The Mint Museums opens the winter season with two new exhibitions this month.
The exhibition “Andy Warhol: Cowboys & Indians” will be on display at the Mint Museum of Art December 20⁍ay 9, while “Breaking New Ground: The Mint Museum Expansion” is on view at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design through February 1.
Well known for his portrayal of celebrities and consumer goods, later in his career Warhol became fascinated by the stories, myths and legends of the American West. Just one year before his death in 1987, he created the suite “Cowboys and Indians.” This suite accompanies the special exhibition “Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life & Legends,” on view through February 15.
In the “Cowboys and Indians” suite, Warhol pays homage to America’s popular version of Western history. He depicts American heroes of the West such as General Custer, Teddy Roosevelt and Geronimo, as well as Western entertainers like Annie Oakley and John Wayne. The suite also features romanticized, stereotyped and exploited images of American Indians, including “Mother and Child” and “Kachina Dolls.” Strategically placed together in one suite, these different icons challenge and expose the controversies surrounding America’s perception of cowboys and Indians.
The exhibition “Breaking New Ground” highlights the museum’s expansion in Center City, including a virtual tour of the new facility and a working model of the cultural campus.
Scheduled for completion in 2010, the new 145,000-square-foot, five-story facility will house the entire collection of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, as well as the American and contemporary art collections currently housed at the Mint Museum of Art.
The new facility will also include studios, classrooms, an interactive family gallery, a 250-seat auditorium, a café, a multistory atrium, rooftop terrace with adjoining special events spaces and more than 36,000 square feet of space for permanent collections and special exhibitions.
The original Mint Museum of Art will maintain its current location on Randolph Road. The facility will undergo a major renovation, including a dramatic reorganization of the collections of ceramics, historic costume and fashionable dress, and art of the ancient Americas.
Through February 15, visitors to the Mint Museum of Art and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design will receive $1 off admission when they bring in a canned good or other nonperishable food item. The food drive will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.
The Mint Museum of Art is at 2730 Randolph Road. For information, 704-337-2000 or www.mintmuseum.org .
