In honor of Labor Day, we have chosen this artwork for this month’s contest.
The first person to correctly name the title and the artist of this work in response to this blog posting will win a pair of general admission passes to the Michener!
Hint: The title of this painting refers to something that happens over the holiday weekend!
Have fun guessing and good luck!
Selma H. Burke (1900-1995), Together, 1975/cast 2001, H. 74 x W. 49 x D. 9 inches, James A. Michener Art Museum. Museum purchase with assistance from John Horton, William Mandel, the Bjorn T. Polfelt memorial fund, Carolyn Calkins Smith and the Friends of Selma Burke.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have any guesses for this month’s mystery image! This month’s image was a closeup of one of the sculptures in our Pfundt Sculpture Garden by Selma Burke, entitled Together. Along with being a sculptor, Burke was also noted for her famous portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which was the model for the engraving on the dime. She was also as a gifted educator and tireless promoter of the arts.
One reason why I chose this piece because it has a great texture. You can see many marks of the artist as she created this very large relief sculpture. You can just imagine Burke using her fingers to manipulate and shape the textured background or use large tools to carve out the figures. The original material used to create the piece is believed to be a soft material, such as plaster, clay, or wax. Currently, it is installed on the old prison wall on the Museum’s terrace.
Another reason I chose this work is because it expresses one of Burke’s favorite themes, family love and unity, featuring a man and a woman embracing a young child. This particular sculpture is made out of bronze, from the lost wax casting process. Read More
Director’s Spotlight: Naming Opportunities
Colossal bust of Ramesses II, the 'Younger Memnon' From the Ramesseum, Thebes, Egypt 19th Dynasty, about 1250 BC. One of the largest pieces of Egyptian sculpture in the British Museum Weighing 7.25 tons, The British Museum, Room 4. Author/Photo by: Mujtaba Chohan. Source: British Museum Visit. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Courtesy http://commons.wikimedia.org/.
In the early 1990s, my wife and I traveled to Egypt and spent three glorious weeks touring the ancient monuments. While there were many memorable sites and experiences, one discovery was of particular interest and connected to my work at the Michener Art Museum.
Ramesses II ruled Egypt for 66 years, from 1279 BC – 1213 BC, and was over 90 when he died. He was the great builder who filled the kingdom with monuments from Abu Simbel to Luxor. In almost countless locations all across ancient Egypt, you can find Ramesses’ cartouche prominently displayed. The graphic symbol of his royal heritage is engraved on many buildings and serves as an ever present symbol of his greatness.
I learned from this experience that the desire for immortality is a human trait that goes back thousands of years. The effort to put one’s name on a building has a long history and it is just as strong today as it was in ancient Egypt. We may no longer wrap our dead in specially treated cloth to preserve their physical being, but we are still attaching our names to buildings and institutions in an effort to be remembered and to be honored. Read More »