HOUSATONIC MUSEUM OF ART HOSTS EXCLUSIVE EVENT - ART21 Screening
HOUSATONIC MUSEUM OF ART HOSTS EXCLUSIVE EVENT Thursday, October 15
FEATURING AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF EPISODE 2:
FANTASY FROM SEASON FIVE OF
THE PEABODY AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY
ART:21 – ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
ART21 PARTNERS WITH ORGANIZATIONS WORLDWIDE TO HOST EVENTS INSPIRED BY
ART:21 SEASON FIVE, PREMIERING THIS OCTOBER ON PBS
MEDIA CONTACT: Robbin Zella, 203.332.5052,
Bridgeport, CT –– Housatonic Museum of Art, in partnership with Art21, Inc. as part of its Art21 Access ’09 initiative, presents a sneak preview of the fifth season of Art:21—Art in the Twenty-First Century, the only prime time national television series focused exclusively on contemporary art, on Thursday, October 15 at 5 PM in the Events Center in Beacon Hall. The event features the screening of the Fantasy Episode focusing on the artists Jeff Koons, Cao Fei, Mary Heilman and Florian Maier-Aichen. This presentation will be followed by a discussion with the artist D. Dominick Lombardi in relation to his exhibit Post Apocalyptic Tattoo. We will examine the way in which each of these artists pursues a personal vision held in the mind’s eye, inventing and re-imagining the world. This event is free and open to the public.
Art21 Access ’09 is an international screening initiative created to increase knowledge of contemporary art, ignite dialogue, and inspire creative thinking through hundreds of public screenings and events that tailor the ideas presented in the series to the interests and concerns of local audiences. The season premieres on PBS October 7th with a new episode each Wednesday during the month at 10pm (check local listings). Through in-depth profiles and interviews, the four-part series reveals the inspiration, vision and techniques behind the creative works of some of today’s most thought-provoking artists.
“Art21 Access ’09 draws the Art:21 television-viewing audience together in communities around the world and provides a wonderfully enhanced Art:21 experience,” said Susan Sollins, Executive Producer of Art:21. “We hope that audiences will take full advantage of the events in their area and develop an understanding of the complex skills, techniques and knowledge that artists bring to their work. Our goal is that these events contribute to boosting the confidence of audiences worldwide to view and appreciate all art forms.”
Art21 Access ’09 events are presented in partnership with Americans for the Arts as part of National Arts and Humanities Month, the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation, held every October. An updated list of Art21 Access ’09 events and venues worldwide can be found at www.art21.org/access09.
Art21 Access ’09 events are being hosted by museums, schools, libraries, art spaces, community centers, and universities. Each event features an exclusive advance screening of one or two episodes from Season Five of the documentary, as well as an educational component, such as talks by local, regional, and national artists, lectures, panel discussions, interactive art-making projects and question-and-answer sessions.
The following episode(s) will be screened during the October 15 event:
Episode 2: Fantasy
Fantasy presents four artists whose works or personal stories transport viewers to imaginary worlds and altered states of consciousness. With works that seem at times hallucinatory, irreverent, and sublime, each of these artists pursues a vision first held in the mind’s eye. Jeff Koons, Mary Heilmann, Florian Maier-Aichen and Cao Fei are featured.
"The times we live in are ominous and deeply disturbing to anyone who is paying attention and not totally distracted by the problems of celebrities, shopping, and reality TV.
D. Dominick Lombardi's sculptures, drawings and tattoos all tell a post-apocalyptic tale with an elaborate cast of characters who have survived a globe-shaking environmental disaster. His characters inhabit a kind of Dystopian Disneyland where everyone is misshapen and grotesque but somehow still cheerful. His Post-Apocalyptic Tattoo series is filled with extruded brains, rubbery forms, thing-blobs, zombie clowns, and hideous mutants, all executed in old-school comic style.
Kathleen Goncharov, APOCALYPTIC POP <http://www.dorsky.org/Brochure%20PDFs/pop.pdf> , Dorsky Gallery Curatorial Programs, catalog essay, November, 2008.
ABOUT Housatonic Museum of Art
The Housatonic Museum of Art is comprised of two galleries totaling over 2,000 square feet. While our permanent collection is on display throughout the college campus, the museum itself offers changing exhibitions every 8 weeks.
The Museum was founded in 1967 by the late Burt Chernow. Mr. Chernow was a professor of art and art history at the college, as well as an avid art collector. During his tenure at the college, he amassed an extensive collection of over 4,0000 works of art, featuring masters such as Picasso, Renoir, Rodin and Dali. Mr. Chernow is acknowledged for building this important collection (almost exclusively through donations), into one of the largest and most valuable permanent collections of any two-year college in the country. The museum’s permanent collection is valued at almost 14 million dollars.
ABOUT ART21
Over the past ten years, Art21 has established itself as the preeminent chronicler of contemporary art and artists through its Peabody Award-winning biennial television series Art:21—Art in the Twenty-First Century. The organization has used the power of digital media to expose millions of people of all ages to contemporary art and artists and has created a new paradigm for teaching and learning about the creative process.
In addition to its PBS series and year-round series-based education and public programs efforts, Art21 has expanded its film production and educational efforts in recent years. Several new initiatives have been launched in the past year, including the premiere of the new short-format documentary series Art21–Exclusive on multiple online platforms and expansion of the Art21 Blog. New programs are also in the works, including a feature film as well as Art21 Educators, an ongoing professional development program for teachers. www.art21.org <http://www.art21.org/>.