FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2015
Lyman Allyn Art Museum
Press Contact: Rebecca Marsie, Communications Coordinator
860.443.2545 x112 / [email protected]
Exhibitions Closing Soon
Lost at Sea: Shipwrecks of the Ancient World (Through February 1, 2015)
This exhibit explores the ancient Roman trade route from Carthage to Ostia; Black Sea trade routes from Sinop to Chersonesos; Aegean trade routes from Constantinople to Athens and Rhodes. The exhibit shows beautifully preserved artifacts recovered from the depths of these seas – glassware, tools, and amphora that carried wine, olive oil, and a popular fish paste calledgarum which was traded for weaponry, household items, clothing, and gold and silver. These artifacts, along with stunning underwater video of their discovery, will be the highlight of the exhibit. In addition, a goal throughout all of the explorations is not only to advance our understanding of ancient civilizations, but to foster their protection and conservation as time-capsules of history. Evidence of bottom trawling, especially in the Black Sea, has shown that many of the wrecks have been damaged and even destroyed. Recent advances in trawling technology are allowing fishing vessels to go deeper so no wreck is protected. Scientists and environmental advocates from several countries are attempting to bring this issue to worldwide attention. Marine archaeologist and Nautilus expedition leader, Dr. Michael Brennan, is taking the lead on fostering awareness of this issue in the Black Sea. His research on the Eregli E wreck-site, and its destruction by trawling, is featured in the exhibit.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Transmissions: Teaching and Learning in the Studio
New work by the faculty of the Connecticut College Art Department (February 10 – June 7, 2015)
The artist-educators of the Connecticut College Art Department see the work of art making and teaching as reinforcing concepts. Art creation involves full time, life-long learning in the classroom and beyond, a dynamic that flows both ways, from teacher to student and back, fueling new work and shifting directions. Featuring paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs and installations, Transmissions focuses on the art practices of faculty members Nadav Assor, Gregory Bailey, Chris Barnard, Ted Hendrickson, Pamela Marks, Timothy McDowell, Denise Pelletier and Andrea Wollensak.
Lost Gardens of New England (March 1 – July 31, 2015)
Lost Gardens of New England, a traveling exhibition on loan from Historic New England, draws on a wealth of images – drawings, watercolors, and historic photographs—to depict gardens, great and small, that no longer exist or only partially survive. Exploring major themes of American landscape history, the exhibit illustrates New England’s rich garden design traditions and offers inspiration to gardeners today. The exhibit also features local “lost” gardens, including Westomere in New London and the now restored gardens of Eolia, the Harkness estate (now Harkness Memorial State Park) in Waterford. The exhibit tells the stories of the ‘lost gardens’ in our own backyard and the people who made them.
Artists at Work (June 18 – August 23, 2015)
Artists at Work showcases one of the museum’s newest additions—a recent donation of drawings by Italian, Dutch and French artists of the 16th-18th centuries. These sketches, generally made as studies for oil paintings or theatrical sets, show the fine line between fine art and commercial art that most European artists of the period walked. Apprenticing in studios or learning the family business from an older brother or father, these artists traded on technical mastery and artistic skill to make a living, sometimes supported by aristocratic or royal patrons like the Hapsburgs. We explore what drove the cultural appetite for these artworks and what sparked some artists to transcend mastery to reach artistic genius.
The Gaze Returned: Portrait Studio (June 26, 2015 – January 10, 2016)
A follow up exhibition to our 2014 show Still Life Studio, The Gaze Returned encourages visitors to see with an artist’s eye. Featuring more than two dozen portraits from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibit invites visitors to try their hand at drawing, sketching either a companion’s portrait or a self-portrait in the gallery. Works in the exhibit range from 16th century European paintings to modern American photographic portraits and include paintings by early southeastern Connecticut portraitists Mary Way and Isaac Sheffield.
Tiffany in New London (Summer 2015)
In the summer of 2015, the Lyman Allyn will unveil its newest acquisition and one of New London’s artistic treasures: the Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass window, Come Unto Me. Originally installed in 1924 in the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, the window was dedicated to the memory of Anna Chapin Rumrill, a member of that congregation. Purchased as the church building itself was being sold, this exquisite work of art from one of the masters of stained glass has found a permanent and public home at the Lyman Allyn. A permanent exhibition displaying the window, along with two dozen other works by Tiffany in the museum’s collection, will tell the story of Louis Comfort Tiffany and his strong ties to New London itself.
Hawthorne Doll House (Summer 2015)
For 2015, the Hawthorne Doll House, a favorite of generations of visitors to the Lyman Allyn, has been restored to its original location on the lower level. Built in 1962 by Harold Hawthorne, this American Victorian Dollhouse was designed to house dolls and doll furniture from the museum’s toy collection. The house’s three floors include bedrooms, a dining room, a nursery, a sewing room, and two kitchens, which showcase the extensive kitchen miniatures in the Lydia Sachs Baratz Collection. Along with the display of the Doll House and antique toys from our collection, a new experiential learning area will be added to the Doll House’s “neighborhood” in 2015. Designed for our youngest visitors, ages 3-10, interactive activities will invite hands-on, imaginative play with toys, books and dolls from different cultures and eras of history.
Launchpad of the American Theater: The O’Neill Since 1964 (June 26, 2015- January 10, 2016)
Since its founding, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center has shaped the course of American and world theater, launching the careers of some of the most talented artists and most recognizable plays and musicals. The exhibition celebrates five decades of the O’Neill, charting its journey from past to present to future with drawings, interviews, videos, photographs, original scripts, and sound.
Come In: New Works by Elizabeth Enders (September 12, 2015 – January 3, 2016)
Guest curated by Charlotta Kotik, Curator Emerita of Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum, ‘Come In’ is an inviting look at recent works on paper by contemporary American artist and New London native Elizabeth Enders. The exhibit brings together paintings on loan from private collections, museums and galleries in an engaging presentation of new works by an artist curator Kotik has called “lyrical and meditative.”
FREE Special Events
Free First Saturdays
Drop-In art projects the first Saturday of every month. Free admission from 10am-12pm. Art projects are free with museum admission (always free for members) from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Art Classes
A New Class: Art History For All… Exploring 20th Century American Art: The Collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art
Classes: Thursdays 10:00-12:00, February 5th-April 9th (10 sessions)
Fee: $200 members / $250 non-members
Join Professor Emeritus Barbara Zabel for this exciting new 10-week art history series at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum! The 2015 opening of the Whitney Museum’s magnificent new Renzo Piano designed home located between the High Line and the Hudson River provides a unique opportunity to explore American art through the Museum’s unparalleled collection of 20th century art. The course—and the greatly expanded galleries of the Museum—will offer new perspectives on art in the United States, from the early acquisition of Ashcan School painters by founder Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to more recent acquisitions of contemporary art. We will also discuss works of art from the Lyman Allyn collection as they relate to those in the Whitney collection. The course will culminate with an optional bus trip to New York for an exploration of the Whitney Museum and specially arranged tours of the galleries of contemporary art (extra fee will apply for the bus).Weekly classes will be held in the auditorium of the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, located at 625 Williams Street in New London. Advanced reservations required for the classes: please contact the Education Department at 860-443-2545 x110 or [email protected].
Homeschool Art Workshops: Exploring Faces and Places (Winter / Spring 2015)
The museum’s hands-on workshops, designed specifically for aspiring homeschool artists ages 5-10, provide a wonderful opportunity for children and teens to learn new artistic techniques, explore the museum’s collections and make new friends. Each month, students will explore a different theme relating to portraits or landscape paintings. Students will tour two exhibitions entitled: American Stories and Lost Gardens of New England and explore a variety of themes including: individual and group portraiture, landscape architecture, en plein air painting and more! Each monthly workshop includes a guided tour and a hands-on art project. Classes meet on the third Tuesday of each month from 10:30-12:00. Winter/Spring dates include: January 20, February 17, March 17, and April 21. Tuition for the session (includes 4 classes) is $40 per child for museum members and $50 per child for non-members. Full payment is required at time of registration. Please contact the Education Department at 860-443-2545 x110 or [email protected].
Music Performances
The Listening Room at Lyman Allyn: Reflections of Art & Soul
Geoff Kaufman has been leading audiences to find truth, humor, and beauty in folk music for over thirty years, from the decks of Pete Seeger’s Sloop Clearwater in the Hudson River to the grounds of Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. He entertains and illuminates audiences in festivals and coffeehouses across the United States, Canada and Europe, offering songs of the sea, new and old, songs of the earth, the heart and the spirit. With his rich tenor voice, Geoff specializes in a capella performance, but also adds fine finger style guitar, concertina, whistle and bones. But Geoff doesn’t just sing songs, he tells the often fascinating stories that surround them, and he invites you to join in on some of the choruses if you wish.
Performance Titles & Dates
Turning of the Year: January 8, 5:30-7:30 pm
Songs of the Heart: February 13, 5:30-7:30 pm
Touchstones: March 11, 5:30-7:30 pm
Admission
$15 members / $20 non-members
(includes event and full access to galleries during intermission)
Please place your reservations by calling 860.443.2545 ext. 129.
NOTE: Events are subject to change. Check the Museum’s online calendar at https://www.lymanallyn.org/events-list/ for updates. For more information or images, please contact Rebecca Marsie at 860.443.2545 x112 or at [email protected].
About the Lyman Allyn Art Museum
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum welcomes about 25,000 visitors annually from New London, Southeastern Connecticut and all over the world. Established in 1926 by a gift from Harriet Allyn in memory of her seafaring father, the Museum opened the doors of its beautiful neo-classical building surrounded by 11 acres of green space in 1932. Today it presents a number of changing exhibitions each year and houses a fascinating collection of more than 15,000 objects from ancient times to the present; artworks from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe, with particularly strong collections of American paintings, decorative arts and Victorian toys and doll houses.
The museum is located at 625 Williams Street, New London, Connecticut, exit 83 off I-95. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sundays 1:00 – 5:00 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. For more information call 860.443.2545, ext. 129 or visit us on Facebook or the web at: www.lymanallyn.org.