Project #6: Student as Curator: The Final Tour

Students have the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned in our FA351 course together.  

Each student will be the curator of their own gallery exhibition

This includes:

1. The  research and explanation of your thematic exhibition and the reasons behind why you put it together

2. Building a data base for your collection

3. Create an accession document for 3 of your artifact

Review the lower link for excellent procedues:

Acquisition & accessioning Suggested Procedures 

Reminder: Go to the Accessioning & Deaccessioning Artifacts page on this blog for more info.

4. Create 3 paragraph wall text for your exhibition

5. Creation of all objects (at minimum 7 works and no more than 10)

6. Creation of all labels including title, material, date, data base #, where found / when, name of collection to where the work belongs

7. Creation of Press Release introducing the event to the media

8. 2 page, double spaced exhibition essay

Data base needs to include: 

Title / artifact 
Artist / designer / inventor / discoverer's name (birth and death dates, and nationality)
     Materials
     Where discovered
     Collector's names and provenance information
,    Image of artifact, H x W x D in inches (and metric)
     Insurance value and date
     Assigned Data base number  
     Other pertinent info regarding the condition of object 

Creation of a small catalogue complete with images and all textual information: 

1. Essay and reason behind creation of your curation

2. All data base information

3. Wall text information the 3 paragraphs

4. All object's images with data base information

5. Maps if applicable

6. Gallery check list and floor plan schematic

7. All label information (and where they will be located) 

8. Press / Media Release 

9. Post card announcing the exhibition and will include an image, exhibition dates, reception dates, gallery hours, website information and admission cost

You will be creating a scaled maquette of your exhibition. Consider the architecture of the building as well as the exterior of the building itself. 
The scaled maquette of the gallery must include the following: 

1. One wall length being at least 10"

2. At least one corner

3. Must include two doors

4. Must include two windows 

5. Must include two objects on pedestals

6. The placement of your objects must include floor, hung from the ceiling, and installed on the walls

7. Your wall text and labels located in the exhibition

8. Where your labels are located

9. You may place a gallery visitor or security guard to scale

10. You may also place furniture in your gallery

11. You may also include a gallery gift shop 

This is the culminating activity for the term.

You will present it during our final exam block.  

FA 351.01 > TUES MAY 14  2:45 > 4:45 pm

You will hand in your exhibition catalogue at that time. 

Make sure your exhibition catalogue is complete and includes Works Cited page, URLS of where you obtained your research.

Be creative of how you put your documents together in the catalogue! 

20% Final Student Virtual Gallery Tour: hardcopy & digital multi - media presentation

STUDENT CURATED GALLERY EXHIBITION MAQUETTES

Student Museum Rationales & Curatorial Essays: 

Curatorial Rationale
              I have always been inspired by the realms of the fantastical and I will always hold fairy tales and mythologies in my heart just as strongly now as an adult as I did when I was a child. Something that continues to terrify and inspire me is the dragon...but what is the dragon, truly? I would explore this question in my exhibition ​Fire and Flight​ through both modern and ancient depictions. The works I will pull from will span the globe and explore its depiction as both a godly creature and as a metaphor for rage, greed and social unrest. In my gallery exhibition ​Fire and Flight,​ I want to span paintings, sculptures, ceramics and even an installed constellation to explore the dragon in modern society.
              I first began to wonder about the philosophical nature of dragons after reading scholarship about St. Patrick (358 - 431 C.E.) and his expulsion of all the “serpents” (sometimes described as dragon-like figures) from Ireland in the 5th century, and the likelihood that the serpents represented the native pagan populations or that they were metaphorical representations of evil. Furthermore, the links between gender and dragons are also fascinating to me: an exploration of both masculine and neutral energies as represented by these creatures and what ways gender influences “dragonness”. This exhibit will not seek to define but to explore in a universal sense -- from the earliest reaches of history to religion to modern pop culture. This topic particularly interests me because dragons have so many areas of philosophical significance but perhaps most importantly:​ dragons are cool​.

Curatorial Essay, with an Afterword by Harry Potter, PhD
                The inspiration for ​Fire and Flight ​comes from a meditation on the borders of reality and fiction within art. In a political realm that is currently being divided by a confrontation over truth, I felt that the best vehicle for this conversation was through creatures that have a tendency to be a metaphorical surrogate for destruction and chaos, and have some sort of impact cultural religions. Bearing that criterion in mind, I attempted to find examples of support and subversion of this ideal within the art community spanning the centuries of human existence, and I also hoped to analyze the depictions of gender that accompanied these images.

Fig. #001
             I chose to begin with William Blake’s apocalyptical ​The Great Red Dragon and the
Woman Clothed in Sun,​ created between the dates of 1803 and 1805. I have always admired Blake’s establishment of his own cosmic mythos and worldview in response to the chaos of a rapidly industrializing world. In this painting, Blake explicitly depicts a masculine coded Satan as a dragon poised to devour the Woman who scholars argue is Mary the Virgin. In this, dragons are a destructive and chaotic force that utilizes the power of flame to scorch and burn until the Woman is left barren. According to biographer Peter Ackroyd, Blake suffered from hallucinations for the entirety of his adult life and Blake stated, “I can look at the knot in a piece

of wood until it frightens me.” (Ackroyd). Reality is clearly a subjective state of mind, and this piece sets the tone for this exhibition full of wonder and fear.

Fig. #002
                   The second piece in this curated group consists of what remains of a red-figure Ancient
Greek kylix or shallow bowl dated from around 500 B.C.E. The kylix was irreparably shattered by age, but what remains of the bowl is a stunning image of the ancient mythological hero Jason regurgitated by the Colchian dragon while the goddess Athena serenely watches. The Greek artist Douris who sculpted ​Jason & the Dragon​ took creative and aesthetic liberties with his rendering of the myth in order to remind his visual audience of the terror of dragons which can be lost so easily in oral descriptions. With a painstaking hand, Douris illuminated each scale and each serrated tooth; in the original myth, Jason defeated the unnamed, gender-neutral dragon with ease but for Douris as an artist this was not enough and he had to depict a conquered Jason and a horrifyingly triumphant dragon (Atsma). ​Jason & the Dragon​ is a reminder of the appetites of dragons and the religious conviction that only the godly pantheon had supreme power over all creatures -- including man and dragon (Atsma).

Fig. #003
                   This exhibit would be remiss if it lacked modern popular culture and one of the most
iconic modern dragons was created by the staff of Wizards of the Coast for the popular trading card game ​Magic: The Gathering​ TM. The third piece in this exhibit is ​Nicol Bolas, the Ravageras illustrated by Svetlin Velinov in 2018. For the sake of brevity, I chose to display his card incarnation as “The Ravager” which causes opponents to discard all but three of their cards and deals irrevocable damage (Wizards). It was so interesting to me in my research process to see how modernity has translated the ancient fear of a mythological creature, and the fact that even though we have come a thousand years since Douris created ​Jason & the Dragon​, yet dragons are still seen as an ultimate force. Again, we see the dragon as the destructor of life and Nicol Bolas is depicted as a very male, aggressive force with his craggy features and dark colors (Wizards).

Fig. #004

                   

The fourth piece in ​Fire and Flight​ is an illustration done by J.R.R. Tolkien for ​The Hobbit ​in 1937, entitled ​Conversations with Smaug​. According to John Garth, Tolkien quite explicitly stated that ​The Hobbit​ was not to be analyzed as allegorical of his experiences as a foot soldier in World War I and his meditations on the rumblings of World War II -- however, that begs the question of authorial intent and autobiography. Garth notes that in Tolkien’s original letters, Germans were equated with “goblins” in his lexicon of Sindarin which is the fictional language Tolkien created for his novels (qtd. in Engbers). At first, Tolkien created the fictional realm of Middle-Earth -- where ​The Hobbit​ and ​The Lord of the Rings​ novels are set -- as a direct descendant from his own realities of what he experienced during WWI but then sought to distance himself from this perspective as he grew older. In terms of direct allegory to WWII, Smaug the dragon is a burning red (a visual reminder of the Nazi swastika), hunched over a pile of ill-gotten gold from a race vanquished from their ancestral homelands by destructive fire (see Fig. 1; Engbers).

Fig. 1
                   In ​The Hobbit​, Smaug is a hypnotic speaker -- arrogant, greedy and sure of his

omnipotence: comparisons can easily be reached between him and Adolf Hitler (Engbers). I personally agree with this analysis, and to support it in my gallery exhibition I seek to add a three-dimensional aspect to this piece by including a sculptural element jutting from the wall in continuation of Smaug’s treasure hoard.

Fig. #005
                This fifth piece represents a slight departure from the other depictions of dragons

described so far as we look from the West to the East. Katsushika Hokusai sought to depict a traditional Japanese perspective in linking his dragon to the furious waves of the ocean, with the significance of the dragon’s power implied than obviously illustrated (Staff). This piece is known as the ​Untitled Dragon​ and it was finished at some point during the early 19th Century. Its distinctive crimson backdrop reminds the eye of the Japanese flag -- long utilized as a cultural symbol far ahead of its official designation as the national flag -- or arguably instead represents blood and fire (see Fig. 2; Staff).

Fig. 2
              This is the beauty of ​Untitled​: with such a simple subject and the significant colors of red
and blue, there is great room for the viewer to interpret this piece to suit their personal

knowledge and world experience. I, personally, view it as a representation of the gender-neutral dragon as an agent of natural disasters like tsunamis and floods as opposed to a vehicle for the representation of human vices. This painting is the ultimate act of worship to the natural realm.

Fig. #006
              The sixth work in the collection is one of the most playful and abstract of the exhibition

so far, which I feel is appropriate when regarding its cultural significance. In 1871, Charles Dodgson approached the illustrator John Tenniel to create pieces for his recently publishedThrough the Looking Glass ​novel under his pen name “Lewis Carroll” -- a novel that also included the nonsense poem “Jabberwocky” (Barnes). In this illustration of ​Jabberwocky,​Tenniel depicts the titular dragon as a tongue-in-cheek amalgamation of a professor and a beast: it wears a vest and spectacles with exaggerated buck teeth in a humorous caricature of an Englishman (Barnes). Through the context of the Jabberwocky as the central figure also of the nonsense poem “Jabberwocky,” the viewer can also assume Tenniel and Dodgson collaborated to poke fun at the evolution of the English language -- or as the stereotypical late-19th Century male professor would see it, the destruction of language (Barnes). I admire the political dimension of this illustration and its significance to literature as one of the most iconic modern dragons.

Fig. #007 

              My chosen seventh and final piece goes back in time to the 11th Century and is the
Sigurdsristningen, a​ lso known as the Ramsund Carving due to its location in Ramsund, Sweden. It is believed by historians that the runic carving was commissioned by a woman named Sigrid in remembrance of the death of her husband and it depicts the ancient myth of the slaying of the shapeshifter Fafnir in dragon form by Sigurd, later recorded as the ​Nibelungenlied ​(Hipple). In the carving -- where time is circular and the events of the myth are depicted as happening all at the same time -- the dragon Fafnir sits on his horde, the hero Sigurd is hired by Fafnir’s brother to murder him and upon Fafnir’s end, Sigurd cooks and its his flesh which bestows him with supernatural knowledge. The layers of reality are like lenses in this carving and the dragon represents the loop of time, while also representing the subjectivity of reality in his nature as a shapeshifter and changer of skins. From the context of the myth, Fafnir is also depicted as a force of human greed. Hipple notes that this legend was often compared to the Archangel Michael’s battle with Satan during the spread of Christianity. 

              The amalgamation of seven visual works in ​Fire and Flight​ presents the concept of truth and reality to gallery goers in unique ways.. Blake and his visions create a realm that is at once unique to him and shared by those adjacent to his artistic processes. Tolkien and his memories of the war that he so desperately tried to distance himself from after initially confronting himself.

Sigrid and the anonymous artists who ascribed the significance of her husband’s afterlife with the life of a hero and the death of a dragon. Each of the seven depictions of dragons are metaphors and vehicles for reconciling the truth of the destruction of lives and communities with a fiction that is easier to comprehend. In ​Fire and Flight,​ I seek to contemplate human nature through the realm of the fantastical and to me, the dragon is the perfect medium through which to do so. Please enjoy.

****
Curated from both a scholarly perspective and a life-long love of fantastic beasts, Julia Dudley’sFire and Flight​ promises to be a spectacle in every sense of the word. Her curatorial vision, so deftly explained in this essay, will be brought to life in full color in a space at the Edgewood Gallery in Syracuse, New York. While her reasons have been outlined so thoroughly, there of course remains room for artistic interpretation and debate. This exhibition, due to ramifications of size, is necessarily only a mere sampling of the diverse range of representations of the dragon in the artistic world. ​Fire and Flight​ has been 21 years in the making. -- Harry Potter, PhD in English

Project 6.0: Exhibition Essay

This inspiration for “Fire and Flight” came from a meditation on the borders of reality and fiction within art. In a political realm that is currently being divided by a confrontation over truth, I felt that the best vehicle for this conversation was through creatures that have a tendency to be a metaphorical stand-in for destruction and chaos, and have some sort of impact cultural religions. Bearing that criterion in mind, I wanted to find examples of support and subversion of this ideal within the art community spanning the centuries of human existence, and I also wanted to analyze the depictions of gender that accompanied these images. A select three works -- my personal favorites -- I sat down to analyze for content and justify my inclusion.

Beginning with William Blake’s apocalyptical The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun: I have always admired Blake’s establishment of his own cosmic mythos and worldview in response to the chaos of a rapidly industrializing world. In this painting, Blake explicitly depicts a masculine coded Satan as a dragon poised to devour the Woman who scholars argue is Mary the Virgin. In this, dragons are a destructive and chaotic force that utilizes the power of flame to scorch and burn until the Woman is left barren. According to biographer Peter Ackroyd, Blake suffered from hallucinations for the entirety of his adult life and Blake stated, “I can look at the knot in a piece of wood until it frightens me.” The reality was clearly a subjective state of mind (Ackroyd).

A second favorite piece is an illustration done by J.R.R. Tolkien for The Hobbit, entitled Conversations with Smaug. According to John Garth, Tolkien quite explicitly stated that The Hobbit was never to be analyzed as allegorical of his experiences as a foot soldier in World War II -- however, that begs the question of authorial intent and autobiography. Garth notes that in Tolkien’s original letters, Germans were equated with “goblins” in his lexicon of Sindarin (qtd. in Engbers). At first, Tolkien created Middle-Earth from his own realities of the war he experienced but then sought to distance himself from this perspective as he grew older. In terms of direct allegory, Smaug the dragon is a burning red (a visual reminder of the Nazi swastika), hunched over a pile of ill-gotten gold from a race vanquished from their ancestral homelands by destructive fire. In The Hobbit, Smaug is a hypnotic speaker -- arrogant, greedy and sure of his omnipotence: comparisons can easily be reached between him and Adolf Hitler (Engbers). I personally agree with this analysis, and to support it in my gallery exhibition I seek to add a three-dimensional aspect to this piece by including a sculptural element jutting from the wall in continuation of Smaug’s treasure hoard.

My third and final favorite is Sigurdsristningen, also known as the Ramsund Carving due to its location. This runic carving was commissioned by a woman named Sigrid in remembrance of the death of her husband and it depicts the ancient myth of the slaying of the dragon Fafnir by Sigurd, later recorded as the Nibelungenlied (Hipple). In the carving -- where time is circular and the events of the myth are depicted as happening all at the same time -- the shapeshifter Fafnir sits on his horde, the hero Sigurd is hired by Fafnir’s brother to murder him and upon Fafnir’s end, Sigurd cooks and its his flesh which bestows him with supernatural knowledge. The layers of reality are like lenses in this carving and the dragon represents the loop of time, while also representing the subjectivity of reality in his nature as a shapeshifter and changer of skins. From the context of the myth, Fafnir is also depicted as a force of greed and destruction. Hipple notes that this legend was often compared to the Archangel Michael’s battle with Satan during the spread of Christianity. 

These three works interact in unique ways with the concept of truth and reality. Blake and his visions created a realm that was at once unique to him and shared by those adjacent to his artistic processes. Tolkien and his memories of the war that he so desperately tried to distance himself from after initially confronting himself. Sigrid and the anonymous artists who ascribed the significance of her husband’s afterlife with the life of a hero and the death of a dragon. These dragons are metaphors and vehicles for reconciling the truth of the destruction of lives and communities with a fiction that is easier to comprehend. In “Fire and Flight”, I seek to contemplate human nature through the realm of the fantastical and to me, the dragon is the perfect medium through which to do so.

Works Cited

Ackroyd, Peter. Blake: A Biography. London, Ballantine Books, 1995.

Engbers, Chad. "Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth." The Lion and the 

Unicorn, vol. 29, no. 1, Jan. 2005. ProQuest. Accessed 11 Apr. 2019. 

Hipple, Annika S. "The Ramsund Carving: A Legendary Tale Inscribed in Stone.” Real 

Scandinavia, Word Press, 4 Apr. 2019, realscandinavia.com/ the-ramsund-carving-a-legendary-tale-inscribed-in-stone/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2019. 

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 Curator's Rationale

For my final project, I would like to construct a Canoe Museum, titled Bow and Stern. The museum will be comprised of both antique canoes with historical value, as well as paintings/drawings/clay models of canoes. Bow and Stern will also house various canoe related artifacts, such as canoe paddles. Bow and Stern will also contain a small cafe, titled The Access Point, which will serve beverages and pastries. The physical shape of the exhibit will be shaped like the front of a canoe, with the back wall being a straight flat wall. 

While there are two other canoe museums in the world (Ontario, Canada and Portland, Oregon) this museum focuses specifically on the art surrounding canoes, and less on the history. While history will be included, Bow and Stern will be a more visual experience, centered around art, both in the items within the museum, and the physical design of the museum. One way I plan to integrate canoes and building design is by having the seating itself be a repurposed canoe. I also plan to use pedestals in the shape of an oar to display works. My hope is to truly integrate art, building design (both interior and exterior) and canoes. I would also like to find a way to integrate moving water (or the illusion of moving water). 

Curator's Catalogue Essay

Bow and Stern

            Bow and Stern is an exhibition that is centered around canoes and kayaks. Located in Bainbridge, NY, the home of the General Clinton Canoe Regatta. The General Clinton Canoe Regatta is a world famous canoe race in Upstate New York. It is 70 miles over the course of one full day, and it proud to say it is the world’s longest single day flat water canoe race. Bow and Stern also houses the General Clinton Canoe Regatta Hall of Fame, which is available to the public as well. Located right on the river, it is the perfect place for watching the canoe regatta every year. We also feature an access point, as well as canoe and kayak rentals during the warmer months. 

While Bow and Stern does include some history of canoes/kayaks and some historical artifacts, it is more focused on art that involves canoes/kayaks. Bow and Stern features a themed cafe, called the Access Point within the exhibition. This exhibit offers an experience that feels as though you are on the river yourself. With several places that feature moving water, the atmosphere of the entire exhibit offers the ambience of a day on the river. Bow and Stern also features canoe related artifacts, such as paddles. 

The physical design of the exhibition is also conducive to the mission. The front of the exhibition is shaped like the front of canoe. Seating within the exhibit is also centered around canoes, and are canoes cut in half with cushions. Sections of the floor feature blue tiles to give the impression of water. Finally, the pedestals are shaped like canoe paddles. 

Bow and Stern features mainly painting and drawings of canoes and kayaks, which they have acquired from various artists and other collections around the world. Our mission is to draw attention to the tranquility of a sunny day on the water in a canoe/kayak. Bow and Stern only uses warm toned lighting for this reason. We also have accessioned several antique canoes and offer information about those vessels in a historical context.

We work extensively with the Canadian Canoe Museum, and they have loaned several

items from their collection to us. We also offer, in conjunction with the Canadian Canoe Museum, discounted tickets to the Canadian Canoe Museum. Admission to Bow and Stern is $5 for adults and $3 for kids, however every Thursday is half price admission, and during the General Clinton Canoe Regatta admission is free. Canoe and kayak rental is $20 per hour, and most of our earned income comes from that. We also generate earned income from the cafe, which is open to the public without entering the museum, and is a popular place for people in the Bainbridge area. 

            Bow and Stern is a comprehensive canoe/kayak experience. It offers ways to learn about and understand canoes and kayaks in visual, audio, and practical ways. We are handicapped accessible, and we offer Braille wall texts for those who are visually impaired. Bow and Stern serves to educate and show the beauty in a day on the river, through art, artifacts, and physically 

canoeing or kayaking on the beautiful Susquehanna River, the home of the General Clinton Canoe Regatta. 

DATA BASE:

#001

Wooden Canoe 

180in x 40in

Wooden canoe with Algonquin Carvings

On loan from the Canadian Canoe Museum 

Damaged on left side (small pen markings) 

#002 

Wooden Canoe Paddle 

60in x 5in

On loan from Canadian Canoe Museum 

(Image coming soon, I’m making these pieces)

#003 

Watercolor Painting of Kayak on River 

10in x 30in 

Artist: Alexis Eichler

Pair of 2 pieces with #004

(Image coming soon, I’m making these pieces)

#004 

Watercolor Painting of Kayak on Bank of River 

10in x 30in 

Artist: Alexis Eichler

Pair of 2 pieces with #003 

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Curatorial Rational

A proposal for the Edward Gorey Memorial Gallery 

  

by  Erin Grabosky

  

September 18th, 2019

Edward Gorey Memorial Gallery

53 Stevenson Street

Chicago IL 60613

The museum which I would like to bring to fruition would be the Edward Gorey Museum. This non-for-profit organization would showcase not only the many illustrations designed by Mr. Gorey, but it would also highlight the many factors of the artist life from his sexuality to his favorite fashion trends.  The museum’s location will be in Chicago as that is where the artist was born back in 1922. The building would be surrounded by weeping willow trees, and a statue of Edward Gorey would be erected in front of the museum entrance. On the exterior walls would be murals inspired by his work, and the interior walls will be left white to better showcase his prints and illustrations. The floor plan will be in the shape of a coffin to further celebrate the macabre aesthetic he often went for. 

The entrance would face north at the head of the coffin structure. Once inside, guests will purchase their tickets and move towards the gallery space. Once in the gallery, guests will see his work in chronological order in a clock wise manor. In the middle of the floor will be Edward Gorey’s Manhattan flat desk which he drew on from his early career. There will be pen and paper provided for guest to draw their own designs where Edward Gorey once drew on as well. Guests can either take their drawings home or enter them in the gift shop for a chance to have their drawings published in the museum calendar. In the next room will be more artifacts of Edward Gorey including video interviews taken of the artist. Headphones will be offered to guests, so as the different audios will not be competing over each other and to also allow the guest to take in the room at their own pace.

Once they have navigated through the two main rooms, they will make their way into the gift shop which will sell museum merchandise as well as Edward Gorey character dolls, his illustrated books, posters, biographies and autobiographies. Journals, pens, markers, and pencils will also be sold to allow the inspired guest to create their very own illustrations and maybe become the next big illustrator. The exit will be located at the end of the store, but the gift shop is open to the public so the exit will also act as the shop entrance. Security guards will be present throughout the museum to protect both the artifacts as well as the merchandise. Anyone without a museum entrance sticker will be asked to leave the gallery spaces but are more than welcomed in the gift shop. 

The reasons why I want to put this museum together is because Edward Gorey has always been one of my favorite illustrators. From seeing his work on Master Piece Mysteries on PBS, to owning some of his coffee books myself, I have been familiar with his work for years. He is one of the only illustrators to dabble in the macabre and dark humor. His work would go on to inspire fellow illustrators such as Charles Addams creator of the Addams Family, and the great Tim Burton. Two years ago, while researching historical members of the LGBTQA+ community, I was delighted to learn that Edward Gorey identified as asexual. Asexual people are those who do not seek sexual relations with anyone, and are one of the more under represented members of the community. I feel that by showing that more intimate side of him to the public, it can really help raise awareness and understanding to that community.  Edward Gorey is a very interesting fellow; whose illustrations still inspires fellow artists to draw topics which interest them. He deserves a museum which celebrates his work as well as the life he led.

 The Man Of The Macabre

A Collection of Original Art, Audio, & Artifacts of the late 

                                       Edward Gorey

Essay by  Samantha Lee

June 8-30, 2019

Edward Gorey Memorial Gallery

53 Stevenson Street

Chicago IL 60613

This Gallery has been brought to fruition through three years of dedicated work and support from the East Chicago community and the fans of Edward Gorey . This non-for-profit organization will proudly showcase not only the many illustrations designed by Mr. Gorey, but it will also highlight the many factors of the artist’s private life.  The museum’s location in Chicago has great meaning to us, as this was the city Edward Gorey was born back in 1922. The building incorporates the interior theme of beauty in the macabre, through the surrounding weeping willow trees and the polished black granite exterior walls with the murals of his work. The life size bronze statue of Mr. Edward Gorey himself welcomes guests into the gallery space. 

The main entrance faces north at what is the head of the coffin-based structure. Once inside, guests make their way to the admission ticket booth, then move towards the gallery space. Once in the gallery, guests see his work in chronological order in a clock wise manor. In the middle of the floor is Edward Gorey’s Manhattan flat desk which he used when drawing many of his creations you see on the walls. Located on the desk are pens and paper provided for guest to interactively draw their own designs where Edward Gorey once drew himself. Guests are allowed to take their drawings home with them or are given the chance to submit that work to gallery for a chance to have their drawings published in the upcoming gallery calendar. The next room features artifacts of Edward Gorey, including video interviews taken of the artist. Headphones are provided at each station, and all audio is sub-titled in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. 

Once you navigate through the two main gallery spaces; visitors make their way into the gift shop which sells wonderful spooky merchandise. Such items include the Edward Gorey character dolls, his illustrated books, posters, DVDs, biographies and autobiographies. Journals, pens, markers, and pencils are also available to allow the inspired guests to create their very own illustrations and maybe become the next big illustrator. Along with copies of Edward Gorey’s work, the gallery also sells calendars featuring the top twelve submitted illustrations of gallery members from the previous year. 

The reasons why I personally love the Edward Gorey Memorial Gallery, is because Edward Gorey has always been one of my favorite illustrators. From seeing his work on Master Piece Mysteries on PBS, to owning some of his coffee books myself, I have been familiar with his work for years. He is one of the first popular illustrators to dabble with macabre subject matter and dark humor. His work would go onto inspire fellow illustrators such as Charles Addams creator of the Addams Family, and the great Tim Burton. There is something about his elegant designs and use of fashion which invites viewers to seek out enjoyment through the dark material. 

Along with being an inspiration for illustrators, he also serves as an historic figure for the LGBTQIA+ community as  Edward Gorey identified as an asexual. Asexual is an sexual orientation where the individual does not wish to seek out sexual relations with anyone. While the Asexual community has gained some recognition over the last few years with the first openly asexual character Todd Chavez from BoJack Horseman coming out in 2017; it still is one of the more unknown sexual orientations of the LBGTQA community. The gallery chooses to show that intimate side of him to the public, to help raise awareness and understanding for the community to the Chicago public.  Edward Gorey is a very interesting fellow; whose illustrations still inspires fellow artists to draw topics which interest them. It’s an honor to play apart in a gallery which celebrates his work as well as the life he led.

  

Image of Gorey next to his 1977 Dracula coffin stage prop, featured in the gallery collection

 

Gorey in his raccoon fur coat, featured in the gallery collection

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Journey into Outer Space

Outer space is one of the most mysterious places in existence. The mysterious aspect is what has drawn Alison Marin to this subject for many years. Along with that inspiration, the fact that her grandfather Paul Marin, was an astronaut in 1965, really inspired her to forge new territory into her two- and three-dimensional objects.

This exhibition takes place in the same state as NASA, Washington, DC.  NASA has granted permission to Thornton to use any image or film she needs for this exhibition. These works she has chosen were IC63 Ghost Nebula in Infrared, Tour of the Moon in 4K, and Bean Walks on the Moon. Marin chose these works for multiple reasons.  Thornton chose these because they are educational, interesting, and unique.

#003

Thornton chose IC63 Ghost Nebula in Infrared because of the beauty and mystery shown in the photographic work. This work was taken in 2016. The area that was photographed for this image is approximal 550 lightyears away in the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. As stated on the Hubble Site’s website this image was made by

A blue color was assigned to shorter infrared wavelengths in one exposure. A red color was assigned to longer infrared wavelengths in a second exposure, and the images were then combined. Hubble photographed IC 63 in August 2016. (image).

You cannot see IC63 without a powerful telescope.

#004

The digital video, Tour the Moon in 4K was chosen to educate viewers. This digital video is provided by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. The video takes you on a tour, moving around the nearside, far side, and both north and south poles. The film highlights interesting features, sites, and information gathered on the lunar terrain. The music in the video is provided by Killer Tracks: "Never Looking Back" - Frederick Wiedmann. "Flying over Turmoil" - Benjamin Krause & Scott Goodman. Viewers sit back and are taken away by the video and music.

    

#007

The photograph Bean Walks on the Moon is a black and white image of Astronaut Alan L. Bean, Lunar Module pilot, captured by Commander Charles Conrad, Jr. In this photograph Bean is near a tool carrier during the Apollo 12 spacewalk on the moon's surface. Thornton chose this work due to the unique reflection in the helmet visor. 

Along with the borrowed works, Alison Marin also has four pieces of her own work in the exhibition. These works are called Sun and Earth, Starburst,Moon,and Solar Mobile. All Marin’s works that are in the exhibition, were made in 2019.

#001

Sun and Earthis an acrylic diptych painting. This work is of the sun and earth depicted in front of the galaxy. Marin likes the complementary colors used in this work of hers. Also, she likes the contrast of the things we can we and what we cannot see. As humans we can see both the sun and earth, however, we cannot see galaxies with the naked eye. 

Starburst is a wax piece that is made from household candle wax.  Marin came up with this idea when she accidently left spilled wax on the table. After it hardened, she fell in love with how it turned out. Marin then started to make many different forms, until one looked just like a star bursting. 

Moonis a glass piece made by Marin. She made this work inspired by her grandfather, Paul Marin, the astronaut. He gave her real moon dust and a real moon rock when she was a child. The color of the dust and rock made her think of the moon in many ways. Marin also makes replicas of the moon in different media; however, her favorite is working with molten glass.

The Solar Mobile is a work inspired by Marin’s childhood. This work is a mobile, that hangs from the ceiling. As a teen Marin recalls making her baby sister a mobile for her crib, this was not space themed, however. Marin has made many replicas of our solar system. This minimal artwork is colorful and unique. This work is unique because it is the largest and heaviest, she has ever completed.

Works Cited

Conrad, Charles. “Bean Walks on the Moon.” Nasa.gov, www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2098.html.

"Image - IC 63 Ghost Nebula in Infrared." HubbleSite. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2019.

Loff, Sarah. "Ultra High Definition Video." NASA. NASA, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2019. 

NASA, et al. “IC 63 Ghost Nebula in Infrared.” Hubblesite.org, 25 Oct. 2018, hubblesite.org/image/4244/gallery.

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