Seven artists who embrace the great outdoors
Looking to the open air for spaces in which to engage students with art, senior education advisor Joe Fusaro assembled a playlist of artists whose practices benefit from the great outdoors.
Says Fusaro:
“Whether one is looking for artists who record the majesty and history of particular places (as Rackstraw Downes and David Goldblatt have done) or seeking artists who engage with public spaces in ways that are unexpected (such as Robin Rhode), this is a collection that presents broad possibilities for learning from contemporary artists working in and with the great outdoors.”
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Recommendations from Art21 staff
Visit: Louise Bourgeois, Freud’s Daughter at The Jewish Museum in New York City
I wrote my BA senior thesis on Louise Bourgeois. She is an artist that my creative mind returns to again and again. I read and reread the catalogue of her 1982 MoMA retrospective curated by Deborah Wye until the pages broke off from its binding. It left me wanting more. Much has been written and seen about the artist leading up to and following her death in 2010. With a new exhibition and catalogue—Louise Bourgeois, Freud’s Daughter at The Jewish Museum—more has finally arrived. The presentation positions Bourgeois as a secret writer, a product of her years in psychoanalysis, the exhibition’s primary subject. Documenting her shifting relationship to her mother and father, husband and children, the selection of writings offer a window into Bourgeois’s fears and obsessions. Even better are the careful selection of works shown alongside the translated and printed pages, including the cathartic work The Destruction of the Father (1974) and a magnificent example from her Cells series Passage Dangereux (1997). Although the lighting is dim, the glimpses into Bourgeois’s psyche are illuminating.
Shared by Tina Kukielski, Susan Sollins Executive Director and Chief Curator; Louise Bourgeois, Freud’s Daughter is on view at The Jewish Museum through September 12
Visit: Dia Beacon in the New York Hudson Valley
Leaving the city for a day to visit Dia Beacon was a welcome source of relaxation. I appreciated seeing old favorites like Lousie Bourgeois, Richard Serra, and Lee Ufan. Happening upon Dan Flavin’s fluorescent light in the lower level was a shocking surprise. (Does anyone else’s eyes see pink after staring at green for so long?) Timed ticketing meant the galleries were nicely filled but never crowded. All in all, a welcome retreat.
Shared by Emma Nordin, Associate Director of Education Initiatives; Dia Beacon is open to the public Fridays through Mondays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
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