WCMA

	Drowned in a Glass of Water: An Installation by Pepón Osorio July 17–September 7, 2010 Press Release 69 Union Street, North Adams - Former Gateway Chevrolet Dealership Hours: Wednesday–Friday, 12:00–6:00 pm; Saturday, 10:00 am–6:00 pm; Sunday, 10:00 am–2:00 pm Williams College Museum of Art September 25, 2010–February 6, 2011 The museum has commissioned a new work of art by artist Pepón Osorio, whose creative practice involves a process of social engagement. Over the past year, Osorio has shared conversations, stories, and meals with many people in Williamstown and North Adams, Massachusetts. The result—a large-scale, multimedia installation that slowly revolves—represents the stories of two families, transforming personal memory into a collective narrative. What are the dynamics that nourish an individual, a family, or a community? How do we cope with challenges that seem so large we feel like we are “drowning in a glass of water”? Following Osorio’s practice, the exhibition opens first in an unconventional setting—a former Chevrolet dealership in North Adams—and then at the museum this fall. By shifting context, the project enables the museum to link audiences in dialogue and reflection and become a crossroad to the community. Organized by Cynthia Way, Director of Education and Visitor Experience. The museum is pleased to be a part of DownStreet Art, a public art project designed to revitalize downtown North Adams.
	This Girl Bends: Art and Feminism Since 1960 June 26–December 12, 2010 Press Release This Girl Bends explores the connections between art and feminism through sculpture, video, photography, and prints spanning the past 50 years. Themes include: sexual politics, re-visioning history, the body, and the role of media culture in shaping gender identity. The exhibition features over 20 objects from the museum’s collection, including work by Lynda Benglis, Patty Chang, Ed Kienholz, Glenn Ligon, Ana Mendieta, Niki de Saint-Phalle, Carolee Schneemann, Kiki Smith, and Nancy Spero. This Girl Bends also highlights Kerry Stewart’s sculpture of the same name, a recent gift by Patricia and Frank Kolodny, P ’01, on view for the first time at the museum. Organized by Rebecca Shaykin, Curatorial Assistant, M.A., Class of 2009.
	Photography at the Frontier of Physics and Art June 5–December 12, 2010 Press Release Since its inception, photography has been used as an instrument for the furthering of science and it has an equally long history as a medium of artistic expression. Often, these two worlds move so close to one another that the distinction between them blurs. This exhibition focuses on the work of four major photographers —Eadweard Muybridge, Harold Edgerton, Berenice Abbott, and Man Ray—whose work straddles the border between photography and science, offering aesthetically innovative presentations of scientific data. These photographers changed popular understanding of physics while expanding the creative possibilities of their medium and its capacity to visualize the beauty of scientific thought. Organized by John Stomberg, Deputy Director/Chief Curator with Nina Cochran, Class of 2011.
	Works as Progress/Works in Progress: Drawing in 18th- and 19th-Century France April 24–October 31, 2010 Press Release Drawings can be more than finished masterpieces hanging in museums; they are also an integral part of the artistic process. Artists have used drawing as a way to refine their skills, organize compositions, prepare for paintings and sculptures, or sketch for pleasure. This exhibition explores the various ways artists put their drawing abilities to practice in France during the 18th and 19th century and features works from the museum’s collection and on loan from Paul Hayes Tucker, Williams College Class of 1972.
	Remington's Bronco Buster: From Art Icon to Pop Icon February 20–July 25, 2010 Press Release This exhibition focuses on Frederic Remington’s bronze sculpture, The Bronco Buster, from the museum’s permanent collection. One of Remington’s most famous works, it solidified his reputation as the quintessential artist of the American West, leaving a lasting impression on subsequent generations of artists who depicted the landscape. Remington’s Bronco Buster traces the image of the bronco buster—from a symbol for the taming of new frontiers to its place in popular culture. Organized by Vivian Patterson, Curator of Collections, with Jared Quinton, Class of 2010, Elizabeth Danhakl, Class of 2011, and Amanda Reid, Class of 2012.
	Tristin Lowe: Mocha Dick March 13–August 8, 2010 Press Release ’s sculpture of a ghostly white sperm whale sprawls across the museum’s largest gallery. Mocha Dick is a life-sized rendition of the infamous leviathan that once harassed sailing ships near Mocha Island in the South Pacific Ocean. Described as having flesh as “white as wool,” the whale Mocha Dick was also the inspiration for Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick. Made out of industrial wool felt, this artwork first appeared at Philadelphia’s Fabric Workshop and Museum in May 2009. Organized by Vivian Patteron, Curator of Collections, and Cynthia Way, Director of Education and Visitor Experience.
	Tradition and Transition: Recent Chinese Art from the Collection April 3–August 1, 2010 Press Release This exhibition celebrates a significant gift to the museum of twenty-seven works of recent Chinese art. These paintings and sculptures provide insight into the variety of aesthetic practices and subjects that have informed art at a time of extraordinary cultural transformation. While some of the artists remain deeply rooted in Chinese tradition, others appropriate elements from Western art on a formal or conceptual level to create a hybrid visual language that straddles both cultures. Among the artists featured are: Qiu Deshu, Wei Dong, Ding Yanyong, Zhu Wei, and Chen Zizhuang. Organized by Elizabeth Gallerani, with Rong Zhao, Williams College Graduate Student in the History of Art, Class of 2010, and Patrick Rhine, Class of 2010.
	The Matter of Theology: A Conversation with the Collection March 22, 2008–September 12, 2010 Press Release The Matter of Theology, an exhibition that pairs selections from the museum's permanent collection with theological questions that aid viewers in seeing art from a different perspective. Here, art objects, originally created for various religious purposes, are placed in a new context, allowing the viewer to consider larger questions about spirituality and meaning. This long-term installation was organized by Amanda Hellman, Williams College Graduate Student in the History of Art, Class of 2008.
	Manifestos: American Dreams and Their Founding Documents January 19, 2008 and ongoing Press Release One of Williams’ greatest treasures is the founding documents of the United States of America, including the Declaration of Independence, the British Reply to the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, and the Federalist Papers. Usually housed in Chapin’s Rare Book Library, these documents are on view at the museum while a new library is being built. They are displayed in the galleries devoted to American art, with works that will give context to how they have shaped over 200 years of national identity.
	Specimens of a Higher Art: Ancient Art from the Collection Ongoing Using the theme of ancient art, this exhibition demonstrates how fine art was slowly incorporated into the educational values of Williams College and acquired by the museum. It iterates the importance of firsthand study of works of fine art. This ongoing exhibition includes artworks from WCMA’s permanent collection, featuring in part: Assyrian reliefs, an Egyptian wood polychromed head, a Roman togate figure, a red-figure Greek vase, a pink sandstone sculpture of Shiva, and an African Dogon mask.