This Month at Maryhill
Greetings,
Change can be exciting, but around here, the imminent departure of longtime curator Lee Musgrave calls for a moment of grateful reflection.
Since his arrival in 1995, Lee has had a huge influence on the expansive vision of the exhibits at Maryhill including the popular Sustaining Change on the American Farm: An Artists-Farmer Exchange, the admired People, Places and Perceptions: A Look at Contemporary Northwest Latino Art, last year’s exhibit jewel Percy Manser: Grandeur and Light and the more recent stunner, Hudson River School Sojourn.
One of his first ideas led to the creation of our outdoor sculpture garden, and we also can thank him for the annual Outdoor Sculpture Invitational that pulls together contemporary work from some of the most visionary 3D artists in the Northwest.
One thing we all have come to appreciate about Lee is his desire to find and show art that hasn’t been overexposed. His goal is to complement Maryhill’s historic collections with a breath of visual fresh air. Speaking of which, look at the way fresh air links the work in this year’s exhibit schedule, from the Hudson River School to the mountain vistas of Ansel Adams to our final exhibit, The Good Life.
We are also grateful for his programs—bringing to Maryhill the Summer Arts Festival and the Car is King Weekend and his numerous presentations and programs on exhibits and the museum’s collections.
Lee departs at the end of July. On Sept. 5, Steve Grafe will arrive from his current position as Curator of American Indian Art at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. We’re eager to see what he brings to our walls.
In the meantime, say “Hi” to Lee on July 18, when he will introduce the Adams exhibit. And say “thank you,” too. We do.
Colleen Schafroth
Executive Director
EXHIBITS & PROGRAMS
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Ansel Adams, Aspens, Northern New Mexico, 1958, photograph.
(c) 2009 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. |
Excitement Mounts for the exhibit,
Ansel Adams Masterworks
Of all the artists who have earned widespread recognition and appreciation for their artistic vision, photographer Ansel Adams is surely one. On July 18, the Maryhill Museum of Art welcomes 47 of Adams’ most celebrated photographs—all, we might add (for the purists in the crowd), shot and printed in black and white. Adams personally selected the photos in Ansel Adams: Masterworks as a representation of his career, traveling and capturing the magnificence of the natural world, principally in the American West, but also in New York, the Great Smokey Mountains, Massachusetts and Hawaii.
Organized by the Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, Calif., the exhibit—a subset of a larger collection called “The Museum Set”—will be on display through Sept. 13. Curator Dr. Robyn G. Peterson will help kick off the show with a 3 p.m. presentation on Adams, his life and work. A reception follows at 4 p.m. As is typical, we have created a way for young people to connect with Adams’ preferred medium, through a Family Fun program on Photomontage from 1 to 4 p.m. (with a paid adult admission, children get in free).
Maryhill is grateful to the support of Puget Sound Energy and the Sam Hill Society that helped to bring this outstanding exhibit to the Gorge. For more information please visit the museum website.
Educators Look Forward to 16th
Summer Art Institute
For 16 years, the museum has opened wide its arms to area arts educators and those simply interested in learning more about art, through its annual Summer Art Institute. This year, the theme is “Teaching Through Art: A Sense of Place.” From 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily July 20–24, attending teachers will work with Hood River arts educator Shelley Toon Hight and museum executive director Colleen Schafroth to hone their creative tools. They visit art studios, study technique, and fire the juices to inspire tomorrow’s fine artists. If you’re interested, register online at the museum website.
A Sense of Place: The Pacific Northwest
On Thursday, July 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. the museum will present an engaging presentation about what it means to be from the Pacific Northwest. Moderated by historian William G. Robbins, noted Northwest writers share their sense of place in the Pacific Northwest. Panelists are poet Elizabeth Woody (Wasco/Navajo), an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon; author Molly Gloss, a fourth-generation Oregonian and, author and Oregon native Robin Cody. Free with admission. For more information, visit the museum website.
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| (l–r): Molly Gloss, Robin Cody, Elizabeth Woody, and William Robbins |
The Museum Gardens
Queen Marie Outside at Maryhill
Last year Maryhill volunteer Kathy Crow took a donation of lily bulbs from Van der Salm Bulb Farm, Woodland, Ore. and planted them in the gardens in memory of Queen Marie of Romania. Queen Marie loved lilies of all varieties and these chosen with Queen Marie in mind, are heavily scented. They include 89 'Conca d'Or' bulbs; 95 mix bulbs; and well over 100 'American West' bulbs. Well they are blooming now! Check them out in the Outdoor Sculpture Garden! What a gift by Kathy and Van der Salm Bulb Farm!
LOOKING AHEAD
Maryhill Arts Festival Offers Something
for Everyone Aug. 15–16
With activities for the kids, fine art from more than 50 artists, music, food and beverage, the Maryhill Arts Festival on the weekend of Aug. 15–16 will engage young and older alike. Members of the Portland Photographic Society and the Cascade Stereoscopic Club will show a selection of nature photographs. Family Fun that day features “Fun with Photos,” and stargazers will want to connect with the Goldendale Astronomy Club for its demonstration of how special telescopic filters allow one to look at the sun. Learn more at the museum website.
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| Blue Water Lily by James Baker, Portland Photographic Society |
MUSEUM NEWS
Annual Membership Fees Get a Boost
— and a New Level
Basic annual membership rates are increasing, probably by mid-July, says development director Tim Copeland. Individual memberships will rise from $35 to $50, and family memberships will increase from $50 to $75. Family members get an additional benefit: Grandparents can bring grandchildren in for free. In addition, Copeland says, the museum has created a new category for Young Adults (17 – 25) at $35. The idea of the new category is to encourage support among people moving into the world on their own, and to encourage repeat visits. Copeland says general admission fees will remain the same. To review premier membership levels, go to the museum website.
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There’s a lot to do outside Maryhill Museum as well. With over 5,000 acres to explore, Maryhill Museum has among the largest grounds of any museum in the world. The region surrounding Maryhill is ripe for exploration – historic sites, hiking trails, wineries and art. Come for the day, or make a weekend of it.
Social media is all the buzz, don’t you know? And we at Maryhill Museum are nothing if not big on buzz. So, you heard it here first– we’re on Facebook and we’re on Twitter. What’s that mean? Well, you can become a friend and stay connected through Facebook, or sign up to receive newsy (but very brief) Tweets about the latest and greatest at the museum. How do you sign up? Click on the icons on the left side of the museum home page
or go directly from here to there below …
For links to a wealth of opportunities in the Gorge look under Visit Maryhill and click on What to Do and Where to Stay.
And if ART is your passion, consider these great places to explore:
Golden Art Gallery, Goldendale WA
The Dalles Art Center, The Dalles, OR Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River, OR
Gorge Artists Open Studios
Now you can share Maryhill Museum of Art with friends around the globe. Maryhill offers over 20 e-postcards featuring objects from the collections. And it is easy — just follow the simple directions posted on the museum’s website… postcards
If you’re traveling around the country, you’ll want to think about boosting your Maryhill membership to one of four premier tiers. With premier membership, you earn a host of reciprocal membership benefits at more than 300 museums around the country. With as little as a $100 Sponsor membership, you earn free member admission, member discounts at museum shops, and reduced-cost concert or lecture tickets. Northwest partners include: Artcentric, Corvallis; Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art/University of Oregon, Eugene;
Umpqua Valley Arts Center, Roseburg; Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue;
Henry Art Gallery, Seattle; Wing Luke Museum, Seattle; Kirkland Art Museum, Kirkland; Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Spokane;
Museum of Glass, Tacoma; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma. To learn which other museums are taking part in the North American Reciprocal Museum program, go online.
The support by members of Maryhill Museum provides substantial support for its exciting exhibits, programs and special events for people of all ages. Memberships assist the museum in continuing its commitment to cultural enrichment for regional visitors and residents of the Columbia River Gorge. Consider being a member today!
Click through to learn more about giving opportunities, send an e-mail to maryhill@maryhillmuseum.org, or, to speak with a live person, call our development office at 509-773-3733.
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