Tang Museum show to offer new take on abstract art

The Jewel Thief, a new exhibition opening September 18 at the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, brings together abstract works by over 60 artists, with the intention of provoking new ways to experience and think about abstract art.

Roughly half the works in the exhibition are from the Tang Museum's permanent collection, while the others are borrowed from artists across the country, some of whom have designed and installed pieces made specifically for the Tang gallery spaces. The works include painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, textiles, wallpaper, furniture, and chandeliers.

The exhibition's unique layout aims to present artwork in unorthodox ways to jostle audiences into thinking anew about abstract art. A key organizing element is the use of "zones" - distinct areas of display that evoke different moods and reactions. Some of the zones are based on contrasts, such as hot and cold, with "hot" relating to feelings of passion, authenticity, and expression, and "cold" signifying restraint, intellectual distance, and control.

Through divergent display methods and a focus on art's intersection with the decorative and functional elements of architecture, The Jewel Thief explores how artworks negotiate the distance between these two poles and how the space around it affects this process.

A set of bleachers defines another area of the show, inviting visitors to take a seat for a stadium-like vantage point, while carpet and linoleum delineate a more home-like zone.

The Jewel Thief  is curated by Ian Berry,the Susan Rabinowitz Malloy Curator at the Tang, and artist Jessica Stockholder, director of graduate studies in sculpture at Yale University.

"I have long admired Jessica's artwork and suggested that we turn some of our ongoing conversations about art and exhibitions into a project for the Tang's 10th anniversary," said Berry. "Those conversations led to our building this all-encompassing environment that is like no other art exhibition. It will be a very memorable experience for people who come to the show."

Added Berry, "The Tang is a laboratory, and part of our mission as a teaching museum is to regularly ask questions in our galleries. That includes questioning conventional notions of museum display?something we are playing with in The Jewel Thief.

Visitors to the museum are met with a huge 13-foot camouflage-covered cube that fills the Tang's atrium. The wall painting, "Oh Great Terrain" by artist Jim Hodges, involved several students who helped make the work this past August. From there, the artworks explode in all directions. They range from a hanging chandelier that appears to be spitting flames, to a couch covered in a blown-up detail of a painting by Stuart Davis, to brightly colored artist wallpapers. 

From the overlooking Illumination Gallery, made possible by a recent gift from Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, visitors can stand on another artwork, an installation by London-based artist Richard Woods. His printed floor boards also make a stage for modernist-inspired sculpture by Rico Gatson and a series of 1960s weavings from the Tang's collection.

Otherfeatured works from the Tang's collection include pieces by Kathy Butterly, Dorothy Dehner, Bill Komoski, Michael Lazarus, Charles Long, Allan McCollum, and Ann Pibal. Invited artists include Cheryl Donegan, Roy Dowell, Joanne Greenbaum, Liz Larner, Virgil Marti, Carrie Moyer, Richard Rezac, and John Torreano among many others.

The Jewel Thief  is part of a year-long 10 ^th anniversary celebration at the Tang Museum, which opened its doors in September 2000. The museum draws some 40,000 visitors annually, ranging from local students who visit through programs with area schools to museum-goers from across the globe.

For more information visit http://tang.skidmore.edu/tang.

Upcoming Tang Events

Saturday, Oct. 9, 6-7:30 p.m. - Opening reception celebrating fall exhibitions at the Tang

Sunday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. - Ten Hours of Tang: A day of art, music, tours, and talks in celebration of the Tang Museum's 10th anniversary

Thursday, Oct. 14, noon - Curator's Tour: The Jewel Thief with Ian Berry, Malloy Curator at the Tang

Thursday, Nov. 11, and Friday, November 12 - Solomon Residency: Abstract Art and Forms of Display. Join artists and art historians for an inquiry into the nature, experience, and current practice of abstract art. With artist Jessica Stockholder and others.

Thursday, Nov. 11; Friday, November 12; Saturday, November 13, 8:30 p.m.  - Beckett Shorts: a collection of short works by Samuel Beckett performed by Skidmore theater students in response to The Jewel Thief exhibition. Directed by Carolyn Anderson, professor of theater.

Check the Tang's website for images from The Jewel Thief and for more details on events celebrating the museum 10 ^th anniversary.