James Lee Hansen was born in Tacoma, Washington in 1925. He served in the Navy during WWII and graduated from the Portland Art Museum School in 1950. After graduating, Hansen built his first foundry and studio, which allowed him to develop a fully hands-on approach to bronze casting.
Saturday, March 15, 2014 | 3:30 p.m.
Artist Talk: James Lee Hansen
Join one of the Northwest’s most lauded Modernist sculptors, James Lee Hansen as he talks about his life and work. Afterwards museum members are invited to enjoy refreshments with the artist as we celebrate the opening of the exhibition James Lee Hansen: Sculpture. A reception for members of the museum and the artist immediately follows. Free with museum admission.
Panel Discussion: James Lee Hansen
Delve into the work of sculptor James Lee Hansen, one of the Northwest’s most lauded and visible artists. Hansen’s works are in numerous private and public collections, including many prominently installed sculptures in cities throughout the region. Listen in as our panelists join with the artist for a lively discussion of his work, his influences, and his influence on Northwest art and artists. Panelists include moderator Roger Hull, Professor Emeritus of Art History at Willamette University and Senior Faculty Curator, Hallie Ford Museum of Art; artists and former students Bruce F. Literal and M.J. Anderson; and Libby Dawson Farr, professor in the Department of Art & Interior Design at Marylhurst University. Free with museum admission.
Studio Visit: James Lee Hansen
It’s not often you have an opportunity to see behind-the-scenes of one of the Northwest’s most lauded and prolific artists. Join us as we spend a day in the magical world of James Lee Hansen, at his 13-acre compound in Battleground, WA. We’ll tour his studio (which also includes his foundry) and the landscaped grounds, an expansive park-like outdoor “gallery” punctuated with Hansen’s large-scale sculptures. Hansen and his wife, Jane, will host us as we learn more about the artist’s work and creative process, and enjoy an al fresco lunch together in the garden. Cost: $55 members / non-members $65; includes lunch, but does not include transportation. Bus from Maryhill Museum of Art is an additional $45. If you prefer, you provide your own transport and join the tour at the studio. Advance reservations required for both studio tour and/or bus transportation. To register, call Sandra Leibham at 509-773-3733 ext. 20.
Angela Swedberg: Historicity
March 15 – November 15, 2014
Artist Angela Swedberg’s cast and blown glass pieces, in combination with other materials, are inspired by historic and traditional art forms. Swedberg is also a well-known restorer of antique American Indian art. Sixteen of the artist’s works are featured.
March 15 – November 15, 2014
The Flip Side presents work by a half-dozen artists whose cartoons regularly appear in The New Yorker magazine. The exhibition contains examples of published cartoons along with other, less well-known examples of the artists’ comic output. The show is guest-curated by Shannon Wheeler, a Portland-based New Yorker cartoonist and author of the critically acclaimed Too Much Coffee Man.
March 15 – November 15, 2014
Maryhill’s permanent collection includes approximately 250 paintings by European and American artists. Ten or more of these works are shown each year in the Maryhill Favorites Gallery. During 2014, the gallery will feature works that highlight the use of the female form in composition. Included will be Solitude by Frederic, 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton and William McGregor Paxton’s The Red Fan, among others.
August 9 – November 15, 2014
African Art from the Mary Johnston Collection features masks, sculptures and other objects from the people groups who populate West Africa, including the Yoruba (Nigeria/Benin), the Bambara and Dogon (Mali), the Bobo (Burkina Faso) and others. Originally from The Dalles, Mary Johnston now resides in Florence, Oregon. She inherited these items from her brother, who acquired them in Berlin in the early 1970s. Johnston has spent the last two decades of her life studying and sharing the collection. The exhibition is produced with curatorial assistance from the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.
May 1 – July 31, 2014
Young artists (K-12), either working in teams or as individuals, created chess sets of their own design for display at Maryhill in the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center during the 2014 season. Maryhill Museum of Art exhibits about 75 chess sets, representing the many countries, cultures and periods in which chess has been played. This permanent exhibition is a perennial favorite and is especially captivating to our younger visitors. Generous support is provided by the Charlotte Y. Martin Foundation.
ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART:
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art opened to the public May 13, 1940 and today remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community. When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum.
Maryhill Museum of Art boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages. On view are more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d’art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Hill; today the museum’s American Indian collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill’s William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park features more than a dozen large-scale works by Northwest artists. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in the service of their country since World War I.
The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums. In 2012 the museum opened the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing, a 25,500 square foot expansion that is the first in the museum’s history. The new wing boasts the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center, a collections storage and research suite, a new cafe and terrace, and the Cannon Power Plaza with an installation of sculpture, and sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood in the distance.
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $3 for youth age 7-18 and free for children 6 and under. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.