YOUTH ART in Elkhart 2008
March is National Youth Art Month
Opening March 1 through March 30
The Midwest Museum of American Art presents the Elkhart Community Schools’ exhibition of selected work by middle school and high school students beginning Sunday, March 2, and continuing on view through Saturday, March 30, 2008. This event has been held annually for the past twenty-nine years in conjunction with National Youth Art Month.
The Mary Jane Parmater Keefe Award of Excellence will be presented to six outstanding art students. The award winning students will be chosen on the basis of votes cast by 16 Elkhart art teachers to enourage students in the visual arts. Carolyn Keefe of Houston, Texas, continues her support of this prestigious award in memory of her late mother, a former Elkhart native and patron of the arts.
Other awards to be given include the Elkhart Junior Women’s Middle School Student Award of Excellence along with two Honorable Mentions. Kappa Kappa Kappa, Alpha Rho Chapter, for the 25th year will give monetary awards known as the Curator’s Choice Awards to ten students. For the fifth year, there will be a $500 Scholarship Award, this year named in honor of Philip Monteith, given by the Elkhart Evening Optimists. Finally for the second year, Kathleen Zienty and her mother, Mary Boyer, will present the Robert Boyer Memorial Awards to several students in the exhibition.
The Opening Reception for students, teachers, parents, and invited guests will be held onSunday, March 2, from 1:00 PM. to 3:00 PM. Art Instructors, Susan Platt and Kathryn Freehafer, (Pierre Moran Middle School), are the Co-Chairs of this year’s exhibit.
Sponsors for Youth Art in Elkhart 2008 include Elkhart Breakfast Optimists, Elkhart Luncheon Optimists, Elkhart Evening Optimists, Elkhart Junior Women, Carolyn Keefe of Houston Texas, Heart City Kiwanis, Kopman Jewelers, Tri-Kappa, Alpha Rho Chapter, Robert Boyer Memorial Fund, and State Farm Insurance-Rocky Enfield.
In Search of Motion: The Sculpture of John Cavanaugh
April 4 through July 6
The Midwest Museum of American Art is pleased to bring a major exhibition of over 30 works together from the John Cavanaugh Foundation in Washington, D.C. The exhibit is the first of the Ohio born artist’s work to be shown in Indiana. The exhibit opens on Friday, April 4 and will continue through Sunday July 6.
This exhibit will contain various examples of Cavanaugh’s sculpture in hammered lead, bronze, and clay. His figurative works are known for their lively, spontaneous expression. Spirited versions of women, children, and animals comprise his earlier works from the Ohio years (1950-1956) and his beginnings in New York City (1957-1965).
In Washington, D.C., Cavanaugh found “an ebullient enthusiasm for life.” Upon arrival in the city, the sculptor began to produce work like never before. In addition to regular shows held at the Washington Sculpture Center, Cavanaugh presented twice yearly studio exhibitions from 1964 through 1984. His prodigious output during the Washington years would amount to some 800 pieces in lead, terra-cotta, and bronze – 200 of them life-size.
The artist’s important contributions to sculpture have been recongized by the National Sculpture Society in New York which held a major retrospective of Cavanaugh’s work in 1995. Ten years later in 2005, the John Cavanaugh Foundation established a Fellowship Award at Ohio State University Fine Arts Department that is given annually to an outstanding candidate entering the Graduate Program in Sculpture.
SPOTLIGHT exhibit
The Art of RICHARD HUNT
March 1 through March 30
African American Artist, Richard Hunt has been a symbol of hope and inspiration for artists in Chicago for over four decades. A native of the “Windy City”, Hunt was born in 1935. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1957 winning the famed Logan Prize. In his Senior year, Hunt was honored by the Museum of Modern Art purchasing one of his sculptures for its permanent collection. He went on to travel Europe returning in 1959 to join the US Army as a graphic artist.
Rather than move to New York, as was the expected course for artists making their mark in America in the 1960’s, Richard Hunt returned to Chicago. Here he focused his energies on creating an inspired body of artwork. Most notably he chartered a unique course of direct fabrication of sculpture from prefabricated sheets of steel and bronze that are cut, reshaped, and welded. He also uses stainless steel and methods of bronze casting. Nearly 40 large-scale outdoor sculptures can be found in and around the Chicagoland area.
The “spotlight” exhibit at the Midwest Museum is comprised of eleven works including sculpture and lithographs made at John Wilson’s former Lakeside Studio Press in Michigan. These works have been organized from the MMAA permanent collection & Mary Jane McClain of Phoenix, Arizona.
Ukrainian Egg Demonstration
“PYSANKY”, the Ukrainian art of decorating Easter Eggs will be demonstrated by Mr. Gale Balmer on Palm Sunday afternoon, March 16, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the Midwest Museum of American Art. This annual event is an opportunity to view the craftsman at work, while discovering the array of designs and colors he employs. The demonstration is FREE to the public and finished work will be available for purchase.
Museum Receives Genesis Grant
The Midwest Museum of American Art has received a grant from the Genesis Program of The City of Elkhart. The grant of $18,000 will fund “American Art & Your Visual Heritage’which is a new series of exhibitions and educational programs. The Midwest Museum applauds the City of Elkhart for their continued support.
CHILDRENS’ Two-Day WORKSHOP
Springbreak, April 8 & 9
A special two-day Childrens’ Workshop will be presented during Springbreak on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 8 and 9. Students 6 through 12 will learn how to make their own unique drawing journal from scratch. On Wednesday students will then learn a variety of ways to record their life in the journal. Illustration techniques using graphite, watercolor and collage will be emphasized. Fees for this workshop will be $30 per student. Lunch will be included in the fee. Students will meet from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on both days. Call 293-6660 for registration. Fees are due immediately after signing up.
The ARTIST’S ATTIC
unique ODDITIES and cast-off treasures
If you are doing your Spring cleaning early…remember the Midwest Museum is looking for donations of “unique junk-tique” for its Artist’s Attic fundraiser sale. You may call the museum for pick up of objects, books, furniture, reproduction prints, statuary, ceramics, etc. at 293-6660. The items will be placed on sale Friday & Saturday, June 6 & 7 during the two-day event which benefits the museum’s educational and acquisition funds. Remember – one person’s junk is another person’s treasure!
TRIBUTES
The Midwest Museum of American Art gratefully acknowledges gifts in honor or in memory of special friends. Notes of acknowledgement are sent by the Museum to those honored or to the families of those memorialized. Recent memorials and donations to specific funds include:
In Memory Of
DONALD BALL (*by Geraldine F. Martin)
MILLIE BETTCHER (*by Geraldine F. Martin)
CHARLES BICKEL (*by Tom & Dot Corson, Dorothy Hemphill, George & Barbara Thomas)
RALPH HAFFNER (*by Brian & Jeannelle Brady, Geraldine F. Martin, George & Barbara Thomas)
JOAN HAMLIN GARMAN (*by Dorothy T. Hamlin)
VIRGIL SAILOR (*Elkhart High School “Class of 41”)
IN HONOR OF BRIAN BYRN’S 50th BIRTHDAY (*by Jane Burns, Karen Hawks, Dorothy Hemphill, Kathy Zienty, Joan Grimes, Mary Helvey, Mike Wilson)
IN HONOR OF MEEGE WILLIAMS’ 90th BIRTHDAY (*by Jane Burns, Dorothy Hemphill)