Art News from Jenny Lane, Huntsville Museum of Art
Celebrate the Museum’s Annual Youth Art Month
Huntsville, AL – Join the Huntsville Museum of Art in celebrating one of its most important exhibitions: Youth Art Month. This year marks the 24th annual Youth Art Month (YAM) exhibition of student artwork on view in the Huth, Boeing I and Salmon galleries. This exhibition showcases nearly 200 exuberant works of art by youth in kindergarten through grade 12 from Huntsville City, Madison City, Madison County, Athens City, Limestone County, Decatur City, and Scottsboro City schools. These fantastic works of art will be on view March 13 through May 1, 2011.
The Congressional Art Competition, Visual Arts Achievement Program (VAA on view March 10-20), and Juried Art Teachers’ Biennial exhibitions complement the student artwork this year. Youth Art Month is observed nationally each March to emphasize the value of art education for children and to encourage public support for quality school art programs.
Join us as we celebrate the talents of North Alabama’s young artists, with a reception honoring the students and teachers whose works are on display on Sunday, March 13 from
1:00-3:00 pm. As part of the Museum’s Community Free Day program, admission fees will be waived to all visitors that day. Music provided by Strings of Pearl Chamber Ensemble following the Congressional Art Competition award presentation at 2:00 pm. This reception is sponsored by the HMA Board of Directors.
Visitors can also learn about a variety of different art techniques as artists work in their selected mediums right in the galleries! Demonstrations will include Robert Bean (oil painting), Kay Casteel (cartooning) and S. Renee Prasil (acrylic painting).
Major support for YAM 2011 programs is generously provided by:
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama Inc.
Aero Thermo Technology, Inc.
Additional support provided by:
The Daniel Foundation, Julian and Dorothy Davidson, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Whitcomb in Memory of Casie Alexandra Whitcomb, Alabama Alliance for Arts Education, The Alabama State Council on the Arts, The Women’s Guild of the Huntsville Museum of Art, The Huntsville Times.
Thanks,
Jenny Lane, Communications Manager
Huntsville Museum of Art
(256) 535-4350 ext. 219
www.hsvmuseum.org
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Celebrate the Museum’s Annual Youth Art Month in March
Thursday, February 24, 2011
WLRH Radio Interview: "Talking About Art" with artist Kristy Brown Feb. 25
Beth is interested in scheduling interviews with local artists for her Friday afternoon show. If you are interested please contact Beth at bnorwood@wlrh.org or (256)895-9574! This is a wonderful opportunity!
"Talking About Art" interviews are scheduled every other Friday (2nd and 4th Fridays of each month), and live music shows on the other Fridays.
Current line up:
March 11: Tyson Stinson, printer, painter, musician
March 25: Kimberly Hart, painter, mixed media artist
April 8: Susan Knowles, sequential artist
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Huntsville Museum of Art Announces Spring Art Classes
Art Museum announces Spring art classes
The Huntsville Museum of Art’s Museum Academy will offer art classes for children age 3 through eighth grade in ceramics, drawing, and painting. Other classes include Explorations in Color, Art Sprouts, ColorWorks, Art in Motion, Drawn to Drawing, Create a Ceramic Easter Bunny for Parent and Child, and Art for Homeschooled Students, Elements of Art – Sculpture.
High school and adult students can enjoy classes in ceramics, acrylic, oil, watercolor painting, wire and bead jewelry. Other classes include Sketching in the Galleries, Stained Glass Creations: Garden Sun Catchers, and Mosaic Stepping Stones.
To register call 256-535-4350, extension 222 or go online to http://www.hsvmuseum.org/ for a complete class listing. All classes and workshops will held at the Huntsville Museum of Art in the Museum Academy classrooms.
Laura E. Smith
Interim Education Director
Huntsville Museum of Art
300 Church Street South
Huntsville, AL 35801 USA
256.535.4350 ext. 222
lsmith@hsvmuseum.org
http://www.hsvmuseum.org/
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Blog Discussion: Art Versus Craft
By: Christina Wegman
To the Ancient Greeks, art and craft were synonymous, to the Aesthetes fine art was best when it represented beauty without function; thinkers, artists, and audiences of each era have expressed different notions regarding how functional, conceptual, or naturalistic art should be, and as Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky once wrote, "Every work of art is the child of its age. . ." Today’s eclectic art world seems to be seeing a healthy rise in unique and well-made craft items of all kinds displayed and sold as art, from traditional pottery to items which manage to recycle or “re-purpose” older materials. The Huntsville Art Blog would like to hear your views and spark a discussion.
Tell us in the comment section below, what are your thoughts on the relationship between art and craft? Do you consider yourself more of an artist or an artisan/craftsman and why?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Key to your heart: Oil Painting Workshop with Ann Moeller Steverson
Paint a romantic antique key while exploring traditional oil painting techniques. Choose from a selection of antique style keys and a variety of background fabric colors to create your own unique still life. A great class for beginners and advanced painters alike. All paint supplies and 8"x10" canvas provided, just bring your oil safe brushes (3 or 4 assorted small hogs hair brushes should be fine), favorite beverage, and a friend. Come create a beautiful oil painting in a relaxed atmosphere.
Two Saturdays- February 26th (6:00 PM to 9:30 PM) and March 5th (6:00 PM to 9:30 PM)
$105 for Huntsville Art League Members and $115 to Non-Members
Sign up with a friend and get $10 off.
Contact the Huntsville Art League at 256-534-3860 to sign-up.
Instructor: Ann Moeller Steverson
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wanted: Artists to interview on Public Radio Station WLRH
Tune into "Talking About Art" interviews every other Friday (2nd and 4th Fridays of each month), and live music shows on the other Fridays.
Current line up:
March 11: Tyson Stinson, printer, painter, musician
March 25: Kimberly Hart, painter, mixed media artist
April 8: Susan Knowles, sequential artist
Sidewalk Arts Stroll- May 19, June 16, July 21, and August 18- Accepting Applications
Greetings to all Artists, Merchants & Performers,
As we make preparations for the sixth year of the Sidewalk Arts Stroll, we are reminded that time flies when you are having fun! The Arts Stroll has become a part of Huntsville's social and cultural life, and so many people look forward to visiting with us on those third Thursdays. We anticipate our biggest season yet!
Mark your calendars for the dates of the 2011 Summer Arts Stroll Series: May 19, June 16, July 21, and August 18.
We thought we would step out in High Fashion at the May Stroll to celebrate the opening of the Summer Arts Stroll Series. There are a surprising number of clothing boutiques in the downtown area and we thought it would be fun to focus the May Arts Stroll around fashion and the arts! We will also invite a select number of artists who specialize in wearable art (okay, really cool clothes) to participate in the Stroll, and also ask local boutiques to stage fashion shows around the square. Obviously, we want (and need) all of you there as well. We believe fashion shows featuring our downtown boutiques and a 'fashion focus' would be a nice 'accessory' to the May arts stroll and help us attract a broader audience and build stronger crowds for subsequent stroll. Isn't this a great way to remind everyone that it is always chic to be in downtown Huntsville?
The Huntsville Botanical Gardens has offered us incredible opportunity for an Arts Stroll at the Botanical Gardens. One of the biggest Saturdays on the Botanical Gardens calendar will be Saturday, May 7 of Mother's Day Weekend. On this Saturday, the Gardens will celebrate the reopening of their hugely successful Butterfly house and welcome new tree houses to their much anticipated "Tree Houses with a Splash" exhibit. Based on their previous experiences, they estimate several thousands of people will visit the gardens on Saturday. To build in more fun for our community, the Botanical Gardens asked us to host an Arts Stroll on Saturday, May 7. The Botanical Gardens is one of North Alabama's most dynamic attractions, whose success reflects the devotion of its active and extensive membership base-and the strong stewardship of Paula Steigerwald (Botanical Gardens President and CEO) and her talented staff. (Visit the Garden's website at www.hsvbg.org to learn more about their activities and incredible community outreach programs.) We are honored they included us in their special weekend, and we hope you will join us as we create an Arts Stroll in the Gardens. Please review the attached application. We have limited spaces and require early commitments from those who want to be assured a place!
Our website www.sidewalkartsstroll.com has not yet been updated. Please contact us for applications for both venues at info@sidewalkartsstroll.com if you have any questions.
We look forward to a great 2011 season and may have some additional activities to discuss later in the season.
Dianne Burch and Donna Castellano
Sidewalk Events, LLC
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Wanted: Grant Writer for Huntsville Museum of Art
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Curt Benzle Sculpture on “Ceramics Technical” Cover
Wonderful art news from Curt Benzle:
A detail shot of a recent piece; “Blaze”, is on the cover of the current issue of “Ceramics Technical”. “Ceramics Technical” and its sister publication, “Ceramics: Art & Perception” are two very highly regarded magazines dedicated to international, contemporary, ceramic art so it was quite an honor to be selected for their cover.
“Blaze” Detail on Cover of Ceramics Technical
“Blaze” by Curt Benzle
“After You’re Gone” by Curt BenzleSunday, February 13, 2011
Valentine's Evening at 16 Main Gallery
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
DIY Art Valuation: 25 Free Online Tools to Value Your Art
Art News from Erica Vernon:
I just posted an article on my site entitled “DIY Art Valuation: 25 Free Online Tools to Value Your Art”
http://www.onlinemarketingdegree.org/diy-art-valuation-25-free-online-tools-to-value-your-art.
I thought the article was potentially something that would interest Huntsville Art Blog audience.
Thanks,
Erica Vernon
Art News from Ann Moeller Studios
"Hi Everybody, I need some followers of my blog. I'll be posting frequent pictures of my paintings as I make them. Thanks for the support! -Ann"
To check it out, follow the link below:
http://annmoellerstudios.blogspot.com/?psinvite=ALRopfUvthb4xhEPNPeoxtOpkHxo84deLJ0i_RFw05W4HfsQyRlkOWLkqo6A3G1qqDESsRh5UvK3f7UNuGM6Hx79nPbR1plzgw
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Huntsville Museum of Art: Helen Turner: A Woman’s Point of View- Opening Feb. 20
Helen Turner, La Belle CreoleHelen Turner: A Woman’s Point of View
February 20 – May 8, 2011
Huntsville, AL – The Huntsville Museum of Art is pleased to present Helen Turner: The Woman’s Point of View from February 20 through May 8, 2011. Organized by the Dixon Galleries and Gardens and curated by Jane Faquin, the exhibition and its accompanying catalogue will present over 40 paintings and works on paper by the extraordinary American Impressionist painter, Helen Maria Turner. The Woman’s Point of View sheds light on the critical role played by this talented and determined woman in advancing the visual arts in America.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky and raised in post-Civil War New Orleans, Helen Turner overcame desperate circumstances to become one of the most successful artists of the American South. She lived and worked in New Orleans, New York City, and Cragsmoor, an artist colony in upstate New York. From an early age, Turner was eager to pursue her interest in art, but lacked the resources for professional study. She spent her early career as an untrained painter of ivory miniatures. It was not until she was forty-seven years old that she saved enough money to study at New York’s Art Students League. Eventually adopting the Impressionist technique, under the tutelage of William Merritt Chase, Turner experienced great success as an artist when she was in her fifties.
The exhibition will feature four distinct themes that dominate Turner’s work: Interiors, Women in Nature, Portraits of Women and Landscapes. Her evocative interiors are indebted to the French Post-Impressionist painters Édouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard. She created most of her works while living at Cragsmoor, yet the majority of her portrait commissions took place in New Orleans, where she returned to live near the end of her life.
The Woman’s Point of View is sponsored by:
Ms. Sally Bennett, Dorothy and Julian Davidson, Olin B. King Foundation, Dr. and Mrs. Brian Scholl, The Women’s Guild of the Huntsville Museum of Art, The Alabama State Council on the Arts, and The Huntsville Times
Museum Hours:
CLOSED MONDAY
Tuesday – Saturday: 11:00 am – 4:00pm, extended hours on Thursday until 8:00pm
Sunday: 1:00 – 4:00pm
###
Jenny Lane
Communications Manager
Huntsville Museum of Art
jlane@hsvmuseum.org
(256) 535-4350 ext. 219
www.hsvmuseum.org
Monday, February 7, 2011
“The Last 10 Years” art exhibition by renowned caricaturist Don Howard
- Monday-Friday: New exhibition at Alabama A&M
The State Black Archives Research Center and Museum located in the Wilson Building is hosting “The Last 10 Years” art exhibition by renowned caricaturist Don Howard until March 4. Viewing hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Weekend and special tours by appointment only. Call 256-372-5846 for more information.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Featured Arts Community Leader: S. Renee Prasil
"The Party's On" by S. Renee Prasil
"One Rose" by S. Renee Prasil
"Missing You" by S. Renee PrasilInterview by Christina Wegman
Many artists wear several hats in their communities, and S. Renee Prasil, versatile artist, Huntsville Art League Education Director, and art instructor, is an inspiring example. In this month’s interview, she talks to the Huntsville Art Blog about HAL, her vivid artistic work, and her passion for the arts. To learn more about the Huntsville Art League, please visit http://www.huntsvilleartleague.org. To contact Renee, E-mail SmartArtsR@aol.com or education@huntsvilleartleague.org.
1. What inspires you to make art?
I am inspired to make art by EVERYTHING! It can be an emotion that gives inspiration to a piece, or it may be a color, or the way the light changes as it passes through the ice cubes in a glass of iced tea.
2. How did you become involved with the Huntsville Art League?
The Huntsville Art League (HAL) Gallery and Visual Arts Center has been the place 'Where ART Starts" since 1957. When I lived in the area the first time, I participated in HAL as a customer. Coming back to Huntsville in 2000, I joined this artists’ cooperative as an Exhibiting Artist in 2002. Shortly afterward, I began getting involved through the various committees and then became 1st Vice President. When our President needed to take some time off, I participated as Acting President and was subsequently elected to the position for the following term. In 2008, I was offered the position of Education Director, and began functioning as Bookkeeper in 2009. As an artists' Co-op, HAL relies strongly on volunteers and all of our artists are required to participate in some function in order to help HAL meet the needs of the community.
3. Tell us about a typical day as education director at the Art League. . . what do you enjoy most about your work?
Daily duties of the Education Director change! From finding qualified instructors for various art techniques and media, to preparing a quarterly schedule and juggling calendars, to taking registrations and making sure needed supplies (or supply lists) are on hand. I also handle the teacher contracts and payments. Sometimes I teach a class or two, and sometimes I get to take one! The thing that I like most about ALL of the work that I do with HAL is that by keeping the momentum going, this treasured bit of Huntsville history is able to continue being a vital part of the organization that 'began' the visual arts in Huntsville! Not only was HAL the founding organization of the Huntsville Museum of Art, but through providing artists with a place to begin their vocations/avocations, HAL has directly been a contributing member of most of the other organizations and businesses in our area-providing artists and artwork for other fundraisers, auctions, etc.
4. Do you have any specific goals for your art at this time?
Re: My goals for my art-- this is a rather difficult question to answer correctly. Of course, as a professional artist, my goal is primarily to continue to push myself and my processes and materials to communicate whatever it is that lies within me that I project through my art. I do this because this was the way I was created, and the media I choose is secondary to the passion. I also wish to achieve 'more'-- more professionalism, more freedom, more creative time. Time and time again, I've said I wish for my art to make people 'happy'. This is mostly the emotional reaction I have when I paint, so it is rewarding when the viewer feels this, too. But, sometimes the creative urge comes through less than pleasant circumstances. And I wish for that to connect with the viewer as well. That connection has resulted in several major corporations in the South becoming collectors of my art along with many private collectors. I use the term 'collector' for those who have purchased multiple pieces. Alabama Power Company is one of these. Bell South Birmingham is another. The President and Vice-President of Alabama Power have become private collectors, too. This is such an honor, and I am humbled and proud they have chosen my art as something they value.
5. What do you find most rewarding about teaching?
The question about what is most rewarding about teaching is an easy one to answer! It is the opportunity to connect others with art. When a student has that 'aha' moment, and understands finally how to manipulate the paint or the clay in order to get the material to perform as they wish---that is a treasure! I love this part, because once someone gains or regains that connection, they have found something that will enrich their lives! Art is something they can do alone or as part of a group. It can be big or small. They can stay in the same town where they were born and do it, or move to any major city and find a group of like-minded people to share their love for art. Art provides more than an outlet for emotion, provides more than a decorative trinket for our homes and offices. The process of creating art teaches our minds to process problems and arrive at solutions. It coordinates our hands and our eyes with our mental direction. It provides a way to gain self esteem when we receive praise from others for our work and a means of self-satisfaction whether others appreciate what we have done or not.
6. How can members of the community become more involved with HAL or help the organization grow?
HAL has been such a part of our community for over 50 years; it would be awesome for us to have a permanent 'home'. Every other community and city in Alabama with an Art League has provided a location for them-- either as an outright gift or at a token amount. I'll ask that reader of this interview do the research for themselves, so that they may do the comparisons of our city with areas that are assumed to be much less progressive. There are many ways for citizens to become involved with HAL. We currently serve a membership of over 350, which is greater than 10% of our city. Of these 350 members, HAL provides exhibition space on a regular basis to approximately 70 local artists and on a rotating basis to as many as a hundred more. HAL has provided art classes to disadvantaged and disabled people of all ages. "Funding" is always welcomed, whether through membership or classes, or purchases of art and jewelry or outright gifts and donations. We'd love to see more students participate in classes-- we have everything from “Japanimation” classes (cartooning) to website development to oil and watercolor. On the third Friday of every month, HAL provides instruction in a different medium and/or technique for children and adults, so that people can 'try before they buy" so to speak. For example, if you think you'd like to try watercolor but aren't sure and do not want to make the financial investment that is needed to purchase all of the supplies, check out a watercolor class at "pARTy with a Purpose" or "Future Heirlooms". These classes are as little as $20 and can get you started or just provide a fun evening out where you actually learn some valid art techniques. The adult class is called "pARTy with a Purpose" because all of the funding that HAL receives goes directly back into our community. Call me or Walt Schumacher-- our Gallery Director-- at HAL-256-534-3869 or E-mail education@HuntsvilleArtLeague.org for more info or to join!
7. What are your thoughts on Huntsville's art scene?
Huntsville has a bright future in the Arts! Our public and private schools offer outstanding art instruction in many media and techniques. Having so many people from so many places-- both from within the States and without-- and with the recent influx of public art, Huntsville is ripe for an ART EXPLOSION!! I'd like to see more concentration placed on 'local' art. We have seen the benefits to the Madison economy/community from their 'buy local, support local' stance. It would be nice to see Huntsville adopt a similar one! After all, HAL is still 'where ART starts' in Huntsville!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Featured Artist: Jennifer Martin
Featured Artist: Amita Bhakta
