Art and Science Unite in Biotech Research Exhibit at McMaster

Clint Wilson, detail from LOGOS Project, Phyciodes Pulchella Cascades, chromogenic print,152.4 x 91.44 cm, 2010

This Thursday Perceptions of Promise: Biotechnology, Society and Art, an exhibition of original artwork and essays that explore the complex legal, ethical and social issues of advancements in life science technologies, stem cell research in particular, makes its Ontario debut at the McMaster Museum of Art. The project brings together nine internationally recognized visual artists with scientists and scholars.

The touring exhibition was inspired by ongoing conversations between a group of artists, scientists, philosophers, sociologists and legal scholars who attended a three-day stem cell research workshop in April 2010. The exchange of ideas extended beyond the workshop to correspondence, drawings, scientific images and research.

Included in the exhibition are a sculpture made from the scans of human embryos, a tent with images of human cells and drawing of one of the artists’ chromosomes.

Without supporting one view of stem cell research over another, the artists prompt viewers to ponder current forms of biotechnology. Rapid advancements in biomedical research are challenging traditional views of the human body and its environment. Genetic and stem cell research, for example, may bring significant improvements to human health and welfare. However, these innovations also raise complex ethical, legal and social questions that society must face. Art has an important role to play in the discourse around biotechnology because it can offer unique articulations of the polarized and often emotionally charged responses the public has towards technology.

The nine artists in the exhibition are:
Derek Besant
Sean Caulfield
Liz Ingram
Bernd Hildebrandt
Shona Macdonald
Royden Mills
Mariléne Oliver
Daniela Schlüter
Clint Wilson

The exhibition continues at the McMaster Museum of Art until March 31, 2012.

Join us for an opening night PANEL DISCUSSION February 9 from 6 – 8 pm

Stem Cell Culture: Biomedical Research, Popular Culture and Art
Moderator:
Sean Caulfield – Artist, Professor, University of Alberta
Panelists:
Derek Besant – Artist
Roger Jacobs – Professor & Associate Chair (Undergraduate), Developmental Biology, Genetics & Molecular Biology, McMaster University
Patangi Rangachari – Professor Emeritus, Health Sciences, McMaster University
Daniela Schlüter – Artist

Sean Caulfield and Royden Mills, End Point, installation view, 2010

More information at WWW.PERCEPTIONSOFPROMISE.COM

World AIDS Day ▪ Day With(out) Art

DECEMBER 1

Declaration of loss…

Today we stand together. Today we stand in silence.
Today we mourn the loss of painters, photographers,
dancers, printmakers, actors, filmmakers, singers,
choreographers, poets, sculptors, musicians, designers…
all the artists who have died of AIDS.

Today we grieve the loss of future work from recognized artists,
as well as the absence of countless artists yet to be.

Today we declare our loss. December 1 is a Day without Art,
an International day of observance which focuses attention on
the profound impact AIDS has had on artists and the world arts
community. Since 1990, each year an increasing number of galleries,
theatres, artist groups and individuals have participated in a vast
array of commemorative events.

Day without Art celebrates the lives of colleagues and friends
while mourning their loss in our creative communities.

To mark this day, the McMaster Museum of Art has installed Canadian artist Danica Jojich’s bronze work To Honour, 1994 alongside the texts above at the Gallery entrance.

Scenes from a Great Talk

Rick Monture speaking at the McMaster Museum of Art, Oct 25, 2011

This week, Alice Te Punga Somerville and Rick Monture delivered an engaging and insightful joint presentation at the Museum. Their talk HOME AND AWAY: 21st Century Indigenous Perspectives on 18th Century Indigenous Portraits drew a large, very keen audience and was followed by much discussion.

Many thanks to both speakers and all who joined us at the Museum.  Here are some photos from the event. Regretfully, no audio.

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Cadenza Exhibition at McMaster – A Talk and A Documentary

Jinny Yu and Don Andrus: Cadenza - Installation at McMaster Museum of Art, 2011

Cadenza is a collaborative artist project by Jinny Yu and Don Andrus, on view at the McMaster Museum of Art until November 5. It will be featured in today’s 12:30 tour (presented as part of Lifelong Learning Week in Hamilton).

This short documentary video produced earlier this year, provides fascinating insights into the artists and their work:

The artists agreed upon the starting point – a major 18th century mural, The Brazen Serpent by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, 1696-1770) – and to work to the original dimensions, 164 x 1365 cm. Their unique yet complementary responses now hang across from one another - a dialogue on the walls.

Cadenza was originated by the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in 2011.

Edward Burtynsky: In the artist’s own words

Accepting his 2005 TED Prize, photographer Edward Burtynsky made a wish: that his images — stunning landscapes that document humanity’s impact on the world — help persuade millions to join a global conversation on sustainability.

Burtynsky presented a riveting slideshow of his photographs, which show vividly how industrial development is altering the Earth’s natural landscape. From mountains of tires to rivers of bright orange waste from a nickel mine, his images are simultaneously beautiful and horrifying.

Edward Burtynsky’s photograph Rock of Ages #25, shown in the video above at 3:25, is on view this summer in McMaster’s By Design and By Chance exhibition. The McMaster Museum of Art owns 12 Burtynsky photographs, all generous gifts of Mrs. Brenda and Mr. Roger Glassco, 1999.

scrapes: Artists’ Talk and Conference Keynote

Rebecca Belmore's Keynote at McMaster Museum of Art

Here are the promised photos from last Friday, when the Museum was the venue for a number of events related to the 2010 John Douglas Taylor Conference, Health, Embodiment, and Visual Culture: Engaging Publics and Pedagogies.

Conference delegates were first treated to a thought provoking tour of the Scrapes exhibition led by some of the artists themselves: John Greyson (Film, York University), Deirdre Logue (Development Director, Vtape), and Allyson Mitchell (Women’s Studies, York University).

Later that afternoon, the delegates and many others from the community returned to the Museum for the dramatic and performance enhanced keynote address by internationally recognized visual artist Rebecca Belmore (Anishinaabe).  This talk was co-hosted by McMaster’s Indigenous Studies Program.

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scrapes: unruly embodiments in video art

Jorge Lozano, Out Side (Canada. 1:29 min. 2006) video still, courtesy of Vtape.

A potent and provocative new exhibition of video art opens  tonight at the McMaster Museum of Art.

The exhibition, co-curated by McMaster University’s Dr. Sarah Brophy (English and cultural studies) and Dr. Janice Hladki (School of the Arts), is the centrepiece of the 2010 John Douglas Taylor Conference at McMaster, “Health, Embodiment, and Visual Culture,” November 18-20.

Scrapes: Unruly Embodiments in Visual Art is a group exhibition of moving image culture by artists based in Canada, Australia, and the U.S. These artists mobilize the body as a method of social and cultural investigation, prompting new thinking about bodies across popular culture, everyday life, and the public sphere.

The exhibition includes 11 works produced between 1974 and 2007. Using narrative, documentary, autobiography, video essay, video poem, animation, and experimental forms, the artists in Scrapes activate bold and bizarre visual grammars such as dance moves, a transgender puppet, a clicking jaw, scarred flesh, and an AIDS activist demonstration.

The Scrapes exhibition is on view November 18 – January 22, 2011.
Opening Reception: Thursday November 18, 6 – 8 pm
Conference Keynote by Rebecca Belmore: Friday November 19, 4 – 5 pm

Exhibition Program
• Back to Back Theatre / Theatre of Speed Theatre of Speed versus Boz ‘n Hok. Australia. 3:45 min. 2004
• Aleesa Cohene, Abscess .Canada. 10:18 min. 2001
• Jeremy Drummond, Spit. Canada. 2:27 min. 2000
• John Greyson, Shame on Abbot. Canada. 1 min. 2007
• Deirdre Logue, Eclipse. Canada. 4:38 min. 2005
• Jorge Lozano, Out Side. Canada. 1:29 min. 2006
• Allyson Mitchell and Christina Zeidler, Unca Trans. Canada. 4:30 min. 2007
• Shelley Niro, The Shirt. Canada. 5:55 min. 2003
• Lisa Steele, Birthday Suit – with scars and defects. Canada. 13 min. 1974
• Anna Tsouhlarakis, Let’s Dance. U.S.. 14 min. 2004
• Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby, Songs of Praise for the Heart Beyond Cure. Canada. 14:40 min. 2006

Jorge Lozano, Out Side (Canada. 1:29 min. 2006) detail from video still, courtesy of Vtape.

- McMaster Museum of Art

Happy New Year!

As the new academic year begins, exciting opportunities are in the works for visiting the Museum:

• McMaster Get Cultured:  Free guided tours or art event every Thursday at 6 pm for McMaster students and their sweethearts. For your date night why not have a tour of the Museum or join us for art events before going to dinner or the movies? 
• Museum 101: a behind the scenes look at how an art museum functions, including how art works are collected and stored, how exhibitions come together, and what it is staff do every day.  This tour is designed for (but not limited to) secondary and postsecondary school classes.
• Professional Teambuilding and Retreats: an interesting and neutral space for McMaster departments and private organizations to hold team building sessions.  Exhibition-based adult learning activities will be provided along with a tour of the Museum.
• Birthday Parties: why not celebrate your birthday here at the Museum?  For kids, we offer gallery tours followed by arts and crafts.  For adults, bring some friends for a complete tour of the Museum.  Don’t forget to bring the cake!
• ESL Tours: we’ve welcomed groups from McMaster’s Office of International Affairs and Columbia International College (to name a few).  Your group can look at and talk about works of art from around the world.

We hope you will visit often!  For more information or to book your tour, please contact Nicole Knibb, Education Co-ordinator , at 905.525.9140 extension 27576 or by email at knibbn@mcmaster.ca.

Opening Night Recap: Katherine MacDonald & George Wallace

Ardyth Brott delivers opening remarks about Katherine MacDonald and her work

On Friday, the McMaster Museum of Art and three hundred + guests celebrated the launch of exhibitions by Katherine MacDonald and the late George Wallace, two highly regarded artists whose influence is deeply felt in both the Hamilton and greater art communities.  

Opening remarks for the commemorative exhibition George Wallace: as I was saying were delivered by contemporary Canadian artist and McMaster alumnus (once a student of Wallace’s), John Hartman and George Wallace’s son Kit Wallace, who also announced a generous donation to the MMA on behalf of the Wallace family (more to follow).

The Katherine MacDonald exhibition was opened by Ardyth Brott; attorney, author and arts administrator. The final speaker of the evening was the artist herself, Katherine MacDonald.

Here are a few shots from the evening…

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- McMaster Museum of Art

Collaboration between McMaster’s Museum of Art and Office of CSLCE

 

In partnership with the Office of Community Service Learning and Civic Engagement (CSLCE), the McMaster Museum of Art has created an on-line presence and virtual gallery for the CSLCE Reading Week Series.   Each year, CSLCE organizes a series of service-learning trips at locations across North America. Students spend their week volunteering as a way to learn more about specific social issues. Prior to the trip, students are assigned one of five words – communication, responsibility, growth, collaboration, or values – and are asked to document their trip with photographs that best represent that word.  

A Museum/CSLCE webpage, complementary page on photojournalism, and on-line exhibition of the photo documentation will officially launch March 21 at the 2010 CSLCE Reading Week Series showcase event.   

The Museum is pleased to have this opportunity to collaborate with CSLCE and support student artistic endeavours at McMaster.