101st Year: The 2nd Century begins

 

 

 

 

The museum’s history began with a gift from lumber baron Charles Hackley, who made his fortune in during the 1980s Michigan lumbering boom. Hackley believed that the growth of Muskegon—the young city he adopted as home—would benefit from progressive new schools, a library and a hospital, and an art museum. Hackley died in 1905 before realizing his dream of an art gallery. However, he left an expendable trust of $150,000, through a bequest in his will, to the Board of Education of Muskegon Public Schools. The fund, now known as the Hackley Picture Fund, was to be used to purchase “pictures of the best kind.” By 1910 some of the most treasured and valuable works of art still in the Museum’s present day collection were purchased and then displayed at Hackley Public Library, and the Board of Education determined that the time had come to build a museum-quality facility to house the growing art collection. The new museum, called the Hackley Art Gallery, was built and, in June 1912, opened its doors to the public. The news was broadcast nationally and internationally. The young museum, eventually renamed The Muskegon Museum of Art, was and is still regarded as one of the finest regional art museums in the United States.

 

 

 

2013 Exhibition Schedule

 

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE and DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Please call the Museum at 231.720.2570 or visit www.muskegonartmuseum.org to check schedule before your visit.

 
February 14 – May 19, 2013
HUGHIE LEE-SMITH: MEDITATIONS
More than 20 works by African American artist Hughie Lee-Smith (1915-1999) who lived in Detroit in the 1940s and 1950s, comprise this exhibition. Two important Lee-Smith paintings from the MMA collection—Landscape #3 (1941) and Aprés-Midi (1987)—will be on display along with works of art on loan from other museums. Underwritten by the DTE Foundation.

March 7 – May 26, 2013
LAURIE KELLER, STORY TELLER:
ILLUSTRATIONS FOR SNORY FELLERS
Nationally known illustrator/author and Muskegon native Laurie Keller shares her whimsical, wacky, and funny illustrations from her best-selling tales. The exhibition will give insight into the process of Keller’s zany books from beginning ideas and illustrations to final publication. Illustrations will be from many of her fan -avorite books Arnie the Donut, Grandpa Gazillion’s Number Yard, Do Unto Otters, The Scrambled States of America, and more.  Sponsored by the Folkert Family Foundation and Ally for Contemporary Art Alcoa Foundation. Additional support provided by the Muskegon Public Schools Education Fund.

April 3-28, 2013
EXPRESSIONS 2013: 31ST Annual Muskegon County
Student Art Exhibition
Expressions 2013 is a collaboration between the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District and the Muskegon Museum of Art that showcases the artistic talents of Muskegon County K-12 students in the visual arts. Two-and three-dimensional artworks in a variety of media are included in the show, selected by art specialists from each of the public, charter, and private schools in the county. Sponsored by the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Comerica, and Alcoa Foundation/Howmet.

May 23 – August 21, 2013
85th REGIONAL EXHIBITION
The MMA continues to celebrate the work of Michigan artists with this large, juried selection of paintings, glass, sculpture, prints, photography, fiber art, ceramics, and more. The MMA show, which fills two galleries throughout the summer, is the state’s longest established regional art exhibition and for the second year, will be open to all artists residing in Michigan. Sponsored by Contemporary Art Ally Alcoa Foundation. Awards underwritten by the Muskegon Museum of Art  Foundation. Media sponsor is MLive/Muskegon Chronicle.

May 30 – August 11, 2013
BLACK/WHITE: Works from the Permanent Collection
Black/White  highlights the possibilities artists can achieve with black and white, using it not just as color, but more importantly as light. The exhibition includes drawings and photography by West Michigan area artists, Chinese and Japanese prints, photographs by Ansel Adams, sculpture, and newly acquired works of glass.

 
June 6 – August 24, 2013
SOME LIKE IT HOT: Color from the Collection
Some Like it Hot brings together art from the Museum’s holdings that celebrate color. Paintings, prints, sculpture, tapestry, and glass have been selected for their vibrant use of color to convey both form and emotion. Underwritten by the Hines Corporation.

August 15 – October 27, 2013
ANDREA KOWCH: DREAM FIELDS
Kowch’s paintings are narratives that provoke dreamlike musings. Dream Fields features 12 paintings and related preliminary drawings that explore the artist’s compelling realms of inquiry and intrigue. As Kowch explains, “The real and unreal; history and the present; opposing emotions, endings and beginnings; nature’s seasons and cycles—all of it is present at the core of my work.” The exhibition has been organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art in cooperation with Richard J. Demato Fine Arts Gallery of Sag Harbor, New York, and builds upon the Museum’s longstanding tradition of featuring some of the finest creations in all media by contemporary Michigan artists.

September 5 – November 10, 2013
THE FRENCH CONNECTION: 19th Century French Art from the Tabler Collection and 19th Century American Art from the Baker/Pisano Collection
The French Connection brings together works from two esteemed private New York collections that highlight the kinship between French and American artists in the 19th century. More than 50 paintings, drawings, watercolors, and prints, as well as supporting archival materials including period exhibition catalogues, medals, and photographs comprise the exhibition.

September 12 – November 3, 2013
MARK BELTCHENKO: Narratives in Steel and Stone
Detroit native Mark Beltchenko sculpts with stone and steel, exploring the balance between the natural and man-made worlds. He carves and polishes stone, setting it against finely crafted metal forms that sometimes cradle and sometimes pierce the surface of the stone. The artworks are jewelry writ large, clean and precise, focused on the manipulation, and the transformation, of their materials, without losing their essential characteristics.

September 12 – November 7, 2013
PROMISES OF FREEDOM:
Selections from the Arthur Primas Collection
This exhibition is drawn from the Arthur Primas Collection, a significant body of African American Art that includes paintings, sculptures, works on paper, graphics, and documents covering a period of 150 years. Included in the exhibition are 74 works by more than 30 artists. These artists, many under the extreme pressure of an unresponsive public, brought forth magnificent art that reflects the African American experience and aesthetic. Visionary artists included in the exhibition are Charles Alston, Benny Andrews, Richmond Barthé, Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Robert Colescott, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith, Howardena Pindell, and Charles White.

 
November 21 – December 1, 2013
FESTIVAL OF TREES
This popular annual community event features display of themed trees decorated by professional designers to be auctioned to benefit the MMA. Other seasonal décor will also be on display for purchase. Special events include the Party in the Pines cocktail party, Teddy Bear Breakfast, and Senior Day. On-going attractions include gingerbread village, music, holiday shopping, raffles, and Santa on Saturdays. Presenting Sponsor: Alcoa Foundation/Howmet. Co-Sponsor: Frontier Communications.

October 31 – January 19, 2014
JASON QUIGNO
Final exhibition title and details to be announced.

November 21, 2013 – February 23, 2014
PAULINE PALMER, IMPRESSIONIST:
Chicago's Painter Lady
Pauline Palmer (1867-1938) is today still considered one of the best-known Chicago artists of her time. She first established herself as a portrait painter and became a leader in the city’s art community in the first decade of the 20th century. Exhibiting regularly in the Art Institute of Chicago annuals, Palmer also participated in other national and international shows, most notably the Paris Salon. This MMA-organized exhibition is developed around seven paintings from a Michigan collector whose family maintained a close friendship with the artist. A group of landscapes, portraits, and genre scenes from Midwest museums and private collections will further illuminate the esteemed career of  “Chicago’s Painter Lady.”

December 12, 2013 – February 9, 2014
THE WOODCARVING OF LAMIDI FAKEYE:
Four Generations of Yoruba Masters and Apprentices
Using sculptures, photographs, charts, and maps, this exhibition explores the career of internationally celebrated Yoruba woodcarver Lamidi Ọlọnade Fakẹyẹ. In addition to showcasing the artist’s work, the exhibition also examines the traditions surrounding woodcarving, especially in regard to the master/apprentice relationship. Works by both Lamidi’s masters and his apprentices will be included.

January 9 – March 16, 2014
PAPERCUTS: The Art of Contemporary Papercutting
Exhibition details to be announced.

Museum programs include films, tours, lectures, concerts, and family activities.

The Museum Gift Store offers a wide variety of MMA logo products, commissioned artist-crafted goods and other unique items.

 

Program support is provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts