The Williamson’s Year at a Glance, 2019 – 2020

Lidded Cloisonné Box with Bird Motif,
1886, Enamel on Brass, 2 3/16 in. x 3 5/8 in. x 3 in., Gift of Mrs. Dorothy Adler Routh, Scripps College, Claremont, CA

Here’s a look at what is planned for the 2019-2020 academic year. See what the Williamson is up to:

Exhibitions:

ASIAN ART TREASURES

AT SCRIPPS COLLEGE

AUGUST 31 – DECEMBER 15, 2019

Opening Celebration: September 7, 7-9 pm

Cloisonné Bowl, 1895-1900, 4 x 9 1/2 in., Gift of WorldBridge Foundation and R. Scott and Lannette Turrichi, photo by Jan Blair

A selection of some of the best Asian art in the Scripps collection, this exhibition is in recognition of the work of Dr. Bruce Coats, professor of Art History and the Humanities and the Suzanne Ely Muchnic ’62 and Paul D. Muchnic Endowed Professorship. Curator Meher McArthur worked in concert with Dr. Coats in making the selections, many of which are counted among the treasures of the College.

This exhibition will spotlight many of the college’s finest Asian art treasures, selected for their exceptional artistic quality and historical importance.  Among the artworks on view will be important Chinese scroll paintings from the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1912) that have recently undergone conservation. On display for the first time will be recently donated Japanese porcelain, and cloisonné enamels. The exhibition will also include a group of exquisite Japanese lacquered hair ornaments ranging from the 18th through 20th century.

See “Lectures” section below for presentations related to this exhibition.

76th SCRIPPS COLLEGE CERAMIC ANNUAL
Sentiment and Skepticism:
Our Culture of Contradictions

Wesley Anderegg, Hangman, 2008, Ceramic, wood, and steel, 52 x 16 x 9 in., Photo Credit: Wesley Anderegg

JANUARY 25 – MARCH 17, 2020
Lecture and Opening Reception:
Williamson Gallery, January 25, 7-9 pm

In 2020, the gallery returns to our regular format with Joanne Hayakawa, curator of the 76th Ceramic Annual.  Hayakawa is professor emerita at San Diego State University, School of Art and Design. For the 76th Annual,  Hayakawa has gathered artists whose work engages with and offers a variety of perspectives on the environment through the lens of duality. “Duality,” she writes, “Provides a natural tension with questions, definitions and position(s). We can understand duality to mean opposites, …diversity that is generalized or confrontational or not, parallel paths that have not recognized each other….  I have chosen artists with diverse approaches to literal and figurative environmental perspectives who seem to be wending their way forward through their choices.  Ultimately, they are defining or redefining their vision through exploration of two (or more) sides.”

The Ceramic Annual lecture with Garth Johnson, curator of ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY, will be held at the Humanities Auditorium on Jan. 25 at 4 pm, followed by the opening, with live music and light refreshments, at the gallery, from 7 to 9 pm.

The exhibition will include these artists:

Wesley Anderegg

Richard Burkett

Rebecca Hutchinson

Jeff Irwin

Kate MacDowell

Crystal Morey

James Tisdale

Ted Vogel

Patti Warashina

Stan Welsh

Mary Cale A. Wilson

 

We extend our gratitude to our supporters, principally the Pasadena Art Alliance, which made this and many earlier Ceramic Annual catalogs possible. Special thanks also go to private donors who supported the catalog, including Julianne and David Armstrong, Francine Tolkin Cooper, Kirk and Dana Delman, David Furman, Susan and Brent Maire, Ginger and Marlin Miller, Diane and Igal Silber, and Skutt Ceramic Products, Inc. At Scripps, we are grateful for assistance from the Lincoln Ceramic Annual Fund, Lincoln Ceramic Study Center Fund, and the Paul Soldner Endowment. Finally, we thank the Williamson Gallery’s Advisory Council, Dean of Faculty Amy Marcus-Newhall, President Larissa Tiedens, and the Trustees of Scripps College.

Also curated by Joanne Hayakawa, at American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona:
A Wing and a Prayer II
For more information: http://www.amoca.org/joannehayakawa/

Canceled: SCRIPPS SENIOR EXHIBITION

With the closing of campus due to the “Safer at Home” Order, the Scripps Senior Exhibition will not be taking place this year.

ART BITES

Short Lunchtime Talks on Works in the Collection
& Fall Tours of Asian Art
Treasures

 

A Pair of Luduan Incense Burners, China, c. 1770, enamel on metal, 21.5 x 11.625 x 14 in., Gift of Dorothy Adler Routh

Hosted by Meher McArthur
Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Curator of Academic Programs and Collections

In November and December 2019, Meher McArthur will give a series of 15-minute lunchtime talks, each focusing on a piece of Asian art that is currently on view in the Asian Art Treasures exhibition at the Williamson Gallery. Every work in the exhibition is part of the College’s impressive collection of Asian art, which includes paintings and prints as well as ceramics, metalwork and lacquer wares. Students and faculty are welcome to come and learn about the collection, ask questions and share insights—one object at a time!

TOURS OF THE EXHIBITION: 1 pm
All tours will be held at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at 1 pm.

After Meher’s talk, join us for docent tours of the Asian Art Treasures exhibition at the Williamson. Seasoned Asian art docent Shirley Gunther will lead groups through the exhibition, spotlighting the most remarkable objects on display and answering questions.

ART BITES 2019: A Quick Bite of Asian Art
All talks will be held at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at 12:30 pm.

Wednesday, November 6

Standing Bodhisattva Padmapani, China, 18th c.

Wednesday, November 13

Ming Chinese Lacquered Wood Box, 17th c., and Japanese Hair Comb, 20th c.

Wednesday, November 20

Pair of Cloisonnée Incense Burners, China, 18th c.

Wednesday, December 4

Winter Landscape Painting, China, 18-19th c.

Wednesday, December 11

Hamada Shoji, Japanese Glazed Ceramic Bottle, c. 1950

(For more information, please contact [email protected])

Lectures

Lectures are made possible by the Aoki Endowment, Clark and Harper Funds at Scripps, and WorldBridge Art, Inc.  

September 7
Dr. Kathleen Ryor
Tanaka Memorial Professor of International Understanding and Art History, Carleton College
“Style, Meaning and Function in Traditional Chinese Painting:
Case Studies from the Scripps Collection”
Vita Nova Hall, 4–5 p.m.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Asian Art Treasures at Scripps College.

September 24
Christopher Gray
Geotechnics USA, Inc.
“Capturing Architecture: A Personal History”
Steele 101, 7 p.m.

September 30
Dr. Ken Brown
Professor of Asian Art History, California State University Long Beach
“Music for the Eyes:
The Worlds of Japanese Sheet Music Cover Design, 1905–1950”
Vita Nova Hall, 7–8 p.m.

October 14
Dr. Alice Tseng
Professor of History of Art and Architecture of Japan, Boston University
“Modern Kyoto”
Vita Nova Hall, 7–8 p.m.

Kyoto for 1000 years had been Japan’s imperial capital, but in 1868 the Meiji Emperor moved to Tokyo. The old city needed to revitalize its social and economic conditions to become modern while retaining its traditions. Alice Tseng will describe the extraordinary efforts to change the culture of Kyoto in the 19th and 20thcenturies. Her book, “Modern Kyoto: Building for Ceremony and Commemoration 1868-1940,” was recently published.

October 28
Dr. Robert Mintz
Deputy Director, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
“Metal Artworks during the Meiji Period”
Vita Nova Hall, 7–8 p.m.

Traditional swordsmiths lost patronage during the modernization of Japan and turned to making exquisite objects such as cloisonné vases and presentation pieces for display at international exhibitions and for sale to Japanese and foreign collectors. Scripps College has an extraordinary collection of Japanese cloisonné, and this lecture will provide historical context for objects on display at the Williamson Gallery exhibition Asian Art Treasures.

January 25, 2020
Garth Johnson
Curator of Ceramics
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
Ceramic Annual Lecture
Humanities Auditorium, 4–5 p.m.

February 4
Elizabeth Rivas
Special Agent, Art Crime Team, FBI
“Art and Crime: How the FBI Helps Recover and Return Stolen Art”
Steele 101, 7 p.m.

February 11
Laura Maccarelli
Assistant Conservation Scientist, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
“Art Forensics: Technical Authentication Studies at LACMA”
Steele 101, 7 p.m.

February 18
Ariana Makau SC ’93
President and Principal Conservator Nzilani Glass Conservation, Inc.
“The Use of Digital Technology as an Aid in Traditional Techniques in Stained Glass Conservation
Case Study: Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, CA”
Hampton Room, Malott Commons, noon to 1 pm.
Co-sponsored by Public Events at Scripps.  

Please note that dates are occasionally subject to change. All of these lectures are open to the public and admission is free.

At the
Clark Humanities Museum:

Works from the
Scripps Collection

Chikanobu, A Glimpse of Dignitaries Dancing, 1888, 13 3/4 in. x 27 3/4 in., wood block print, Purchase by the Aoki Endowment for Japanese Arts and Cultures

Extraordinary Images:
Japanese Prints from the Scripps Collection
September 2 – October 1, 2019

Created in conjunction with two art history seminars on Japanese prints, in coordination with Treasures of Asian Arts at the Williamson Gallery.

The exhibition features selections from the college’s collection of Japanese woodblock prints.

Urban Life in Japanese Prints

November 25 – December 13, 2019

This exhibition will survey the dramatic changes in lifestyles and architecture in 19-20th centuries Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. It is curated by students in a Scripps College seminar on Japanese prints; they have selected the objects for display and have written labels to give context for those works. Included are prints by Hiroshige, Chikanobu and Sekino Jun’ichiro showing how the urban landscape evolved. Chromolithographs from 1918 feature Japanese and foreigners visiting famous sites in Tokyo, and woodblock prints document destruction following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

Urban Life in Japanese Prints was created in coordination with Treasures of Asian Arts at the Williamson Gallery.

From Screen to Studio: Crafting Persona Through Portraits
January 21 – March 13, 2020

Ken Heyman, Claes Oldenburg, c. 1965, gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 in., Gift of Sally Strauss and Andrew E. Tomback

This exhibition was curated by Scripps Wilson Intern Lauren Koenig ’20.

For events and Gallery visits, please note:

All locations are on the Scripps College campus. The map of the campus can be accessed here.

Dates are occasionally subject to change. Events are open to the public. Admission is free.

The Gallery is only open during exhibitions. Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, from noon to 5 pm.

While selected works from the permanent collection are displayed in exhibitions each year, the permanent collection is not on display. 

Slider image: Anonymous, Japan, Lidded Cloisonne Box with Bird Motif, 1886-early 20th c., enamel on brass, 2 3/16 x 3 5/8 x 3 in., Gift of Mrs. Dorothy Adler Routh.

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