UIMA Fall 2008

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January 4, 2009

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Eye Witness: Daniel Heyman’s Portraits of Iraqi Torture VictimsHumanities Gallery, Old Capitol Museum

10:30 a.m. Elliott Society Lecture Series with Dale Fisher: “On Chemistry: Artist + Audience” Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

10:30 a.m. Elliott Society Lecture Series with Dale Fisher: “Same as it Ever Was: Art During Wartime” Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

10:30 a.m. Elliott Society Lecture Series with Dale Fisher: “Culture Wars”

Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

7:00 p.m. Elliott Society Lecture series with Dale Fisher: “Art as Instrument for Change” Wrap-up Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

E V E N T S

D O N O R E V E N T SOctober 7

October 14

October 21

October 28

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Events are subject to change.Check our website often for updated info: www.uiowa.edu/uima

September 19 7:30 p.m. ”Word Painter” Reading: Spring Ulmer Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

October 10 5:00-7:00 p.m. “Know the Score LIVE!” Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

October 11 8:00-11:00 p.m. THE MUSEUM PARTY! Hotel Vetro, Iowa City

October 31 3:30-5:30 p.m. Eye Witness Symposium “Face-to-Face: The Terror of Interrogation” Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

November 7 5:00-7:00 p.m. “Know the Score LIVE!” Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

December 5 5:00-7:00p.m. “Know the Score LIVE!” Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

December 4 4:00 p.m. Eye Witness Gallery Talk: Daniel Heyman Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

November 14 7:30 p.m. “Word Painter” Reading: David Torrey Peters Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

UNIVERSITY of IOWA MUSEUM of ART

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in these programs, please contact the Museum of Art in advance at (319) 335-1727. The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in employment and in its educational programs and activities on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preference. The University also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to University facilities. For additional information on nondiscrimination policies, contact the Coordinator of Title IX, Section 504, and the ADA in the Office of Affirmative Action, (319) 335-0705 (voice) or (319) 335-0697 (text), the University of Iowa, 202 Jessup Hall, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1316.

are creatively finding ways to fulfill the UIMA’s mission, and in these pages you will find news of many exciting exhibitions and programs, all of which prove that walls alone do not define a museum.

We know that we will not put art back into the Museum building. However, formal planning for a new museum has not yet begun. I invite you to think about what a new museum could be, and I welcome your ideas, hopes, and dreams as we move forward with this endeavor.

As staff members of the UIMA, we are honered to be stewards of the collection for the people of Iowa, as well as the world. Now more than ever we need your help. We just held a wonderful MUSEUM PARTY! where patrons showed and outpouring of support for the UIMA. I invite all of you to become involved with the UIMA—either through financial contributions or volunteer efforts. We were so fortunate to save our collection, and we will continue to find new and innovative ways to bring the collection to you. We encourage you to become a committed friend of the Museum as we create a new future for the UIMA!

Written and edited by Maggie AndersonDesigned by Guldeniz Danisman Martinek

FROM THEDIRECTOR

Pamela WhiteInterm Director

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The UIMA Magazine is sponsored by Hands Jewelers: William Nusser and Elizabeth Boyd.

Front image: Aerial view of UIMA surrounded by water in June 2008.

UIMA Advisory BoardNancy Willis, ChairRonald CohenGerald Eskin Robert FellowsBruce GantzSusann HamdorfJames HayesMyrene HooverAnn JanuaryDorothy Johnson, ex officioRichard LevittJames LindbergMary Keough LymanLynette Marshall, ex officioLinda PaulCarl Schweser

Members CouncilKristin Summerwill, PresidentKumi Morris, Vice PresidentNick Hotek, Past PresidentCharlie Anderson, Chair, Volunteer CommitteePaulina Muzzin, Chair, Events CommitteeRuth BentlerDavid BrightCatherine ChampionLowell DoudAngela Gartelos DoyleKristin HardyTeresa KellyPolly LepicSugar MarkMonica MoenAmy NicknishJack PiperDrew SchillerMark SeaboldAlan SwansonCandy Wong

It is difficult to believe that it is already fall in Iowa. The staff and I have had an extraordinary summer dealing with the flood. On June 13,

we evacuated the Museum building on orders from the National Guard, having removed 80% of the collection to art storage in Chicago. After the flood waters receded, staff members, conservationists, and art handlers spent nearly four weeks extricating the remaining works. We are happy to report that all is safe and that none of the collection sustained any lasting damage. Having saved the collection, we now find ourselves able to address the issues associated with the flood’s aftermath.

We are faced with an unusual challenge. How do we carry out the UIMA’s mission without a building? How do we sustain research and instruction without having the collection readily accessible? As we pursue solutions for these problems, we know one thing for certain: the UIMA cannot and will not disappear. We

P.S. On behalf of the UIMA staff, I would like to thank you for all of your support as we have dealt with inquiries about potentially selling Jackson Pollock’s Mural to pay for UI flood relief. The public outcry has been greater than we ever imagined. Hundreds of you have communicated your position against this potential sale, and we are pleased to report that the Iowa Board of Regents is no longer considering the sale of this painting!

Jackson Pollock, Mural, 1943, oil on canvas

In June 2008, devastating waters rose from the banks of Iowa’s rivers and flooded communities across the state. The UIMA was completely surrounded by water for weeks; inside, three to four inches of water sat in the building’s main level. But with the help of a dedicated team of UIMA staff members, outside experts, University and student employees, and Museum volunteers, the UIMA saved its precious art collection and evacuated it to art storage in Chicago.

Several members of the UIMA staff visited the collection in Chicago in late August. They left the storage and conservation facilities feeling optimistic: limited access to the collection will be available for class use, research, exhibitions, and educational programming. In addition, the UIMA can continue to make art purchases and add gifts to the collection, ensuring its continued growth and vitality during this transitional time.

UI President Sally Mason is committed to the UIMA as a valuable facet of the University’s educational mission, and has promised that the UIMA can count on a world-class structure to house our collection in the future. In the meantime, the Museum staff is working to address pressing educational needs by bringing some of the collection back to Iowa City for use by University classes. Recently, UIMA Chief Curator Kathleen Edwards selected a broad cross-section of more than 200 prints, drawings, and photographs from the UIMA collection to return to the UI. They will be stored in UI Libraries Special Collections, a space already secure, climate-controlled, and accessible for classes. Other

parts of the collection may tour nationally and internationally, showcasing Iowa’s treasures across the globe.

The flood was a tragic event for all involved, as the stories that follow demonstrate, but with your help the UIMA will emerge stronger and better than ever.

------Jeff Martin, a UIMA employee for 25 years, began work at the Museum in 1983 and is currently the Museum’s Manager of Exhibitions and Collections.

“We had less than five days notice of evacuation before the building was locked on Friday, June 13. We were there working late most nights, but we were still thinking that there was a good chance that the levee would hold. But by Thursday morning I knew we weren’t going to keep the water out.

“The last few days of sgetting things out seemed endless. Every time we turned around there was another shelf in storage to move.

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“It was 7 or 7:30 a.m. when the trucks got here on Friday. We got most of the things we had packed onto the trucks; the rest we moved up. I’d been up all night. The adrenaline was still running pretty high at that point. It was difficult to maintain a calm atmosphere during the packing…afterward it was even harder. The building was filthy and smelled bad—depressing. It was hard to work. You really started to have the emotional response. Seeing all of the stuff come out, seeing the building ripped apart—it was like seeing a good friend get an autopsy.”

------Ed Ripp, a 1975 UI graduate, has been a bookseller in Chicago since 1991. He specializes in rare and out-of-print art, photography, and design books.

“It was heartbreaking to see the footage of the floods on TV of places that I had been in the recent and distant past—just an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. The thing that really knocked me over, the image, was the water on Dubuque Street in front of the Mayflower. I’ve driven that street I don’t know how many hundreds of times—and there’s the water up the steps of the Mayflower.

“So I felt, even though I’m not there, that this was impacting people who are like family to me, and I had to do something. I’m too old to lift and fill sandbags—or at least do it and walk for the next week—so I made a decision to give a percentage of my gross sales of June and July ’08 to various Iowa not-for-profits to aid with damage done by the flood.”

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Shanti Roundtree is an editor with the local publishing company Buckle Down. She lives off of Riverside Drive near the Iowa River. The following is an excerpt from a story she wrote soon after the flood.

“From my porch vantage, I saw the brackish waters pool, then push toward parked Cambuses, gas pumps, the city jail. Sandbag after sandbag, slumped one on top the other, seemed a feeble border to keep the surge out. Yet, hopeful, stolid, and soon to be sun-reddened, the Iowans persisted. Citizens lopped bags, end-over-end, through many sizes of waiting hands. Volunteers, quite tenderly cradling each bag with the prayer that it would do its part and then tossing it on, in timed rhythm, toward the growing wythe. Thrown bags, the size of 9-month-olds, huddled in anticipation, with sweat as the mortar.

“For what I needed to see next, the grassy slope abutting Myrtle was an even better crow’s nest than my porch. I flip-flopped across the paved alley, down the sloping sidewalk and tar, and upward through the moist grass.

“For a while, I sat, watching the arching machinations of the Iowans at the waters’ arc. I observed the movements of the river. Iowa had breached across the car-lot, the four lanes of Riverside Drive, and lapped against the grass at the base of my perch. Rippling through the water, were several fish—lunker carp, to be exact. As they looked for worms and beetles in the sediment, they flopped, sucking air very audibly before each eventual submerge.”

More photographs online www.uiowa.edu/uima

Eye Witness: Daniel Heyman’s Portraits of Iraqi Torture Victims November 1, 2008-January 4, 2009Hanson Family Humanities Gallery, Old Capitol Museum

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Daniel Heyman, Did you

Ever See This? Did This

Happen to You?, 2008,

gouache and ink on

Nishinoushi paper,

25” x 37.” Photo Credit:

Paul Ryder.


“The choice of subjects is the most important moment an artist has for expressing himself—it’s the moment when he says, ‘This is what I am about.’” — Daniel Heyman, 2007

“Did you ever see this? Did this happen to you?

“Yes I saw this. Yes this happened to me. Yes I saw this often. To me, to

others.”

— Detainee interview excerpt from Daniel Heyman’s watercolor Did

you Ever See This? Did This Happen to You?, 2008, gouache and ink

on Nishinoushi paper, 25” x 37.”

“I saw this.”

“This is how it happened.”

— Title of plates 44 and 47, respectively, in Francisco Goya de

Lucientes’ aquatint print series The Disasters of War, created in the

1810s and published in 1863.

Daniel Heyman, From the Time of Morning Prayers, 2008, gouache and ink on

Nishinoushi paper, 25” x 37.” Photo Credit: Paul Ryder.

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Artists have long put themselves in the role of

witness. Exploiting the power of visual media, they

document atrocious events to ensure they are

remembered and to fight against their repetition.

The artist-as-witness tradition is evidenced in the

UI Museum of Art’s print collection. For example:

Goya’s Disasters of War uses occasionally jarring

and grotesque imagery to draw attention to the

injustices and cruelty of the Spanish War for

Independence (part of the Napoleonic Wars in

the early 1900s); Jacques Callot’s Miseries of War,

inspired by the Thirty Years Wardocuments the

callous behavior of soldiers and their subsequent

demise; and Mauricio Lasansky uses visceral,

gnashing motifs to depict the horrors of World

War II in his Nazi Drawings.

The Museum’s most recent print acquisition, The

Amman Portfolio, a drypoint etching series by

Philadelphia artist Daniel Heyman, extends this

narrative to present-day human-rights issues in the

Middle East: Heyman has created expressionistic,

spare portraits of former Abu Ghraib detainees. The

series of eight prints will be on display in the Old

Capitol Hanson Family Humanities Gallery as a part

of the UIMA exhibition Eye Witness: Daniel Heyman’s

Portraits of Iraqi Torture Victims, organized by the

Museum’s Chief Curator, Kathleen Edwards.

The story of The Amman Portfolio begins in

the spring of 2004, when Daniel Heyman read

investigative journalist Seymour Hersh’s New Yorker

magazine piece “Torture at Abu Ghraib.”

Hersh’s article exposed the rampant and illegal

human rights abuses that had been occurring

at the U.S. prison in Abu Ghraib. His main source

was a U.S. Military report written by Major General

Antonio M. Taguba, which detailed some of the


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wrongdoing: harsh beatings, threats of rape,

intimidation with dogs, pouring cold water on

naked detainees, and other atrocities. Tauba’s

report and its devastating contents were never

meant to be made public.

With Hersh’s words in The New Yorker appeared

photographs taken by servicemen and womn.

Taguba referenced the images in his report

as “extremely graphic” evidence, but did not

include them because of their “sensitive nature.”

They showed the tortured detainees, naked (at

times piled together), hooded, broken, forced

to perform humiliating actions as military

personnel standing around them grinned and

gave a thumbs up.

After Heyman read Hersh’s article, he said he

felt the images of the tortured Iraqis were

“burned” into his mind. He began using imagery

of hooded figures in his work, portraying them

with arms suspended by wires or feet teetering

on inflated balls.

It was a chance meeting with Philadelphia

attorney Susan Burke and Detroit attorney

Shereef Akeel that led Heyman into contact with more than 25 Abu Ghraib detainees. The two

lawyers, of Burke Pyle, LLC and Akeel & Valentine, PLC, respectively, had been joined by the Center

for Constitutional Rights and Human Rights Watch to mount a class action lawsuit on behalf of the

tortured former detainees. The lawyers frequently travel to the Middle East to talk with their clients.

Burke invited Heyman, in his capacity as an artist, to accompany them on an upcoming journey to

Amman, Jordan in 2006.

Heyman’s position had evolved from indirect to direct witness.

Daniel Heyman, He Could Feel the Dog's Breath, drypoint print on BFK from The Amman Portfolio, 2006, 27” x 22.” Purchased with funds from Julie and Carl Schweser.

Daniel Heyman, detail from The Blackwater Incident, 2008, watercolor accordion book. Closed: 19 ¾” x 13 ¾”; open: 19 ¾” x 273 ¾.”

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I sit in this hotel room and draw the face of an Iraqi who is telling the most humiliating and degrading story of his life. I try to disappear. I draw, first a small sketch on a scrap of paper, and then a copper plate using a stylus. This plate will be the matrix for a print.

As I listen and draw, I am also inscribing the words I hear into the copper, backwards. I have to write very quickly, so that I do not loose the thread of the story. I need to evaluate what I hear—is this the part I will transcribe, is it a story that condenses the whole experience, or through it will a viewer understand what this is about? So it is a game of waiting and listening. I also have to judge how long the interview will go on to leave enough space for an upcoming story. If there is no room on the plate, I type the story into the computer. I have done very little editing. Hopefully it will retain the freshness of the interview.

The result of Heyman’s transcriptions is a collection of stark yet expressionistic prints, drawings,

watercolors, and gouaches (he switched to watercolor when he ran out of printmaking materials),

that force the viewer to recognize the subject’s humanity.

Since that initial visit to Amman, Heyman has returned to the Middle East with the legal team six

times, creating a large body of work—many prints, as well as two long, painted accordion books and

about 20 gouache paintings—that addresses the human rights issues of the US involvement in the

Middle East. The two accordion books, five of his gouache paintings, and the Amman Portfolio will

be on display in the Eye Witness exhibition.

“The space seemed to reverberate with a cacophony of voices that would not be silenced.”

—Art in America review of an exhibition of Heyman’s work

“The subjects’ descriptions of abusive treatment by United States guards and interrogators—handwritten

by Mr. Heyman into the spaces surrounding the images—are appalling, infuriating and heartbreaking.”

—The New York Times

By traveling to the Middle East, Heyman wanted to “reclaim for the victims of torture their right to

describe what happened in their own words.”

“You look at the picture of the person in the hood, and you hate torture, but you don’t think of that

person,” he said. “It’s hard to think that this person is someone who may have been taken from his family

in the middle of the night. The story of who they are is not there.”

Much like a courtroom artist, the 44-year-old worked quickly to create works that told the former detainees’

stories. He chose to make portraits and fill the spaces around the figures with direct transcription of their

words in order to let them speak for themselves. In his journal, he describes his working method:

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“I don’t think Abu Ghraib is over. It certainly isn’t over for the

people who were there.”

—Daniel Heyman

Heyman said many have wondered why he chose to create these

portraits initially as prints. Frankly, he said, it never occurred to

him to use any other medium.

“For me drawing, the intimate act of looking at a person sitting

in front of me and trying with more or less success to ‘capture’

in some way that person with line and shape and texture is

the most honest way to work,” Heyman said. “The subject is

as aware as I am of the contact—at times a cold and objective

visual examination—and any difficulty between us only makes

the process more truthful.”

In Heyman’s mind, printmaking offers a connection with the

viewer that is simply not possible using another medium, while

simultaneously creating the capability to make multiples and

reach a larger audience. Printmaking is historically the favored

medium for dissemination of information, and like the wartime

artists before him, Heyman wants his work to serve a larger

purpose.

“We are so inundated with photos and videos of everything you

can think of, from the good to the bad, the beautiful and the

disturbing, that the photo in general is something we can (and

do) ignore,” he said. “Drawings for all their history are always and

increasingly a surprise to look at, and that surprise captivates

us—it is perhaps in the end that they do not look like life that we

are drawn into their own very peculiar vocabulary, and made to

listen.”

This exhibition and surrounding programming are sponsored

by Julie and Carl Schweser, Joyce and W. Richard Summerwill,

Serena Stier and Steve Burton, and the University of Iowa College

of Law, and presented by the UIMA in collaboration with Old

Capitol Museum and the UI Center for Human Rights, the College

of Law, and the UI School of Art and Art History.

Extended through May 2009 at the Johnson County Historical Society Museum, 860 Quarry Road, Coralville

Farm Life in Iowa:

Photographs by A.M.

(Pete) Wettach

Thirty photographs from the UIMA collection

commemorating farm life in Iowa from the 1930s into the

1950s.This exhibition has traveled to 14 venues in the state of Iowa

since 2003.Curated by Kathleen A.

Edwards, UIMA Chief Curator

Cutline: Man and woman keeping records while a girl watches, 1940 printed from the negative in 2003, silver

gelatin photograph, Museum purchase, 2007.15

Daniel Heyman, Disco Mosul, drypoint print on BFK from The Amman Portfolio, 2006, 27” x 22.”

Purchased with funds from Julie and Carl Schweser.

Two Turntables and a Microphone:

Hip-Hop Contexts and the Photography of

Harry AllenWriter and artist Harry Allen captured the spirit of the nascent hip-hop movement with his pen and camera lens in the 1980s. Traveling with seminal hip-hop group Public Enemy as their “media assassin,” Allen documented the emerging hip-hop street culture, musical beginnings, and the lives of famous players. Forty of Allen’s photographs form the core of this show; they are complemented by hip-hop audio clips, framed flyers, and a slide show of graffiti art by Lady Pink, the famed female graffiti artist.

Associated Events:

Symposium: “Face-to-Face: The Terror of Interrogation” 3:30-5:30 p.m. Friday, October 31Senate Chamber, Old Capitol MuseumTelevision programs like “24” and the news media use visual imagery to manipulate our emotional response to terrorism and interrogation. The subsequent mood of public anxiety contributes to the creation of an environment where real-world abuses of justice such as those at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib can occur. This symposium, which is presented by the UI College of Law and organized by David Danzig, director of “Prime Time Torture Project,” Human Rights First, and Dr. Serena Stier, UI adjunct professor of law and art history, will examine interrogation and its methods. The symposium will include comments by former interrogater Joshua Casteel and UI law professor Tung Yin. The general public is encouraged to attend and ask questions. A preview tour of the correlating UIMA exhibition, Eye Witness: Daniel Heyman’s Portraits of Iraqi Torture Victims will follow the presentation.

Gallery Talk with Daniel Heyman 4 p.m. Thursday, December 4Senate Chamber, Old Capitol MuseumJoin the artist as he tours his work and talks about his artistic process.

Panel Discussion on “Know the Score LIVE!”5-7 p.m. Friday, December 5Senate Chamber, Old Capitol MuseumThis special edition of “Know the Score LIVE!” will be in the form of a panel discussion about human rights and the idea of art as a historical record. Participants include artist Daniel Heyman, UI Playwrights Workshop and Nonfiction Writing Program student Joshua Casteel (author, Letters From Abu Ghraib, 2008), and UI Professor Peter Kramer (author, The Blood of Governments: Race, Empire, the United States, and the Philippines, 2006).

In the Footsteps of Masters:

The Evolution of the Reproductive PrintThis print exhibition, organized by UIMA Curatorial Graduate Assistant Nathan Popp, uses works from the UIMA permanent collection to examine the origins of printmaking as a functional tool for mass reproduction and distribution. By arranging prints chronologically and thematically, the exhibit will stress how prints have evolved over time to become an independent art form and demonstrate how artists were often inspired and motivated to create their own works based on the achievements of other artists.

Upcoming Exhibitions

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We’re on Facebook!Call me Iowa—

Iowa Art.

That’s the new Facebook identity the UIMA

adopted last semester when joining the online

social networking site Facebook. The site offers

a great way for the Museum to connect with

its cyber audience. Facebook has 69 million

users worldwide, and in the University of Iowa

network alone, Facebook counts nearly 40,000

members—that’s almost 10,000 more than the

number of students who enroll at the UI each

year!

Museum collection goes digitalImages of nearly

half of the Museum’s

over 12,000 objects

are available online

through the UI Library

Iowa Digital Library’s

“Iowa Gallery,” at

http://digital . l ib.

uiowa.edu/uima/.

The Iowa Digital

Library is a valuable

electronic archival and research resource, storing

more than 100,000 digital objects—photographs,

maps, sound recordings and documents—from

the University of Iowa Libraries and its partnering

institutions, including the UIMA. Working with

the UI Libraries, Museum staffers continue to add

images to the UIMA digital art collection, which

debuted last November, with the goal of having

every item in the collection digitally accessible by

2009. The Museum staff has been photographing

works in the collection, as well as standardizing

the data entry methods to make the objects easily

searchable. This ambitious collaborative project

enables remote users to easily browse the UIMA

permanent collection, making data accessible

to scholars, journalists, and students around the

world, as well as students right here at the UI!

We blog“Art Matters,” the UIMA

blog at uima.blogspot.com debuted in January

2008 in advance of the

VOOM PORTRAITS Robert

Wilson exhibition. You might be asking: “Why is it

important for the UIMA to have a blog?” Here, UIMA

Marketing & Media Manager Maggie Anderson

tries to answer those potential questions.

Q: Why did you start the blog?

A: We can only publish so many stories in our

magazine, but the blog provides a limitless

platform. For example, using the blog we were

able to give Museum-lovers a sneak-peak into

the workings of the Museum and some of the

behind-the-scenes happenings during VOOM. As

technology plays an increasingly important role in

connecting an organization with its supporters, a

blog is a crucial tool for the UIMA.

Q: What do you hope to achieve?

A: First, we want to get more great information

about the Museum out there; our other main goal

is to give readers the chance to interact with the

Museum, which they can do on a blog by posting

comments. As a public institution, we’re always

trying to figure out how best to serve our users,

and blogs offer a very direct way of starting a

conversation. Not to mention that one of our key

constituencies is students—and where are young

people communicating? Online. Museums must

shed the image many people have of a tired,

old institution. In reality not only do we have art

that is as timeless today as when it was created,

but we’re also constantly bringing in new and

interesting artists—like Robert Wilson or Daniel

Heyman, whose topical works about Abu Ghraib

will be exhibited this fall.

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Go online now to see what we’re up to: www.uiowa.edu/uima

Preserving the Past:The African CollectionDana Moffett, a Smithsonian-recommended conservator and specialist in African Art, visited the UIMA for a week in December 2007 to assess the UIMA’s famed African art collection. She surveyed 212 African objects and textiles to establish baseline condition assessments, provide treatment priorities, and estimate treatment times.

Evaluation by a professional conservator is one of the Museum’s important responsibilities as the caretaker of the precious objects in our collection. Dana did a wonderful job, classifying each work of art from one to four: “Priority One” means an object requires urgent care and “Priority Four” means the object needs no treatment. Dana found 39 objects to be Priority One, 26 Priority Two, 99 Priority Three, and 48 Priority Four. With this new information, the UIMA is working to develop a schedule for treatment.

EXHIBITION AND COLLECTION NEWS

Voom exhibition breaks attendance recordNearly 16,000 people attended VOOM PORTRAITS Robert Wilson from Feb. 2-March 30 at the Museum, making the show the best-attended contemporary art exhibition in UIMA history. CSPS in Cedar Rapids, our partner for the show, had 2,310 visitors, bringing the total exhibition attendance to 18,200 between the two venues. Mel Andringa, producing director for CSPS, adds, “The average daily attendance at the CSPS galleries during the VOOM exhibit was more than double the attendance for any previous show.” Thanks to all our generous sponsers and to all of you for coming out!

Robert Wilson, Zhang Huan, Artist, 2004, high definition video. Music by Michael Galasso

This Royal Robe (left) from Yoruba, Nigeria (early-mid 20th century) was one of the objects conservator Dana Moffett evaluated during her visit to the UIMA. The cotton and glass-bead work was purchased with funds from Robert and Delores Bina, the African Art Purchase Fund, the Stanley-UI foundation Support Organization (2002.35).

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Last year, nearly 1,500 schoolchildren visited the UIMA through the “Widen Our World!” (“WOW!”) educational program. This year, the flood has left the Museum with a remote collection and unusable building—but Director of Education Dale Fisher isn’t going to let that stop him.

“If they can’t come to us, we’ll go to them,” he said.

Fisher has been working on new and modified educational programs over the past few months, including some designed to accommodate flood circumstances and others to be implemented when the UIMA collection is back in Iowa City.

He has focused on the “WOW!” and “Discover Africa” programs in particular.

“These programs are such an important part of the UIMA’s interaction with public schools, and the flood hasn’t changed our mission,” Fisher said. “So instead of letting them lapse for even one year, we’re going to keep our visibility up.”

In some ways, Fisher said, the flood has not affected his plans. He had already been working with schoolteachers over the past year to modify the “Discover Africa” program that would be a better fit for seventh-graders.

At the core of this updated “Discover Africa” program will be the “Outreach Study Collection”—a set of eight to ten African objects with display cases that the UIMA will loan to the schools for a month. Teachers will use this collection for a varity of classroom activities, which will include a visit by Fisher or a UIMA docent.

“We’re actually covering more content and developing ideas more thoroughly with this new system,” Fisher said. “Field trips are about so much more than the content of the tour. They are about getting on the bus, leaving the school. With the new program, we have the chance to reinforce and elaborate. It’s just good teaching

methodology.”

Since the “Discover Africa” program was already fleshed out, Fisher decided it would be a good model for the post-flood “WOW!” program

However, “WOW!,” which reaches out to area third-grade classes, presents a bit more of a challenge: it is completely based around works in our permanent collection that are in storage.

“I was really worried because I don’t believe there’s any substitute for seeing the actual work of art,” Fisher said. “We can show Power Point images of the

A r t G o e s t o S c h o o l

J.J. Kohl and Ben Lipnick, UIMA student employees who work with Education Director Dale Fisher, stand with recently purchased African objects that form the UIMA "Outreach Study Collection." Kohl and Lipnick helped research and acquire these objects, which will travel to local schools for use in the classroom.


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Go online to learn more about UIMA education programs: www.uiowa.edu/uima

At the heart of the Museum’s day-to-day operation as an academic institution is its primary mission: education. The visual arts are one of humanity’s essential means of understanding the world, and we are committed to sharing our collections and exhibitions with educators and students from across Iowa through programs such as “WOW!” and “Discover Africa.”

Each year School Programs at the UIMA are fully funded by our community partners. A grant from an anonymous family foundation is matched by the following generous 2008 Education Partners:

Corporate Education Partners Scheels All Sports US Bank

Education Partners Claudia Corwin, Anthony Otoadese & Family Garry and Susann Hamdorf Jim Hayes Jo Jones Tom and Polly Lepic Rob and Paulina Muzzin Armond and Polly Pagliai Mary Frances Ramsey, in memoriam Gordon and Faye Strayer Madeline Sullivan Frank and Gail Zlatnik

E d u c a t i o n P a r t n e r s

works, but I was struggling to find a way to give a little more substance to the program.”

Together with Rebecca Kobos, an elementary art teacher at Coralville Central and art coordinator for the Iowa City Community School District, and Pam Ehly, the director of instruction for the Iowa City Community School District, Fisher has come up with a plan: he will create substitute artworks that, while not a Pollock or a Picasso, will represent tangibly artistic qualities and principles such as two-or three-dimensionality, texture, and line. When visiting the classrooms, Fisher and others will have these objects at their disposal to emphasize the points on the screen.

In addition to “Discover Africa” and “WOW!”, Fisher said the UIMA will continue to field other educational requests and tailor outreach activities as appropriate.

“Doing this outreach is the right thing to do,” Fisher explained. “Our sense of commitment and purpose remains. We still believe in the importance of using the art work for education.”

“ W O W ! F a m i l y D a y ” 2 0 0 8

UIMA visitors enjoyed learning how to play African games in an activity organized by UI student volunteers in a Museum Studies class.

Games, dancing, and stories took Museum visitors on

a cultural voyage during “WOW! Family Day 2008:

An African Celebration,” held this past April. Guest

performers Jacqueline Thompson—better known

as “Dr. J”—and the UI Afro-Cuban Drum and Dance

Ensemble entertained with music and participatory

activities, while student volunteers taught African

games, and videos shot on location in Africa played

on a projector. All of these activities, based around

the UIMA’s exemplary permanent collection of African

Art, gave the public a chance to experience a broad

array of African art forms. A big thanks goes to all the

volunteers who helped with the event, including those

from the event’s sponsor, US Bank.

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The Museum is proud to present the 2009 Bette Spriestersbach Distinguished Lecture by award-winning journalist Adam Gopnik. Known for his funny and touching stories about how people live, Gopnik has written extensively on modern life and culture with wit, eloquence, and insight. A regular contributor to The New Yorker, Gopnik has also authored four books. His most recent, Through the Children’s Gate: A Home in New York, follows his family back to New York from five years in Paris (about which he wrote in the best-selling Paris to the Moon) in a mood of hope and adventure, only to live through the events of 9/11. Make sure you save the date!

Mark your calendars now!

Fridays, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

October 10, November 7, December 5

in the Old Capitol Museum Senate Chamber

Iowa Public Radio's "Know the Score LIVE!" brings the best of the local arts and culture scene to life. Host Joan Kjaer introduces a world of ideas through discussions with creative artists and great minds, and treats audiences to live performances of the highest order by local and regional musicians. The two-hour, Friday afternoon program is free and open to the public and has been regularly broadcast from the Lasansky Room adjoining the Nancy and Craig Willis Atrium at the UIMA. Due to the flood, this year’s programs will be presented in the Old Capitol Museum’s Senate Chamber. The program also travels on occasion so that it may be broadcast from arts venues throughout the state. Broadcasts can be heard live on KSUI, KHKE, and KUNZ. The statewide rebroadcast of “Know the Score LIVE!” is the following Saturday morning at 10:00 on all stations of Iowa Public Radio Classical (check for station details at www.iowapublicradio.org).

Know the Score LIVE!

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WHAT:

2009 Bette Spriestersbach

Distinguished Lecture

by Adam Gopnik

WHEN:

7:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

WHERE:

University Athletic Club,

1360 Melrose Ave., Iowa City


7:30 p.m. Friday, November 14 David Torrey Peters withJo Ann Beard David Torrey Peters, a native of Chicago, left Iowa after he finished high school in West Branch. Eight years later, having graduated from Hampshire College, he lived

in Cameroon, and later worked at the “NewsHour With Jim Lehrer.” He is pleased to return to Iowa, and even more pleased to share his work through the University of Iowa Museum of Art. His essays have been finalists in contests held by Narrative Magazine and Third Coast Magazine, and his work is forthcoming in Best Travel Writing 2009.

Jo Ann Beard is a graduate of the Nonfiction Writing Program at Iowa, and the author of a collection of autobiographical essays, The Boys of My Youth, and a forthcoming novel. Her writing has appeared in magazines, literary journals, and anthologies, and she is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction writing, a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and a Whiting Award for Emerging Writers. She grew up in Moline, Illinois, and now lives in Rhinebeck, New York.

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Created in the fall of 2006 to foster writing about the visual arts, the UIMA’s collaborative writing program invites four University of Iowa nonfiction-writing Master of Fine Arts candidates to the Museum for a three-month residency. The series now has a new twist: since the June flood left the Museum without a building, the UIMA has adapted what was the “UIMA Writer-in-Residence Program” to produce the UIMA “Word Painters.”

This year’s group was selected by Meghan Daum, a well-known novelist, essayist, and weekly columnist for The Los Angeles Times. each “Word Painter” receives an honorarium to work on various writing projects, including an art-based essay. They read from their work throughout the academic year alongside well-known writers from the faculty of the UI’s famed writing programs. This semester’s readings include the following writers:

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The Pen as Paint:

Robin Hemley, director of the UI Nonfiction Writing Program, stands with 2008-09 UIMA “Word Painters” Gabriel Houck, Cutter Wood,

David Torrey Peters, and Spring Ulmer.

7:30 p.m. Friday, September 19Spring Ulmer withStephen Kuusisto Spring Ulmer grew up in Vermont. She attended The Cooper Union School of Art in New York City, worked as a photojournalist and reporter in eastern Kentucky,

and holds a M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Arizona, where she taught for five years before coming to Iowa City. Ulmer’s honors include grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, the Kentucky Arts Council, and the Andrea Frank Foundation. In 1998, she was an artist-in-residence at the Headlands Center for the arts. Her book of poetry, Benjamin’s Spectacles, was selected by Sonia Sanchez for Kore Press’s 2007 First Book Award.

Stephen Kuusisto is the author of Only Bread, Only Light, a collection of poems from Copper Canyon Press, and of the memoirs Planet of the Blind (A New York Times Notable Book) and Eavesdropping. He holds a dual appointment at the University of Iowa in English, where he teaches courses in creative nonfiction, and the College of Medicine, where he serves as a public humanities scholar.

UIMA “Word Painters”

Spotlight:


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“I enjoyed returning to look at Yayoi Kusama’s Red No. 28 over the course of my residency at the UIMA. I’ve noticed a lot of critical work has tended to first present her as an obsessive artist. And, in some interviews, she has suggested a connection between dots, a shape she returns to in many of her pieces (painting, sculpture, performance/happenings, etc), and disease—that they are a symbol for this obsession, and that a person can’t draw two or more dots on a page without considering them in relation to one another. But in Red No. 28, these dots seem determined by the grid. At least this is one way I started to think about the piece during my residency—the relationship between order, disorder, and logic. “Scene Flight” may not be directly involved in these questions; however, like most essays—and most paintings—it’s working with a set of expectations, the construction of sight.”

And I’m sure he saw me, my sister says, I could see him. Adam likes saving the day. And he’s not allowed to get out of the helicopter. It’s all about speed. She imagines what he’s thinking as she’s on her way to the hospital where he works so he can fly her up and here we are at the accident.

When I ask Hunter about Adam’s disposition, whether or not he has a pilot’s mentality she says she’s known a jet pilot: big ego, over the top, you meet him and say I can see why he’s a jet fighter. And she says flying a helicopter is more of an art, like Zen. When I ask about the Air Force Hunter says she thinks it depends on where you land. Like if you’re Navy you land on carriers and Air Force pilots land on land.

And there’s no air pressure system in helicopters. If it’s windy you feel the wind. They’re kind of old school like that, she says: one engine, no radar, one Jesus bolt to hold down the blades.

And he literally has to use his eyes to find a place

to put the skids down. She says she couldn’t see his face because there’s a shield attached to his helmet. Helicopters hit birds all the time and large birds break through windows. Well, I say, if it breaks through windows wouldn’t it also break through shields? And, since we’re on the subject, has he hit birds before, has this become a common occurrence? A common occurrence, she says, is a telephone line that tangles and turns you upside down. A common occurrence is losing the Jesus. Do you get electrocuted? No, she says, it’s more about getting turned over.

When I ask about the accident, if Hunter saw what happened, she says no. She drove over the hill and saw the truck in her lane was hit; another on its side in the ditch while a green car lay in between. They think the trucks were trying to avoid the car.

She says you’ve got to leave the car when the helicopter comes and Adam lands right in front of her. He doesn’t look at the patient the medics place behind him because he can’t get emotionally involved. He has work to do. He has to fly a different direction depending on how a body is injured. If you get burned you go to Dallas. If you get crushed you go to Abilene.

They Call it a Scene Flightby Ashley Butler

2007-08 UIMA Writers

Yayoi Kusama, Red No. 28, oil on canvas (1969_517.1960).

“definitely the largest exhibit we’ve done.” Never before had the Museum closed its doors for an entire month to prepare for a single exhibition. Where art patrons typically stroll, an installation team hustled from room to room through the month of December. “The trick is to do whatever could hold everything else up if it’s not done immediately,” explained Martin. “It’s an ordering process.”

It was also a cooperative process. With eight staff members, two electrical experts, three audio experts, three VOOM representatives, and another two on behalf of Robert Wilson (who regularly emailed digital photos to the artist), it’s easy to believe Martin when he says that, “There was one day that things were starting to get tense.” That “one day” however, was the exception. After a long lunch break, Martin said, the tension passed.

There wasn’t much time for the VOOM team to disagree, seeing as the exhibit’s materials were unloaded on a Monday and the opening exhibition was scheduled for a Friday—of the same week.

“Betty, the secretary, wanted to hang Johnny Depp in her office,” Martin recalled with a smile, “but the

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Big Boy’s Big AdventureBy Colleen Kinder

“Commuters are quick to notice changes in their daily routes. Blessed as I was to have an office in the University of Iowa Museum of Art last winter, my daily commute was its halls and galleries, which seemed to change colors and collections every week, in preparation for the VOOM exhibit. I found myself marveling at the dynamic shifts of my pathway through the Museum, and by the end of my residency by the river, I wanted to learn how exactly a Museum staff manages that much change, with such delicate works of art.”

People who stroll by the UIMA’s Big Boy might pause to admire his swoop of brown hair or those red-checkered overalls, but few consider how the giant, thousand-pound statue got inside. Jeff Martin, Manager of Exhibitions and Collections, can tell you how Big Boy made it through the Museum doors, then down the corridor, down a flight of stairs, and finally, into the Sculpture Court. It was Martin, after all, who shepherded the statue inside using suspension straps, a forklift, a ramp, and many, careful, human hands.

This winter, Big Boy’s route was repeated—in reverse—when the renowned VOOM PORTRAITS Robert Wilson exhibit came to the UIMA. The lofty sculpture garden was, it turned out, an ideal location for the monitors showcasing VOOM’s screeching owls. Likewise, nearly all of the UIMA’s permanent collection had to be relocated as gingerly. Jackson Pollock’s Mural, for example, is liable to bend when moved, as it’s mounted on a flexible stretcher. To transport the immense work of art, a special wooden frame on wheels was built, securing the canvas at a slant and enabling it to roll into storage.

And that was just step one. Once the staff had the Museum walls bare, they had to sand them down, repaint, and electrically refit more than 15 gallery rooms, spanning from the spaces that housed pre-Columbian works to the south gallery of African art.

“We started early enough so that we could have our anxious moments early,” said Martin, pointing out that VOOM, which cost roughly $125,000, was

2007-08 UIMA Writers

John D. Freyer Big Boy, 2005

Fiberglass, metal,

mechanical components,

and paintEdwin B. Green

American Art Acquisition

Endowment, 2004.2

© John D. Freyer


VOOM people wouldn’t go for it.” Depp aside, the installation crew reached consensus on the layout of the exhibit, tinkering and rearranging until all parties were pleased.

“The hardest part was physically mounting the monitors to the wall,” said Martin. The sheer weight of the monitors made it challenging to hang them. There was another minor problem with the walls: more had to be erected. In order to partition off certain sections of VOOM—for example, the monitors located in the gift shop area—temporary walls made out of wood, then covered with long sheets of dark fabric, were custom-made.

Uprooting an art collection to showcase a special exhibit can raise a host of new security issues in a museum. The faux walls, for instance, blocked some lines of sight, alarming the security staff. “Were the exhibit more liable to theft,” said Martin, “that would have been more of an issue.” It was unlikely, though, that a thief could make off with a giant monitor. That said, the UIMA dimmed the lights so low for VOOM that their ability to monitor Museum traffic was compromised. Darkness was a key component in the exhibit, and yet safety codes still applied. “The fire marshall came on Thursday night,” said Martin, “and that was kind of stressful because I didn’t know if we had enough light—and that Robert Wilson didn’t want more light.”

The UIMA staff held their breath through the fire marshall’s inspection, and then again, when Robert Wilson arrived. To everyone’s relief, they passed the fire test, and to even greater relief, Robert Wilson had no major suggestions. The artist was pleased. So, too, were Jeff Martin and Steve Erickson, the Museum’s Preparator, after spending three intense months preparing and rearranging the University of Iowa Museum of Art.

“It’s very much like moving from one house to another,” said Martin, explaining that only those who’ve overhauled a museum know how involved the process is. “It doesn’t look like much work if you haven’t done it.”

If we seldom consider the work done prior to a new exhibit’s “opening night,” even more rarely do we think about the aftermath. How does a museum put itself back together? The answer, according to Martin, is through months of additional work. The UIMA staff was eager to get the permanent collection back in order this spring, though found reason to pause.

The transition moment “gave us a good chance to put the MFA exhibition in a larger space,” said Martin. “Normally it’s not an option.” Graduate student work was therefore displayed in prime gallery space, with Jackson Pollock’s Mural looming in the background.

As for Big Boy, he has journeyed on to a temporary home outside the Carver Gallery, where Winona Ryder was recently on display. Museum-goers can once again marvel at Big Boy’s bulging belly and cherubic grin, unaware of the journey he and his double cheeseburger have weathered.

Ashley Butler, UIMA Writer-in-Residence from July to

September 2007, graduated from Columbia University

before joining the UI Nonfiction Writing Program in 2005.

Her writing has recently appeared in Ninth Letter, Gulf

Coast, and Bellevue Literary Review.

Colleen Kinder, UIMA Writer-in-Residence from January to

March 2008, is a native of Buffalo, NY, and a 2003 graduate

of Yale University. She is the author of Delaying the Real

World, and co-editor of Confessions of a High School Word

Nerd. She has also published articles and essays in The

New Republic, Saolon, Ninth Letter, Washingtonpost.com,

and Random House’s anthology 20-Something Essays by

20-Something Writers.

Past UIMA Writer-in-Residence PublishedThe UIMA is delighted to report that an essay written by Riley Hanick during his time as a Writer-in-Residence was recently published in The Seneca Review. Hanick’s essay examines the relationship between Jack Kerouac’s famed 120-foot manuscript of his novel On the Road, on display at the Museum during Hanick’s spring 2007 residency, and Jackson Pollock’s celebrated Mural painting. Congratulations, Riley!

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A r t a s I n s t r u m e n t f o r C h a n g e :A Visual Lens on Polit ics,Culture, and WarLecture series with UIMA Director of Education Dale Fisher

Becoming a Museum donor has its advantages. For patrons at the Elliott Society level or above, the UIMA offers this exclusive lecture series delving into the intersection of art and society.

In a series of four talks presented in the Old Capitol Museum Senate Chamber, UIMA Director of Education Dale Fisher presents an exploration of topical pieces in the UIMA collection, famous propagandistic art, and the work of

contemporary artists who address political and social issues. The series provides a wider historical perspective for viewing Eyewitness: Danial Heyman’s Portraits of Iraqi Torture Victims, the UIMA exhibition on display in the Old Capitol Museum beginning this November. Topics include:

October 7 On Chemistry: Artist + AudienceAfter exploring different viewing styles of Museum visitors, Fisher examines Robert Arneson’s Minuteman through the lens of historical ceramic traditions, Arneson’s body of work, and contemporary art-world issues. By placing this UIMA permanent collection-sculpture in a broader context, audiences develops a more complete understanding of the artist’s intentions.This talk is sponsored by Robert A. Rasley.

October 14 Same as it Ever Was: Art During WartimeIn this lecture, see how artists have raised their voices over the political events of their time. Focusing on art ranging from Norman Rockwell’s famed World War II-era patriotic mythologies to the more critical post-9/11 works that question the role of civil liberties, Fisher discusses how art has served as a political tool meant to advance global priorities.This talk is sponsored by Michael A. and Agnes M. Apicella.

October 21 Culture Wars Not all wars are fought with bullets. In an aggressive, guerilla style, artists have disseminated their ideas and agendas through mass-produced images. This talk focuses on art that is perhaps a little less polished and a lot more passionate—whether in a dialogue or a diatribe, these artists produce visual images that provoke thought and, quite possibly, offend sensibilities.This talk is sponsored by James A. and Katherine Rathe Clifton.

Join us at 10:30 a.m. for coffee. Lectures to follow beginning at 11:00 a.m. Please RSVP to attend these talks at 319-335-3676. For information on becoming a donor, contact the Museum at 319-353-2847.

Busy during the day? Don’t worry—this year, we’ve added an evening lecture to our series for those who can’t make the regular 11:00 timeslot. This lecture is an overview of the three topics that were discussed in-depth during the morning lectures. It takes place Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. (coffee beforehand at 7) in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber.

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T h e E l l i o t t S o c i e t y

Dale Fisher with students in the UIMA’s hands-on ceramics gallery.


WHAT A FANTASTIC NIGHT!

• 300 GUESTS

• $158,000 in donations

• DANCING TO LIVE MUSIC BY THE DIPLOMATS OF SOLID SOUND

FEATURING THE DIPLOMATS

• HOURS D’OEUVRES & WINE RECEPTION

• WINNER OF WEEKEND GATEAWAY AT RIVERSIDE CASINO & GOLF RESORT

FUN! FUN! FUN!

Art matters. Thanks to everyone who attended

THE MUSEUM PARTY!

Clockwise from top left: UIMA Interim Director Pamela White and Members Council Coordinator Buffie Tucker pose with Party!

Honorary Chairs UI President Sally Mason and Dr. Ken Mason; Party! planning committee co-chair Kristin Hardy with Gerry Ambrose;

Museum Party! Co-chair Paulina Muzzin, Eric and Melinda Bochner, and Rob Muzzin;

Marge Clancy, Winona Lyons, and Sugar Mark contemplate their sponsorship options; Doug and Margaret Buttorf with Barbara Loh;

Lola Lopes, former UI Interim Executive Vice President and Provost, signs on to be a UIMA sponsor. Thanks, Lola!

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Thank you to ourPARTY! Sponsors:James P. Hayes

Rob and Paulina Muzzin

Thank you to our PARTY! Hosts:Gerry Ambrose and Kristin Hardy

Lowell Doud

Gerry and Leesa Elseman,

Vision Industrial Sales, Inc.

David and Jayne Hansen,

Endodontic Associates of Iowa City, P.C.

McComas-Lacina Construction Company

McDonald’s Restaurants: Alex, Lauren,

Lily and Kevin O’Brien

Phelan, Tucker, Mullen, Walker,

Tucker and Gelman, L.L.P.

Pleasant Valley Flower Shoppe

Rohrback Associates, PC, Architects

Kim Schulz, M.D., Infinity Skin Care and Spa

Shive-Hattery, Architecture-Engineering

Kristin Summerwill

Alan and Liz Swanson

Pamela J. White

Candace Wong

THE MUSEUM PARTY! 2008 Committee:Kristin Hardy, Co-Chair

Paulina Muzzin, Co-Chair

Charlie Anderson

Mari Long

Emily Meis

Kumi Morris

Drew Schiller

Mark Seabold

Alan Swanson

Don’t miss your chance to purchase an exclusive UIMA Flood 2008 t-shirt, available in two designs by Drew Schiller. Shirts feature Grant Wood’s Plaid Sweater and Jackson Pollock’s Mural, and are available for purchase at Prairie Lights Bookstore in downtown Iowa City. Or, call 319-335-1725 to place an order today!

Honorary Chairs:University of Iowa President Sally Mason

and Dr. Ken Mason

Photo illustration by Drew Schiller, Jackson Pollock, Mural, 1943, oil on canvas.

Photo illustration by Drew Schiller, Grant Wood, Plaid Sweater, 1931.

Program, and the UIMA Members Council. What I’ve come to understand is that each of these entities has its own personality, its own set of achievements and challenges, all managed in very different ways—most successfully by thinking outside the box, and in shades of gray rather than in black and white.

UIMA: Do you have any goals for your term as Members Council President that you’d like to share?

KS: Most importantly I’d like to help “grow” both memberships and sponsorships for the Museum. Those have been dual, continuing goals of the Museum throughout its existence, and especially now, they are the key to its ongoing vibrancy and continued success. These next months we’ll face many challenges as we strive to right ourselves from a very rough ride with the river. Water and artwork don’t mix, but thankfully, through the unfailing and amazing efforts of the dedicated staff and many friends of the Museum, our shared treasures were safely wrestled out of harm’s way. The Museum will present itself in a different manner during this time of transition, but there will be exhibits, programming, and educational endeavors—and embracing change feels like a very good thing! It’s back to taking ownership and doing your bit. If you can help out financially, now is most definitely the time to do it. If you think you might like to be a volunteer for the Museum, now is the time to get involved.

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Kristin Summerwill describes herself as a “true blue ‘townie’ with a University ‘patina.’” Born at Mercy Hospital, Summerwill attended Iowa City community schools and graduated from the University of Iowa. She worked from 1980-90 at Iowa State Bank & Trust (ISB&T), the business her grandfather began, and later spent six years living abroad in Wales, a place she holds so dear that she continues to return every spring to visit friends. She has enjoyed exhibitions and events at the Museum since her college years in the late 1960s, and in 2005 she joined the UIMA Members Council. She became president of the Council in July. Here, Summerwill talks community involvement and goals for the future.

UIMA: Why did you get involved with the Museum, and what do you enjoy about volunteering?

KS: Volunteerism has always figured into my family’s life. My sister Suzanne and I watched our Mom, Joey—who continues to be an active volunteer—and learned what she did and why it was important to step up to the plate. While working full-time at ISB&T, I always served on two to three boards at a time, mostly in the arts and human services areas, and I encouraged others at the bank to do the same. I volunteer because it fills a need in the community and because I believe wholeheartedly in taking my turn in giving back. If everyone felt the same, we as a community could do amazing things for our cultural, economic, and emotional betterment. And the other side to the “giving” in volunteering is the “getting”—the friendships and experiences gained from volunteering have enriched my life enormously.

UIMA: To what other organizations have you contributed time?

KS: During the last ten years I’ve been directly involved with United Way, the Johnson County Historical Society, Gallery Walk, the Community Foundation of Johnson County, the Free Lunch

www.uiowa.edu/uima

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UIMA Members Council President Kristin Summerwil lSpotl ight:

Frank (far left) and Doris Abboud (second from the right), hosts for the 2008 Director’s Circle Reception, welcome longtime friends and guests Naser and Cathie Payvandi of Cedar Rapids to their home.

Polly Lepic, Kristin Summerwill, and Kristin Hardy are all smiles at the Director’s Circle Reception. Summerwill was named President of the UIMA Members Council, on which Lepic and Hardy serve, in June.

On May 31, UIMA Director’s Circle donors gathered for a reception at the beautiful home of Frank and Doris Abboud. This event was a perfect opportunity for Museum patrons to greet Pam White, the new UIMA interim director, as they were treated to a sumptuous feast of hors d’oeurves—with some special desserts made by the hostess! Lola Lopes, UI interim executive vice president and provost, was also an honored attendee. Thanks so much to the Abbouds for hosting the event in their lovely home, and to all who attended. We appreciate your support!

More pictures online: www.uiowa.edu/uima

Opera & Meatballs a Big HitMany, many thanks to everyone who attended “Opera & Meatballs,” the first joint fundraiser for the Museum and the UI School of Music. Nearly 120 people attended the event in April, which raised approximately $6,000 for the Museum and School of Music vocal programs. With great food from Chef Mickey’s Catering, stellar performances by UI School of Music students and alumni under the artful direction of Opera Coach Shari Rhoads, and wonderful planning by the event committee (chaired by Deb Galbraith), the evening was quite a success—one that couldn’t have happened without all of you!

Allison Holmes performs “Quando m’en vo” from Puccinin’s La Boheme at “Opera & Meatballs’ on April 26.

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE WELCOMES UIMA INTERIM DIRECTOR

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On April 16, more than 100 UIMA volunteers and guests gathered at the home of former UIMA Director Howard Collinson for the annual Susan M. Horowitz Volunteer Reception. The reception was made possible by a generous endowment gift by husband Joel and daughter Katherine in memory of Susan Horowitz, a Museum docent, member of the Friends Development Council, community volunteer, and former mayor of Iowa City.

The reception was held this year in special recognition of longtime UIMA volunteer Marlene Stanford for her outstanding efforts operating The Museum Store and Coffee Bar from 2003 to 2007. UIMA volunteers logged more than 2,500 hours this past year. The UIMA greatly appreciates our volunteers, who help with tasks ranging from event planning and

Marlene Stanford, special honoree at the Volunteer Reception, laughs with Jim Lindberg (left) and Dick Gibson.

Madgetta Dungy and Alan Swanson enjoy cocktails and conversation in front of a painting by UI Painting Professor Susan White.

Jan AlanFran AlbrechtElizabeth AlbrightHarriet AlexanderChad AllenHaley AllenCharlie Anderson Betsy ArantJudy AsaadSaba BaigJeannette BauerLindsey BealRuth Bentler

outreach activities to office work. We want to assure our volunteers that participation in the Museum is just as important now as ever as we strive to move forward after the devastating Food of 2008. Your support—both financially and through volunteerism—is critical to maintaining the Museum’s presence as we hold programs and exhibitions in off-site locations. To find out more about volunteering, call us at (319) 335-1727 or visit our website at www.uiowa.edu/uima.

Janet BentonJohn BernsAnne BisharaLisa Marie BishopLavonne BlairDave BluderJennifer BoothEmily BowserLeigh BradfordEstyl BreazealeMike BreazealeDavid Bright

Melinda BrockaStacey BrownleeMollie BuzzardKatharine CampbellJoyce Carman Catherine ChampionCynthia ChangDaniel CheungSue & Bruce ClarkJudith Clark Kathy CliftonElizabeth Clothier

Ronald CohenElizabeth CrispinJulia DavisAshlee DavisLindsey DiercksJosh DoebelLowell DoudWilliam DowningAngela DoyleHannah DrollingerGreg DudekMadgetta Dungy

Susan M. Horowitz Volunteer Reception

The UIMA gratefully acknowledges the following volunteers who gave their time and talents to support the Museum and its efforts this past year:

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Gerry EskinElisa EwingRobert FellowsJan FinlaysonBart FloydKyle FogtAnn FordBrooke FuchsJoAnne FuenerConnie FunkDeb GalbraithBruce GantzSarah GarbeLelia GessnerDick GibsonElaine GockelSandra GoveiaJames GretterBret GrotheJudi GustJohn GuttaSusann HamdorfGarry HamdorfPat HanickDee HardyKristin HardyLeigh HarmonJim HayesValerie HerteenJennifer HollandMyrene HooverNick HotekDelia HowardJohn and Sandra HudsonAnn JanuaryDavid JohnsonDorothy JohnsonAyden JonesMaggie JonesKristina KaluzaMari KaluzaVerne KelleyBetty KellyTeresa KellyChris Kemp Su Jin KimMinji KimCarol KleinLynn KoosPhyllis LanceTom LangdonJude LanghurstCarolyn LarsonElisabeth Leach

Abigail LeeHeeJin LeePolly LepicRichard LevittJudy LimJames LindbergJoshua LingenfelterRoberta LinnenkampMari LongBradley LownMary LymanWinona LyonsNancy MacFarlaneElizabeth MaherStephanie MaidaSugar MarkHolly Martin-HuffmanGail McClureMeagan McCollumRobert McCownRebecca McMurrayJill (Alice) MillerLi Minyuan (Miller)Monica MoenKathrine MoermondAlyson MooreHeather MooreKumi MorrisSarah MoyKathy MoyersRuth MuirMarissa MullerPaulina Treiger MuzzinShaun NaiduSarah NeitzJeremy NelsonSuzanne NelsonAmy NicknishBarb NicknishTom NicknishCarey NiekrashTrenton NormanCarrie NortonNaomi NovickKristen O'DonnellNicole OehmenGloria Parsons Sheri Parsons Linda PaulJack PiperBetty PorterCen QianShari RhoadsClark Robken

Lindsy RohlfMarcy Rolenc Patricia RosarioKaren RushtonTrudy RussellNatalia SalazarBrenda SavilleKelly ScherrerDrew SchillerMicaela SchunemanCarl SchweserJulie SchweserJohn ScottHarris & Nicolas SeaboldMark Seabold Rosanna SeaboldJennifer SeifertEileen ShaughnessyHarlan SiffordLeslie SmithCarol Spaziani Jean SpitzerMarlene StanfordBill StanfordNora SteinbrechKeith SteurerFaye StrayerMadeline SullivanKristin SummerwillAshley SungvoomAlan SwansonKatie TeesdaleMeghan TreasureRichard TuckerBetty Lou TuckerJessica TuckerBrian ValdeSarah Van PeltJeanette VanderMeyJan VlasakLaura WaltonLaDonna WicklundNancy WillisMike WilsonAshley WistromGaylen WobeterSara C. WolfsonCandace WongCristina WoodAya YamadaHannah ZahsGail Zlatnik

UIMA Volunteers (continued)

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As you are well aware, the University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) has been hit hard by the historic flooding of the Iowa River. Unlike many museums in the Midwest, our priceless art collections have been spared, keeping the heart and soul of the Museum intact. True, the Museum is homeless for the time being, but miraculously we have retained the capacity to rebuild with the collections at our core. The challenge now is to shift our focus from mourning the disastrous losses, to realizing the current opportunity to create a dynamic museum of the future. We are determined to emerge from these hardships a vibrant cultural institution fulfilling its mission to create the experience of art for Iowans.

We remain enormously grateful to you, our generous patrons, who choose the UIMA when allocating your charitable donations. You might prefer to give through the UIMA Sponsorship Program that was introduced for the first time last year. This philanthropy program proved so popular and effective that we are brought it back again this year. To refresh your memory, donors may become UIMA Sponsors by selecting a Museum program or project of their choice, knowing their gift will help support an event they particularly value. I would be delighted to help you review 2009 sponsorship options and invite you to contact me at:[email protected] or (319) 384-3472.

Of course, the Museum greatly appreciates all varieties of support, from volunteerism to undesignated gifts. You might consider establishing a named fund that provides immediate tax benefits as a part of your strategic financial plan, or you can make an outright gift online at www.givetoiowa.org/uima for an especially convenient way to contribute today.

The UIMA is a priceless treasure of the University of Iowa, accessible to every UI student and a source of justifiable pride for every UI alumnus and citizen of Iowa. Please renew—or if you are able, increase—your support of the Museum. Your gift is an investment in the future of the UIMA, and we are deeply grateful for your commitment to the institution.

We face the future with hope and enthusiasm knowing you are by our side. Thank you for all that you do for the Museum.

Pat HanickDirector of DevelopmentUI Museum of Art, Gift PlanningUniversity of Iowa Foundation(319) 384-3472 Office(800) 648-6973 ext. [email protected]

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With a L i t t le He lp From our Fr iends

South African objects expand UIMA African CollectionThe UIMA’s famed African art collection recently acquired fifteen rare, high-quality works of art from Southern Africa, a purchase that greatly enhances the collection’s current offerings for visitors and gives students the opportunity to pursue cutting-edge research on an understudied area of African art. These objects include works from a variety of cultures and in widely ranging mediums (from beading and textiles to wooden objects), many of which are not typically seen in museum collections.

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Child figure (n’wana), Tsonga-Shangaan, circa 1950, cloth,

beads and buttons, 7.5 inches tall. Tsonga-Shangaan dolls,

called n’wana, were made by young girls and later used in

dances during their initiation into adulthood. When a girl

married, she would take the doll to her new home, with the

hope that ultimately a real child would replace it. Because

many cultures in southern Africa make their own style of

beaded dolls, they are very representative of the region and

highly sought after.

Man’s pipe, Xhosa, early 20th century, carved wood and

European mouthpiece, 6.5 inches long. The art of the

Xhosa-speaking cultures features beautiful objects of

personal prestige. Over time, contact with Europeans led to

incorporation of Western objects into Xhosa culture. In this

example, the traditional pipe has been fashioned into the

shape of a leather shoe—the artist has even included detailed

stitch marks, creating a work that showcases a savvy sense of

humor and adaptability to change.

Headrest (mutsago), Shona, circa 1900, wood, 5.9 inches wide

by 4.9 inches tall. While only Shona men use headrests, the

iconography is believed to represent the female form and

honor the procreative powers of women. The Shona, who live

in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, believe that sleeping men visit

the ancestors in their dreams, where the ancestors impart

wisdom to dreamers. Thus, the headrest serves as an important

link to tribal ancestors.

Acquisition highlights:

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Museum of Natural History


The Fossil Guy2 p.m. Saturdays in Macbride Auditorium

Take a trip back to the Age of Dinosaurs with the ever-popular Fossil Guy—a.k.a. Don Johnson, a local amateur paleontologist and UI staff member.

November 1 “Sharp Teeth and Claws in the Age of Dinosaurs” November 8 “Veggiesauruses Large and Small”November 15 “Under the Feet of Tyrannosaurus rex”

10 Macbride HallThe University of IowaIowa City, IA 52242Phone: 319-335-0480Fax: 319-335-0653Regular hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Sunday, 1-5 p.m.Summer Hours (June and July):Open until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Closed Mondays and National Holidays year-round.

Movies @ MNHExplore science, nature, and history on the big screen with this movie series in the Macbride Auditorium (located in the center of Macbride Hall on the second and third floors).

November 9 DVD Release Party: Lost Nation: The Ioway 2:00 p.m. film screening; Q&A with filmmakers to followDecember 14 2 p.m. NOVA = Jewel of the Earth, with David Atten borough

Our friends at the Pentacrest Museums have shown incredible kindness to the Museum of Art in the past months. We are so grateful for their generosity!

PENTACREST MUSEUMS

Other Museum of Natural History Activities:Activities available during normal Museum hours unless otherwise noted.

October 4 2-4 p.m., Adventures in Archaeology December 20-28 Winter Solstice Activity Tables

UI Explorers Lecture Series

These free, public lectures are held throughout the year in the Museum’s Biosphere Discovery Hub and are part of that gallery’s mission to explore human interaction with the Iowa landscape and address local and global environmental issues.

William E. Whittaker: “Frontier Forts around Iowa”

7 p.m. Thursday, October 9 in the Biosphere Discovery Hub

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Chamber Music in the Senate Chamber8:00 p.m. evenings except where noted

Set in Old Capitol’s beautiful and stately Senate Chamber, this chamber music series presented by the University of Iowa School of Music features a wide range of musical talents.

October 10 International Saxophone Quartet (tie-in with “Know the Score LIVE!” from 5-7 p.m. that day)October 16 Maia QuartetOctober 29 Iowa Woodwind QuintetOctober 30 Joel Schoenhals, pianoNovember 6 Hannah Homan, cello and René Lecuona, pianoNovember 13 Iowa Brass QuintetNovember 20 “Viola and Friends”—Christine Rutledge, Scott Conklin, Maurita Murphy Mead, Shari Rhoads, Maia Quartet, William PreucilDecember 4 Nicole Esposito, flute and Alan Huckleberry, piano

* All Old Capitol concerts are free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to enjoy the show!

Old Capitol Museum21 Old CapitolThe University of IowaIowa City, IA 52242Phone: 319-335-0548Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday,10 a.m. to 3 p.mThursday and Saturday,10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Sunday,1-5 p.m.

PENTACREST MUSEUMS

Piano Sundays1:30 p.m. September 7, October 5, and November 2

“Piano Sundays” are back! Sponsored by West Music, this popular series of Sunday afternoon performances features remarkable UI piano faculty and students performing on Old Capitol’s beautifully restored 1878 Steinway grand piano.

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150 North Riverside Drive 100 Museum of Art Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1789(319) 335-1727 www.uiowa.edu/uima

UIMA Fall 2008

Documents

Transcript of UIMA Fall 2008