News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Heather J. Holbus
Intuit
312.243.9088
heather@art.org
Steve Christensen
LUMA
312.915.6164
schris6@luc.edu
Exhibition to be Displayed at Two Venues from February 10 through June 30, 2012
CHICAGO, February 6, 2012 – Kicking off the 2012 exhibition year, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art and the Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) present one exhibition,HEAVEN+HELL, at two venues from February 10–June 30, 2012.
HEAVEN+HELL is an inspired collaboration of creative thinking and practical dynamics from two very different organizations. The exhibition serves as a bridge between the two museums with the Hell portion of the exhibition taking place in Intuit's galleries (756 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago) and Heaven on display at LUMA (820 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago).
The themes of heaven and hell are frequently addressed in outsider and intuitive art. Outsider artists’ perspectives range from illustrative, word-laden drawings to stylized, sculptural versions of figurative images that populate their perceptions of the heavenly and the hellish. Self-taught and outsider artists often use the themes of heaven and hell not as concepts, but as broad visualizations that may be invented, drawn from popular media or the Bible, or influenced by their religious upbringing.
HEAVEN+HELL seeks to explore the breadth of expression in self-taught art with these themes in mind. The exhibition features work by American artists such as Minnie Evans (1892–1987), Howard Finster (1916–2001), William Edmondson (c. 1870–1951), Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900–1980), William Blayney (1918–1985), and Norbert Kox (b.1945), among others.
Co-curated by Jan Petry, exhibitions chair at Intuit, and Molly Tarbell, exhibition curator at LUMA, the show features 165 works of art by 54 artists, as well as several anonymous works. HEAVEN+HELL is also accompanied by a 32-page catalogue with an essay by Jerry Bleem, a Franciscan friar, Catholic priest, and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Fiber and Material Studies of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The catalogue will be available at both venues for $12.
Public Programming
Opening Reception
Friday, February 10, 5–8:30 p.m.
LUMA, 820 N. Michigan Avenue
This free opening reception will also feature a free shuttle to transport guests to Intuit.
What Does Heaven SOUND Like? Music by the Overtones Ensemble
Tuesday, February 14, 6 p.m.
LUMA, 820 N. Michigan Avenue
Karyn Macfarlane (violin), John Macfarlane (violin), Stuart Leitch (piano), Jenny Haworth (soprano), and Joy Doran (piano) will perform music by Tartini, Gounod, Boito, Franck, R. Strauss, and others. Admission is $12.
What Does Heaven LOOK Like? A Tour with the Curators
Tuesday, March 6, 6 p.m.
LUMA, 820 N. Michigan Avenue
See how self-taught artists have interpreted the concept of heaven during this tour at LUMA with the curators of HEAVEN+HELL, Molly Tarbell and Jan Petry. Admission is free.
What Does Heaven FEEL Like? An Astronomical Evening
Tuesday, March 20, 6 p.m.
LUMA, 820 N. Michigan Avenue
Using depictions of the sky as experienced from earth and from space, and noting the diverse ways cultures past and present have incorporated the heavens into earthly forms, Marv Bolt, from the Adler Planetarium, will explore our impressions of transcendence and responses to our leading question. Admission is $4 for the public and free for LUMA or Intuit members.
What Does Heaven SMELL Like? A Scented Journey with Marilyn Miglin
Tuesday, May 15, 6 p.m.
LUMA, 820 N. Michigan Avenue
The art of making perfumes began in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Today, it is a multi-million dollar industry. Chicagoan Marilyn Miglin is renowned for her signature fragrance, Pheromone, one of the top-10 fragrances sold in luxury department stores nationwide. Ms. Miglin will take guests on a journey through the world of perfume and help us discover what heaven smells like. Admission is $10 for the public and $5 for LUMA or Intuit members.
What Does Heaven TASTE Like? Jewish, Buddhist, and Ancient Egyptian Traditions
Tuesday, June 5, 6 p.m.
LUMA, 820 N. Michigan Avenue
Join us as we investigate food in heaven and the afterlife in Judaism, Buddhism, and ancient Egypt. After talks by Rabbi David Levinsky (Chicago Sinai Congregation),Ya¬rina Liston (Loyola University Chicago), and Emily Teeter (Oriental Institute), we will sample heavenly foods discussed in the lectures. Admission is $10 for the public and $5 for LUMA or Intuit members.
For additional programs, please visit www.art.org.
About Intuit
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art promotes public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of intuitive and outsider art through education, exhibition, collecting, and publishing. Intuit defines “intuitive and outsider art” as the work of artists who demonstrate little influence from the mainstream art world, and who instead are motivated by their unique personal vision. This definition includes art brut, non-traditional folk art, self-taught art, and visionary art.
Image Credit: William Blayney, Four Winds of Heaven, 1960, David T. Owsley Collection
About LUMA
Opened in 2005, the Loyola University Museum of Art is dedicated to exploring, promoting, and understanding art and artistic expression that illuminates the enduring spiritual questions of all cultures and societies. As a museum with an interest in education and educational programming, LUMA reflects the University’s Jesuit mission and is dedicated to helping people of all creeds explore the roots of their faith and spiritual quests. Located at Loyola University Chicago’s Water Tower Campus, the museum occupies the first three floors of the University’s historic Lewis Towers on Chicago’s famous Michigan Avenue. For more information, visit the museum’s website at LUC.edu/luma.
Art illuminating the spirit!
-LUMA-
