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| DAI show highlights collection’s Rarely seen treasures - Dayton Daily News Posted: 08 Oct 2009 04:56 PM PDT
By Meredith Moss,
Staff Writer
5:23 PM Friday, October 9, 2009
DAYTON — For Evan Valassiades, the Dayton Art Institute's new exhibit is an opportunity to get reacquainted with some dear old friends. The friends in question are pieces of art from the museum's collection. "I remember coming here as a child with my mom; she taught art when there was an art school," says the Kettering woman who has continued the tradition as a museum docent since 1955. Valassiades says she and others who've been around for a while are thrilled to see some of their favorite pieces back in the galleries. "Hello World: Rarely Seen Art From Our Collection," opens this weekend and features an impressive collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, decorative arts, photography and more. Included are works by such well-known artists as Pablo Picasso, Ansel Adams, John James Audubon, Paul Cezanne, Jackson Pollock and Willis "Bing" Davis. In tribute to the museum's 90th anniversary, the exhibit also includes a sound-and-video installation that incorporates reflections from Miami Valley residents. It was produced by artists Tess Cortes of Wright State University and Mary Anne Kirk of ThinkTV. Chief curator Will South says while it's not uncommon for museums to organize exhibits based on their own collections, many are often made up of a curator's favorite pieces. He wanted to do something different. His opening wall statement explains it best. "What binds us together as people is greater than what separates us," South writes. "Over time, distance and across cultures, people everywhere create art to make the world around us more special." So South picked a theme for each gallery, then mixed up the art to demonstrate each theme. The conglomeration of cultures and centuries and mediums ensures no gallery ever gets boring and makes it fun to see how each theme is carried out. "We love the idea of the themes," says Valassiades, who joined other docents for a sneak peak at the new exhibit earlier this week. In "Textiles," for example, you'll see an Indian wedding shawl made by a grandmother for her granddaughter, a Japanese kimono created for a formal wedding, an Irish applique quilt and a man's dragon robe from China. In "Landscapes," you'll see lovely scenes on a Japanese folding screen, a photo of the Great Pyramids and a whimsical imaginary landscape. Kids of all ages will be able to grasp and discuss various artwork and identify exactly why it's in a gallery labeled "Hands" or "Face." South spent the past year combing through boxes and storage rooms and drawers to select the 100 pieces in the show. With 26,000 pieces in the DAI's possession, it's easy to see why much of this artwork is rarely seen by the public. One example is the colorful and vibrant oil painting by one of Mexico's most famous artists, Alfredo Ramos Martinez. South discovered it on a rack in a storage room and learned it was last on exhibit 30 years ago. Another great find: an architectural fragment hidden in the plenum space used for heating and ventilating between two floors of the museum. The large piece was leaning against a wall, covered with dirt. A handwritten note attached to the marble read: "Be careful, this is valuable." Bit by bit, the dirt was removed from the piece by teeny erasers designed to take way the dirt and grime without pushing it back into the marble. Under the dirt, the staff discovered an elaborate Turkish wall relief. The show's final gallery — "Flight Dreams" — celebrates Dayton's rich history. It features Seth M. Velsey's, "Flight," a proposed model for the Wright Field Museum that was never fully executed. South says it's an appropriate way to end the exhibit that celebrates the museum's 90th anniversary: "It's a work of art that says the Wright brothers and flight were important. And that being innovative and creative is important too." How to go What: "Hello World!": Rarely Seen Art From Our Collection" When: Through Jan. 3, 2010. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, with extended hours on Thursdays until 8 p.m. and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Where: The Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors (ages 60 and older), and students (with ID) and $1 for youth, ages 7 to 18 More information: www.daytonartinstitute .org or call (937) 223-5277. Also: In connection with "Hello World," the museum has planned a series of including a series of afternoon lectures by chief curator Will South at 1 p.m. on Oct. 13, 20 and 27. Cell phone tours are ongoing. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
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