Meijer Gardens First to Present Drawings of Sculpture Icon Magdalena Abakanowicz

Premier museum exhibition of artist’s drawings explore the human experience.

Grand Rapids, MI (PRWEB) July 31, 2006 -- Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the most significant sculpture and botanic experience in the Midwest and an emerging cultural destination on the national scene, is pleased to organize the premier museum presentation of the drawings of world-renowned sculptor, Magdalena Abakanowicz. 50 works complete the exhibition, all independent efforts, many made public for the first time. The drawings span the universal themes and mysteries of the human experience. Magdalena Abakanowicz: The Drawings is open September 29-December 31, 2006.

Although internationally acclaimed for her sculpture, Abakanowicz is equally prolific and prodigious with respect to her drawings. In any medium, she masterfully explores and exploits the inherent properties of the material. Magdalena Abakanowicz: The Drawings challenges the viewer to understand both human dignity and tragedy. It encourages the examination of two-dimensional forms, through highly tactile drawings that present the immediate and lasting presence of the artist.

“Undoubtedly, the drawings are the least known, yet the most immediate, aspect of Magdalena Abakanowicz’s repertoire. They are created through a variety of materials and methods, in graphite, pen, ink and gouache, often with her fingers,” said Joseph Becherer, director of the Sculpture Program and curator at Meijer Gardens. “Spending time with the extent of work that forms this exhibition is in many ways like spending time with the artist herself. They echo her life experiences and her conviction that the individuality of every person is followed by the way they express themselves.”

Exploring ideas through series, Magdalena Abakanowicz: The Drawings presents groups of trees, flowers and flies as well as heads and heads with torso. Each drawing is monochromatic with individual lines joining to create forms in a manner that presents images which seem to hover about the surface. Her fingertips, guided by vision, offer metaphoric visions of nature and in the context of a largely industrialized world, Abakanowicz forces us to pause and consider the mysteries of organic, global subjects, self-examination and fate.

“The feelings we have are the same regardless of culture, race or identity,” said Abakanowicz. “As we react to pain and joy, we react to art, our whole body reacts to art and all systems are part of such a reaction.”

Exhibition Activities
Magdalena Abakanowicz: The Drawings at Meijer Gardens includes the following educational activities to enhance the viewers experience. All of the following activities are free with admission.

Curator’s Choice
Tuesday, October 3, 7:00 PM
Joseph Becherer will guide guests through Meijer Gardens’ indoor galleries for a walk through Magdalena Abakanowicz: The Drawings. As curator of the exhibition, personally working with Abakanowicz to coordinate the works on display, this tour will be an insightful and intimate experience.

The Work of Magdalena Abakanowicz
Tuesday, October 10, 2006; 7:00 PM
Kirsten Strom, associate professor of Art History at Grand Valley State University will speak on the works of Magdalena Abakanowicz and their place in contemporary art. Specific themes to be discussed will include the revival of expressionistic tendencies and the figure as a vehicle for exploring what it means to be human in our time.

Collaborative Drop-In Workshops
Saturdays, October 7, 14, 21, 28, 2006; 1:00-3:00 PM
Grand Valley State University Art Education students host collaborative drawing workshops for adults and children located in the Frey Environmental Room and in various spots around Meijer Gardens. Activities include a community mural and drawing exercises, including gesture and contour drawings as well as portraiture.

Artist Drawing Demonstrations
Guests are invited to watch and learn from area artists during drawing demonstrations at Meijer Gardens. Artists will teach basic skills of drawing with pencil, charcoal, colored pencil, and pastel. All visitors are welcome to grab a stool and some materials and join in the fun.
• Saturday, November 4, 2006; 1:00-3:00 PM
    Nick Antonakis – Art Department, Grand Rapids
    Community College
• Saturday, November 11, 2006; 1:00-3:00 PM
    Chris Overvoorde – Artist
• Saturday, November 18, 2006; 1:00-3:00 PM
    Caleb Brennan – Artist, Conservator/Assistant Curator
    of Sculpture, Meijer Gardens

Art: The Power of Biography
Tuesday, November 14, 2006; 7:00 PM
This panel discussion with local experts will focus on the impact that personal history makes on works of art, including sculpture, music, literature and architecture.
• Moderator – Joseph Becherer, Director of the Sculpture
    Program and Curator, Meijer Gardens
• Larry TenHarmsel – Dean of the Lee Honors College at
    Western Michigan University
• Paul Brewer – Director of Jazz Studies and Wind
    Ensemble, Aquinas College
• Henry Luttikhuizen – Professor of Art History, Calvin
    College
• Liesel Meijer – writer
• Gretchen Minnhaar, AIA – architect and artist

About Magdalena Abakanowicz
Magdalena Abakanowicz was born in Falenty, Poland in 1930, and she continues to reside in Warsaw. Her home life was thrown into upheaval by the occupation of Poland by Germany and then Russia. She remained in Poland through the years of Communist rule and then through the changes under the Solidarity movement and afterwards. Her work often reflects the emotional heritage of her political environment. Abakanowicz studied at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 1950 to 1954 and in the following years painted a series of large gouaches on paper and canvas. Abakanowicz started sculpting soft and pliable objects that were rough to the touch. First came the Abakans (1966-75), so-called after her own name. These enormous three dimensional hanging structures, woven form a variety of fibres, had tails, openings and encrustations. Gradually the objects became hard but continued to be made of fragile or perishable materials. These were the seated or standing figures, backs, hands, heads. She has received honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Art in London and the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, Poland. In 2005 she received the International Sculpture Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award. For additional information please visit www.abakanowicz.art.pl/

About Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
The 125-acre Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, which currently serves more than 600,000 visitors annually, features Michigan's largest tropical conservatory; the nation's most comprehensive carnivorous plant house; one of the largest children’s gardens in the country; arid and Victorian gardens; outdoor gardens; the Midwest's most comprehensive sculpture experience featuring internationally-acclaimed works by Rodin, Moore, di Suvero, Goldsworthy and others; indoor galleries with changing sculpture exhibitions, as well as a 1600-seat outdoor amphitheater, featuring world-renowned musicians every summer, café and gift shop. Meijer Gardens celebrated its 10th anniversary on April 20, 2005. For additional information, please visit www.meijergardens.org.

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