An Afternoon with the Artist: Cover to Cover with Brian Dettmer


Brian Dettmer

Tuesday
October 27, 2020

2:00 p.m. CST

VIRTUAL LECTURE VIA ZOOM

 

Brian Dettmer was born in 1974 in Chicago, Illinois, and lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Please join us for a lecture and discussion of Dettmer’s current exhibit: Hardcovers and Paperbacks.

Brian Dettmer is one of the leading artists working with the book today. His works have been exhibited internationally in institutions including the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), NY; The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute, DC; The Chicago Cultural Center, IL; The High Museum, GA; The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, GA; and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, VA. In 2014, Brian Dettmer was the subject of a ten year retrospective at the Hermann Geiger Foundation in Cecina, Italy.

Dettmer’s sculptures can be found in the permanent collection of several notable institutions including: the Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC; The Art Institute of Chicago Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, IL; The High Museum, GA; The Museum of Contemporary Art, GA; and the Yale University Art Gallery, CT. He has recently lectured at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and The New York Public Library in New York. In 2014, he spoke at the TED Youth conference. Brian Dettmer’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Chicago Tribune, Art News, Modern Painters, Wired, The Village Voice, Harper’s and NPR among many others.

Directors’ Letter 5th & University / October, 2020

Photo of Robert Saarnio by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss CommunicationsWarmest of greetings, everyone, from the University Museum and Faulkner’s Rowan Oak. The entire professional staff and I want to extend our heartfelt best wishes to you and your families for continued safety, health, and well-being in this challenging period. We remain entirely focused on serving the University’s three-part mission of Teaching, Research, and Service, while simultaneously taking a very measured and cautious public health-forward approach to access and re-opening.

Commencing with the start of the Fall semester on August 24, the Museum has been accessible to University faculty, students, and research scholars by advance appointment ¬— information for all members of the UM academic community can be found here. Also available for community access are the landscape and grounds of William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak, which are entirely open for strolling and self-touring appreciation of the horticulture and outbuildings that survive intact from Faulkner’s own lifetime. Along with the adjacent Bailey Woods Trail connecting Rowan Oak to the Museum, these compelling and serene outdoor settings are open, free of cost from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week.

Those of you who have in recent weeks followed this monthly newsletter, our website, and our social media platforms will have awareness of our steadfast intent to remain available to you, and to provide online content to you and your families of widely varying types and formats. You will see a spectrum of these virtual, ‘museum-at-home’ offerings as you scroll the newsletter pages below. Their fascinating range of content, their sense of humor, and their reflection of the Museum’s commitment to public service to our community are a tribute to the hard-working and highly dedicated professional staff who develop and implement new ideas weekly.

There may be no better time or moment to commend the creativity of the Museum team than this era of adaptation and flexible adjustment. Please stay in contact with us to see how they have met the challenge of keeping a museum relevant, meaningful, and accessible by remote. And please also feel free to reach out directly by calling the Museum’s front desk at 662-915-7073, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each of us is here for you, to answer any questions you may have, or to make note of information or e-content that you wish to see explored for the future.


I’d like to close this month’s comments with a highly enthusiastic plug for a fabulous upcoming public program celebrating Halloween and the beautiful context and grounds of the Museum’s Walton-Young House. And I must add to those descriptors, spooky! Please join us for the University Museum’s First Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest, ‘Stark Raving Pumpkin Carving’, with a sign-up deadline of October 23 and online registration here. Celebrity judges will constitute our jack-o-lanterns jury, and the carved entries will be displayed on the grounds and front porch of the house, October 29 to November 1. Adding substantially to the merriment and terror will be illuminated Walton-Young bay window displays of Museum collection items of a particularly haunting, though artistic, character.

A word to the wise that a night time drive-by or walk-by of the Walton-Young house during the month of October may compel you to come closer. While I can assure your safety, I can equally predict your being awestruck. For the sake of surprise, I dare say no more!

With sincere gratitude always for your enduring support and interest in your University museum and our literary heritage site Rowan Oak.

 
Robert Saarnio's signature
Robert Saarnio 
Museum Director

 

 

Open Books and Open Hearts Virtual Family Day

 

Video 1 — Virtual Gallery Tour

Video 2 — Page Painting (Art Project Demo)

Video 3 — EXPLODING Art Book (Art Project Demo)

Video 4 — Cover to Cover (Art Project Demo)

Video 5 — Story Time with Miss Andi

Make an Appointment!

Virtual Family Activity Days!

Virtual Family Activity Day graphic
The University of Mississippi Museum
Cost: FREE!
The Museum offers fun-filled activity days for children to experience with their families. These events coincide with exhibits, holidays, and other special events—enriching the museum experience for all ages. This year our Family Day events are virtual. Be sure and drop by to pick up your FREE kit to participate in all the activities.

Open Books and Open Hearts Virtual Family Day

Open Books and Open Hearts Virtual Family Day

THURSDAY–SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1–3, 2020
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Cover to cover! Inspired by our special exhibit Hardcovers and Paperbacks by Brian Dettmer, children and families will discover a new way of looking at books and sculptures! In collaboration with YAC, families will watch demos, explore our galleries virtually, listen to special guest readers, and more! Pick up your free ‘art kit’ on the Walton-Young House front porch anytime between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through Thursday, October 1– Saturday, October 3, then access this virtual family day through our website!
In collaboration with YAC

 

‘Art’rageous Animal Adventure Virtual Family Day

‘Art’rageous Animal Adventure Virtual Family Day

THURSDAY–SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5–7, 2020
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Join us on this ‘animal kingdom’ virtual museum adventure. Create art inspired by our furriest friends! Watch demos, explore our virtual galleries in search of animals, see special guest appearances (furry friends?), and more! Pick up your free ‘art kit’ on the Walton-Young House front porch anytime between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through Thursday, November 5 – Saturday, November 7, then access this virtual family day through our website!

Send us a photo of your favorite animal to be featured! DM to @ummuseum
In collaboration with YAC

 

Winter Wonderland Virtual Family Day

Winter Wonderland Virtual Family Day

THURSDAY–SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10–12, 2020
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

‘Tis the season! Join us for this special virtual holiday event. Create seasonal art projects, watch demos, explore our transformed galleries virtually, and more! Pick up your free ‘art kit’ on the Walton-Young House front porch anytime between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through Thursday, December 10 – Saturday, December 12, then access this virtual family day through our website!

 

Questions? Contact Stacy Bell at slbell@olemiss.edu or 662-915-7073.

Virtual Open Studio

Virtual Open Studio logo

Every Thursday February 4 through April 29, 2021!

Cost: FREE
Check out our Virtual Open Studio art demo videos inspired by works in our collection. Fun for kids of all ages! Check them out below or on our museum education blog.
 
 

SPRING 2021 OPEN STUDIOS:


FEBRUARY 4

Friendly Faces


FEBRUARY 11

Winter Watercolor


FEBRUARY 18

Fiber Weaving


FEBRUARY 25

Peculiar Portraits


MARCH 4

Animal Mash Up


MARCH 11

Transforming Tools

 
 
 

FALL 2020 OPEN STUDIOS:


AUGUST 20

Mystery Message Water Color


AUGUST 27

Marty Vinograd Mixed Media Collage


SEPTEMBER 3

LV Hull Folk Art Shoe


SEPTEMBER 10

Tutor Toy Still Life


SEPTEMBER 17

Mythological Creature Shield


SEPTEMBER 24

Vinograd Fall Trees


OCTOBER 1

Theora ‘Glass’ Painting


OCTOBER 8

Pop Art Portraits


OCTOBER 15

Egyptian Soap Carving


OCTOBER 22

Spooky Scenes


OCTOBER 29

Dia De Los Muertos


NOVEMBER 5

Optical Drawings


NOVEMBER 12

Calder Sculptures


DECEMBER 3

Georgia’s Bones


DECEMBER 10

Watercolor Landscapes


DECEMBER 17

Agamograph: Winter Scenes

Behind the Glass: How Mounts for the Objects at the UM Museum Are Created

mounts

Hello Dear Readers! My name is Travis Turner, and I am the Exhibitions Preparator at the UM Museum. One of the special parts of my job is making mounts for objects so that they can be displayed in a safe and eye-catching way. From Greek ceramics to folk art canes, objects come in all shapes, sizes, fragilities, and weights. After being selected for exhibition, each object must be evaluated for stability, and if they are tipsy or need to be secured, I help them out and make a mount!

Sometimes the biggest challenge to creating a support structure or brace is choosing the right material to be visually pleasing, while at the same time ensuring the object is secured and steady. They are often made out of plexiglass, brass, and wood, but if I’ve done my job well, you don’t see much of the mount, or even any of it at all!

Each mount is a piece of art in itself. It takes time to shape it to match its object, to make it look right, and to find a way to attach it to the viewing space safely. I often start with an AutoCAD drawing in order to design the mount and see where there might be elements to improve upon before spending any time in the workshop. Every mount is unique to the item it holds. It can take me many trips between the workshop and the preparation room to test the mounts on the objects before they are ready to be put on display. After the exhibition is over, and the objects are returned to their homes in Collections, their mounts will stay with them as permanent companions.

Even while the museum is closed during these strange times, I am working on mounts to provide future exhibitions with wonderful art and objects for you to see. Next time you are in the museum, try noticing the different ways we display objects. We look forward to having you back!

Directors’ Letter 5th & University / August, 2020

Warmest of mid-summer greetings from your University Museum, and Faulkner’s Rowan Oak – with hope that this finds all of you safe and healthy in these times of care and concern for our extended stakeholder and Member community. As you will see in content within this Newsletter, the Museum staff remain very busy on many fronts, and have been back in office (though masked and socially-distanced) since July 1. Similarly, on the Rowan Oak front its preparations for re-opening are underway on multiple adapted fronts, including planning for cashless tour admissions, by the addition of a credit-card point of sale system.

Regarding our re-opening of both sites, we are currently planning to do so in phases, starting with the August 24th first week of Fall semester. We will first open to Faculty and Students of the University, initially by Appointment Only. As an academic museum we have a substantial degree of prioritization of service to our University’s curriculum—it’s faculty, students, and research scholars. We will participate within the University’s Keep Teaching and Keep Learning rubrics, to meet curriculum and research needs that are collections or exhibitions-based, to the greatest degree possible.

For the general public and our many acclaimed childrens’ educational programs, we are adopting a cautious and deliberative approach: as I write here on the last day of July, given the current notably-increasing Covid case counts and positive-test percentages statewide—both metrics burgeoning weekly—we are not yet establishing a Museum galleries re-opening date. Initially having considered opening immediately following Labor Day, we will adhere to original CDC national re-opening guidelines of awaiting 14 consecutive days of case declines, and 14 consecutive days of positive-test percentage declines. In this particular moment, while it is difficult to set aside museum professionals’ instinct for our exhibitions to be shared with in-person audiences, I do not want the Museum to be a causal factor for anyone to leave their house for a public indoors experience, regardless of the stringent and newly-posted room occupancy & capacity reductions.

To maximize public health and safety, we are interpreting galleries of museum visitors to be non-essential indoor gatherings for at least this interim critical period. We will monitor Mississippi and Lafayette County statistics very closely, and plan for Museum galleries re-openings when we see a safer community caseloads environment. Once this has occurred we will be ready to roll, as myriad adaptations to the Museum environment have already been undertaken in our Re-Opening work with the University’s Facilities Management and Health Service professionals.

This having been noted, we do not consider the Museum to be ‘closed’, as we continue to upload new online and virtual content and serve audiences remotely with a range of creative offerings that one can access on our website, social media platforms, and the Museum Education Blog. We also continue work on future Exhibitions Planning, on the Greek & Roman Antiquities Reinstallation project in the Mary Buie building, and on assessments for significant upgrades to the Museum’s security infrastructure. Every week we undertake communication with donors, prospects, and stakeholders in partnership with our Development Officer, Rob Jolly. An exceptionally handsome promotional brochure has been developed to celebrate the 10th Anniversary this Fall of the creation of the Hattie Mae Edmonds Fund for Southern Folk Art. New donor appeals and outreach, in conjunction with Fund creator Dr. Mike Edmonds, will be undertaken in that campaign.

In coming editions of 5th & University we will begin sharing news of new additions of artworks and artifacts to the Permanent Collection, having been received from multiple donors—as additionally we plan for a future major exhibition of gifts to the collection since we last featured such more than 5 years ago.

As always, we thank you for your support and understanding. All best wishes for well-being to every one of you.

 
Robert Saarnio's signature
Robert Saarnio 
Museum Director

 

 

Directors’ Letter 5th & University / July, 2020

Photo of Robert Saarnio by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss CommunicationsWarmest of greetings from your University of Mississippi Museum and our sister property William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak. Museum staff—and staff across the University campus-wide—have come back to on-campus work this first week of July and our team is in the building planning the many logistical steps to accommodate a safe and healthful early Fall re-opening. While we await University clearance to make the formal announcement, and as we monitor emerging public health circumstances, we have a tentative working plan that I will share with you here—knowing that our August issue of 5th & University, and our social media platforms, will convey the final official word.

We are striving to re-open the Museum in alignment with the start of the Fall semester, hence Tuesday, August 25—initially in the first two weeks to University faculty, students, and staff. And then with that experience having been reviewed and assessed, to open to the general public, members, and all stakeholders the day after return from Labor Day weekend—hence Tuesday September 8th. Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter—and of course our website, or by a call to the now-staffed front desk (662-915-7073)—to verify that these aspirational dates are holding.

While space does not permit an extended description here, I’d like to outline in a few bullet points some of the key parameters and protocols of adapted and altered approaches that will be hallmarks of the re-opened Museum:

  • Masks / face-coverings mandatory—aligned with University requirements for indoor spaces across the entire campus
  • Augmented frequency and range of interior cleaning, and building hygiene procedures
  • Hand sanitizing stations throughout the building
  • Regular daily disinfecting of high-touch surfaces such as door handles and knobs, bathroom sinks and surfaces, water fountains, countertops, and classrooms
  • Adapted gallery and public space occupancy capacities—following University guidelines to maximize social & physical distancing. An example our frequent visitors will visualize is our off-the-lobby Speakers Gallery which previously held up to as many as 80 seated individuals for a public lecture, now likely to be capped at c. 25 occupants
  • Rowan Oak tour experience adjustments—multiple in number, most notably in sharply reduced occupancy for at-a-time tour capacity, and first ever credit card-reading point of sale payment, to minimize cash & currency handling.

And of course considerable adaptation in how we will delay any return to robustly-attended indoor public events and openings. Our beautiful landscaped surroundings and front plaza space may certainly serve us in good stead in this regard, and creative, vibrant online programming will also be assessed and offered. In a nutshell, as regards public programs we will have to be cautious, conservative, experimental, and flexible as we commit to a paradigm of visitor experience whose hallmarks are safety, public health, fresh air, and social distance-maximizing.

___________________

We also have joyous news to share this month, with word of the early-June arrival of Membership, Events, and Communications Coordinator Kate Wallace’s new son, Hayes! We want to collectively extend our warmest best wishes and heartfelt congratulations to Kate and her husband Matt and their family, for this exciting new addition to their household! Kate will return to her desk from her maternity leave in late-August.

As I draft these comments we are in mid-process of hiring two Recent Grad Interns to support initiatives on two fronts: the Antiquities reinstallation project in the Mary Buie Building, and collections processing of the now-acquired contents of Rowan Oak, as they formally enter accessioned status as property of Rowan Oak and the University. More word on our interns in the next issue—we are exceptionally happy to have donor-provided support for these two 12-month positions, being filled by 2020 University graduates who have worked brilliantly with our collections for over two years each.

In closing, let me extend a very sincere expression of hope and best wishes to everyone in the extended Museum community for your safety and health in this challenging time. We have missed you all so very much, and we look forward with great eagerness and anticipation to seeing you cross the threshold of our re-opened Museum and Rowan Oak front doors as the new semester commences.

As always, do not hesitate to reach out to any Museum staff member should you have any questions, our main reception desk # 915-7073 can connect you to all of us, and you may always reach me at rsaarnio@olemiss.edu and my mobile # 808-284-7380.

With gratitude for your enduring support, and the many thoughtful messages of encouragement and appreciation of our new online content that we have received. We are so thrilled to be back to work together as we plan the futures of the University of Mississippi Museum and Rowan Oak, in their continuing commitment to education, inspiration, and service to community.

Sincere Regards,

 
Robert Saarnio's signature
Robert Saarnio 
Museum Director

 

 

Directors’ Letter 5th & University / June, 2020

 

“The museum we closed will not be the museum we reopen.”

Photo of Robert Saarnio by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss CommunicationsThose words are being spoken in nearly every museum across the country as we collectively come to terms with the depth of devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Mississippi Museum and William Faulkner’s historic home Rowan Oak are located in Oxford, Mississippi, removed from epicenters of the virus, but still deeply impacted. Like most museums, in upcoming months, we will have to make hard decisions to rethink and reformat elements of our work.

When faced with a tremendous, unprecedented challenge, such as the pandemic, it would be understandable to retreat inward, conserve resources, and focus on survival. Instead, the University Museum and Rowan Oak are looking outward to our campus and community, to continue our commitment to bring people together around art and cultural heritage, even if at a distance.

This kind of response started with a nimble, resilient, and talented team working from a foundation existing well before this crisis. In the days following our closure on March 17, we postponed the public Opening Reception of our Brian Dettmer exhibition, Hardcovers and Paperbacks, and shortly thereafter the University’s summer public programs closure caused us to cancel our children’s Summer Art Camps. Two lectures planned for our spring Brown Bag Series were put on hold; two Friends of the Museum / Outreach College travel partnerships to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Holly Springs annual pilgrimage were postponed; and Museum and Rowan Oak roles in the 47th annual Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference were also cancelled.

But simultaneously there was also a realization that our focus on connecting the community to art, antiquities, and literary heritage was not on pause, it was moving to alternate platforms. As you will observe in this current edition of our monthly newsletter, and also the May issue that preceded it, we are regularly adding new content to our website and our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This augmented online content is keeping us moving in a positive direction, and is creating a new way of thinking and operating that will remain as the pandemic recedes. Please follow us to appreciate and participate in these online learning, collections-celebrating, and art-at-home activity opportunities.

Universities nationwide may likely face their most perilous financial challenge in a lifetime, the depth of which is still unknown. As the crisis lingers, and due to the uncertainty of when we can host large gatherings again, our annual Harvest Supper fundraiser will be moved into 2021. Substantial earned income sources, such as football gameday parking and facility rentals, will initially be smaller in extent whenever they return. Several aspects of Museum and Rowan Oak daily functioning will likely have to be rethought and reshaped, as will the building environments themselves. The next few years are frankly going to be very complex, unlike anything we have faced as communities and institutions.

In response, we must become even more resilient, nimble, and community-aligned. We will look closer to home for content, continuing to mine our exceptional permanent collection for exhibitions, public programs, and inspiration. We will reopen by this Fall, and when we do, we will join our University community in pledging to all of you who visit and support us, and everyone working here, staff and students alike, an environment that dedicates itself to adherence to public health guidelines, building hygiene, and adapted best safety practices. We will sustain a focus on being warmly welcoming and inclusive of all.

Thank you as always for your continuing interest in the University Museum and Rowan Oak. Do watch our website and social media channels for the latest in news and content. Please do not hesitate to reach me at rsaarnio@olemiss.edu or 662-915-7202 at any time, for any purpose. I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Sincere Regards,

 
Robert Saarnio's signature
Robert Saarnio 
Museum Director