This past week I was in New York on business and heard from several people that I needed to stop in and see this fantastic exhibition of late works by Claude Monet being show at the Gagosian Gallery.
The exhibition was "the most significant gathering of Monet's late paintings to take place in New York in more than thirty years." The gallery was packed and people thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition. Monet's late works, though not often shown, are incredibly vibrant. CMA is lucky enought to own Weeping Willow, a very powerful late Monet we acquired as part of the Sirak collection.
It was this work, along with contemporary artist Mark Tansey’s Water Lilies that inspired our 2007 exhibition, InMonet’s Garden. The exhibition was organized by CMA in partnership with the Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, which houses the world’s largest single holding of works by Monet and also loaned works to the Gagosian for their exhibition.
I have to admit, I was quite proud of the fact that I could say we had done an exhibition that not only explored Monet's late works but his profound influence on generations of artists up to the current day (and we did it before New York).
Art Speaks. Join the Conversation.
Nannette Maciejunes
CMA Executive Director
My recent trip to Prague was indeed about puppets. I traveled there with our Associate Curator of Contemporary Art Lisa Dent, our Multimedia Producer Jeff Sims, and Joe Brandesky, a Theatre Professor at OSU's Lima campus who specializes in Russian and Czech Theatre. Several years ago, we worked with Joe on Spectacular St. Petersburg: 100 Years of Theatre Design, a wonderful exhibition that CMA had the privilege of sharing with our community.
Our latest undertaking is an exploration of the Czech Republic's incredible puppetry tradition. We are currently working on a collaborative exhibition for the summer of 2013 (we really do work that far out). Many of the art works (and yes, these puppets are works of art) have never been to the U.S. before.
We visited The Naive Theatre in Liverec, The Museum of Puppets in Chrudim, the Divadlo Drak Theatre in Hradec, and the National Museum in Prague and met with potential partners for the project. It was a whirlwind education.
We had the unique privilege of meeting Petr Matasek, a Czech artist, set designer, director and associate professor at the Department of Alternative and Pupplet Theatre at DAMU, in Prague. (This website has more information, but is in Czech.)
We were able to watch a rehearsal of Matasek's latest production of Roald Dahl's James and The Giant Peach, but the real honor was watching him carve. He rarely carves puppets these days, so it was truly wonderful to be able to watch his creative process.
Below is a picture of Petr Matasek (on the left) and Joe Brandesky.
And these are photos of puppets designed by Matasek.
From a production of Pinocchio
And puppetry really is a rich and varied tradition in the Czech Republic. The photo below is of puppets from the 19th century.
Many families even had puppet theatres in their homes (entertainment prior to television).
And, demonstrating that puppets aren't just for children, these are photos of puppets used in a production of Shakespeare's Tempest.
And here is a behind the scenes photo of Jeff Sims putting on his own puppet show.
And, I have to tell you, these is a wonderful Eastern European tradition that you share a toast at the beginning of new projects to celebrate working together. Even if it is 10:30 in the morning.
Cheers!
Art Speaks. Join the Conversation.
Nannette Maciejunes, CMA Executive Director
Educators, politicians, and business leaders recognize that exploring creativity increases our global success. High-end analytical and problem-solving skills are pivotal to creating thriving communities. In A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink asserts that the wealth of nations and the well-being of individuals now depend on having artists in the room. Infusing creativity into learning transforms all of us into artists that envision new perspectives, new solutions, and indeed, new worlds. The wealth of the Gulf Coast and the well-being of its citizens may well depend on the creativity of artists.In May, BP turned to actor Kevin Costner to determine if the oil extractor developed by a team of scientists he has funded for more than 15 years could be used to assist in cleaning up the current spill in the Gulf of Mexico.The device, a powerful centrifuge, is reportedly capable of cleaning up to 210,000 gallons of water per day.
Hawk Galleries is presenting a lecture at The Ohio State University in the Ohio Union on Friday, June 4 at 4:00 pm featuring Richard Harned and glass artist Lino Tagliapietra, whose works have been shown at the Columbus Museum of Art. The lecture is free, but seats are limited, so register early. Click here for more information.
I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Prague (which I promise was business, not pleasure, but you'll have to wait to hear exactly what that business was). Prague is a beautiful city with an incredibly rich history, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so I thought I would share some of my photos from the trip.
This is a view of the city shot from atop a hill near Prague Castle, one of the most important cultural institutions in the Czech Republic.
And this is the view from my hotel window.
Streetcars near the Charles Bridge, a historical bridge built during the time of King Charles IV.
And this is the Estates Theatre where Mozart conducted the premier performance of his opera Don Giovanni in October, 1787. You can still attend performances here, but how magical would it have been to see that first show?
One of the things I learned on our trip, is that many of the historical sights in Prague have been used as film locations. We visited the Gardens at the Wallenstein Palace where parts of the movie Amadeus were filmed.
We met this fellow, a rare white peacock, who was quite impressed with himself.
We visited the National Gallery in Prague (you'll see some photos below of the stunning staircases) and I was treated to a ride in this little elevator. First, let me tell you that I am not a particular fan of elevators and this was a very small elevator, however, when I tried to decline (I would have much preferred the stairs), the staff told me that, no, no, you are the director, you must take the elevator. Once we were inside this tiny, creaky car, I was informed that the elevator was actually featured in the Mission Impossible movie.
As we were traveling through Prague, I was constantly on the lookout for Wi-Fi spots to be able to plug in and get some work done. So, we stopped in these wonderful coffee houses that were built in the late 19th century. As you can see, the decor is a little different than Starbucks.
I was also taken by the paver streets, which were amazing and obviously very old.
Beautiful as they are, even they require upkeep.
Check back later to find out why we were in Prague and see photos of what was happening here at CMA while I was gone.
