Contemporary Folklore - Fred Beans Gallery
Folklore traditions are an essential part of all cultures. Scholars
have long emphasized that folklore is primarily an oral tradition,
but it often involves multiple modes of communication, including
art objects. In Contemporary Folklore, four regional
artists delve into both collective and personal narratives to
create sculptures that retell new histories. Ann Chahbandour
investigates interpersonal relationships through the creation
of bronze and ceramic tableaux sculptures whose subjects are influenced
by mythology, religion and the decorative arts Ryan Kelly
works with papier-mâché and clay to create large
props based on historical and mythological heroes which are then
used in performances. Lisa Naples' figurative
ceramic sculpture uses personal history and iconography to explore
the nature of growth and change. Kukuli Velarde
mimics pre-Columbian vessel forms from her native Peru to create
figures that tell stories about her life and her culture. Folklore,
as a discipline, links nostalgia for the past with an apprehension
about modern society. The artists in this exhibition explore similar
feelings of nostalgia to tell their personal stories.
Ayami Aoyama - Outdoor Sculpture Program
"Eight million gods dwell in everything" is a Japanese
proverb that sculptor Ayami Aoyama honors through her carved stone
sculptures. Aoyama studied painting in her native Japan, but upon
moving to the United States she gravitated toward sculpture as
a means of expressing her appreciation for the natural world.
For her, all natural materials have their own spirit and she seeks
to reveal that elemental life force through the work.
Her marble and granite sculptures suggest both figurative forms
and the landscape, in a style that is both minimal and abstract.
Aoyama holds a B.F.A. in painting from the Aichi Prefectural University
in Aichi, Japan, and has studied sculpture at The Arts Students
League of New York, The Lacoste School of the Arts, Lacoste, France,
and the Johnson Atelier, Mercerville, New Jersey. Aoyama is currently
a sculptor at the Digital Stone Project in Mercerville.
An Evolving Legacy
- Wachovia Gallery and permanent collection galleries
Over its first two decades, the Museum has partnered with artists,
donors, and community organizations to build a collection of over
2200 works that sample the Bucks County region's rich artistic
and cultural heritage. With over 100 works on display throughout
the Museum, Twenty Years of Collecting celebrates the Michener's
twentieth anniversary by presenting a selection of its most outstanding
acquisitions.
From its earliest acquisitions of Pennsylvania impressionist
paintings to its more recent additions of modern studio furniture
and contemporary video art, the Museum has focused its collecting
mission on advancing knowledge and understanding of the ideas,
values, and technical innovations that have shaped the region's
visual arts. In showcasing both historic and contemporary work
including portraits, figure studies, landscapes, narrative and
genre paintings, and decorative arts, this exhibition documents
the extraordinary growth of the Museum's collections and explores
the principles and methods that have guided its development as
well as the institution's initial steps in uncharted new directions.
The Byers, Hankin, Betz, Putman Smith, Commonwealth, and Wachovia
Galleries will be organized around a series of themes that reveal
the dynamic technical and conceptual innovations that are part
of the rich and colorful history of the Bucks County's visual
arts tradition.
|
