All posts by aedwards

Join Mennello Museum of American Art for a Virtual Lecture with Dr. Katherine Jentleson, Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art from the High Museum on July 22

Please join the Mennello Museum of American Art in welcoming Dr. Katherine Jentleson, Merrie and Dan Boone curator of folk and self-taught art from the High Museum of Art (High) in Atlanta, GA, for a virtual lecture highlighting the significant contributions of self-taught artists on the 20th Century American Modern Art World on Thursday, July 22 at 6 p.m. ET.

Purchase tickets here to garner intriguing insights from a foremost expert of 20th Century Folk Art and then delve deeper into discussion during the Q&A session that follows the virtual lecture with Dr. Jentleson. The virtual lecture is $10 for future museum members and free for current museum members.

In 2015, Dr. Jentleson, joined the High Museum of Art as the Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art. Prior to becoming a curator, Dr. Jentleson worked as an arts journalist in New York. Through her editorial assignments and experiences at galleries and museums, she discovered her passion for autodidactic artists and their historical legacy in the United States. She began her graduate studies in art history at Duke University in 2010, where she focused her research on how self-educated artists first “crashed the gates” of the mainstream art world after World War I. She published the study as a peer-reviewed monograph titled Gatecrashers: The Rise of the Self-Taught Artist in America (University of California Press, 2020) and adapted it into a 2021 exhibition at the High.

A multi-award-winning curator, Dr. Jentleson is the recipient of fellowships from Duke University, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Archives of American Art, and the Dedalus Foundation. She has contributed research and writing to exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art, the American Folk Art Museum, the Ackland Art Museum, the Nasher Museum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and Prospect New Orleans. Since joining the High, she has overseen numerous exhibitions, including most recently Way Out There: The Art of Southern Backroads (2019) and Paa Joe: Gates of No Return (2020). Under her leadership, the museum’s collection has grown significantly since adding more than 500 objects, including significant acquisitions of work by Thornton Dial, Lonnie Holley, the Gee’s Bend quilters, and Henry Church. Many of these debuted in the newly-expanded folk and self-taught art collection, which opened to the public as part of the museum’s 2018 reinstallation.

For more information about the virtual lecture with Dr. Jentleson, visit here.

The Mennello Museum of American Art and its exhibitions are generously supported by the City of Orlando and Friends of the Mennello Museum of American Art. Orange County Government provides additional funding through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program and United Arts of Central Florida. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and Visit Orlando. The exhibition is funded in part by the generous donors to the Frank Holt Fund, Strengthen Orlando and the City of Orlando.

The PDF version of this release is available here.

Contemporary Expressions

(January 21, 2022 – May 30, 2022)

PRESS RELEASE

Mennello Museum of American Art Presents Contemporary Expressions:

Prints from Flying Horse Editions (1996 – 2021)

ORLANDO, FLORIDA [January 21, 2021] – Mennello Museum of American Art announces Contemporary Expressions: Prints from Flying Horse Editions (1996 – 2021). Curated by the City of Orlando’s Public Art Collection, the exhibit holds the largest and most complete assemblage of works published by Flying Horse Editions, which is on view at Mennello Museum now through May 30, 2022.

“We’re fortunate to have Flying Horse Editions, a world-class printing program at the University of Central Florida, our community’s renowned research institution,” said Mennello Museum Executive Director Shannon Fitzgerald. “Flying Horse Editions has attracted some of the most prominent artists working today in the role of visiting artists who have had the opportunity to create limited-edition master prints with exceptional printmakers in a state-of-the-art facility. Following the trajectory of the artists and their output from Flying Horse Editions is a visual narrative and a testament to the immense talent we have coming to Orlando.”

Contemporary Expressions: Prints from Flying Horse Editions (1996 – 2021) presents a survey of limited-edition prints, artist books, and printed objects from over 60 internationally-renowned artists electrifying the art world today. Artists including Diana Al-Hadid, Odili Donald Odita, Will Cotton, David Humphrey, Chakaia Booker, James Sienna, Luis Gispert, Inka Essenhigh, Jiha Moon, and Mark Thomas Gibson are on view, engaging patrons with a dialogue about perception and understanding.

“The sustaining spirit of Flying Horse Editions is a collective endeavor,” said Theo Lotz, executive director, Flying Horse. “One of our first collaborators—and certainly one of the longest partnerships—has been with the City of Orlando’s Public Art collection. We’re thrilled that Mennello Museum is showcasing these works together and presenting such an in-depth survey of the various artists who have worked here over the past 30 years.”

For over three decades, esteemed painters, sculptors, and multimedia artists have worked in fellowship with Flying Horse Editions’ Master Printmakers at the University of Central Florida. This partnership encourages artists to experiment with methods and skillfully translate their distinct practices in painting, photography, and sculpture into the arena of printmaking.

Many of the artists presented here approach their creative practices conceptually and methodologically, as a means of researching, solving, expressing, and effectively visualizing increasingly complex theories and stylistic ideas across time and disciplines. They have drawn upon personal experience, art history, advances in science, and popular culture to create works that unify formal art theory with current understandings in fields including anthropology, biology, math, philosophy, physics, and psychology. Broadly, the themes explored by the artists fall into reobserving and reimagining of traditional subject matter and the emotional content imbued in still lifes, landscape, and the figure.

“The work from FHE presented in this exhibition challenges perceptions of language, identity, preservation, and adaptation in both real and hypothetical worlds,” said Katherine Page, curator of art and education, Mennello Museum. “I am especially interested in artistic production, as its contextualizing framework runs parallel to the scientific method that combines the decades-long history of science, printmaking, and modern and postmodern

“The work from FHE presented in this exhibition challenges perceptions of language, identity, preservation, and adaptation in both real and hypothetical worlds,” said Katherine Page, curator of art and education, Mennello Museum. “I am especially interested in artistic production, as its contextualizing framework runs parallel to the scientific method that combines the decades-long history of science, printmaking, and modern and postmodern art developments. The artists here are researchers, observers, experimenters, and publishers. As publishers, they share their exciting results—renderings of creation, communication, and conceptualization with a public beyond traditional, specialized academic fields.”

Mennello Museum of American Art and its exhibitions are generously supported by the City of Orlando and Friends of Mennello Museum of American Art. Orange County Government provides additional funding through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program and United Arts of Central Florida. Mennello Museum is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

Additional support for Contemporary Expressions: Prints from Flying Horse Editions (1996 -2021) is provided by Public Art, City of Orlando.

Please send any image requests to Emily.McVeigh@CityofOrlando.net

Image Credits:

JIha Moon, Genie 1, 2019. Lithograph with screenprint on Arches Platine. City of Orlando Public Art Collection. © JIha Moon

Odili Donald Odita, Flower, 2020. Woodcut on Hahnemühle Copperplate. City of Orlando Public Art Collection. © Odili Donald Odita

Chie Fueki, Anahita, 2013. Woodcut and silkscreen on Somerset velvet with hand dyed Thai mulberry paper, chine collé, glitter, and foaming ink. Edition: 3/40. City of Orlando Public Art Collection. © Chie Fueki

Luis Gispert, Untitled, 2015. Woodcut and silkscreen with 22K gold-leaf and Swarovski Crystals on Lettra paper. Edition: 31/31. City of Orlando Public Art Collection. © Luis Gispert

Mennello Museum of American Art Officially Open

Mennello Museum of American Art is Officially Open.

The Mennello Museum of American Art is open with new safety provisions and limited capacity in place. We are excited to welcome you back to a safe place for you to be inspired through art and culture.

Museum guidelines allow for 25% capacity access, and we will require masks for all visitors to ensure your safety and the safety of our staff. We have an online booking option, so you are welcome to schedule your visit in advance. At this time there are no group tours ir workshops available inside the museum. Some programs, such as virtual tours and other events, will continue to be offered online-only at mennellomuseum.org. We have taken enhanced health and safety measures, and request guests follow all posted instructions while visiting the museum.


COVID-19 Warning

We have taken enhanced health and safety measures—for you, our other Guests, and Staff. You must follow all posted instructions while visiting the museum.

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens and Guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable.

By visiting the Mennello Museum of American Art you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

Help keep each other healthy. Thank you.


About the Museum
The Mennello Museum of American Art, owned and operated by the City of Orlando, is located on the beautiful shore of Lake Formosa in Orlando’s Loch Haven Cultural Park. The museum provides residents and visitors welcoming opportunities to understand and value creativity through innovative experiences with art further connecting it to nature and communal gathering. Our goal is to encourage creative and diverse experiences with art that nurtures audiences while reflecting the dynamic relationship between art and society.  In addition to housing the permanent collection of folk modernist Earl Cunningham, the museum presents temporary exhibitions that feature a broad range of American art from traditional to contemporary practices.

The Mennello Museum is located at 900 E. Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803

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MENNELLO MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART FOUNDER MICHAEL A. MENNELLO PASSES AWAY

The City of Orlando, the Friends of the Mennello Museum of American Art, Mennello Museum Board of Trustees, and museum staff are deeply saddened to share that Michael A. Mennello passed away on December 18 due to COVID-19-related illness.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer expressed, “I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of one of Orlando’s greatest supporters of the arts and generous philanthropists, Michael A. Mennello. Orlando would not be the cultural city it is today without Michael’s influence, enthusiasm and investment in the arts.  He has left a lasting legacy with his devotion and passion for generations to come and made our community a more diverse and creative place to live.”

Walter Ketcham, Vice President of the Friends Board of Directors, shared, “We lost a true icon in our community. The Friends of the Mennello Museum of American Art will continue our effort in supporting the museum in a way that both Marilyn and Michael Mennello would be proud of.”

Commissioner Robert F. Stuart expressed his condolences to the Mennello family and Michael’s many friends stating, “We are saddened by the passing of Michael Mennello and will continue to honor Michael and Marilyn’s appreciation of art and their love of this community.”

Shannon Fitzgerald, Executive Director, shared, “As we mourn the untimely loss of our Founder, Michael A. Mennello, we remain committed to sharing his and Marilyn’s love of art through the stewardship of their outstanding American Art collection and the many gifts they generously gave to our community. Michael envisioned a bright future for the museum and we have important work to continue in honoring that legacy.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests those who wish to express sympathy and honor Michael’s memory donate to the Friends of the Mennello Museum’s “Building Our Future” campaign. Contributions may be sent to Friends of the Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 E. Princeton Street, Orlando, Florida 32832 or online at www.mennellomuseum.org/building-our-future/.

Votes For Women Exhibition

Votes For Women: A Portrait Of Persistence Virtual Exhibition


The Mennello Museum of American Art, a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, is delighted to share the Smithsonian’s virtual and poster traveling exhibition entitled Votes For Women: A Portrait Of Persistence

The story of women’s suffrage is a story of voting rights, of inclusion in and exclusion from the franchise, and of our civic development as a nation. Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence, celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment and explores the complexity of the women’s suffrage movement and the relevance of this history to Americans’ lives today.

Join us as we scroll and stroll through this special exhibition exploring the centennial of women’s suffrage with images and portraits reproduced from the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian Museum.

Scroll through the virtual exhibition below, available through the end of November.
or
Stroll through the free, in-person exhibition by visiting the Mennello Museum’s front porch, on display now through election day, from 11 am – 4 pm (weather permitting). 

Afterward, continue your exploration of history and meet voting-rights heroes with our neighbors at the Orlando Repertory Theatre. Their production of Eric Coble’s “Vote?,” is streaming directly to you, now through November 8. Learn more by visiting OrlandoRep.com.


Introduction

Women’s Voting Rights Originated in the Women’s Movement

Constitutional Arguments and Women’s Voting Rights

The Concept of Citizenship Seems Straightforward, but…

The New Woman

Equality is the Sacred Law of Humanity

Suffragists Were Political Geniuses

American Suffragists Had Courage

Suffrage Map

The 19th Amendment Was an Incomplete Victory


Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery. This project received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.