LITTLE-kNowN FAcTS ABoUT ARTISTS wITH - UMUC

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STEVEN HALPErSoN, TISArA PHoToGrAPHy The recent loss of my dear friend and colleague of more than 20 years has prompted me to reflect on his life and legacy. It is with both a sad heart and a profound pride that I share my recollections and memories of Larry Chappelear. He was, first, my friend, but so much more: a colleague, a teacher, and an artist. As a colleague at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), Larry was always engaged, fair, and understanding. He was a champion for the issues we faced together: advancing the arts program, setting the highest standards of teaching, and furthering a fundamental appreciation of the arts. We worked in tandem to develop a quality reputation for the CSM gallery, recruiting top-level artists for exhibitions. The goal for us was to bring in artists of high caliber from across the country and around the world. It wasn’t always easy to stick to our goal, but Larry’s honest and straightforward approach, along with a marvelous sense of humor, saw us through many awkward moments. As a teacher, Larry conveyed his passion for and love of the arts to his students. His extraordinary talent and unyielding commitment to his personal page 2 • www.umuc.edu/art Remembering Larry Chappelear BY BARBARA STEPhANIC, PhD art became an inspiration, and he became a role model to so many. Teaching provided him a stimulating forum for his ideas and an opportunity to share his enthusiasm for art. He taught his students more than the mechanics of putting ideas on a two-dimensional surface; he showed them how to see objects with a discerning eye and to reach for their individual creativity. Students benefitted from his experience, his originality, and his innovative vision while learning to respect the process, technique, and subject matter of the work they created. It is, perhaps, the art of Larry Chappelear that will be remembered and held in high regard by most. Those who did not know him personally will know the incredible sensitivity of this artist from his paintings. As an outdoorsman, Larry had a special relationship to the landscape. He had an exceptional ability to keenly observe the seasonal changes in nature, each with its own freshness and spectacular painterly beauty. He most often painted outdoors from direct observation, capturing the artistic elements in nature. His landscape paintings provide a visual diary of his experiences and speak to his passion and creative responses to the environment around him. His compositions unify the complex elements in nature into a panorama of harmony and balance. Each is a testimony to his intrinsic understanding of solid forms and empty spaces and his unique ability to organize form, color, space, and light. Larry was successful in his effort to, as he said, “capture the viewer by transforming the openness of a field into an intimate space.” He had a unique ability to share, through his paintings, a feeling of serenity and solitude with others. Early in this century, Larry experienced a pivotal change in his interpretation of the landscape. He moved from the specificity of realism to experimenting with the mysterious and metaphorical characteristics of abstraction. The landscape continued to be his inspiration, but now he saw more provocative elements prevalent in nature. It was the new, bold, abstract collage and assemblage that came to the attention of Marilyn Hart, then assistant vice president of the Arts Program at UMUC, who subsequently arranged an exhibition of his new work. The exhibition included both his traditional landscapes and the new abstract work. I had the extraordinary good fortune to be invited Above, Left: Larry Chappelear Above, Right: Larry Chappelear, Window Still Life III (detail), 2008, assemblage mixed media HENry TrENTMAN to write the essay for the exhibition and the privilege to work closely with Larry for nearly a year in preparation. We spent many hours talking about the fundamental principles of art making and the specifics of his ideas for composition, color theory, and conveyance of the basic elements of nature in abstract forms. While we talked, he often would continue painting, and I could see the excitement build as he worked tirelessly on a composition, studying and reworking the forms until he was satisfied. I researched and studied the history of American landscape painting and the evolution of abstract art so as to best explain Larry’s ideas—the content of his paintings, iconography, and style. His latest work combines the traditional structure in landscape representation with the bold colors and strong lines in abstract interpretations. UMUC ADDS TO ITS PERMANENT COLLECTIONS The Arts Program would like to thank Beverly Corey and Iver Nelson, who recently donated works of art to UMUC. Due to the generosity of such patrons, the collections at the university continue to grow and now include more than 1,800 works. Corey donated Generation by Preston Sampson. This large painting is reflective of Sampson’s colorful and fluid artistic style. Sampson’s work might be best known from a commission by Absolut Vodka for a series of paintings for its 1997 advertising campaign, which traveled to various exhibition venues. Sampson was also awarded a professional travel grant to Spain, and the trip inspired him to incorporate the human torso into his artwork, perhaps influ- INFLUENCE OVER TIME: ThE ART OF WINSTON hARRIS Influence over Time: The Art of Winston Harris is a reflection of Harris’s sustained interest in the notion of the unending passage of time and the roles that overt status symbol timepieces, such as rolex watches, play in contemporary culture. These screenprint and digital hybrids will be on view Monday, February 20, 2012, through the summer, on the second floor gallery of the UMUC Inn and Conference Center. I will be forever grateful to Larry for all he taught me about art, for his remarkable and intuitive sense of aesthetic, and for his gentle kindness. The legacy he leaves in his paintings will continue to give pleasure to and captivate all those who see them. I will think of him whenever I see a spectacular red and yellow sunset, a cloud formation against a cobalt blue sky, or a lone tree in a vast green meadow. He left us all with a new way of seeing and appreciating the landscape. But, most of all I am grateful for his endearing friendship and steadfast loyalty. Barbara Stephanic, PhD, is past vice chair and honorary member of the UMUC Art Advisory Board. She was a professor of art history at the College of Southern Maryland until her retirement. encing a work such as Generation. Works by Sampson can be found in many public and private collections throughout the country, including the Jean and robert Steele Collection, the Darryl Walker Collection, the Tubman African American Museum, and the David C. Driskell Collection at University of Maryland, College Park. Iver Nelson, an esteemed Asian art collector, donated 15 works of art to UMUC’s Asian Collections. Nelson, who had amassed a large collection of rare works over the years, has donated exceptional pieces to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The oldest work Nelson donated to UMUC is from the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). The piece is a kneeling Bactrian camel, and is prized for its elegant movement and naturalism. Harris is a Washington, D.C., area artist who, supported by a Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council grant, collaborated with the printmaking department at University of Maryland, College Park in 2010. Harris worked with assistant professor Justin Strom and students to create a new series of flat and sculptural prints. Known primarily as a printmaker, Harris holds a BFA in printmaking from Howard University and an MFA in printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University. Above: Larry Chappalear, Sycamore, 2004, mixed media on panel, 32 x 30 in. Above, top: Preston Sampson, Generation (detail), 1999, mixed media / Above, bottom: Bactrian camel, Early Tang Dynasty, earthenware with pigments, 13½ x 1½ x 8½ in. Above: Winston Harris, Military Time, 2009, oil stick and print, 36 x 29¾ in. www.umuc.edu/art • page 3 STEVEN HALPErSoN, TISArA PHoToGrAPHy HENry TrENTMAN
What is American identity? Is it about shared values and national unity, something our Founding Fathers might have hoped for? or is its foundation in America’s vast natural topography, as depicted in early American landscape paintings, for example, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone by Thomas Moran, which hangs at the U.S. Department of the Interior, or Frederic Church’s Niagara Falls, from the Corcoran Gallery of Art? How would artists who represent the ethnic diversity of the so-called melting pot that is America respond? This provocative question is the focus of the exhibition Infinite Mirror: Images of American Identity, which is on view at the UMUC Inn and Conference Center through April 8, 2012. Infinite Mirror reflects our increasingly diverse society, and helps us understand the American experience from the perspective of artists who are U.S. citizens, albeit from vastly different backgrounds. The exhibition showcases 63 works by 39 American artists of Native American, African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and European American cultural heritage. page 4 • www.umuc.edu/art Infinite Mirror is the brainchild of Allan Edmunds, founder and president of Brandywine Workshop, a nearly 40-year-old Philadelphia-based nonprofit that enables artists to explore their creative sensibilities through printmaking. When the Michigan-based nonprofit art institution Artrain, Inc. issued a request for exhibition proposals, Edmunds enthusiastically answered the call. The Brandywine proposal was chosen to be Artrain’s 18th multiyear traveling exhibition during its impressive 40-year history. Artrain is known for mounting art exhibitions on its five-car train museum and bringing them via the U.S. railway system to communities throughout the United States. As Artrain was considering its next exhibition, it was also transitioning from the train to other vehicles that offer more flexibility and a broader reach into America’s rural communities, which it principally serves. To keep the momentum of Infinite Mirror, Artrain engaged International Arts & Artists (IA&A) a Washington, D.C., based non-profit committed to promoting cross-cultural understanding through art, to manage its travel using BY JUANITA HARDY more traditional exhibition approaches. UMUC will be one of only five venues where the exhibition will stop as it travels from January 2011 to March 2013. Blake Bradford, director of education for the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia is curator for Infinite Mirror. Benito Huerta, associate professor and curator of the Gallery at the University of Texas at Arlington, and robert Lee, executive director of the Asian American Art Centre in New york City, are co-curators. The curatorial team has assembled an impressive body of work organized along the following four themes, which the team outlines: • Self Selection—Reflects how we choose to present and project ourselves to the world • Pride—Connotes an appreciation of one’s origins, character, values, and personal accomplishments • Assimilation, a subject of the American narrative dating back to the first European settlers— Is about aspiring to fit in • Protest—Expresses a push against tyranny and exploitation and toward humanity, equality, and opportunity. Infinite Mirror invites a conversation about what it means to be American, about what American identity is. The artists in this exhibition answer this question through their own experience, which is simultaneously American and multicultural. Does American identity represent shared values and also celebrate the cultural heritage of its many ethnicities? Infinite Mirror offers the opportunity to inspect American culture and its subcultures, to understand, build bridges, and evolve. It reminds us that America is a country of immigrants, that our diversity is what has built our country and made it strong. Above, left: Leamon Green, Little Big Girl, 2005, acrylic and silkscreen on paper, 55 x 42 in. Above, right: Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees, Maka Wicasa (detail), 1992, lithograph, leather, straw, collage By 2042, America’s “minority” populations will be the majority. This new “minority majority” will include Hispanic and Asian Americans, combined as the largest minority group, rising to more than 39 percent of the total U.S. population. The Hispanic and Asian American populations are expected to double by 2050; this growth is attributed in part to immigration. i Furthermore, as Baby Boomers advance to their golden years and birth rates decline, the size of America’s workforce is shrinking, suggesting that the demand for immigrant labor will continue, indeed increase. ii In the future, the U.S. labor pool and others in Europe are likely to be fed in part by immigrants flocking from emerging economies in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East (largely the Arab World). iii It behooves us to understand these changing dynamics and to appreciate the countries and cultures they represent. So, while Infinite Mirror is decidedly about American identity, it is also about global identity. DID You Know? Did you know James Earl Reid won a landmark court battle to strengthen creative and intellectual property rights in the “work for hire” doctrine of copyright law? He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland institute College of Art (MiCA) in 1966 and his Master of Arts from University of Maryland, College Park, in 1970. Did you know A-Young Henriksen was born in Busan, Korea, and had an exhibition in Munich, West Germany? Did you know Amalie Rothschild was primarily a painter but turned to sculpture in her later years? she had her first solo exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1942. It reflects our diverse population rooted in countries and cultures around the globe. Did you know that Trace Miller’s father was a World War ii veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge? His father was wounded and later captured and made a prisoner of war. Did you know that Bennard Perlman is an art critic, author, lecturer, and educator who explores design and composition in his works? He primarily works in charcoal, oil, and pastels and creates works reflective of the Maryland scene. This exhibition is compelling for a variety of reasons: the dedicated team of nonprofit art institutions involved; the impressive curatorial team, which tells a compelling story about America’s diversity through revered American artists such as Emma Amos, John yoyogi Fortes, Edgar Heap of Birds, Leticia Huerta, Luis Jimenez, Jacob Lawrence, and Joe Namy; and the opportunity to enrich one’s understanding of our global culture by inspecting and learning from our own. Juanita Hardy served on the board of directors for Artrain, Inc. from 2004 to 2010 and chaired its exhibition committee. She serves on the boards of the Brandywine Workshop, the Asian American Art Centre, and the UMUC Art Advisory Board. She is cofounder of Millennium Arts Salon, a nonprofit arts education program, and teaches intercultural training as part of Tiger Management Consulting LITTLE-kNowN FAcTS ABoUT ARTISTS wITH woRkS AcqUIREd BY oR ExHIBITEd AT UMUc By Linda Derrick Group, a business consulting firm she established in 2006. i U.S. Census Bureau: Report, United States Population Projections 2000–2050, by Jennifer M. Ortman and Christine E. Guarneri ii It is well documented that the workforce in many industrialized countries (e.g., the United States, Europe, Japan) is shrinking. Analysts suggest increased immigration will be required to feed labor pool deficiencies. For example the PriceWaterHouse Coopers report, Talent Mobility 2020 states, “Governments that anticipate the need to import talented individuals to replace gaps in their ageing workforces may remove their immigration barriers in a bid to stimulate their economy.” iii U.N. population growth projections show rapid growth in youthful and developing economies, in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. These countries have majority Muslim or minority Muslim populations of 33 percent or more. For example, the combined population of the most populous Muslim dominated countries—Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey—was 24.2 million in 1950 and 882 million in 2009 and is projected to be 1.3 billion in 2050. By comparison, while these six countries will grow by 475 million by 2050, the six most populous developed countries will grow by 44 million. Did you know that realist painter Jacob Glushakow was born in a steamship, the s.s. Brandenburg, as it crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Bremen, Germany, to Baltimore, Maryland? He enjoyed painting dilapidated scenes from his community and was not concerned about trends in modern art. Left: Bennard Perlman, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (detail), 1954, oil on board / Top, right: Trace Miller, Wall Tracings (detail), 1987, oil on canvas / Bottom, right: Jacob Glushakow, Untitled (Fells Point Market) (detail), 1965, oil on canvas www.umuc.edu/art • page 5
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