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When Porcelain Hits the Wall
The much-anticipated reopening of the Ailsa Mellon Bruce galleries will take center stage at the 31st Annual Decorative Arts Symposium, presented by the Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art on October 23.
Louis-Denis Armand l’aîné (painter), Vincennes Factory (manufacturer), Vase, 1754, porcelain with enamel decoration. Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, John Berdan Memorial Fund, and gift of Thomas E. Rassieur
Jason Busch, the Alan G. and Jane A. Lehman Curator of Decorative Arts, will provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of his plans for the reinstallation of the galleries, home to the museum’s collection of decorative arts and design, set to reopen in November 2009.
Past Meets Present: Innovative Installations of Decorative Arts will explore how the Museum of Art is joining museums the world over to creatively reimagine their displays of decorative arts and design. Julie Emerson, the Ruth J. Nutt Curator of Decorative Arts at Seattle Art Museum, will discuss how she created Seattle’s Porcelain Room, a modern response to historic traditions of porcelain display, in a talk titled When Porcelain Hits the Wall: Historic and Modern Installations. Tickets $35. Call 412.622.3325.
Down to Earth
You’ve seen the exhibition. Now learn firsthand about the artists’ inspiration and influences.
Wonder what inspired Life on Mars installation Cavemanman, a labyrinth of cardboard and packing tape crammed with pin-ups, empty soda cans, and other remnants of consumerism? On September 9, join artist Thomas Hirschhorn and Life on Mars Curator Douglas Fogle as they wax poetic about this popular interactive installation.
Want to learn more about the work that helped inspire the theme of Life on Mars, the only Carnegie International to ever bear a title? Attend artist Haegue Yang’s September 30 discussion of her work —from wall drawings and sculpture to moving image and photography.
These lectures are part of a fall series of free Life on Mars events, co-sponsored by Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Mellon School of Art. Also scheduled: talks by artists Ryan Gander, Mark Bradford, and Barry McGee. Reference the tear-out calendar for dates, times, and locations of each lecture.
 Mother Clay
For the first time, works of noted Pueblo ceramic artist Margaret Tafoya will be on exhibit west of the Mississippi River, giving Pittsburghers and East Coast pottery lovers a glimpse into the artistry of the last of the matriarchs of the early 20th-century Pueblo potters.
Born of Fire: The Pottery of Margaret Tafoya, which opens at the Museum of Natural History October 4, features more than 75 pieces created by Tafoya, her mother, daughters, and rare early works from the Santa Clara Pueblo in the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico where Tafoya lived and was inspired. The artist passed away in 2001 at the age of 96.
Tafoya portrait provided by John Krena. Bear Pot by Margaret Tafoya. Photo by Rieder Photography.
Tafoya’s work, which includes large storage and water jars, has been exhibited in public and private collections around the world. In 1984, she was named Folk Artist of the Year by the National Endowment for the Arts.
A Real Ice Breaker
Hop aboard an icebreaking ship and plunge to the bottom of an ice-covered ocean to get a first-ever look at the mysterious undersea mountains near the North Pole—without ever getting cold, or wet.
A new exhibition by nature photographer Chris Linder follows a 70-person crew studying the Arctic seafloor, exposing its extraordinary remoteness and the team’s scientific feats. The international team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute set out to reveal the secrets of this mysterious frontier. Exploring the Arctic Seafloor: Photographs by Chris Linder, on view through Jan. 25, 2009, captures some of the dramatic moments: scientists searching for volcanic activity on the seafloor, two miles below Arctic ice; and a robotic deep-sea diver resurfacing while in danger of being crushed by Arctic ice.
Adrenaline Rush
Embark on a treacherous whitewater adventure down the mighty Colorado and explore the countless mysteries hidden in the Great Lakes—all without breaking a sweat—at Carnegie Science Center’s Rangos Omnimax Theater. Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk and Mysteries of the Great Lakes are dramatic journeys through some of nature’s most spectacular venues. Just imagine them on the big screen of IMAX®!
Be among the first to get the adrenaline rush by joining a private member preview of Grand Canyon Adventure on September 24 and Mysteries of the Great Lakes on October 23.
A Pittsburgh Original
 What’s a walk through Pittsburgh’s past without a trip to the region’s favorite corner dairy—Isaly’s? This venerable Pittsburgh institution will be unveiled this November as the latest addition to the Miniature Railroad & Village®, itself a half-century-old western Pennsylvania tradition. Carnegie Science Center’s own model builders construct and add new models to the expansive village annually. Last year, those expert builders finally erected the model most requested by the public for decades—Forbes Field.
The railroad is currently getting all spruced up for its big annual holiday reveal, and members have the opportunity to hop onboard early with a special members-only sneak peek November 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. This year, don’t be surprised if you’re greeted with chipped ham, Klondike bars, and Skyscraper cones!
Image courtesy of Klondikes, Chipped Ham, & Skyscraper Cones: The Story of Isaly's by Brian Butko.
A Tasty Treat
Martha Stewart. Rachel Ray. Andy Warhol. All three are marketing magnates, for sure,
but who knew Andy had more than that in common with the two domestic divas?
In 1959, Warhol and prominent American interior designer Suzie Frankfurt combined talents to create a limited edition cookbook titled Wild Raspberries. Together, the two artfully commented on the middle and upper class obsession with elaborate French food and elegant dinner tables. Frankfurt’s vibrant text added “voice” to Warhol’s humorous illustrations.
Andy Warhol, Salade Alf Landon, CA 1950s, ©AWF
Recette Satire: Andy Warhol’s & Suzie Frankfurt’s Wild Raspberries, on view at The Warhol through September 14, features copies of their hand-colored books, Warhol’s original drawings, related works from throughout his career, his volumes of La Cuisine Classique, and some of his extensive culinary collections. Organized by guest curator Susan M. Rossi-Wilcox in collaboration with Warhol archivist Matt Wrbican, the exhibition includes many materials on display for the first time.
 Party Like It’s 1958
It was the year teenage girls swooned as Elvis Presley got his Army physical; Nikita Krushchev and General Charles De Gaulle became world leaders; Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Dr. Zhivago topped the bestseller lists; the Explorer Satellite was sent into space; the U.S. Supreme Court mandated school integration; and American kids danced the “Cha Cha,” swirled Hula Hoops, and dressed Barbie.
It was also the year Pittsburgh last celebrated a momentous anniversary. So in honor of the city’s 250th birthday, The Warhol decided to pick up where the city last left off.
McDermott McGough, Women in a Diner, Midnight
In an exhibition that will contrast local advertising campaigns with the products of the burgeoning television era alongside classic movie posters and memorabilia from the infamous Ford Edsel fiasco, 1958, which opens October 4 at The Warhol, will give new insight into the era so brilliantly portrayed in the period book, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, now being revived in the current TV series Mad Men. New, “old” additions: never-before-seen period works by Andy Warhol and a brand new portfolio of photographs by the artist-duo McDermott and McGough titled Detroit 1958, which evokes the coming-of-age, dreamy vignettes of the car capital’s upper-class teens.
For a complete listing of exhibits, programs, and classes at the four Carnegie Museums, see our online calendar. |
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