown Tintype (nineteenth century) The Drapkin Collection Dr. Robert L. and Chitranee Drapkin have been two of the Museum’s most generous donors of photography. Dr. Drapkin began collecting photography in 1975 and Greg Smith (American, born 1970) has developed a collection that is respected nationally. Breakdown Lane (2013) The Drapkins have been selected as two of America’s Video still top 100 collectors by Art & Antiques. Courtesy Susan Inglett Gallery, New York ©Greg Smith 4 Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art Hazel Hough Wing FINAL DAYS, through Sunday, January 22 Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art is one of the most Local Sponsors: expansive and vibrant exhibitions of Latino art ever presented in the Tampa Bay area. It spotlights 75 works by 62 gifted modern and contemporary artists, drawn entirely from the illustrious collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Our America National Supporters The art is as diverse as Latinos themselves. All media are represented, Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art is including vintage political posters and inventive video.