Springfield Art Museum announces 2023 exhibition schedule, return of studio classes
The Springfield Art Museum is hosting 10 new gallery exhibitions in 2023, featuring the work of both local, national and international artists. The museum is also hosting in-person studio art classes again for the first time since spring 2020.
In total, the art museum is hosting 13 exhibitions in the new year, including returning favorites like "Watercolor USA" and "All School Exhibition."
'Art in Motion'
When: Jan. 21-July 9, 2023
Where: Hartman Gallery
"Art in Motion" will feature prints, sculptures, paintings and drawings from the museum's permanent collection. Highlighted artists include Anne Lindberg, Garo Zareh Antreasian, Jacob Burmood, Sylvia Glass, Ray Howlett and Carlos Cruz-Diez.
Gesture Drawing Workshops will be held in conjunction with the exhibition. The free workshops are each Wednesday between Jan. 11 and May 24, 2023 from 12:15-1 p.m. The workshop will focus on fast-paced gesture drawing. This type of drawing is intended to keep one's body and mind mobile, not to create a finished piece.
'Holding Space: Contemporary Enamel Vessels'
When: April 7-July 30, 2023
Where: Eldredge, Spratlen and Armstrong Galleries
"Holding Space: Contemporary Enamel Vessels" is a group exhibition, highlighting the enamel process through the examination of vessel forms. The exhibition will feature works from local artist Sarah Perkins, along with Beate Gegenwart, Tanya Crane, Harlan Butt, Helen Carnac, Jessica Calderwood, Kat Cole, Yi Chen, Barbara Minor and June Schwarcz.
This group exhibition, which has been in development for several years, is the museum's first that focuses solely on the enamel process, Museum Affairs Officer Joshua Best said.
Enameling is a technique where powdered glass is fused to a surface through firing. This technique can be completed on metal, glass, ceramics, stone or other materials that have the ability to withstand the extreme temperatures of firing.
All School Exhibition
When: March 4-April 23, 2023
Where: Weisel and Kelly Galleries
Each March since 1931, the Springfield Art Museum celebrates Youth Art Month with its annual All School Exhibition. Local students in kindergarten to 12th grade have the opportunity to submit artwork to the exhibition and area faculty help curate.
The middle and high school student showcase is Friday, March 3, 2023 from 5:30-7 p.m. The kindergarten through second grade student showcase is Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 10 a.m. to noon and the third through fifth grade student showcase is Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 2-4 p.m.
Missouri State University MFA Showcase
When: May 6-28, 2023
Where: Weisel and Kelly Galleries
Each year, the Springfield Art Museum hosts Missouri State University's Master of Fine Arts Showcase. This year's exhibition features six thesis bodies of work from students Dana Bridges, Rick Briggenhorst, Meidi Karampour, Teddy Osei, Shauna LeAnn Smith and Jean Paul Vivas.
The exhibition's opening night is Friday, May 5 from 5:30-7 p.m.
'Watercolor USA' 2023
When: June 10-Sept. 3, 2023
Where: Weisel and Kelly Galleries
Celebrating 62 years in 2023, "Watercolor USA" is a national juried exhibition featuring contemporary American watercolor paintings. The judge for 2023 is watercolorist Keiko Tanabe.
The opening reception for "Watercolor USA" is Friday, June 9, 2023 from 5:30-7 p.m.
The call for "Watercolor USA" opens Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 8 a.m. and closes Wednesday, Feb. 22 at midnight. For more information about the call for artists, visit the museum's website at sgfmuseum.org/246/Watercolor-USA.
'Blue on White'
When: July 22-Dec. 3, 2023
Where: Hartman Gallery
"Blue on White" will feature 27 Chinese blue-white porcelain objects from the museum's permanent collection. The exhibition will examine the artform's history in connection to Persia, the use of important Chinese symbols in its decoration and its eventual cultural appropriation through exportations across Europe and North America.
'Tradition Interrupted'
When: Aug. 19-Nov. 12, 2023
Where: Eldredge, Spratlen and Armstrong Galleries
"Tradition Interrupted" is a traveling international gallery exhibition, made up of about 22 artworks from 11 different artists. The exhibition explores the merging of traditional techniques with contemporary ideas through sculpture, installation and 2-D artworks.
"(The artists are) really engaging with this idea that's about traditional arts and crafts turned into high art, so deconstructing the craft process and elevating it in a different way," Best said.
Artists featured in the exhibition include Anila Quayyum Agha of Pakistan, Faig Ahmed of Azerbaijan, Camille Eskell of the United States, Mounir Fatmi of Morocco, Ana Gómez of Mexico, Shirin Hosseinvand of Iran, Dinh Q. Lê of Vietnam, Steven Young Lee of the United States, Jaydan Moore of the United States, Ramekon O’Arwisters of the United States, Jason Seife of the United States, and Masami Teraoka of Japan.
Jordan Eagles
When: Sept. 23, 2023-Feb. 18, 2024
Where: Weisel and Kelly Galleries
Jordan Eagles is a New York-based artist whose recent work advocates for "fair blood donation policies, anti-stigma and equality," according to the art museum's website.
Eagles' solo exhibition at the art museum, which has been in the works for several years, will feature his work, "Blood Mirror." The large resin sculpture is made up of 59 different blood donations from gay, bisexual and transgender men. The exhibition will also include comic books and World War II propaganda posters that connect American pop culture and queer blood.
Best said the art museum has featured Eagles' work in the past, but this will be his first solo exhibition at the museum.
'Spirit of Independence: Kent Bicentennial Portfolio'
When: Dec. 2, 2023-March 24, 2024
Where: Eldredge Gallery
The "Spirit of Independence: Kent Bicentennial Portfolio" will feature work from 12 different artists who were asked to create pieces that answered the question: "What does independence mean to you?" These artworks were created for the Kent Bicentennial Program in 1976 and are a part of the museum's permanent collection.
Artists included in the portfolio include Alex Katz, Audrey Flack, Colleen Browning, Edward Ruscha, Fritz Scholder, Jacob Lawrence, Joseph Hirsch, Larry Rivers, Marisol Escobar, Red Grooms, Robert Indiana and Will Barnet.
'Collection Focus: Lithography'
When: Dec. 2, 2023-March 24, 2024
Where: Armstrong Gallery
The museum's "Collection Focus" exhibitions aim to connect the community with the museum's permanent collection, which includes over 10,000 individual objects.
Printmaking comprises the largest media in the museum's permanent collection, according to the museum's website. About 30% of the permanent collection is made of printmaking works, established by the museum's first full-time director Winslow Ames in 1947. "Collection Focus: Lithography" will highlight these works.
'Collection Focus: Bradi Barth'
When: Dec. 2, 2023-Aug. 4, 2024
Where: Spratlen Gallery
A Swiss-artist, Bradi Barth created "enigmatic and expressively realistic paintings" in craquelue, a texture-creating technique done by layering of glazes and color," according to the museum's website. "Collection Focus: Bradi Barth" will feature 13 paintings by Barth.
'Collection Focus: Glenna Goodacre'
When: Dec. 2, 2023-Aug. 4, 2024
Where: Spratlen Gallery
Glenna Goodacre was a sculptor, popularly known for her Vietnam Women's Memorial sculpture in Washington D.C. and design of the United States millennium dollar coin. "Collection Focus: Glenna Goodacre" will feature 11 paintings and sculptures by Goodacre.
'Material Worlds of Antiquity'
When: Dec. 9, 2023-June 16, 2024
Where: Hartman Gallery
"Material Worlds of Antiquity" will feature ancient objects from the museum's permanent collection. The exhibition is curated by Missouri State University Egyptology students under the guidance of faculty Julia Troche and Bryan Brinkman.
4 exhibitions continuing into the new year
"Humanities: Vol. 2," "Rodney Frew," "Frieda Logan: Swap Meet" and "Lyrical Abstraction" are four exhibitions that opened this year and will continue through spring 2023.
Museum hosts art classes for first time in nearly three years
Due to the pandemic, the art museum has been unable to host studio art classes since March 2020, Best said. In 2023, studio art classes are returning with focuses on specific techniques and mediums. Eight studio classes will be held through the spring:
Ceramics: Eight-week course on Thursdays between Jan. 5-Feb. 23, 2023 from 5:45-7:75 p.m. The class fee is $320. Students will learn pinching, coiling, slab construction, texturing, finishing and glazing.
Charcoal Drawing: Three-week course on Wednesdays between Jan. 11-25, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. The class fee is $120.
Screen Printing for Beginners: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The class fee is $75. Students will assemble a screen for printing, transfer their design and print onto a fabric of choice.
Still Life Painting: Three-week course on Wednesdays between Feb. 1-15, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. The class fee is $120. Students will learn layout and composition, complete a foundational drawing and use acrylic paint to create a final work.
Abstract Sculptures in Paper-Mache: Three-week course on Sundays between Feb. 5-26, 2023 from 1-3 p.m. The class fee is $150. Students will create an abstract hanging or standing sculpture.
Metals: Sawing and Texturing: Three-week course on Wednesdays between March 1-15, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. The class fee is $150. Students will learn how to use jeweler's saws, files and a drill press to create a pendant or pair of earrings from copper and brass.
Enameling: Three-week course on Wednesdays between April 5-19, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. The class fee is $150. Students will learn how to prepare materials and use a small enameling kiln. Students will complete at least one small project.
Mixed Media Collage: Three-week course on Wednesdays between May 3-17 from 6-8 p.m. The class fee is $120. Students will explore different mediums inspired by the museum's permanent collection and create mixed media collages.
To learn more about each studio class or to register, visit the museum's website at sgfmuseum.org/161/Adult-Studio-Classes.
Reflecting on a successful year
Best said the museum had several wins throughout 2022, including the museum's largest single donation. The museum received a $5 million gift from The Sunderland Foundation in March, which expedited the museum's 30-year Master Plan to a seven-year project. The plan, revealed in 2018, includes renovations of the museum grounds, education wing, west entry and galleries and auditorium. Best said the bulk of the grounds construction was completed this year.
The museum also unveiled its first two "Humanities" exhibitions, which features work from the museum's permanent collection and new work created by three local artists. A "great success" for the museum was the participatory exhibit, "Yoko Ono: Mend Piece."
"It was incredibly well received by the community," Best said. "It really helped people come together after (the museum) opened up more after the pandemic to really invite the community back into the art museum."
The Springfield Art Museum is located at 1111 E. Brookside Drive. The museum is open Sunday from 1-5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday noon to 8 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Art Museum to host 10 exhibitions, return of art classes
