Afternoon Torque by Ronda Waiksnis

Flags, UFOs and Bad Weather
LuminArte Gallery
June 9 through June 30, 2012

Under the tenets of conventional wisdom, each of the following words; flags, UFOs, bad weather would appear to evoke distinct emotional responses that are completely unrelated. Artists however are not bound by such tenets. Seemingly unrelated concepts when combined often provide the precise creative force necessary to break down traditional barriers.

“With every individual or group opportunity there is an excitement to make something better, but there are also fears of failure or stress of complication. There is positive thinking and there is nervous cheerleading. I hope these drawings and paintings give a complex portrait of hand-wringing as well as moments of joy in our identity as individuals and as a nation.”

Camille Silverman, Executive Director/Curator, The Art Center, Grand Junction, Colorado

In this spirit, LuminArte Gallery is featuring original works from Camille Silverman who first conceived of the idea and then created a series of art work based on the theme Flags, UFOs and Bad Weather. Consistent with this theme, LuminArte Gallery invited a select group of outstanding artists to participate in this exciting and innovative exhibition. In addition to Camille, featured artists include George Adams of Colorado, Ronda Waiksnis of Georgia, Leila Noorani of California, Gina Marie Dunn of Dallas and Franceska McCullough formerly of Great Britain and now of Dallas.

LuminArte Gallery

LuminArte Gallery is located at 1727 E. Levee Street, Dallas, Texas. www.luminarte.com

Sleeper Flag by Camille Silverman

Jonathan Ramirez: Mayan Prophecy at W.A.A.S. Gallery

Jonathan Ramirez: Mayan Prophecy
W.A.A.S. Gallery
Opening Friday, May 18, 2012

On May 18, 2012 W.A.A.S. Gallery is hosting our Resident Artist opening reception for the new solo exhibition by digital artist Jonathan Ramirez. Mayan Prophecy opens May 18, 2012 from 7-10 p.m.

Born in Monterrey N.L. Mexico, Ramirez is able to bring a very fresh perspective to the Dallas art scene. Differing greatly from the very commercial aspects of art in the DFW area, this exhibition includes a large variety of digital illustrations inspired by music, surrealism, depression, and darkness.

“I feel a need to create something dark and completely different from what anyone else around me is creating,” says Ramirez, about his beautifully disturbing images. “My work conveys a dismal tactility that is fairly absent in the world of modern art.”

Using a process that he calls Digitalism, Ramirez draws his images using a computer, rather than a physical brush, creating very introspective pieces that show the dark side of what art can really express.

Jonathan Ramirez has been exhibiting his work for the past two years, displaying in many cities in the United States, as well as in London (Debut Contemporary) and Spain. His work has also been reviewed in magazines throughout Europe, such as Rooms Magazine and Carpaccio Magazine . A few of the Mayan Prophecy pieces were a collaborating with Carlos Martyn Burgos from London & Larsa Bonden from Sweden showing that artist can and will work together.

About W.A.A.S. Gallery

2722 Logan Street, Dallas, Texas 75215

Located in the epicenter of the re-burgeoning Deep Ellum and Fair Park neighborhoods, W.A.A.S Gallery is a unique and exuberant new voice within the Dallas art community. Setting W.A.A.S apart is our commitment to both an artist and buyer friendly platform that is dedicated to showcasing exciting, relevant and innovative work from significant artists hailing from local and international markets. More information can be found on their website, at www.waasgallery.com

There are currently 107 Texas museums listed in the Blue Star Museum program. Among those museums are The Grace Museum, Amarillo Museum of Art, Blanton Museum of Art,  Dallas Museum of Art, Meadows Museum, Nasher Sculpture Center, El Paso Museum of Art, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, The Menil Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, San Antonio Museum of Art and the Tyler Art Museum.

Below is the current list from the NEA Blue Star Museum website. For a more updated list of Texas museums, please click here.

Blue Star Museums in Texas

Abilene

• The Grace Museum

Albany

• Fort Griffin State Historic Site

Alto

• Caddo Mounds State Historic Site

Alvin

• Alvin Historical Museum

Amarillo

• Amarillo Museum of Art
• American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum

Arlington

• Arlington Historical Society

Austin

• Austin Children’s Museum
• Blanton Museum of Art
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
• Mexic-Arte Museum
• Neill-Cochran House Museum
• Republic of Texas Museum
• Texas Military Forces Museum
• Umlauf Scupture Garden & Museum

Bandera

• Frontier Times Museum

Beaumont

• Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown

Bonham

• Sam Rayburn House Museum

Brownsville

• Brownsville Historical Association

Bryan

• Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History
• The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley

Canyon Lake

• The Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country

Castroville

• Landmark Inn State Historic Site

College Station

• George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

Corpus Christi

• Art Museum of South Texas

Dallas

• Dallas Heritage Village
• Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance
• Dallas Museum of Art
• Frontiers of Flight Museum
• International Museum of Cultures
• Meadows Museum
• Nasher Sculpture Center
• The Virtual Steam Car Museum,Inc.

Denison

• Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site

Edinburg

• Museum of South Texas History

El Paso

• Centennial Museum & Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, UTEP
• El Paso Museum of Archaeology
• El Paso Museum of Art
• El Paso Museum of History
• Lynx Exhibits
• Magoffin Home State Historic Site

Fairfield

• Freestone County Historical Museum

Fort Hood

• 1st Cavalry Division Museum

Fort McKavett

• Fort McKavett State Historic Site

Fort Worth

• American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum
• Amon Carter Museum of American Art
• Kimbell Art Museum
• Modern Art Museum of Fort Wort
• National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum
• Veterans Memorial Air Park

Fredericksburg

• National Museum of the Pacific War

Frisco

• Frisco Heritage Center

Galveston

• Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum

Gatesville

• Coryell Museum & Historical Center

Hearne

• Camp Hearne Historic Site

Hemphill

• Patricia Huffman Smith “Remembering Columbia” Museum

Houston

• 1940 Air Terminal Museum
• Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
• Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
• Dunham Bible Museum
• The Health Museum
• Holocaust Museum Houston
• The Menil Collection
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Huntsville

• Sam Houston Memorial Museum

Irving

• National Scouting Museum

Kerrville

• Museum of Western Art

La Grange

• Texas Quilt Museum

Lipscomb

• Wolf Creek Heritage Museum

Lubbock

• American Wind Power Center
• Buddy Holly Center
• Museum of Texas Tech University
• Silent Wings Museum

Mansfield

• Mansfield Historical Museum and Heritage Center

Marshall

• Starr Family Home; Texas Historical Commission

McKinney

• Collin County Farm Museum

Mexia

• Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site

Midland

• The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum

New Braunfels

• Heritage Society of New Braunfels, Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture

Odessa

• Ellen Noël Art Museum

Orange

• Stark Museum of Art
• The W.H. Stark House

Paris

• Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic Site

Richmond

• Fort Bend County Museum

Rockport

• Fulton Mansion State Historic Site

Round Top

• Winedale Historical Complex

San Angelo

• Fort Concho National Historic Landmark
• San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

San Antonio

• The Alamo
• Casa Navarro State Historic Site
• Institute of Texan Cultures
• McNay Art Museum
• San Antonio Museum of Art
• Southwest School of Art
• Villa Finale

San Felipe

• San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site

Snyder

• Scurry County Museum

Stephenville

• Stephenville Historical House Museum

Temple

• Railroad & Heritage Museum

The Woodlands

• The Woodlands Children’s Museum

Tyler

• Tyler Museum of Art

Victoria

• Children’s Discovery Museum of the Golden Crescent

Waco

• Historic Waco Foundation

Washington

• Star of the Republic Museum

Weatherford

• The National Vietnam War Museum

Wichita Falls

• Wichita Falls Museum of Art at midwestrn State University

Blue Star Museums

Blue Star Museums grew to more than 1,500 museums this past year, including over 700 museums that participated for the first time! This program enables us to thank our military families for their service and sacrifice to our country by inviting them to enjoy the best of American culture. Especially for families with limited time together, those on a limited budget, and ones that have to relocate frequently, Blue Star Museums offers an opportunity to enjoy one another and become more fully integrated into a community.

Dr. Karen Cordero Reiman

Join the El Paso Museum of Art on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 6 p.m. in the El Paso Energy Auditorium for Gesture, Style and Function in Modern Mexican Drawing, 1900 – 1950, a lecture by Dr. Karen Cordero Reiman. This free lecture is in conjunction with Magnificent Mexico: 20th Century Modern Masterworks.

Those attending the lecture will also receive free admission to the exhibition (regular admission is $10 per non-member adult and non-member children age 13 and over. EPMA adult members age 13 and up $5.00. Children age 12 and under are free. Active Military Personnel and their family with ID free).

Seating is limited, and entry to Magnificent México is free to the first 200 lecture attendees.

In the years following the Mexican Revolution, artists proposed and explored diverse strategies for the construction of a modern Mexican art. Dr. Cordero Reiman will analyze and contextualize the works of art dating between 1900 and 1950 included in Dibujos Divinos: 20th Century Drawings from the Museo Nacional de Arte – MUNAL, Mexico City and their relationship to the dynamic artistic, social and political milieu that surrounded the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath.

Karen Cordero is a U.S. born art historian who has lived and worked in Mexico since 1982, and is a professor of Art History at the Universidad Iberoamericana and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Dr. Cordero is the author of numerous publications on twentieth and twenty-first century Mexican art, and has had a continuous participation in museums as curator, advisor and researcher. Recent curatorial projects include Afecto diverso. Géneros en flujo (Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico City, 2010) and curatorial coordinator of Mujeres ¿y qué más?: reactivando el archivo Ana Victoria Jiménez, exhibiting in various locations through 2011.

Fishing for Frogs by William Adolphe Bouguereau, 1882

William Adolphe Bouguereau’s 1882 masterpiece Fishing For Frogs realized $1,762,500 (Including Buyer’s Premium) at Heritage Auctions on Tuesday, May 15, as part of the company’s $5+ million American & European Art event.

The price set an auction house record, becoming the highest price-realized for a painting in Heritage’s history.

“There were several bids above the pre-auction estimate before the bidding settled,” said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions, “drawing a round of applause when it sold and showing that we’re capable of selling important works. We continue to make concerted efforts to broaden the reach of our Fine Arts department, such as bringing Brian Roughton on as Director of American & European Art, which has already proven a very good move.”

Heritage Auctions

Heritage Auctions, headed by Steve Ivy, Jim Halperin and Greg Rohan, is the world’s third largest auction house, with annual sales more than $800 million, and 700,000+ online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.

The First Lady by Roberto Montenegro, 1942. (Reproduced with the kind permission of Fundación Andrés Blaisten)

Mexican Modern Painting from the Andres Blastein Collection
Meadows Museum
Through August 12, 2012

The Meadows Museum’s summer show Modern Mexican Painting from the Andres Blastein Collection warrants attention from a number of standpoints. As a distillation of a vast collection, the eighty works on display are a fascinating insight into the nature of collection (and thus the collector), a reflection of the upheaval and disparity of the socio-political climate in Mexico at the time, and perhaps most importantly, a varied and fascinating survey of artistic style and cultural expression – a combination of the influences of key European artistic movements with a re discovery and celebration of the Aztec and pre-Hispanic cultures.

As I contemplated this large selection of works, it struck me that this show is, on many levels, an exploration of identity – the identity of the collector and how this is reflected in the works he selects, the identity of a revolutionary / post-revolutionary nation looking back to its indigenous past, and celebrating its unique nature and the individual concerns of each artist whose identity is conveyed through the choice of style and subject matter.

I would need to write for many pages (many more than you are sure to read) to do justice to the breadth and depth of styles, political and social observation and historical contexts covered by this rather extraordinary exhibit. So I have limited myself to providing an overview, with brief reference to only a few pieces which to me, summarize important elements of the show. I feel that in order to understand how such a vast variety of works relates to each other, and to find some cohesion in what can appear a disparate group of paintings, some understanding of the collector and the historical context in which the works were produced is essential. So, at the risk of sounding like a history teacher,  I will focus on this here, and let you go and see the works for yourself.

Firstly,  a little more about the collection as a whole. While studying painting in the 1960s, Andreas Blastein began buying works and gradually shaped his collection to reflect his own personal ideas about national identity and “Mexincanidad”– Mexicaness.  Amassing some 8,000 works across many disciplines, his collection is regarded as one of the greatest accumulations of Mexican art in the world. The eighty paintings selected for this showing give a comprehensive overview of the concerns, styles and influences of Mexican artists from the turn of the century until the mid-century. They also give us insight into Andreas Blastein’s world view, his unique “statement and … way of thinking about art” as Karen Cordero Reiman notes in the excellent exhibition catalogue.

Irma Mendoza by Diego Rivera, 1950. (Reproduced with the kind permission of Fundación Andrés Blaisten)

The first half of the twentieth century was a period of immense political, social and cultural upheaval for Mexico, a time when national identity was questioned and shaped. Uniquely combining references to formal European movements, avant guarde social and artistic experimentation, celebration of indigenous and traditional culture and embracing both formally educated and self-taught artists, the collection and this showing is a hotchpotch of styles, references and subjects that somehow hangs together to give a coherent and fascinating insight into the era.

By showing such a range of voices and styles, the exhibit gives a deeper insight into the variety of modes of expression employed by Mexican artists at the time, and reaches beyond the few “big names” to highlight lesser known painters as equally relevant and valid as purveyors of “Mexicanidad”. The works are hung chronologically and the Meadows provides excellent historical commentary makes the exhibit accessible even to  those with little knowledge of the socio-political context.

With the start of  the Mexican revolution around 1910, Mexican artists (and society as a whole) challenged the “Eurocentric” and classical, elitist  traditions that had recently shaped the country and its art. Artists began to explore and indeed revere their pre-Colombian history, the Aztec empire and pre-Hispanic myths, legends and lifestyle.  Saturino Herran’s “Our Ancient Gods” is one of the more straightforward examples of this celebration of pre-Hispanic culture.

At the same time however, many artists were acutely aware of, and influenced by, major artistic movements in Europe. This is at odds with the oft held belief that revolutionary Mexican art was inward –looking and one dimensional. In “San Martin Bridge” Diego Rivera provides a shining example of the impact of cubism on his (and others) work.

Alongside the expression of “costumismo” – the portrayal of customs,  the changing social structure and overhaul of the established hierarchy supported the rise of the Open Air Painting Schools. This was a radical approach to arts education which stretched across Mexico, opening up opportunities in many  rural and urban areas. The inclusive nature of the teaching, combined with an emphasis on spontaneity and innovation greatly supported the flourishing Mexican Modern movement.  The Open Air Schools emphasized depictions of everyday life and rural scenes – reflections of  Mexican culture as had not been seen in the preceding era of European classicism.

Whilst Diaz de Leon’s “Indian Women on Market Day”  is clearly influenced by impressionism in style , the emphasis of the open air schools on presenting  “real” everyday life is reflected in the fairly banal subject matter.

The Village Orator by Gabriel Fernández Ledesma, c. 1928. (Reproduced with the kind permission of Fundación Andrés Blaisten)

Post revolution, the concept of Mexicanidad gained further emphasis as artists strove to crystallize a uniquely Mexican identity that was relevant in the modern climate. Even greater emphasis was now placed on native traditions, regional customs and modes of dress along with exploration of pre-Hispanic history and legend. Works such as “Apprentice Bullfighters” by Manuel Gonzalez Serrano with its strongly surrealist allegorical style and Roberto Montenegro’s “Synthesis”  – a combination of ancient and modern symbolism highlight the appropriation of styles by the Mexican Modernists to convey their various expressions  of national identity and culture.

Somewhat sadly, the vibrant Mexican Modern period, encompassing the decade long revolution and its aftermath came to a close towards the middle of the century when the authoritarian communist powers began to assert their authority and art became a tool for communist and cold war propaganda.

As a record of a unique and rich time in Mexico’s cultural history, an overview of many and varied artistic styles and subject matter and as a unique insight into one man’s (and indeed  his  nation’s ) psyche, this exhibit is well worth taking the time to explore.  In fact,  it may warrant a few visits in order to fully absorb all it has to offer as on first viewing,  it can feel overwhelming and complex.  If you have the time, do make the effort though, as I for one, gained much : a broader understanding of Mexican art and identity,  a new perspective on the far  reaching influences of  various modern art movements  and  a fascinating insight  into the collecting, curating  practices and lifelong passions of Andres Blastein.

Carol Robbins, The Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Curator of the Arts of the Americas and the Pacific

Carol Robbins, The Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Curator of the Arts of the Americas and the Pacific, is retiring after forty-seven years of service to the Dallas Museum of Art. In appreciation of her nearly fifty years of Museum work, and of her renowned curatorial expertise in ethnographic textiles, Robbins has been appointed Curator Emerita.

Carol Robbins joined the Museum in 1965 as the Secretary to the Director under Merrill Rueppel. She became a curatorial assistant in 1970, and subsequently served on staff within the DMA’s curatorial department, including the positions of Curator of Textiles and Curator of New World and Pacific Cultures, through her appointment as The Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Curator of the Arts of the Americas and the Pacific in 2006. She has been responsible for the Museum’s collections of ancient American and Indonesian art, which are of international significance, as well as the DMA’s Native American art collection. In particular, the DMA is one of the few museums in the country with a permanent collection of the regional art of Indonesia and Sarawak.

“Carol’s collaboration with the Museum will not end with her well-deserved retirement. We hope to have many opportunities to benefit from her knowledge and expertise over the coming years,” said Olivier Meslay, the DMA’s Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs.

Highlights of Robbins’ impressive career include the nearly fifteen textile exhibitions that she has organized since 1980, in addition to a significant number of acquisitions that are extraordinary examples of their type. Of particular note was the gift in the 1970s of the Wise Collection of Ancient American Art, along with two collections of African art, that gave the Museum added significance and stature among scholars and patrons.

Other extraordinary works of art acquired during her tenure, include:

• Crown with deity figures, Peru, Chavín culture, c. 1000–200 B.C.
• Cylindrical vessel with sacrificial scene, Guatemala or Mexico, Maya culture, c. A.D. 600–850
• Eccentric flint with heads of K’awil, the god of royal lineage, from the Maya culture of Guatemala and Mexico, A.D. 600–900
• Eye-dazzler blanket, Navajo people, c. 1880–1900
• Male figure, Asia, Indonesia, Dayak people, c. 1040
• Mask, Mexico, Gulf Coast Olmec culture, 900–500 B.C.
• Mouth mask depicting the head of a bird, Indonesia, Southeast, Leti Island, Luhuleli village, 19th century
• Pair of ancestor figures (ana deo), Asia, Indonesia, Nagé people, early 20th century
• Protective figure (jaraik) in the form of an animal, Indonesia, West Sumatra, Mentawai Islands, Siberut Island, Taileleu people, c. 1895–1905
• Tunic with checkerboard pattern and stepped yoke, South America, Peru, Inca culture, 1476–1534

Additionally, Robbins was coordinating curator for several nationally touring exhibitions, including Power and Gold: Jewelry from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines; Court Arts of Indonesia; Lords of Creation: The Origins of Sacred Maya Kingship; Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection; and the upcoming Legacy of the Plumed Serpent in Ancient Mexico.

She served as a special consultant for the acquisition of textiles by the Zale Lipshy University Hospital at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the late 1980s. Robbins coordinated the purchase and installation of three hundred Indonesian and Asian textiles in the public and patient rooms of the hospital when it opened in November 1989.

As a recipient of grants and fellowships, including the first staff fellowship of the Eugene McDermott Education Fund in 1975, Robbins visited museums and archaeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. She also studied Indonesian textiles in museums in The Netherlands.

“I hope the collection [of arts of the Americas and the Pacific] will preserve and make accessible objects that may not survive in their original environment, where traditions are rapidly changing,” Robbins once said. “I long for visitors to understand how wonderfully imaginative human beings are.”

About the Dallas Museum of Art

Established in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and groundbreaking educational programs. At the heart of the Museum and its programs is its global collection, which encompasses more than 25,000 works and spans 5,000 years of history, representing a full range of world cultures. Located in the vibrant Arts District of downtown Dallas, the Museum welcomes more than half a million visitors annually and acts as a catalyst for community creativity, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds with a diverse spectrum of programming, from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary events, and dramatic and dance presentations.

The Dallas Museum of Art is supported in part by the generosity of Museum members and donors and by the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas/Office of Cultural Affairs and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The Claire-Eoke All Media Review by Laney Yarber at Wordspace

Wordspace is a Dallas non-profit whose goal is to encourage and showcase indigenous Texas writers. I attended an event at their Oak Cliff location described as performance art on Saturday, May 12, 2012. I asked Wordspace director Karen X Minzer why they chose to include this type of event since it didn’t sound like a literary evening. Karen said that Laney is a writer that uses visual media to accentuate the monologue.

I’ve never seen a performance art piece, so I was eager to experience one.

Laney Yarber’s piece The Claire-Eoke All Media Review left me confused and frustrated. Laney appeared wearing a 1960s era vintage cocktail dress, white gloves and perky hat. The wardrobe led me to expect observations about women’s issues. She spent quite a bit of time promoting her favorite jazz musicians which was conversational and didn’t seem to be part of a monologue. There were also several of her longtime friends in the audience who appear in one of the videos. Once again it became a personal conversation while she described what was happening in the video.

Four videos were playing in addition to a jazz soundtrack. There were quite a bit of technical problems and Laney kept interrupting the performance to adjust dials and settings. There was karaoke toward the end, but I didn’t get the connection between the wardrobe, the avant garde art in the videos and singing karaoke.

Laney Yarber obviously has a lot of stories to tell, I just wasn’t sure tonight what they were.

The program will take place on the seventh floor at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on what would have been President Kennedy’s 95^th birthday – Tuesday, May 29, 2012 – at 7 p.m.  After the program, Matthews will sign copies of his latest book, Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero.

Tickets are $25 each and should be purchased in advance by calling 214.747.6660 ext. 5517.  Books are currently on sale at both Museum stores and online at store.jfk.org, and can be purchased on-site at the event.

Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero is based on personal interviews with those closest to President Kennedy, oral histories, documents from his years as a student at Choate and notes from Jacqueline Kennedy’s first interview after Dallas.  Matthews examines the 35^th president’s role in the genesis of the Peace Corps, his stand on civil rights, his push to put a man on the moon and his ban on nuclear arms testing.

As Matthews writes, “I found a fighting prince never free of pain, never far from trouble, never accepting the world he found, never wanting to be his father’s son.  He was a far greater hero than he ever wished us to know.”

For more information visit jfk.org.

Few figures epitomize eighteenth-century Europe as effectively as Giacomo Casanova. Famed for his amorous exploits, he led a richer and more complicated life than is generally acknowledged. A man of deep-seated intellectual ambitions, he was among the first jetsetters of modern times. Journey with Casanova through his Europe and see its art and people through his eyes.

Dickerson is co-curator and primary catalogue author of the highly anticipated exhibition Bernini: Sculpting in Clay, which opens at the Kimbell on February 3, 2013. He is the author of the fourth book in the Kimbell Masterpiece Series, “Raw Painting: ‘The Butcher’s Shop’ by Annibale Carracci,” and has co-curated exhibitions that include A Nativity from Naples: Presepe Sculpture of the Eighteenth Century (2008–9) and From the Private Collections of Texas: European Art, Ancient to Modern (2009–10).

These collections are comprised of 22,000 photographic prints and 200,000 negatives, manuscripts, other ephemera, books and related collections. Approximately 70 percent of the eight archives have yet to be digitized, and the proposed timeline for the effort is two years. The archives of these artists are owned by the Amon Carter, and their acquisition, beginning with Gilpin’s archive in 1979, transformed the museum into a major research institution.

“We are tremendously pleased that the NEH has awarded the Amon Carter this generous grant that will allow us to open the photography collection to the public in new ways,” says Andrew Walker, director. “Together, the works of these eight artists reflect the range of American diversity in the 20^th century and the collection as a whole offers a singular view into the lives of working Americans.”

The Amon Carter Museum of American Art houses one of the country’s major collections of American photography. The holdings span the history of the photographic medium in America and include works ranging from one of the earliest daguerreotypes produced in this country to contemporary digital prints. Although gallery space is devoted to photography exhibitions that rotate several times each year, thousands of images remain in storage. Providing virtual access opens eight significant archives as a continuous resource to all audiences.

“Access to the Artist Archives is the Amon Carter’s fifth large-scale digitization initiative,” says Jana Hill, collection information and imaging manager. “NEH support for this exciting project will allow the museum to publish these rarely seen collections to our website to encourage and inspire creative and scholarly explorations into the American experience through the medium of photography.”

Not only will the grant help further the Amon Carter’s overall goal of digitizing its permanent collection, it will also have value for researchers in fields outside of art history. The museum anticipates the appeal of these historical photographs will extend across disciplines to include those interested in the American environmental movement, film, sociology and economics, visual culture and women’s history.