Independence Day

Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, "Mrs. Schuyler Burning Her Wheat Fields on the Approach of the British," 1852, Bicentennial gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Schaaf, Mr. and Mrs. William D. Witherspoon, Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Shoemaker, and Jo Ann and Julian Ganz, Jr.

Did Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler, wife of General Philip Schuyler, actually “burn her wheat fields on the approach of the British,” as Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze depicted? Probably not, but the work—the artist’s second of some dozen subjects from the Revolutionary War—is nevertheless one whose historical relevance is right on, complete with a red, white, and blue dress.

On Becoming a Gallery Educator

I come from a family of artists and teachers, so when the world of museum education came knocking at my door it seemed a perfect match, and we rode off into the sunset together. I say “knocking at my door” because it found me. I was living in London producing and hosting a radio show where we featured various artists from the African Diaspora, discussing their influences and contributions. This led to an introduction to England’s Victoria and Albert Museum of decorative and applied arts. Their education department asked if I wasn’t interested in helping them host a black history month event. I jumped at the chance! It’s been bliss ever since. I continued to work in their access and inclusion programs trying to help bridge the gap between a seemingly elite institution and people’s general wants and needs from a public establishment dealing with the arts.

It only seemed natural that upon returning to my native Los Angeles I’d join forces with LACMA and their education team. After all, I’d grown up coming to this museum and had fond memories of family outings, field trips, and college projects. When the position of gallery educator arose it seemed a nice fit for me. On weekends we educators are placed in the contemporary and modern sections of the museum to answer questions, engage with the public, and initiate dialogues based on the pieces in the gallery.

This new approach to touring seemed interesting. Instead of the educator leading the tour, the patron would. A perfect recent example was a couple from Shanghai who wanted to discuss what music some of the artists might have been listening to during their own eras. This opened up a discussion about the many artists influenced by music (from Kandinsky to Klee) and ended with the influence free jazz had on abstract expressionism.

I love the personal touch that comes from having a small audience with a particular interest. Whether it’s facilitating “Can you help me compare and contrast German expressionism and African art? “ or being there when someone concludes that “Lichtenstein is a modern-day impressionist,” they’re able to find their own answers through a series of questions we develop together around the object or artist. Why do you think the artist chose this color? What does it remind you of? How is it relevant to the subject matter? If LACMA is an artists’ library of sorts, then our meaningful experience with the art comes from sifting through its pages together.

Amber Edwards

Improving Your LACMA Experience

A few weeks ago, in an effort to better understand what our visitors want, we set up an “Ask Me” table on campus and fielded guests’ questions. As part of the same initiative, we’d like to hear from our virtual visitors. Give us a couple of minutes for a very brief survey—only 12 questions!—and we’ll use your input to make the LACMA experience even better in the months and years ahead.

Improving Your LACMA Experience

A few weeks ago, in an effort to better understand what our visitors want, we set up an “Ask Me” table http://lacma.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/what-i-learned-about-what-you-want/ on campus and fielded guests’ questions. As part of the same initiative, we’d like to hear from our virtual visitors. Give us a couple of minutes for a very brief survey—only 12 questions!—and we’ll use your input to make the LACMA experience even better in the months and years ahead.

A Curator Answers: Installing Serra

Band, Richard Serra, 2006, purchased with funds provided by Eli and Edythe L. Broad

One of the most popular questions we’ve received from you in our Ask a Curator series has been about how we got Richard Serra’s giant steel sculptures into our contemporary art building. Here, Lynn Zelevansky, LACMA’s department head of contemporary art, explains the process.

The building, BCAM, is equipped with two very large “barn doors” on the first and second floors. Sequence, which is made up of a series of large heavy cor-ten steel pieces, traveled across the country on flatbed trucks, with each piece having its own truck. The parts stayed outside on the grass until we were ready to install the work.

Serra installation pieces with BCAM under construction in the background.

Then each piece was brought into the building by crane (the divisions between the parts are visible as lines that run from the top to the bottom of the work), through the barn doors on the first floor. The process of putting Sequence together went surprisingly quickly; it only took a few days. Once the work was complete, the doors were shut and the opening covered over, making it indistinguishable from the rest of the wall on the inside.

Lynn Zelevansky

PS: We also have an interview with the artist on lacma.org, where he talks about the entire process of creating and installing the sculpture.

Our curators are working on your other questions submitted here or via our Twitter account and Facebook page—please keep them coming!

Tweets You Like

We thought you may enjoy perusing a selection of the most popular links we’ve sent via Twitter in the last couple of months. Judging by the number of clicks on url’s below, it appears you guys are really into stamps and Che Guevara. Interesting combo.

Good news, recent art grads! Even more reason to work in non-profit after college: http://tr.im/kyHy –DN 3:29 PM May 28th from web

A peek into our Pompeii galleries http://tr.im/kL7L 3:31 PM May 7th from TweetDeck

The Mona Lisa in 140 characters http://tr.im/m86L via @culturemonster –AA11:28 AM May 22nd from TweetDeck

From ‘53-’72, there was an actual pool @ Hollywood Bowl: http://tr.im/lHwU Check out other LA imagery here: http://tr.im/lHBi –DN 3:04 PM May 18th from web

1st class stamp prices go up to 44 cents today. Want to nominate your favorite artwork for a future stamp? See how: http://tr.im/kNbz — DN 3:19 PM May 11th from web

The legacy of Che Guevara imagery in 388 pages—¡Viva La Revolucion! http://tr.im/kQCz — ES 11:48 AM May 20th from web

Keep on clicking – we’ll start sharing your favorite links here at Unframed on a monthly basis.

Allison Agsten