Tam - Surrealist Impulse Exhibition Plan Ddd

Exhibition Plan Primary Information Exhibition Title: The Surrealist Impulse: New Acquisitions from the Tacoma Art Museum Collection Exhibition Dates: September 6, 2008 – May 26, 2009 Coordinating Curator: Rock Hushka Originating Institution: Tacoma Art Museum Required credit line (organizer and Devo): TBD Additional Information Gallery location at Tacoma Art Museum: Street Gallery Approximately how many objects and what medium? Approximately 15 works; a range of medium (painting, drawing, glass, photography, video) Rough range of dates for the artwork? 1936 to the present Brief Description: This selection of recent acquisitions from the Tacoma Art Museum collection explores the persistent influence of surrealism. Surrealism was a cultural and philosophical movement that had its genesis in 1920s Europe. The goal of the surrealists was to capture the essence of pure thought, unbound by reason or order. Visual artists continue to mine surrealism by creating artwork based on dream imagery, non-sequiturs, and free association. This exhibition includes works by a diverse group of Northwest artists such as Morris Graves, Joseph Goldberg, Anya Kivarkis, and Karen WillenbrinkJohnson. Exhibition publication citation: None Tour Schedule: None currently Questions

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What are the key ingredients of this exhibition that make it right for Tacoma Art Museum? • The exhibition will include most of the significant Northwest artists, both 20th century and contemporary • The exhibition will demonstrate the vigorous growth of the collection with both historical and contemporary works • The exhibition offers a strong thematic grouping with a dynamic interplay between objects and ideas What is the value of this exhibition to the Tacoma Art Museum visitor and community? • The exhibition will help visitors understand that the museum is a repository for key Northwest works • The exhibition will connect regional artists to broader ideas, styles, trends, and history • The exhibition will demonstrate the many strengths of the museum: Patronage, intellectual content, strength and breadth of collection • The exhibition will include a literacy component that links it to programming themes of art and literacy What essential understandings do we want a person to take from this exhibition? • What is surrealism in an art historical context • There is an ongoing engagement by artists with surrealism • The breadth and quality of the collection • The museum is continuing to collect • To honor the patrons who are contributing to that effort How will museum visitors reach the desired “essential understandings” of the exhibition? • Label text • Comparative labels with reproductions of early, masterpiece surrealist works (e.g. Dali) • OAS stations based on surrealist games: automatic writing and drawing, exquisite corpse

5/29/2009