Dartmouth students should be anticipating a wonderful winter term in the world of art. The Hood Museum of Art has been adamantly strategizing, preparing and reorganizing their objectives, with the aim of creating visually exciting exhibitions that will inspire student interest.
"We want Dartmouth students to know that this is their museum, and they're welcome," said Hood Public Relations Coordinator Sharon Reed. "We want to display art in the museum that is relevant to the life of students."
With this new design in mind, the Hood kicked off its winter exhibition, "Past in Reverse: Contemporary Art of East Asia," on Jan. 13. The exhibition came to the Dartmouth campus from the San Diego Museum of Art, and includes contemporary art from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.
The theme of reflecting upon the past while preparing for the future runs through each piece in the collection, which represents a broad range of artistic mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation and digital art.
Upon entering the exhibit, one is immediately struck by shockingly bright and beautiful colors. There is a rare energy that permeates the whole exhibit. All the artists seem to comment on good and bad memories of their countries' histories, but essentially produce a feeling of hope and excitement for the change the future may bring. "Contemporary Art of East Asia" will be displayed on the second floor of the Hood Museum through March 12.
A few upcoming events at the Hood will serve to accompany and enrich this idea of "Past in Reverse."
On Saturday, Jan. 28, an introductory tour will commence at 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for anyone who missed the exhibition's grand opening and wishes to receive a thorough explanation on its origin and meaning.
The following Saturday, Feb. 4, Melissa Chiu, director of the Asia Society in New York, will visit Dartmouth to give a lecture titled "Asian Contemporary Art Now." The event will feature a special guest, internationally renowned artist Wenda Gu, whose pieces have been featured in many solo and group exhibitions in a myriad of countries. Gu's work been featured and discussed on the BBC, PBS, China's CCAC and national television and radio stations in Germany, South Africa, Israel and Sweden.
A gallery discussion entitled "What Is It About?" will commence on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7:00 p.m. This in-depth tour and discussion will aim at increasing skill, confidence and enjoyment when addressing contemporary art. As pre-registration is necessary to participate in this event, interested students are advised to blitz the Hood.
The Lunchtime Gallery Talk, "Art and Romance: A Valentine's Day Gallery Talk," will be held Wednesday, Feb. 15. Curator of European Art T. Barton Thurber will conduct the discussion at 12:30 p.m. in the Albright Gallery.
Another exciting exhibit, "Globalization in Ancient Costa Rican Arts," will open in the Gutman Gallery on Feb. 24. The collection will include mostly ceramic and stone works that help to identify connections between Costa Rica and its neighboring countries.
Rounding out the term are the Senior Interns' "A Space for Dialogue" installations. "A Space for Dialogue" is a unique program within Dartmouth's senior internship program that includes museum positions in curatorial, public relations and educational work. Interns have the opportunity to choose objects from the Hood's permanent collection, write descriptions of the objects, design a space, create a brochure and conduct a public gallery presentation. Currently, Jennifer Peterson '06's impressive installation, "Reflections of a Mirror," welcomes viewers at the entrance of the museum.
The Hood staff hopes this warm welcome will be received by a wide range of interested Dartmouth students during these cold winter months.
