University Gallery

Art Rental Program

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The Weisman Art Museum has a wonderful art rental program that allows students, employees, and departments to rent works of art by the semester or the year. I knew of the program, but what I didn’t realize is that it has been part of the Weisman/University Gallery since the very beginning. The rental program began in 1934 at the Gallery, where framed print reproductions were available for students to rent for only 25 cents per academic quarter — a cheap way to decorate drab dorm or department walls. One 1942 letter of appreciation from the Agricultural Education Department stated:

May we express our thanks and appreciation for the privilege of using some of your pictures in our Department during the spring quarter? The pictures were picked up by some of your men the other day, and we hope that they came back to your Department in good shape. Now, our walls look like Mother Hubbard’s cupboard.

In the files (mixed in with all the notices of unreturned or late artwork) I also discovered these promotional photographs from the mid-1940s of stylish patrons renting artworks.

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The Gallery Goes to Washington

When not in the sub-basement of Andersen Library processing the WAM files, my whereabouts on campus are often confined to an area just to the south of the library, to encompass Heller Hall, Wilson Library, and the Hubert H. Humphrey Center.

The Humphrey Center is often host to many events and activities that include the attendance of political leaders, and my proximity to this building is the reason for my one and only brush with political “celebrity.” As I leaned back from taking a refreshing sip of water from a Humphrey drinking fountain, my eyes focused upon a tall gray-haired man, in a smartly tailored suit, that was walking towards me down the hallway: Former U.S. Vice President, Walter Mondale.

I thought of that moment recently when I came across the folder titled, “Minneapolis Sculpture” in the Archives. The folder contained a photocopy of an article from the Los Angeles Times, profiling Mondale’s wife, Joan Mondale, and her transformation of Number One Observatory Circle, the official residence of the Vice President, into a setting for the display of American art.

According to the article, through her MN art connections (she previously worked at the MIA), it was arranged for the loan of prominent American artworks from museums across the country to be “exhibited” at the residence throughout the time that Mondale served as Vice President. The accompanying photograph with the article contained a familiar object – a piece from the University Gallery’s collection, David Smith’s, “Star Cage.”

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New_StarCage1.jpgBehind the article copy was found a loose-leaf sheet of paper containing handwritten instructions (with diagram) on how the sculpture was to be mounted to a stand for display. The constructed mount appears slightly more secure compared to how it was once displayed alongside its creator David Smith, as well as to how it was mounted while Smith was creating it.

In recalling “star” sightings and learning more about the Mondale’s and the history of the official residence of the Vice President, I can’t help but think that the sculpture, “Star Cage” was an apt fit for temporary display at Number One Observatory Circle.

The residence, once the home to the Chief of Naval Operations, is located on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory – where astronomers were measuring the location of the stars in 1977, and continue to do so to this day.


A Matter of Records

Although the exhibits previously held at the Gallery, such as the exhibit, “People of the Plains: 1820-1850,” could never be reproduced exactly as they were first displayed, the records that were kept in planning and production can create for those who weren’t able to attend, (for example, those who were not yet born…) an idea of what the exhibit might have been like.

From the UM New Service, Aug. 9, 1978 (Digital Conservancy), a news release of programming related to the exhibit was found:

Check Derby, a member of the Sioux tribe who is employed at the Pipestone National Monument, Pipestone, Minn., will demonstrate the art of pipestone carving Thursday (Aug. 11) from 1 to 2 p.m. on the plaza in front of Northrop Auditorium.

A flier announced the exhibit (dates and location) and related programming:

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A contract listed objects loaned from another museum that were used in the exhibit. A photograph captures some of those objects.

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Theft!

A thief struck the University Gallery in June of 1967, stealing 6 prints right out of their frames. According to the theft report in the files, the prints (meaning woodcuts, lithographs, and the like) were works by very well-known artists, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Max Beckmann, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. The report states:

The group of 13 prints was installed at the request of the Art History Department as a Study Exhibition for Art I Classes, and was to be retained until the end of the examination period for Spring Quarter, June 9. The prints were scheduled to be taken down this morning, June 12.
The 6 missing prints were the more valuable ones of the entire group of 13… Their disappearance was discovered by Mr. Larry Gruenwald, Technician at the Gallery, upon his arrival at the Gallery, Monday June 12, at 7:30 a.m.

The file includes letters to auction houses alerting them to the theft, in case the stolen prints should come up for sale. I couldn’t find any evidence that the prints were ever returned however… I guess this remains an unsolved mystery.


Documentation of the theft


A Bicentennial Exhibition of Art and Architecture

As a researcher and museum fanatic, to read back on the events and accomplishments of the exhibit titled, “A Bicentennial Exhibition of Minnesota Art and Architecture,” I felt the need to push my jaw back up to meet my front bite, after the many drops in awe of the events surrounding this exhibition, the records for which filled ¾ of Box 16, the entirety of Box 17, and even a few more folders that lingered into Boxes 18 and 19.

The contents of each folder document an exhibit that was too large in scope and size to be held in the gallery space of Northrop Auditorium, contain planning notes and correspondence, and document partnerships that resulted in the exhibit’s installation and exhibition at the 8th floor auditorium of Dayton’s department store in downtown Minneapolis from February 11 to March 5, 1976.

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The exhibit presented Minnesota painting and sculpture from 1820-1914 and architecture from 1820 to the then present day. Made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the support of foundations, corporations and individuals, this expansive, interdisciplinary exhibit was the result of the first statewide survey of MN art and architecture and also contributed to the publication of two works, “Painting and Sculpture in Minnesota, 1820-1914,” authored by Dr. Rena Coen, and “A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota” by Dr. David Gebhard and Thomas Martinson. Through research and discovery, important MN artworks such as Alexis Jean Fournier’s scenes of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Thomas Pritchard Rossiter’s depiction of the Minnesota prairie, received conservation work. Forty-four works, held amidst the collections of MN Historical Society to the Winona County Historical Society were restored at the cost of more than $10,000 (funded by a grant).

The exhibit included paintings and artworks with themes of explorers, soldiers, tourists and settlers. Also included were works of Indian ways of life, MN landscapes, and decorative objects created by Minnesota citizens.

Events surrounding the exhibit included Native American craft demonstrations (pipe carving, beadwork), a lecture series titled, “Exploring Minnesota” which covered regional culture in 19th century Minnesota, a lecture series, and panel discussions on the topic of “Encounters in Architecture” were held.

The touring exhibition, which reached 19 MN cities, was the starting point of the University Gallery’s long running touring exhibition program. Forty paintings out of the 200 exhibited in Dayton’s auditorium were selected to join the many cases of Native American art objects selected to tour the state – to bring art to the rural communities of Minnesota. From the first stop in the tour, Willmar, then a population of 13,632, to the last stop, St. Cloud (42,223), with many other stops in-between, the Bicentennial Exhibition made it’s mark by bringing state-treasured artwork to the citizens of greater Minnesota.

And if you thought that the extent of this exhibit could go no further, one final element of the touring exhibition must be revealed. Transportation for the exhibit was organized by the Minnesota Motor Transport Association. Student truck-drivers from the Vocational-Technical Institute #916 Truck Driver Training program received practical driving experience as they carried treasured artwork, in an insulated temperature and humidity controlled trailer, to communities across the state.

Listen to current Weisman Art Museum Director Lyndel King, who directed the Bicentennial Exhibition as acting director of the University Art Gallery in 1976, describe the accomplishments of this exhibition:

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Learn more about the exhibit: An article titled, “‘Little Gallery’ accomplishes a big job,” which includes photographs and examples of featured artwork and architecture, was published in the University of Minnesota Alumni News, April 1977. Vo. 76 No. 8. Access a PDF of the Alumni News from the U of M’s Digital Conservancy. The article is on page 20 of the magazine.


Looking Back, part II

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Here is a sampling of some of the catalogues we’ve come across from the early 1980s. All are exhibitions that were developed by the University Gallery. (Also see the previous post Looking Back for catalogues from the 1970s.)

Minnesota Pottery: A Potter’s Point of View, 1981
Contact: American Art and Culture, 1919 – 1939, 1981
Martin Finch: 25 Years of Medical Illustration, 1986
Three Women Artists: Gag, Greenman & Mairs, 1980
German Porcelain and the Pictoral Arts, 1980
George Morrison: Entries in an Artist’s Journal, 1983
Images of the American Worker 1930 – 1940, 1983

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Process: A Public Sculpture

If you’ve spent much time on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus, you’ve no doubt seen the large steel sculpture near Williamson Hall. I’ve walked by it many times without knowing the artist or the title of the work — until I found a WAM file called “Process: A Public Sculpture by Stewart Luckman”. The University Gallery had an exhibition in 1981 showcasing images and plans from the making of the sculpture.

Artist Stewart Luckman was commissioned to create the sculpture, called Rokker V, to commemorate the Alumini Assocation’s 75th anniversary in 1981. Luckman also founded the sculpture program at Bethel University in St. Paul. Current images of the sculpture and the location can be found at Start Seeing Art: Your Guide to Public Art in the Twin Cities.

 
Luckman at work, plus the plans for the sculpture


Intaglio Techniques

A key component of the history of the University’s art museum is its role in instruction and its function as a teaching museum. Not only does the history of exhibitions reflect periods of art and profiles of artists, but it also includes many exhibits that demonstrate how art is created. In the folder containing materials for the 1977 exhibit, “Intaglio Techniques,” images mounted on thick boards that display the intaglio printmaking process were found:

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Mirror of the Middle Ages

From Charles Helsell’s (curator) files associated with the exhibit titled, “Mirror of the Middle Ages,” held at the Gallery from March 28-April 20, 1978, we receive a glimpse into exhibition planning through the design specifications of an exhibit case, as well as fabric swatches considered for the display:

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Southwestern Weaving, ’80s style

I discovered a stack of Polaroids in the “Loans” file for the 1984 exhibition Southwestern Weaving Traditions: Past and Present. The images feature rugs and blankets being held up by their owners (I can only assume), and views of the items in the homes of the lenders. I’m not sure whether these weavings were loaned for the exhibition, but I find the casualness of the snapshots and the vivid (Polaroid-enhanced) colors of the rugs charming in and of themselves.

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