Grand Rapids Art Museum

CONNECTING PEOPLE THROUGH ART, CREATIVITY, AND DESIGN.

THE JIM HENSON EXHIBITION: IMAGINATION UNLIMITEDORGANIZED BY THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE, THE EXHIBITION REVEALED HOW HENSON AND HIS TEAM OF DESIGNERS, WRITERS, TECHNICIANS, AND PERFORMERS BROUGHT TO LIFE THE ENDURINGLY POPULAR WORLDS OF THE MUPPET SHOW, THE MUPPET MOVIES, SESAME STREET, FRAGGLE ROCK, THE DARK CRYSTAL, LABYRINTH, AND MUCH MORE. IT ALSO INCLUDED MATERIAL FROM HENSON'S EXPERIMENTAL FILM PROJECTS AND HIS EARLY WORK, WHICH HIGHLIGHTED HIS RELENTLESS CREATIVITY AS A PERFORMER, FILMMAKER, AND TECHNICAL INNOVATOR.IMAGINATION UNLIMITED FEATURED A WIDE RANGE OF OVER 170 HISTORICAL OBJECTS RELATED TO HENSON'S UNPARALLELED CAREER. ON VIEW WERE ICONIC PUPPETS, HISTORIC COSTUMES, CHARACTER SKETCHES, STORYBOARDS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ANNOTATED SCRIPTS, FILM AND TELEVISION CLIPS, AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE. INTERACTIVE GALLERY EXPERIENCES ENCOURAGED VISITORS TO TRY THEIR HAND AT PUPPETEERING ON CAMERA, AND DESIGN AN ORIGINAL PUPPET CHARACTER ON SCREEN.THE EXHIBITION SERVED AS A PLATFORM FOR INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING, AS HENSON'S COMPREHENSIVE BODY OF WORK HAS IMPACTED INTERNATIONAL, MULTI-GENERATIONAL AUDIENCES. GRAM USED THE EXHIBITION AS A FOUNDATION FOR UNIQUE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, COLLABORATIONS, AND PROGRAMMING TO ENGAGE AND INSPIRE PEOPLE OF ALL AGESFROM STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TO CHILDREN, ADULTS, AND FAMILIES.

OTHER EXPENSES RELATED TO THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AND THE EXHIBITIONS SHOWN DURING THIS YEAR AND EXPENSES RELATED TO PREPARATION OF EXHIBITIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR. THIS INCLUDES CURATORIAL, CATALOGING AND RESEARCH, AS WELL AS THE PURCHASE OF ART FOR THE PERMANENT COLLECTION.

PRESENCE: THE PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION OF JUDY GLICKMAN LAUDERTHIS EXHIBIT FEATURED 145 PHOTOGRAPHS BY 70ARTISTSFROM THE COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHER AND HUMANITARIAN JUDY GLICKMAN LAUDER. PRESENCE CREATED A DIALOGUE BETWEEN SOME OF THE MOST BELOVED AND INFLUENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, INCLUDING BERENICE ABBOTT, DIANE ARBUS, RICHARD AVEDON, MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE, DANNY LYON, SALLY MANN, GORDON PARKS, AND JAMES VAN DER ZEE. THE EXHIBITION ALSO INCLUDED PHOTOGRAPHS BY CRITICAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THE MEDIUM'S HISTORY, SUCH AS IRVING BENNETT ELLIS, GRACIELA ITURBIDE, LOTTE JACOBI, AND ALMA LAVENSON. ORGANIZED BY THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART AND DRAWN FROM GLICKMAN LAUDER'S COLLECTION OF NEARLY 700 WORKS OF ART, PRESENCE IS INEXTRICABLY SHAPED BY HER PERSONAL AND ARTISTIC VISION. AS THE DAUGHTER OF A PHOTOGRAPHER AND A MASTER PHOTOGRAPHIC ACTIVIST AND STORYTELLER IN HER OWN RIGHT, GLICKMAN LAUDER DEVELOPED HER COLLECTION OVER SEVERAL DECADES, RESULTING IN AN INTIMATE, LIFELONG CONNECTION TO THE MEDIUM. AS AN ARTIST, GLICKMAN LAUDER'S PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE BEEN EXHIBITED WORLDWIDE AND ARE REPRESENTED IN OVER 300 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, INCLUDING THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM, THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, AND THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MUSEUM. THE PRESENTATION OF PRESENCE AT THE GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM EXPANDED UPON A LONG HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONS AND ACQUISITIONS AT THE MUSEUM, PROVIDED A CONTEXT FOR GRAM'S COLLECTION AND ENCOURAGED A DIALOGUE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND COLLECTORS FOR FUTURE AREAS OF ACQUISITION. PRESENCE: THE PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION OF JUDY GLICKMAN LAUDER WAS ORGANIZED BY THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART, MAINE. THE EXHIBITION WAS CURATED BY ANJULI LEBOWITZ, JUDY GLICKMAN LAUDER ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART, MAINE.

MESSAGE FROM OUR PLANET: DIGITAL ART FROM THE THOMA COLLECTIONTHIS EXHIBIT PROPOSED THAT DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES OFFER DISTINCT WAYS FOR ARTISTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH FUTURE GENERATIONS. IN THE HANDS OF THESE CREATIVE ARTISTS COMPUTER CODE, DIGITAL DATA, VIDEO GAMES, AND EVEN DISCARDED ELECTRONIC PARTS, BECOME ENGAGING WORKS OF ART WITH THE POWER TO EXPRESS THEIR UNIQUE BELIEFS, IDEAS, AND DESIRES.DIGITAL ART IS A TERM USED TO DESCRIBE ART THAT IS CREATED, STORED, OR PRESENTED USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY. IT CAN BE CREATED IN AN INCREDIBLE VARIETY OF MEDIUMS, INCLUDING VIDEO, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, COMPUTER-GENERATED GRAPHICS, AND MORE. MANY ARTISTS COMBINE DIGITAL TOOLS WITH TRADITIONAL MEDIA LIKE DETROIT-BASED ARTIST MATTHEW ANGELO HARRISON WHO USES CUSTOM SOFTWARE AND A HAND-MADE 3D PRINTER TO CREATE CERAMIC SCULPTURES. OTHER ARTISTS REMAIN EXCLUSIVELY WITHIN THE DIGITAL REALM AND OFTEN UTILIZE TOOLS NOT ORIGINALLY INTENDED FOR ARTISTIC EXPRESSION, LIKE MOHAWK ARTIST SKAWENNATI WHO BUILT SETS, CREATED CHARACTERS, AND FILMED HER VIDEO TIMETRAVELLER WITHIN THE VIDEO GAME SECOND LIFE. AS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY BECOMES INTERTWINED WITH OUR EVERYDAY EXISTENCE AND CONTINUES TO ADVANCE, NEW AVENUES OF EXPRESSION WILL CONTINUE TO OPEN FOR TODAY'S ARTISTS.CURATED AND SUPPORTED BY THE CARL & MARILYNN THOMA FOUNDATION