The Members` Magazine | Winter 2015–2016

Chrysler
The Members’ Magazine | Winter 2015–2016
the power
of water,
the purpose
of art
In the City of Norfolk and throughout Hampton Roads, water is the
element that captures our attention and dominates our landscape.
The geography and depth of our port, the beauty of our shorelines,
and the abundance of our bay and rivers are vital components of
our community, as well as the lifeblood of our economy. We are all
concerned about the threats to the well-being of our waterways
and, particularly, the prospect of sea-level rise. So it is appropriate
that the Chrysler Museum of Art presents two exhibitions—
Edward Burtynsky: Water and Norwood Viviano—Cities: Departure
and Deviation—that prompt us to reflect on the meaning of water
and the history of cities. These are not prescriptive exhibitions that
compel us to engage in one policy or another, but they do remind
us that our position is not unique.
In presenting these exhibitions, the Chrysler Museum of Art is
asserting the role of the arts in contemporary public discourse.
We are a forum for discussion on issues of concern. Conveniently,
these two exhibitions present their ideas in ways that are visually
stimulating and seductive in their beauty. In this way a visitor
may be drawn to the works by their form and then become fully
engaged by their content. This is one of the primary functions of art.
To further engage in the issues raised by the two exhibitions,
we will partner with institutions like National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
and Old Dominion University, among others, to present programs
of public interest, which helps to keep us relevant beyond the
Museum walls.
Water and the Chrysler Museum of Art: two vital forces, both
helping to shape the community, both forces for good throughout
the region. Burtynsky and Viviano are here for a short stay.
We are here forever.
Erik H. Neil, Director
board of trustees 2015–2016
Lewis W. Webb III, Esq., Chair
Thomas L. Stokes, Jr., Vice Chair
Lelia Graham Webb, Secretary
Yvonne T. Allmond
Dudley Anderson, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Tony Atwater
Shirley C. Baldwin
Carolyn K. Barry
Kathleen Broderick
Deborah H. Butler
Susan R. Colpitts
Elizabeth Fraim
Edith G. Grandy
James A. Hixon
Marc Jacobson
Linda H. Kaufman
Pamela C. Kloeppel
Harry T. Lester
Suzanne Mastracco
Oriana M. McKinnon
Peter M. Meredith, Jr.
J. Douglas Perry
C. Arthur Rutter III
Lisa B. Smith
Bob Sasser
Richard Waitzer
Joseph T. Waldo
Wayne F. Wilbanks
chrysler magazine
Denis Finley,
Director of Communications
Cheryl Little, Editor/
Publications Manager
Ed Pollard, Museum Photographer
Jane Cleary, Graphics Manager
Chrysler Magazine is a quarterly
publication produced for and mailed
to Chrysler Museum Members as a
benefit of their generous support.
Update or verify your membership
information at http://reservations.
chrysler.org or contact Database
Manager Fleater Allen at:
Chrysler Museum of Art
One Memorial Place,
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 333-6287 | [email protected].
The Chrysler Museum of Art,
all rights reserved © 2015
on the cover
Edward Burtynsky
(Canadian, b. 1955)
Dryland Farming #1,
Monegros County, Aragon, Spain
(detail), 2010
Digital print (photograph),
48 x 64 inches
© Edward Burtynsky
Image courtesy of Nicholas Metivier
Gallery, Toronto; Howard Greenberg
Gallery, New York; and Bryce
Wolkowitz Gallery, New York
Chrysler
The Members’ Magazine | Winter 2015–2016
inside front cover
2
6
8
10
Tseng Kwong Chi
(Canadian, b. Hong Kong, 1950–1990)
Costumes at the Met, Celebrity Panel, 1983
Photomontage with 20 vintage gelatin silver
prints stapled on board, 40 x 50 in.
Promised gift to the Chrysler Museum of Art
from Brother and Meredith Rutter,
in memory of Amy L. Brandt, the Chrysler’s
first McKinnon Curator of Modern and
Contemporary Art
14
15
16 18 19 Saints and Dragons Exhibition Opening
20 21
Norwood Viviano (American,
b. 1972)
Detail of City of Norfolk, 2015
from the series
Cities: Departure and
Deviation
Vinyl cut drawing
Photo courtesy of the artist
Director’s Note
in the galleries
Exhibitions on View
Spotlight Exhibition:
Norwood Viviano—
Cities: Departure and Deviation
Collection Connection:
Seascapes by William Trost Richards
featured exhibition
Edward Burtynsky: Water
chrysler news
Yoga in the Galleries: Art and Health
Norfolk Society of Arts Lectures
Fall Events at the Museum
New Staff, New Strengths
Joan and Macon Brock
Named Philanthropists of the Year
member and special events
Don’t-Miss Events for Members
last look
The NEON Festival
back cover
Coming This Summer
Exhibitions
Saints and Dragons: Icons
from Byzantium to Russia
Closing January 10 in the
Norfolk Southern Special
Exhibitions Gallery
(Gs. 101–102)
Our closing keynote show
comprises more than 160
extraordinary icons and
artifacts of religious, historical,
and artistic importance that
rarely leave the collections of
The British Museum, London,
and the Museum of Russian
Icons, Clinton, Mass. These
compelling works explore the
sacred art of the Orthodox
Church from its origins in
ancient Byzantium through the
storied history of Christianity in
Russia and beyond. The show
marks the first time that The
British Museum has loaned
several of its most spectacular
icons to any American museum.
The exhibition is organized by
The Museum of Russian Icons,
Clinton, Mass., in cooperation with
The British Museum, London.
Edward Burtynsky: Water
Opening the evening of
February 11 (Members’
Preview Party) in the
Norfolk Southern Special
Exhibitions Gallery
(Gs. 101–102)
Water is so present in our lives
that it can be a challenge to
comprehend all that it means.
In the Chrysler’s winter-spring
keynote exhibition, Canadian
artist Edward Burtynsky
provides a compelling global
perspective on this essential
resource and humanity’s
complex connections to it.
More than 60 expansive color
photographs—some elegant,
some haunting—hover
between the worlds of painting
and photography, detail
and abstraction. Together,
they weave an ambitious
representation of water’s
ever-more-fragmented
lifecycle, raising questions
about our increasingly stressed
Descent, early 1500s
Moscow, Russia
Egg tempera on wood
Museum of Russian Icons, R2013.15
Edward Burtynsky
(Canadian, b. 1955)
VeronaWalk, Naples, Florida, USA, 2012
Digital print (photograph), 60 x 80 inches
© Edward Burtynsky
Image courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto;
Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York; and Bryce
Wolkowitz Gallery, New York
2 | winter 2016
relationship with our most
vital natural resource. Other
exhibitions on view reinforce
the themes of Burtynsky's
amazing landscapes.
Edward Burtynsky’s massive-scale
photos look both backward and
forward. Learn more about this
intriguing exhibition and its highlight
programs in our cover story by Museum
Director Erik Neil. See pages 10–13.
Edward Burtynsky: Water
is organized by the New Orleans
Museum of Art.
Serial Thrillers: The Lure of
Old Master Print Series
Beverly Fishman:
In Sickness and In Health
Closing January 10 in the
Waitzer Community Gallery
(G. 103)
Discover the classic appeal
of European woodcuts,
engravings, and etchings
produced as series between
the 15th and 18th centuries by
some of the world’s greatest
detail artists, including Albrecht
Dürer, Andrea Andreani, Ludolf
Bakhuizen, and more. These
sets of prints, acquired for
the Chrysler by Chief Curator
Emeritus Jeff Harrison, offer
wonderful workmanship, rich
narratives, and complex visions
of time, space, movement, and
morality through the wide
variety of stories they tell.
Closing January 3, 2016
in the Glass Project Space
(G. 118)
Is it medicine or is it marketing?
Beverly Fishman supersizes
many of America’s most
prescribed drugs to question
today’s culture of “better
living through chemistry.”
Are the pharmaceutical giants
changing our definitions
of “heathy” and “sick”? Do
they create frightening new
illnesses so they can promote
new “cures” (and new sales)?
If the $500 billion industry is
selling sickness and overblown
remedies, Fishman’s diagnosis
of their greed may be a tough
pill to swallow.
Norwood Viviano—
Cities: Departure
and Deviation
Meet and Greet/
Artist Talk with
Norwood Viviano
Opening January 30 in the
Glass Project Space (G. 118)
Precisely blown glass forms in
gradating shades of white, gray,
and black tell the centuriesold stories of urban growth,
suburban flight, and the rise
and fall of industrial influence
in this data-driven exhibition.
Norwood Viviano transforms
population statistics for 25
American cities into 3-D graphs
that serve as a starting point
for conversations touching on
commerce, race, technology,
culture, sustainability, and
change. The artist created
the glass graph of Norfolk
specifically for exhibition at
the Chrysler.
Evening of Third Thursday,
February 18 | Free
Norwood Viviano—Cities:
Departure and Deviation is on loan
from Heller Gallery, New York.
Discover more about Norwood Viviano’s
databases-turned-art in our Spotlight
Exhibition feature by Barry Curator of
Glass Diane Wright on pages 6–7.
Ludolf Bakhuizen
(Dutch, 1631–1708)
The Personification of
Amsterdam Riding on a
Triumphal Car in the River IJ
(detail), from the series The River
IJ and Seascapes, 1701
Etching
Museum purchase, Walter P.
Chrysler, Jr., Art Purchase Fund
Beverly Fishman (American)
Installation of In Sickness and
In Health, 2015
Blown glass, urethane paint on wood
Gallery view by Ed Pollard, Museum photographer
Norwood Viviano (American, b. 1972)
Installation detail of City of Los Angeles,
from the series Cities: Departure and Deviation, 2011
Blown glass and vinyl cut drawings
Photo by Cathy Carver, courtesy of Heller Gallery, New York
in the galleries | 3
In The Box: Kota Ezawa
Closing February 28
in The Box
Reimagine the familiar as our
new-media gallery welcomes
the San Francisco artist known
for his animated audiovisual
mash-ups of popular culture
and art history. Enjoy his
lightbox take on the iconic
Earth From Moon, as well as
two recent video works. City of
Nature presents unpopulated
nature scenes from more
than 20 feature films in
paint-by-number-kit style,
while Beatles über California
remixes footage of the Fab
Four’s 1964 Ed Sullivan Show
appearance with a 1979 punk
soundtrack by Dead Kennedys.
Kota Ezawa’s In The Box exhibition
works are on loan from Murray Guy,
New York.
Kota Ezawa (German, b. 1969)
Earth from Moon, 2005
Duratrans transparency and LED lightbox
© Kota Ezawa
Image courtesy of Murray Guy, New York
4 | winter 2016
Tseng Kwong Chi:
Performing for the Camera
Closing December 13 in
the Focus Gallery, the
McKinnon Wing of Modern
and Contemporary Art,
and the Frank Photography
Galleries (Gs. 228, 229,
and 223)
Photographer, party-crasher,
political gadfly, and poser:
Tseng Kwong Chi had a
penchant for performance,
as well as the camera (and
the connections) to chronicle
Manhattan’s arts-and-club
scene in the 1980s. This first
traveling museum retrospective
combines the artist’s droll East
Meets West and Expeditionary
Series and collaborations with
Keith Haring with powerful,
less-known images with social,
identity, and philosophical
implications. Though Tseng
died of AIDS in 1990 at the age
of 39, his conceptual creativity
and visual satires influence new
generations of artists.
Georgia O’Keeffe:
A Place of Her Own
Tseng Kwong Chi: Performing
for the Camera is organized by the
Chrysler Museum of Art and the Grey
Art Gallery at New York University. The
exhibition was conceived and curated
by the late Amy Brandt, McKinnon
Curator of Modern and Contemporary
Art at the Chrysler Museum of Art, and
is presented in her memory.
Closing January 3 in
the Roberts Wing |
20th-Century Art Gallery
(G. 222)
The enchanting works of
Georgia O’Keeffe headline our
final Collection Conversation
exhibition with the National
Gallery of Art. Her seductive,
close-up depictions of plants
and flowers shocked early
viewers, but ultimately
earned respect from the
established art world. Later
landscapes—some personal,
others panoramic—revealed
her persistent interest in shape,
contrast, and mood. Come face
to face with 10 masterworks,
including loans from local
collectors, and trace the
brilliant six-decade career of
this trailblazing modern artist.
Georgia O’Keeffe (American, 1887–1986)
Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. VI, 1930
Oil on canvas
Alfred Stieglitz Collection,
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Bequest of Georgia O’Keeffe, 1987.58.5
Gustav Klimt:
Baby (Cradle)
Seascapes by
William Trost Richards
Closing January 3 in
the Roberts Wing |
20th-Century/Modern Art
Gallery (G. 219)
Gustav Klimt stood at the
creative pinnacle of the
Austrian Art Nouveau. His
densely worked, jewel-like
portraits and complex
allegorical canvases captured
the mystery and heightened
sensuality of late 19th-century
Viennese society. Among his
most unusual works, Baby
depicts an infant lying in a
cradle, his tiny head just visible
beneath billowing layers of
brightly-hued coverlets.
Opening January 9 in the
Focus Gallery (G. 229)
In the 1870s, William Trost
Richards (1833–1905) discovered
the beauty of the ocean. Over
the next three decades, he
visited and painted some of
the finest beaches and most
dramatic rocky coastlines
of New England and Europe.
Thanks to a generous gift from
the painter’s granddaughter,
the Chrysler Collection includes
more than 100 oils, watercolors,
and drawings by this master
landscape painter. Trace
Richards’ working process from
sketchbook pages to finished
canvases and experience a
diverse selection of seascapes,
including recently conserved
paintings on display for the
first time.
New Light on Land:
Photographs from the
Chrysler Collection
Opening January 28 in
the Frank Photography
Galleries (G. 228)
Whether pastoral or polluted,
the landscape has been an
enduring subject in the history
of photography. New Light on
Land draws from the Museum’s
rich photography collection to
explore how nature has inspired
photographic innovation and
creativity since the advent
of the medium. Presented
as a companion to Edward
Burtynsky: Water, this exhibition
offers eclectic perspectives
from environmentalist
critiques to grand visions of
the untrammeled earth.
AT THE HISTORIC HOUSES
Bessie Murray Tyler
(American, 1892–1980)
American Holly / Ilex opaca,
ca. 1957
Watercolor
Gift of the Garden Club of Norfolk
Willoughby-Baylor House
601 E. Freemason St., Norfolk
Tidewater Wildflowers:
Watercolors by Bessie Tyler
Closing March 6 on the
first floor
The Norfolk Rooms
Ongoing on the second floor
in the Norfolk History Museum
There’s a lot to see in these seascapes.
Take a closer look with Brock Curator
of American Art Alex Mann’s Collection
Connection highlight on pages 8–9.
Moses Myers House
323 E. Freemason St., Norfolk
William Trost Richards (American, 1833–1905)
La Gaufre—Guernsey, 1903
Oil on board
Gift of Edith Ballinger Price
Moses Myers:
Maritime Merchant
Barton Myers:
Norfolk Visionary
Adeline’s Portal
by Beth Lipman
These permanent installations are
supported by a generous gift
from the late T. Parker Host, Jr.
Gustav Klimt (Austrian, 1862–1918)
Baby (Cradle), 1917/18
Oil on canvas
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Gift of Otto and Franciska Kallir, with the help of the
Carol and Edwin Gaines Fullinwider Fund, 1978.41.1
Dorothea Lange (American, 1895-1965)
Men Cradling Wheat, Near Sperryville, Virginia, June 1936
Gelatin-silver print (photograph), 1984
Museum purchase, Horace W. Goldsmith Fund
in the galleries | 5
|
Norwood
Viviano
Changing
Urban
Landscapes
in Glass
Norwood Viviano—
Cities: Departure and Deviation
is on view
January 30–July 31, 2016.
I
n Cities: Departure and Deviation, Norwood
Viviano explores the complex history of urban
America through minimalist blown-glass
forms. Composed in shades of white, black, and
gray, Viviano’s glass diagrams can be read as
three-dimensional timelines, telling the 400-year
story of the rise and decline of urban industries
and how fluctuations in manufacturing prompt
dramatic changes in populations. As his works
demonstrate, commercial growth has drawn
together hordes of job seekers, sometimes
creating cities where only towns had existed
prior, while economic failures have emptied and
devastated once-thriving communities. “Using
6 | winter 2016
data is a tool for conversation,” Viviano says,
explaining his hopes that turning information
into sculpture will help viewers ask questions
about what makes a city successful.
The 25 glass “cities” or graphs in Viviano’s
installation are suspended in front of digitally
rendered drawings that communicate population
information. He often discusses the trend to think
about data visualization and how artists seek
ways to express modes of data quickly. Using
molten glass, a material known for its warmth,
fluidity, and ability to transform into nearly any
shape, Viviano masterfully converts cold and rigid
statistical data into a tranquil visual database of
knowledge. The length of each city’s form depicts
time, the width describes its population density,
and color conveys a moment of dramatic change.
He uses 3-D computer modeling to assist with the
scaling of the cities. One of the most technically
challenging aspects of crafting these works is
keeping the blown-glass forms proportional.
The side-by-side arrangement of the graphs
allows the viewer to see the magnitude
of diversity in cities as varied as New York
(population 8 million) and Flint, Michigan
(population 102,000). Small Midwestern
industrialized cites that experienced a
tremendous population exodus stand in stark
contrast to Southern and West Coast metropolitan
centers where population transitioned from
growth to decline to growth again in the 20th
century. Examined individually or compared to
each other, each of Norwood Viviano’s skillfully
crafted glass graphs distills complex data into
subdued forms, allowing them to make eyeopening statements about the geographical,
historical, and cultural factors affecting our cities
and urban landscapes over time.
Norwood Viviano
(American, b. 1972)
Installation detail of Cities of New
York, Norfolk, and Philadelphia,
from the series Cities: Departure
and Deviation, 2011
Blown glass and vinyl cut drawings
Photo by Cathy Carver,
courtesy of Heller Gallery, New York
—Diane Wright, Barry Curator of Glass
spotlight exhibition | 7
|
From A
to Sea:
The Working
Process of
William Trost
Richards
Seascapes by
William Trost Richards
is on view
January 9–May 1, 2016.
T
he American artist William Trost Richards
never visited Coastal Virginia, but he would
have loved this region. In the 1870s, at the
peak of his career, the acclaimed landscape
painter turned his attention almost exclusively to
depictions of water. For the exhibition Seascapes
by William Trost Richards (1833-1905), the Chrysler
Museum mines its large collection of this artist’s
works to present more than 50 paintings and
drawings illustrating one man’s obsession with
the ocean.
Richards came of age and attended his first
drawing classes in Philadelphia during the
years in which landscape painters like Thomas
Cole and Asher B. Durand enjoyed wide
public praise. After studying all elements of
the natural world, he found that the colors
and shapes of rocks and waves provided his
richest source for pictures. In 1874 he began
summering in Newport, Rhode Island,
and eventually he built a house
nearby on a cliff overlooking
the ocean. “I and
my umbrelly, and
a weather-beaten
nose go up and down
the shore together and
take the sunshine and the
8 | winter 2016
pictures,” he wrote to a friend. He also traveled
to Nantucket Island, Maine, England, and Italy,
earning a reputation as America’s most versatile
painter of marine subjects. “He stood for hours,”
the artist’s son recalled, “with folded arms,
studying the motion of the sea—until people
thought him insane.”
Richards’ love of the coast is one of many
beautiful stories told by the Chrysler’s large
study collection of his paintings, watercolors,
and drawings. Most of these were given to the
Museum in 1994 by his granddaughter, Edith B.
Price (1897–1997), a resident of Virginia Beach
during the final decades of her life. Her gift also
included the paintbox, oil paint tubes, palette,
and camp stool that Richards used as he worked.
Together, these artworks and artifacts help us
imagine the hours of outdoor study behind
large paintings like Tower on the Cornish Coast
(ca. 1880s–1890s). The grandeur of such scenery
was both an inspiration and a challenge: “I do
not remember any picture which gives any idea
of the awful power of the breaking of a big wave
against the rocks,” Richards wrote in 1876. Visit
this exhibition to experience the beauty of the
coast through the eyes of a master marine painter.
—Crawford Alexander Mann III,
Brock Curator of American Art
Restoring an
Artistic Coastline
above
William Trost Richards
(American, 1833–1905)
Tower on the Cornish Coast,
after 1878
Oil on canvas
Gift of George Klauber
left
Paint Box with Palette,
late 19th century
Wood and other materials
Gift of Edith Ballinger Price
right
William Trost Richards
(American, 1833–1905)
Untitled (Seacape Scene),
19th century
Oil on canvas
Gift of Edith Ballinger Price
The Chrysler’s William Trost Richards study collection contains a rich selection of
watercolors, compositional drawings, and sketchbook pages, many never before on
display. Among these was an unstretched and unvarnished oil on canvas painting of rocky
cliffs, recently restored by Museum Conservator Mark Lewis and former NEH Conservation
Fellows Amelia Jensen and Gwen Manthey. Initially, the painting’s bright colors were
masked by a thick layer of surface grime, and having once been rolled for transport, it was
disfigured with numerous creases and areas of flaking paint.
To recover its former beauty, the conservators first conducted solvent tests. Next they
consolidated areas of the lifting paint with isinglass glue. To remove distortions, they
reinforced and extended the canvas edges with fabric, then attached it to a working
stretcher. The painting was then repeatedly humidified with moistened blotters, slowly
removing all ripples and creases. At this stage, the newly flattened canvas was mounted
onto a new stretcher and was keyed out until conservators obtained adequate tension.
They then proceeded to clean the canvas with cotton swabs and a mild chelating solution,
followed by a rinse with distilled water. With all surface grime removed, the conservators
finished the project by filling in small patches of loss and toning them with watercolors
and synthetic resin colors.
The rocky seascape now sparkles on the walls of this exhibition, a testament to the talents
of both Richards and the Chrysler’s Conservation Team.
—Crawford Alexander Mann III, Brock Curator of American Art
collec tion connec tion | 9
|
Edward
Burtynsky:
Discovering
New Terrain
Edward Burtynsky: Water
is on public view
February 12–May 15, 2016.
Since the
invention
of photography
in the first
half of the
19th century,
the art form
has been
propelled forward
by frequent
technological
advances.
10 | winter 2016
in the galleries | 11
Edward Burtynsky
(Canadian, b. 1955)
center spread
Rice Terraces #2,
Western Yunnan Province,
China, 2012
Digital print (photograph),
48 x 64 inches
above
Step-well #4,
Sar Kund Baori, Bundi,
Rajasthan, India, 2010
Digital print (photograph),
60 x 80 inches
right
Navajo Reservation /
Suburb, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
(detail), 2011
Digital print (photograph),
48 x 64 inches
© Edward Burtynsky
All images courtesy of
Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto;
Howard Greenberg Gallery,
New York; and Bryce Wolkowitz
Gallery, New York
12 | winter 2016
The daguerreotype gave way to the tintype,
followed by the albumen print, the silver print
and an explosion of 20th-century processes,
up to the digital prints we know today.
In recent decades the technological changes
have been coming even more rapidly. Advances
in color printing and the digital revolution
now allow photographers to create very large
prints, several feet tall and wide, with stunning
detail and depth. These developments have
transformed viewers’ relationships with
photographs. A generation of photographers—
artists like Jeff Wall, Thomas Struth, Andreas
Gursky, and Candida Höfer, among others—has
pursued the new expressive possibilities of color
and scale.
Edward Burtynsky, perhaps more than any other
contemporary photographer, has thoroughly
mastered the possibilities inherent in the
medium today. He has taken full advantage of
new technological opportunities to realize his
artistic vision. He continues to investigate and
push the limits of photography, while remaining
true to his aesthetic and philosophical intentions.
While Burtynsky is justifiably recognized as being
at the leading edge of practitioners in regard
to technique, he is also part of a continuum
of photographers like Carleton Watkins, Ansel
Adams, Sally Mann, and Robert Adams who have
been entranced by the landscape and represent
it with great formal beauty. The combination of
technological innovation with the sensitivity to
the land instills a sense of wonder at the natural
world. When viewing a Burtynsky image we may
reasonably ask, “How did he do that?”
His current project is Water, a series of largeformat photographs of landscapes on view here
at the Chrysler Museum of Art. Organized by the
New Orleans Museum of Art, this free exhibition
continues Burtynsky’s investigation into the
effects of human activity on the environment.
He locates sites of human ingenuity—massive
dams and irrigation systems, for instance—and
presents them in their awesome scale. Through
them he recognizes the need to accommodate
the demands of an expanding global population.
He also invites us to consider the long-term
consequences of our actions.
Water, initiated in 2008, follows two similar
series, China and Oil, and took four years to
complete. Burtynsky wanted to “find ways to
make compelling photographs about the human
systems employed to redirect and control
water.” He employed a team of assistants and a
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Exhibition Opening
Evening of Thursday,
February 11
Photographer Edward Burtynsky
headlines our preview party
exclusively for Chrysler Members.
See page 20 for more information.
Join the fun. Join the Museum at
Chrysler.org/membership.
Film: Watermark
Saturday, February 13
2 p.m. | Free
Stories from around the globe
focus attention on our complex
relationship with water. Don’t
miss the local premiere of this
trenchant, award-winning
documentary (2013, PG).
Water, Water Everywhere
Family Day
variety of means: special lifts, aircraft, drones,
and a custom-designed mast with a fiber-optic
remote. They allowed him to view the world in
ways that are rarely, if ever, available to artists.
He has carried his equipment across the globe
to compose images of pure or polluted water in
both its abundance and its scarcity.
To organize his efforts and his thoughts,
Burtynsky categorized these images into six
groups: distress, control, agriculture, aquaculture,
waterfront, and source. This organization creates
a story for us to follow. The narrative process links
Burtynsky to the traditions of photography and
the artists like Francis Frith, Charles Marville, or
Louis-Émile Durandell, who created extensive
portfolios to record a journey or an architectural
enterprise. Burtynsky frequently creates books
and documentary films to accompany his
photographic exhibitions.
As you visit a Burtynsky exhibition, you may
appreciate the overall project narrative or his
environmental message, but you also may
find individual photographs arresting for their
composition, form, and color. Frequently they are
poetic and abstract. In his own writing, Burtynsky
has referenced Casper David Friedrich, Jean
Dubuffet, David Shapiro, and Richard Diebenkorn
as painters he particularly admires. Not
surprisingly, several of these painters were known
for their affinity with landscapes. The relationship
to abstract art is especially evident in Burtynsky’s
aerial photographs that minimize details and use
cropping to eliminate context. In these images,
patterns, grids, and sinuous lines take over and
we grow uncertain of our position. In their beauty
they strike a balance with the ominous images of
devastation, giving us a hopeful resolution.
—Erik Neil, Museum Director
Saturday, March 12
10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Free
Rain or shine, we’re all about the
H2O today as the Chrysler hosts
free family fun. Plan to get a little
wet as you explore this resource
through hands-on activities,
artmaking, and more!
Family Day is generously sponsored by
the Bunny and Perry Morgan Fund.
Water: The Director’s Tour
Sunday, March 20
1 p.m. | Free
Museum Director Erik Neil leads
this special in-depth look into
the photos of Edward Burtynsky
and how the artist created these
spectacular shots.
Water
Immerse yourself in the
exceptional images of Edward
Burtynsky. The exhibition’s
oversized illustrated catalogue
is available in The Museum Shop
for $125. Members save 10%.
winter
2016 | 13
|
The Om
of the
Galleries
The Art
of Yoga
T
Photos by Ed Pollard,
Museum Photographer,
and Gary Marshall,
Museum Websmith
14 | winter 2016
he arts have long been long known to have
later, I got involved with The Gift of Sight and
a positive effect on people’s health and
giving free eye exams to women in shelters and
well-being, and that is a very real part of
transitional homes. The ultimate joy, though, was
our mission at the Chrysler. One way to combine
participating in a medical mission to Guyana. In
all these elements has been The Art of Yoga, a
our four days there, we gave 173 eye exams. Many
popular weekly program at the
of the people we treated had
Museum. Director of Education
never had an exam before, so
My first experience with yoga
Anne Corso sat down (though
that was particularly rewarding.
was at the Chrysler Museum of Art.
not in a lotus position) to chat
ac: You also teach Hatha, Yin,
with Dr. Tenesha Bazemore,
and Vinyasa yoga. How does
It was wonderful and inspiring!
who leads the yoga sessions in
yoga intersect with optometry,
our Museum’s galleries.
I was thrilled to experience the
and what makes yoga different
anne corso: Tenesha, you’ve
in the Museum setting?
yoga class among all the beautiful
been teaching yoga here
tb: Yoga allows you to forget
art. Tenesha's themes referred
since the Chrysler reopened
about your worries over the
in 2014, but some people
to the art around us and
past and future. You can
might be surprised to know
just
focus on the present, on
enhanced the experience.
that you come from a medical
stillness—much like you do
background. You’ve even
I love the Chrysler and all its art.
when you’re looking at art.
participated in medical
Maybe
it’s another way of
The opportunity to have yoga
missions. Would you tell us
seeing.
about that?
in such a lovely place draws me
ac: How do you use the art in
tenesha bazemore: Yes,
back. I look forward to my classes
your yoga practice within our
actually, I’ve been practicing
galleries?
every week.
optometry since 1995. I
tb: Art is a great meditation
always knew I wanted to help
—Lynda Sorensen,
tool: it really helps people focus.
people see. Several years
Museum Member, New Yogini
|
Norfolk
Society
of Arts
Lecture
Series
Each month’s event
begins with a coffee
reception in Huber
Court at 10:30 a.m.,
followed by the
Kneeling Winged Deity by the Sacred Tree
Assyrian (Nimrud, now northern Iraq), 875 B.C.E.
Alabaster (stone)
Gift of Captain and Mrs. Shirley Douglas Falcke, by exchange
free lecture in the
Museum’s Kaufman
Theater at 11 a.m.
For instance, in our Yin practice, we focus on the
five elements: earth, water, fire, wood, and metal.
During one practice, we used the glass collection
to relate to the element of fire. Like glassblowing,
yoga uses the breath to keep participants focused
on their practice. In another session, we focused
on the marble sculptures in the galleries to relate
to our “earth” element. That also helped students
recognize the physical aspects of the sculptures
and made them more aware of their own bodies
during practice.
ac: How do the students respond?
tb: Very positively. I try to emphasize that there’s
no “right body type” for practicing yoga. It’s
about your experience. Much like the works of
art we focus on, we’re all masterpieces.
In 2016, the Chrysler offers The Art of Yoga every
Tuesday from 8:45–9:45 a.m. Beginners and
accomplished devotees alike are welcome. Bring
your own mat. Cost: $5 for Museum Members,
$10 per session for all others. Space is limited.
Register at reservations.chrysler.org.
Wednesday,
January 27, 2016
Carter E. Foster
Steven and Ann Ames Curator
of Drawing, Whitney Museum
of American Art, New York
Edward Hopper:
Drawing, Painting,
Memory, Imagination
Wednesday,
February 24, 2016
Stephennie Mulder, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor of
Islamic Art and Archaeology,
University of Texas at Austin
A Heritage in Peril:
Saving the Past in the
Cradle of Civilization
Learn to see as this
20th-century visionary saw,
drew, and painted, and
understand how his own
subjectivity and imagination
informed his work. Discover
the great specificity and careful
observation that helped him
capture the universal themes
and emotions depicted in his
now-iconic paintings.
As ISIS, dictators, and a host
of world conflicts threaten to
loot or to destroy cherished
antiquities, what can be done
to protect irreplaceable cultural
artifacts? Find out more about
“acts of heritage terror” and
why we cannot disentangle
human lives from the culture
humans have made and cherish.
The Norfolk Society of Arts promotes and enhances the cultural
life of the South Hampton Roads community through lectures,
special events, and financial support to the Chrysler Museum of
Art. NSA membership is open to all. For more information about
membership or the Society, please contact Edith Grandy at
(757) 621-0861 or [email protected].
winter
2016 | 15
Fall
Events
This fall, the Perry Glass Studio welcomed two remarkable
guests to conclude its Visiting Artist Series 2015. In
September, Toots Zynsky kept the hot shop floor and kilns
busy. She and our Studio Team created new vessels and
explorations in her signature filet de verre technique.
In October, Tom Moore traveled from Australia to create his
whimsical art before engaged audiences. He also performed
on Third Thursday evening for the debut of Norfolk’s NEON
Arts District, presenting the environmentally curious and
quirky characters of an imaginary world called Grimeyvale.
Photos by Echard Wheeler for the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio
At the Major
Donor Dinner on
September 10, the
Museum honored
our most beneficent
contributors. The
Chrysler welcomed
nearly 300 guests to
the event to express
our gratitude for their
generosity.
Kirk and Amy Levy;
Carrie and Dave
Coleman, Museum
CFO Dana Fuqua; Barry
Pollara, Carol Anne and
Tom Kent, Peggy Pollara;
Yvonne Almond, John
and Sherri Matson
Photos courtesy of
Glenn Bashaw/Images in Light
16 | winter 2016
Though devilishly nasty weather threatened the opening for Saints and Dragons:
Icons from Byzantium to Russia, it couldn’t keep the faithful from attending.
Hundreds of Museum Members and community friends came for the October 1 preview
of our collaborative exhibition with The Museum of Russian Icons and The British Museum.
Father George Bessinas from Norfolk’s Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral led a
group of his colleagues from local Orthodox churches in praying a ceremonial blessing
over the show, the Museum, and its staff and visitors. Guests enjoyed a talk by worldrecognized icon expert Robin Cormack of the University of London’s Courtauld Institute
of Art. Other highlights of the evening included classical guitarist Sam Dorsey, the lively
Annunciation Dancers, and, of course, the remarkable sacred art and artifacts.
Photos by Charlie Gunter for the Chrysler Museum of Art
Autumn 2015 brought world-recognized artists to the
Chrysler. Hank Willis Thomas visited the Museum for
September’s Third Thursday. His well-attended lecture
focused on his not only his Black Righteous Space in
The Box, but his overall creative process.
In October, Dutch floral designer Nicky Markslag led a
week of sold-out flower-arranging workshops. Creations
that interpreted art from the Chrysler Collection also
beautified our Oval Gallery.
Photos by Gary Marshall, Museum Websmith, and Eleise Theuer for the
Chrysler Museum of Art
events | 17
|
Staff:
New Staff
Bring New
Strengths
Although the Chrysler has scores of employees
who have been here for years (sometimes
decades), the Museum is always pleased when
it can advance its staff from within or hire
impressive professionals from outside to fill
recently vacant or newly created positions.
Join us in welcoming these Chrysler colleagues
whose fresh perspectives and workplace skills
make us a stronger Museum.
Jackie Baez, Human Resources Manager
Jackie Baez grew up visiting the Chrysler Museum
of Art. A graduate of Lake Taylor High School
and Old Dominion
University, she earned
a master’s degree in
industrial/organizational
psychology from the
Florida Institute of
Technology. Baez brings
18 years of professional
HR experience to
her work here: from managing the Museum’s
personnel to maintaining a supportive, productive
staff. She also provides coaching, training, and
management counsel. She and her husband, who
love salsa dancing, have two daughters, two
miniature Schnauzers, and a guinea pig at home.
Photos by Ed Pollard,
Museum Photographer;
Denis Finley, Director of
Communications;
Gary Marshall,
Museum Websmith, and
Echard Wheeler for the
Chrysler Museum of Art
18 | winter 2016
Virginia Laidet, Curatorial Research Assistant
Virginia Laidet recently earned an M.A. in the
history of decorative arts at Bard Graduate
Center. Earlier, she
held internships at The
Metropolitan Museum
of Art and the Musée
Carnavalet in Paris.
Laidet’s research has
focused primarily on
French decorative arts
of the 18th and 19th
centuries. Her projects at the Chrysler include
research for a forthcoming glass collection book
and an exhibition on French glass. Virginia and her
French husband, Bertrand, married in June, and
enjoy live music and travel.
Clark Williamson,
Exhibition Designer/Fabricator
Clark Williamson, the Museum’s Carpenter and
a Preparator since 2013, was promoted in July.
He now works with
the Exhibition Team
on planning, design,
installation, and
construction of case
furniture, pedestals,
platforms and walls
for our many shows.
Williamson, an exhibiting
studio artist, previously worked at the Brigham
Young University Museum of Art and at the
University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where
he earned his M.F.A. He enjoys playing guitar,
cooking with his wife, and playing with their three
active children.
Brad Hall, Preparator
Brad Hall is the Chrysler’s newest member of the
Prep Team responsible for art handling, exhibition
installation, and storage
of loans and the artworks
in our collections. The
Virginia Commonwealth
University graduate is
also is a sculptor who has
been involved in area
arts initiatives and the
curator-artist collective
Popblossom for a number of years. He was part
of the project team that brought Norfolk’s NEON
Festival to light/life. An avid surfer, Hall can use
the word gnarly without a hint of sarcasm.
Morgan Wylder, National Endowment for the
Humanities Conservation Fellow
Morgan Wylder is the sixth NEH protégé that
Conservator Mark Lewis has mentored since
2008. She earned a dual
degree in Fine Art and
Art History at Cornell
University. She then
spent a year interning for
private painting, paper,
and wood conservation
studios in New York
and Washington.
Wylder attended graduate school in London
at the Courtauld Institute of Art, studying the
conservation of easel paintings. Last summer,
she interned in the paintings conservation
department at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Glass Studio Staff and Instructors
Macon and Joan Brock Win
National Award for Philanthropy
The Perry Glass Studio has added five new
part-time staffers and contractors. Each was
chosen from the Studio’s exclusive hiring pool:
Assistantship Program graduates.
Tim Spurchise earned dual B.A.s from Hartwick
College in upstate New York, then studied art
and art history in Italy. He has exhibited widely,
winning awards for both his glassblowing and
metal sculpture. He also teaches at Tidewater
Community College.
Laura McFie discovered glassblowing at Tidewater
Community College after having earned her
business degree at Old Dominion University. With
her teamwork skills and appreciation of glass
performance and artistic creation, she fits right in
at the Studio.
Norfolk native Van Eric Harned studied glass at
Virginia Commonwealth University and also is
a skilled professional in carpentry, culinary arts,
audio-visuals, and sound. His glass, art, and music
are informed by his grounding in the applied arts.
Rhode Island School of Design grad Gayle Forman
was first introduced to glass at the Pittsburgh
Glass Center in her hometown. Her extensive
studio practice, research, and artmaking focus on
play, imagination, absurdity, and the everyday.
World traveler Emily Bartelt has lived in
Wisconsin, Norfolk, and Sicily, all of which inspire
her practice in glass. She earned her associates
degree in glass at Tidewater Community College
and is forging a career as an award-winning artist
and educator.
These five new staff complement our existing
Studio Team—Charlotte Potter, Robin Rogers,
Joan Biddle, and Robert Holtzscheiter—and
talented instructors in making the Perry Norfolk’s
hottest attraction.
I
Macon and Joan Brock at the
Museum’s 2014 Grand Reopening.
Photo by David Schwartz for the
Chrysler Museum of Art
n 2013, the Hampton Roads chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals named
Joan and Macon Brock Philanthropists of the Year. The award recognized their incredible
successes in turning their philanthropic visions into reality. That well-earned title was
prelude to an even greater honor: the 2015 AFP National Philanthropists of the Year award. On
November 12, 2015, the Brocks were honored at a reception at the 92nd Street Y in New York
City. At the event they shared the stage with other national volunteer leaders, who, like the
Brocks, transform their communities through the gifts of time, talent, and treasure.
The Chrysler Museum of Art has been a part of Macon and Joan’s philanthropic vision since
Joan joined the Museum’s corps of docents in 1986. Their passion for art and the Museum,
along with their exceptional talents in business and leadership, made both Joan and Macon
natural candidates for the Museum’s Board of Trustees
In their non-consecutive terms on the Board and as Chairs, Joan and Macon shaped the longterm strategic goals of the Museum, laid the foundations, and then executed our successful
2012 Capital Campaign. As befits leaders of their caliber, the Brocks lead by example, giving
more than $4 million to support changing exhibitions, to endow the Brock Curatorship of
American Art, and to fund the critical expansion and renovation of the Museum facility that
now bears their names. Joan and Macon’s lifetime giving totals over $8 million, making them
the Museum’s most significant individual investors.
Beyond sharing their expertise and resources, the Brocks also have invested in the Museum
with generous loans from their personal collection of American art—and a recent promised
gift. To celebrate three decades of service of Chief Curator Emeritus Jeff Harrison, Tappan Zee,
a glowing New York landscape by the Hudson River School master Sanford Robinson Gifford,
will one day become part of the Chrysler Collection thanks to Macon and Joan’s generosity.
Beyond their extraordinary contributions to the Museum, the Brocks have practiced visionary
philanthropy across our region and around the world. In addition to extraordinary gifts to the
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the ACCESS College Foundation, and Eastern Virginia Medical
School, they have founded schools and funded medical care for children in developing
countries. All told, Brocks have invested more than $40 million in nonprofits across the globe
in order to increase health, well-being, safety, education, and beauty in the world. For this
and for all else that that they have done, we join the nation in saying “thank you” to Joan,
Macon, and their family.
—Brian Wells, Director of Development
winter 2016 | 19
That’s the
Don’t-Miss
Ticket:
Events for
Improvements Members
in Event
R.S.V.P.s
After the exceptional response
to opening lectures for our
last two exhibitions, we are
offering Members a new
reservations benefit. Our new
ticketing system facilitates
Kaufman Theater seating for
Chrysler Museum Members.
Masterpiece Society Art Purchase Dinner
The evening of Tuesday, December 15
Our annual gala featuring works of art selected by our curators is the
Museum’s most anticipated and premier social event of the year. This
evening, Masterpiece Society Members vote on which suggested work of
art becomes part of the Chrysler Collection. Society Members will receive
their invitations by mail. For more information on joining the Chrysler’s
Masterpiece Society, please contact Assistant Director of Development
Homer Babbitt at (757) 333-6298 or [email protected].
Members still will R.S.V.P.
for limited-seating lectures
or performances and special
membership events through
the same processes as before:
by phone or online at
reservations.chrysler.org.
But now Members will receive
a confirmation email with
their printable event tickets
attached. Just present your
tickets at the door and select
your seats.
Third Thursday
December 17, January 21, and February 18 | Open until 10 p.m.
Our monthly after-hours evenings at the Museum and the Perry Glass Studio
offer eclectic programs, artful entertainment, and a cash bar to enjoy with
friends. Museum Members at all levels always are admitted for free.
Evening with the Director
The evening of January 19
In thanks for your generosity, the Museum invites Members of our
Masterpiece Society, Corporate Leadership Alliance, and Director’s Circle
to join us for this highlight of each new year. Enjoy an exclusive cocktail
reception and an engaging presentation by Director Erik Neil. Invitations
for this exclusive upper-level membership event will arrive by mail.
This new system expedites
check-in and assures that
Museum Members, our
most loyal supporters,
have priority access.
Please look for your
next exhibition
opening invitation—
Edward Burtynsky: Water—
to arrive by mail
early in 2016.
20 | winter 2016
Third Thursday photo by
Eleise Theuer for the
Chrysler Museum of Art
Edward Burtynsky: Water—The Members’ Exhibition Opening
The evening of Thursday, February 11
Come preview our newest keynote exhibition at this Members-only
opening party. An interactive question-and-answer discussion between
acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky and Museum Director Erik Neil
is a highlight of this exclusive evening. Admission is free for all Museum
Members. Invitations will arrive by mail; lecture tickets will be available on
our website in early January.
Discount tickets for Feldman Chamber Music Society
January 18 | Amara Piano Quartet
April 4 | Hermitage Piano Trio
Chrysler Museum Members save 20% on single $25 tickets for FCMS
concerts in our Kaufman Theater. WHRO’s Dwight Davis hosts a preconcert
reception at 7 p.m., with the performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. For more
information, see feldmanchambermusic.org.
|
Last Look
Chrysler
Catalysts
for the
NEON
Let there be light! The city debuted its New Energy of Norfolk arts district with a downtown
festival on October 15 and 16, and the Chrysler Museum of Art and its Perry Glass Studio
beamed with pride. Many of our staff members, trustees, and artists have helped the
NEON come to life and to light. The Chrysler anchored the festival with a grand illumination
of our Brock Building, free Third Thursday events, food trucks, a beer garden, live music,
artist talks, dance, and inspired performances. Across the NEON neighborhood, more
than 30 regional groups presented buskers and bands, street theater, sidewalk graphics, dance,
comedy improv, glow yoga, and pop-up art exhibitions. NEON was the impetus for the creation
of more than 25 new murals and 3-D pieces of public art—establishing our own backyard
as an ongoing destination for visual, performing, and culinary arts, culture, and creativity.
Congratulations and thanks to these Chrysler colleagues
who helped turn on the NEON: Charlotte Potter •
Erik Neil • Joan Biddle • Robin Rogers • Julia Rogers •
Hannah Kirkpatrick • Kristi Totoritis • Doug and Pat Perry •
Susan Leidy • Brother and Meredith Rutter • James Akers
• Gayle Forman • Emily Bartelt • Brad Hall • Seth Feman •
Raleigh Ingram • Anne Corso • Tim Fink • Terry Benson •
Joe Waldo • Mike Braun • Ali Feeney
Photos by/courtesy of Blue Steel Lighting, Robin Rogers, Gary Marshall,
Benjamin Boshart, and Echard Wheeler for the Chrysler Museum of Art
last look | 21
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coming to the chrysler
Herb Ritts: The Rock Portraits
Members’ Opening | Thursday, June 23
museum and
glass studio hours
Tuesday–Saturday
from 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
information
(757) 664-6200 | Chrysler.org
follow the chrysler
Sunday from noon–5 p.m.
Third Thursday til 10 p.m.
Wisteria, the Museum
restaurant, is open during
Museum hours.
and @chryslermuseum
Free Parking
Wheelchair Accessible
Subscribe to the Chrysler
Museum Weekly at
chrysler.org/email-signup.
historic houses hours
Saturday and Sunday
from noon–5 p.m.
Limited Accessibility
Rather than recycle,
share this issue of
Chrysler with a friend.
general admission is free
The Chrysler Museum of Art is
partially supported by grants
from the City of Norfolk, the
Virginia Commission for the
Arts, the National Endowment
for the Arts, the Business
Consortium for Arts Support,
and the Edwin S. Webster
Foundation.
and supported by
Museum Members!
Join the Chrysler on site,
on the phone at
(757) 333-6298,
or online at chrysler.org/
membership.
Herb Ritts (American, 1952–2002)
David Bowie III, Los Angeles, 1987
Photographed for Rolling Stone Magazine
Image © and courtesy of Herb Ritts Foundation
Meet the royalty of rock and roll. Photographer Herb Ritts
introduces you to David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Janet Jackson,
Elton John, Madonna, Prince, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake,
Tina Turner, and more of the world’s biggest musical stars of the
1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. His startlingly intimate portraits
for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and other leading magazines
presented these artists as the public had never seen them before.
From B.B. King to Bruce Springsteen to Bono to Britney Spears,
come face-to-face with the kings and queens of pop music.
Discover Ritts’ legacy of portrait photography and music
video direction in this popular touring exhibition from the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.