Williams College Museum of Art Presents
Landscapes of the Mind: Contemporary Artists Contemplate the Brain
January 30–May 2, 2010
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Williamstown, Mass.– Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) presents Landscapes of the Mind: Contemporary Artists Contemplate the Brain, featuring artwork drawn from, or inspired by, the brain. On view from January 30 to May 2, 2010, Landscapes of the Mind brings together the artwork of four contemporary artists. On Thursday, February 25, a Season Premiere Party will celebrate the museum’s new winter exhibitions with a gallery talk at 5:30 pm and a public reception at 6:30 pm. These events are free and all are invited to attend. A full listing of related programming follows.

Landscapes of the Mind includes contemporary work by artists Susan Aldworth, Andrew Carnie, Jessica Rankin, and Katy Schimert. The objects on view visualize the internal processes of the brain such as memory, thought, and perception using a variety of media, including etching, embroidery, sculpture, and an installation of neuron projections. Using the brain as inspiration, each artist is unique in his or her own approach. Susan Aldworth (b. 1955), a British master printer, became interested in the brain as a visual image after she was a neurology patient. Her etchings, called Brainscapes (2006), are based on her observations of patients’ brain scans at the Royal London Hospital. These works allow her to explore consciousness and the sense of self within the physical brain. Andrew Carnie (b. 1957), a British conceptual artist, demonstrates the birth and differentiation of brain cells (neurons) in his installation Magic Forest (2002). Jessica Rankin (b. 1971), an Australian artist inspired by “mental maps,” explores ideas of memory, intuition, and interpretation using embroidery on large-scale pieces of organdy. Katy Schimert (b. 1963), a New York sculptor, is interested in how the internal body mimics the external world. Her sculpture, Brain, a recent gift to the museum, uses simple domestic materials (wire mesh, metal pins, and light bulbs) to represent an over life-size human brain.

Co-curated by Professor of Psychology Betty Zimmerberg and Interim Associate Curator Kathryn Price, Landscapes of the Mind underscores the Williams College Museum of Art’s commitment to multidisciplinary approaches to looking and thinking about art. A variety of programs and events connecting art and science are planned for students, families, and the general public for the duration of the exhibition.

“This exhibition is really special in that it involves so many talented artists and has caught the imagination of so many of our faculty members and students,” explains co-curator Kathryn Price. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to reach out across disciplines and think about art and science in new ways.”

Related Programming

Winter Season Premiere Party
Thursday, February 25
5:30 pm - Interdisciplinary Gallery Talk: “Landscape and Memory”
Professors Bernie Rhie and Olga Shevchenko with Deputy Director John Stomberg and co-curators Betty Zimmerberg and Kathryn Price.
6:30 pm  - Reception
Celebrate the museum’s new winter exhibitions: Landscapes of the Mind, The Bronco Buster, and Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle: Juggernaut.

Interdisciplinary Gallery Talk: “Models of the Mind”
Tuesday, March 2
4:00 pm
Joseph Cruz, Associate Professor of Philosophy; Andrea Danyluk, Professor of Computer Science; and Safa Zaki, Associate Professor of Psychology.

Family Program: Art and Science
Saturday, March 6
1:00-4:00 pm
Student-led tours of Landscapes of the Mind, mind games, art-making projects, and mind-blowing activities by Williams professors Betty Zimmerberg and Noah Sandstorm. Children of all ages are welcome.

Landscapes of the Mind: A Symposium
Saturday, March 13
1:00-5:00 pm
This symposium brings together artists and neuroscientists for an afternoon of talks and discussions about creativity, visualizing the brain, and finding connections where art and science meet. Speakers include curators Betty Zimmerberg and Kathryn Price; neuroscientists Sally Shaywitz, Bennett Shaywitz, and Bevil Conway; artists Susan Aldworth and Katy Schimert. This program has been sponsored in part by the Williams Lecture Committee.

Interdisciplinary Gallery Talk: “Oedipal Blind Spot”
Tuesday, March 16
4:00 pm
Meredith Hoppin, Frank M. Gagliardi Professor of Classics; Lara Hutson, Assistant Professor of Biology; and Gail Newman, Harold J. Henry Professor of German.

All programs take place at the museum and are free and open to the public.

Williams College Museum of Art
Landscapes of the Mind continues WCMA’s year-long focus on art and landscape—landscape in all of its guises: as topography, sustainer of life, site of conservation activism, cultural icon, metaphor, and object of awe and reverence.

 
Williams College Museum of Art
The Williams College Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free and the museum is wheelchair accessible. 

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