Tours Available of Housatonic Museum of Art Permanent Collection
HMA public space art reinstalled in thematic mini-exhibitions
Contact: Robbin Zella 203-332-5052
Housatonic Museum of Art’s (HMA) permanent collection on view in the college’s common use spaces has been reinstalled incomprehensive groupings called Refresh. The rejuvenation was spearheaded by HMA Director Robbin Zella and freelance curator Terri C. Smith.
Tours are available on Wednesdays; July 21 at 5 p.m., August 4 at noon, August 18 at 5 p.m., September 15 at noon, and September 22 at 5 p.m. starting in the Burt Chernow Galleries. The public is invited, there is no charge and no tickets are required; however, if groups of ten or more wish to participate in a tour, call the Museum at 203-332-5052.
Refresh has reinstalled artworks on view in Lafayette and Beacon Halls into new, thematic mini-exhibitions that focus on various topics, materials, styles and the historical/artistic importance of the works. Three “solo” exhibitions of a single artist’s work are also on view. The areas in which the groupings are hung have been painted to create mini galleries. The groupings are meant to encourage visitors, students, and staff to pause and consider the artworks in a variety of contexts such as history, subject, and aesthetic style.
Artists on view include: Arman, Larry Bell, Christo, Hans Bellmer, Elaine de Kooning, Valerie Jadoun, Alex Katz, Craig Kauffman, Jeff Koons, Sylvia Sleigh, Raphael Soyer, and Larry Zox. The solo groupings include works of artists Ann Chernow, Vera Schupak, and Bob Stanley.
The Housatonic Museum of Art’s collection of approximately 4,000 objects includes sculptures, paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs. Burt Chernow began the Housatonic Community College’s collection in 1967 to provide an environment where students live with art as part of their personal enrichment and scholarly edification.
Refresh has created thematic groupings including: New Wave where the colors, brashness, remnants of punk street art, and glitter are reminiscent of the aesthetics associated with New Wave music of the 1980s; Space Age features works that incorporate materials, such as plastics and themes, such as moon landings associated with the United States Space Age in the ‘50s and ‘60s; Liminal conjures images of the style or subject matter at the edge of sensory perception as with a dream space; Bound focuses on works that either incorporate the actual binding of objects or pieces that address being bound by social or personal situations; Childhood and Adolescence combines paintings, drawings, prints and a sculpture spanning the 18th Century through today that depict a disconcerting mix of innocence and maturity; Street Scene includes images that reflect automotive culture and city life situated in an area adjacent to a window that overlooks I-95; Topical America includes artists who reflect and comment on “newsworthy” political, historical, and social events; Body and Power invert or raise questions about the power dynamic between an artist and his or her subject, especially in portraiture; and Other Landscapes shows unique approaches such as abstraction, repeated imagery, and allegory that update landscapes in art.