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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2005

PRESS CONTACT:           
Andrea Potochniak
607 254-4563
arp37@cornell.edu

Including exhibitions of Japanese poetry prints,
Rembrandt’s etchings, contemporary photography, and works by
Willie Cole, with four artists to speak at Museum

Ithaca, NY—The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University announces its exhibition schedule for Spring 2006.

All are welcome at this semester’s two free opening receptions: Friday, January 27, and Saturday, April 8. Both receptions will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and include refreshments and live music. The Museum will also be open until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 20, as part of Light in Winter Gallery Night.

EXHIBITION AND PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Programs/participants are subject to change. All events are free of charge unless noted.

Japanese Poetry Prints: Surimono from the Schoff Collection
January 14–March 19
Poetry prints, or surimono, are woodblock prints commissioned by poetry clubs, typically as gifts in celebration of the lunar New Year, and were unique collaborations of poets, artists, calligraphers, and printing houses. This exhibition presents superb examples from the early 19th century, from the collection of Joanna Haab Schoff (Cornell Class of 1955). The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue by Cornell PhD candidate and guest curator Daniel McKee.

Related event:
Thursday, January 26, 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.
ART FOR LUNCH
Guest curator Daniel McKee will discuss this exhibition.

Japonisme: European Artists and the Allure of Japan
January 21–March 19
This exhibition examines the Western interest in collecting Japanese prints and decorative arts that sprang up in the 19th century and the infiltration of Japanese aesthetics into this pivotal period in modern art. Works from the permanent collection by Toulouse-Lautrec, Buhot, Bonnard, Whistler, Gauguin, and others will be included, along with Japanese woodblock prints by Hiroshige and other printmakers, and ceramics and carvings made for export to the West.

Related event:
Thursday, February 23, 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.
ART FOR LUNCH
Assistant curator and master teacher Andy Weislogel will lead a tour of the exhibition.

Yangtze Remembered: The River Beneath the Lake
January 21–March 26

Between 2000 and 2003, photographer Linda Butler made eight trips to rural China to record images of the Yangtze River’s grandeur, its environmental degradation, and its people before, during, and after the completion of the Three Gorges Dam. When the initial phase of the dam was completed, its reservoir inundated more than 300 miles of the river valley, displacing an estimated 1.3 million people. Informal portraits, architectural interiors, and overviews of the river and its cities capture fascinating diversity and dramatic transformation.

Related events:
Thursday, February 9 at 5:15 p.m.
ARTIST’S TALK
Photographer Linda Butler will discuss her portrait of the Yangtze River.

Thursday, March 9, 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.
ART FOR LUNCH
Curator Ellen Avril discusses Linda Butler’s photographs.

Cornell Department of Art Faculty
January 21–March 12
Cornell’s artist-teachers are featured in this biennial exhibition.

Related events:
Thursday, February 9, 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.
ART FOR LUNCH
Associate Professor Todd McGrain will discuss his work.

Sunday, March 5, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
Sunday Artbreak
Professor Buzz Spector, chair of the Department of Art, will discuss his process as a working artist.

Story Cloths of Bali
January 28–March 26
Balinese textile artists have long adorned simple cloths with elaborate embroidered depictions of classic folk epics. These colorfully stitched pieces were made by women in western and northern Bali for use as offerings and ceremonial cloths to adorn village buildings or temporary shrines. They provide a fascinating glimpse into the tradition of storytelling in Bali, while reminding us that ancient, universal themes of morality, humor, and the triumph over adversity can be just as significant today.

Related events:
Saturday, February 18, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
Living Threads—The Arts of Bali
Explore the stories of Bali through the beauty of the textiles, the motion of dance, the rhythm of music and poetry, and the delights of the food at this “elegant evening” held in conjunction with the exhibition Story Cloths of Bali. Cosponsored by the Southeast Asia Program. FEES: $30 for Members/$35 for nonmembers. Seating is limited. Reservations and payment are required by February 10. Please call 254-4586.

Thursday, March 16 at 5:15 p.m.
Lecture: Living Threads/Painted Surfaces: Ni Made Suciarmi
Associate Professor Kaja McGowan will speak in conjunction with the exhibition.

The Architect’s Brother
March 25–June 11
Robert ParkeHarrison’s photography constructs stories of healing and restoration amid landscapes scarred by technology and overuse, reminding us to consider the state of our one and only earth. At the center of each of his pictorial tales is a lone individual—ParkeHarrison himself as “Everyman”—the “Architect’s” brother, who patches holes in the sky, creates rain machines, chases storms to create electricity, and communicates with the land to learn of its needs. Robert’s wife, Shana, collaborates with him to produce the work. The exhibition has been organized by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film.

Related event:
Thursday, March 30 at 5:15 p.m.
ARTISTS’ TALK
Shana and Robert ParkeHarrison will speak about their work.

The Novel Picture: Interactions Between Text and Image
April 1–June 18
The annual exhibition curated by the Cornell History of Art Majors’ Society investigates novel artistic expressions, including book illustrations, works of art inspired by literature, and other pairings of text and image. Authors such as William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde will be featured, along with artists ranging from Eugène Delacroix to Jim Dine.

Related event:
Thursday, April 6, 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.
ART FOR LUNCH
History of Art Majors’ Society curators will discuss their exhibition.

Rembrandt at 400
April 1–June 18
In celebration of the four-hundredth anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth, in 1606, this exhibition highlights the Johnson’s collection of his prints, with a special feature: a good, lifetime impression of one etching will be exhibited next to a later impression pulled after the artist’s death; next to these will be a line-for-line, deceptive copy of the same print, done by an unknown printmaker. Viewers will have the opportunity to figure out which is which, and wrestle with questions of artistic quality and originality.

Related events:
Thursday, May 4, 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.
ART FOR LUNCH
Museum Director Frank Robinson leads special tour of the exhibition.

Sunday, May 7, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
REMBRANDT’S 400TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
The Johnson Museum throws a party to remember in honor of Rembrandt’s big day, with cake and ice cream, art activities, tulips in bloom, and much more. Free and open to all!

Afterburn—Willie Cole: Selected Works 1997–2004
April 8–May 28
African-American artist Willie Cole transforms discarded domestic items and electronic gadgets into sculptures that refer to African art and mythology. As an artist who works in industrial New Jersey, he finds his battered materials, with their obvious traces of use, close by. He adds to these objects the legacy of his African ancestry and his knowledge of African art and world religions.

The exhibition has been organized by the University of Wyoming Art Museum and funded in part by Jennifer McSweeney and Peter Reuss, the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, the Norton Family Foundation, the National Advisory Board of the University of Wyoming Art Museum, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Johnson Museum’s presentation of the exhibition was funded in part by a grant from the Cornell Council for the Arts.

Related events:
Thursday, April 20 at 5:15 p.m.
ARTIST’S TALK
Artist Willie Cole will speak about his work.

Thursday, April 27, 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.
ART FOR LUNCH
Curator Andrea Inselmann discusses the work of Willie Cole.

Modern Indian Art from the Zimmerman Collection
April 8–June 11
Contemporary painting in India has its basis in the modernist works of the Progressive Artists Group, formed shortly after independence. This exhibition presents paintings and drawings of the 1950s and 1960s by founding members of this group along with works by other artists forging new directions in Indian art. Margot Zimmerman, Cornell Class of 1956, and Paul Zimmerman formed their collection while serving in the Peace Corps in India in the 1960s, often purchasing directly from the artists.

The Johnson Museum has a permanent collection of over 30,000 works of art from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The museum building was designed by I. M. Pei. Funds for the building were donated by Cornell alumnus Herbert F. Johnson, late president and chairman of S C Johnson. The building opened in 1973.

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The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, located on the campus of Cornell University, is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. The Museum is completely accessible for mobility-impaired visitors, and a wheelchair is available in the lobby. Metered parking is available in the lot next to the Museum. For more information, please call 607 255-6464. Visit the Museum’s website at www.museum.cornell.edu. The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is a proud member of Ithaca’s Discovery Trail: www.DiscoveryTrail.com.

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