Monday, October 09, 2006

Birmingham Museum of Art Fall/Winter Programming

October-December 2006 Events at the Birmingham Museum of Art:

Pottery Demonstrations
Tuesday, November 7, and December 5
Noon-2pm, Sculpture Garden
Alabama Potters Jason Anderson and Wade Oliver of the Thomas Project demonstrate various wheel thrown pottery techniques and slab methods. Watch as potters throw clay on the wheel to manipulate the raw material into functional wares and decorative pieces of art. To fully realize the potter’s craft, try your hand at throwing clay on the wheel, under the guidance of experienced potters.

ArtBreak: Traditions in Alabama Folk Pottery
Tuesday, October 10, noon, Lobby
Presented by guest curator Joey Brackner
Joey Brackner, Director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, a division of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, guides guests through Alabama Folk Pottery as he discusses the styles, techniques, and function of many types of Alabama folk pottery represented in the exhibition. Brackner organized the exhibition and wrote the accompanying book.

Walking Tour of Alabama Folk Pottery
Friday, October 13, 1:30 to 3:30pm
Guest Curator Joey Brackner leads a group of attendees of the Alabama Preservation Conference on a personal tourvof the exhibition. The Conference, sponsored by the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation, The Alabama Historical Commission, the Birmingham Historical Society and the Black Heritage Council, begins on Thursday the 12th and continues through Saturday the 14th in downtown Birmingham, with many informative sessions including a tour of this landmark exhibition with Mr. Brackner. To register for the tour or learn more about the conference contact Pat Hildebrand at the Alabama Trust (334) 834-2727.

Visitors with Vision Loss Programs & Tours
Saturdays, October 14, November 4, December 9
10am, Lobby
Please contact Louise Brasher for more information at 205.254.2643/lbrasher@artsbma.org.

Concert for Visitors with Vision Loss
Tuesday, October 31, 10:15am, Steiner Auditorium
Please contact Louise Brasher for more information at 205.254.2643/lbrasher@artsbma.org.

Art on the Rocks
Friday, October 20, 5-10pm
The last date in the 2006 series, Art on the Rocks welcomes Alejandro Escovedo in October! This hip after-hours event captures the downtown vibe with its mix of fun, food, drinks, music, art and people! For more information about the event, or the performer, log onto the website!
Advance ticket purchase preferred. $5 members; $15 non-members (+ handling fee)

Fiesta Art Village
Saturday, October 21
Time TBA
Celebrate Hispanic art and culture as part of Fiesta, Birmingham’s premiere festival of Latino Arts. Join us for hands-on art activities and scavenger hunts inspired by Hispanic art in the collection.
A Conversation between artist William Christenberry and critic Andy Grundberg

Sunday, October 22, 2:30pm, Steiner Auditorium
To celebrate this retrospective of his photography, artist William Christenberry will discuss his work in a conversational lecture with noted critic Andy Grundberg. One of the leading critics and authors on contemporary photography, Grundberg has written for The New York Times, Art in America, Afterimage, and many other publications, as well as being a contributing author for the new catalogue William Christenberry. Grundberg and Christenberry are both professors at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. A book signing and reception will follow the lecture.

Jerry Brown Pottery Shop Tour
Tuesday, October 24
Travel to the studio of ninth generation Alabama potter, Jerry Brown, in Hamilton, Alabama where you will get a tour of the shop and learn about traditional hand turned pottery. Brown’s pottery is one of the few mule-powered pug mills still in existence. Watch Brown’s mule, “Blue” as he walks around the mill mixing the clay. After the tour, visit the gift shop where you can find functional and decorative wares, and Jerry Brown’s whimsical face jugs. Call 254-2856 for more information and cost.

ArTogether and Pottery Demonstration
Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 5
Noon-2pm, Sculpture Garden
Free to members; Non-members $5 per parent/child, $2 each additional child
Watch Alabama potter Wade Oliver use a potter’s wheel to create traditional objects out of clay. See how a potter works with clay to create mugs, bowls, plates, and other objects for everyday use in the home. Visitors will get to watch as clay is thrown on the wheel and then will create their own piece of pottery to take home. Parents can even try their hand at the wheel!

ArtBreak: William Christenberry
Tuesday, November 14, noon
Presented by exhibition curator Suzanne Voce Stephens
Suzanne Voce Stephens, the Museum’s liaison to the Photography Guild, will discuss William Christenberry’s photographic retrospective, focusing on how his Hale County photographs have become one of the most enduring and comprehensive photographic projects ever assembled.

Chenoweth Lecture: The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa
Thursday, November 16, 6:30pm, Steiner Auditorium
Presented by Michael Kimmelman, New York Times Chief Art Critic
Kimmelman, chief art critic of The New York Times and a contributor to The New York Review of Books, presents a lecture on his most recent book and New York Times bestseller, The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa, which Time magazine describes as "transcendent." Kimmelman is a Pulitzer finalist, and the author of Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere, which was named a Best Book of the Year by The Times and the Washington Post. He is also a talented concert pianist and has performed around the country.

2006 Rushton Concert featuring Frederic Chiu
Tuesday, November 28, 7pm, Steiner Auditorium
Concert pianist Frederic Chiu will delight the audience at this annual marvel. Chiu’s repertoire includes the complete works of Profokiev, as well as popular classics of Chopin and Liszt. His performances have taken him to the Berlin Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. He has produced more than 20 albums, many of which have been named Record of the Year. His musical partners include Joshua Bell, Gary Hoffman, and the Shanghai String Quartet. An award winning musician, Chiu has been the recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Petscheck Award of the Julliard School.
Gallery tours of Alabama Folk Pottery, led by guest curator Joey Brackner or William Christenberry Photographs: 1961-2005, led by exhibition curator Suzanne Stephens, will be offered at 6pm prior to the concert.

ArTogether: Byzantine Icons
Saturday, December 2 and Sunday, December 3
Noon-2pm, Lobby
Free to members; Non-members $5 per parent/child, $2 each additional child
Learn the story of St Nicholas and create a painting in the likeness of the Saint in the Byzantine style.

Children's Holiday Party
Sunday, December 10, 2-4pm
Don't miss the festive art activities, yummy refreshments and holiday music. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be here singing holiday tunes, listening to all the children's holiday wishes and taking photographs. For more information, please call the Membership Department at 205-254-2566 ext. 4224.

ArtBreak: Women, Art, and Architecture in Northern Italy: 1520-1580
Tuesday, December 12, noon, Members Room
Presented by Katherine McIver, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History, UAB
McIver adds a new dimension to Renaissance patronage studies by considering domestic art in this special ArtBreak. She looks at women as collectors of precious material goods, organizers of the early modern home, and decorators of its interior. Using her subjects’ financial records, McIver provides insights into Renaissance women's economic rights and responsibilities, and also provides a new model for understanding what women of the period bought, displayed, collected, and commissioned. A book signing will follow.

Kwanzaa Celebration
Friday, December 29
6pm, Steiner Auditorium
The Museum is pleased to announce its annual Kwanzaa celebration. Festivities include traditional Kwanzaa festivities, such as the Libation, Symbols of Kwanzaa, Nguzo Saba, Kwanzaa Song, Meditation, and Harambee. Live performers enhance the celebration with song and dance.

[From the Birmingham Museum of Art online newsletter.]

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