Lyman Allyn Art Museum will present a new exhibition, “femme brut(e),” opening on Thursday, September 14, and on view through February 4.
The exhibition features works by significant women artists in a range of media. The focus is on those artists who demonstrate an interest in pushing the limits of their medium, whether it is photography, drawing or painting, as well as those who challenge traditional expectations of women’s subject matter. Included are works by May Stevens, Nancy Graves, Nancy Spero, June Wayne, Barbara Kruger; Louise Nevelson, Alice Neel and Miriam Schapiro.
On view simultaneously with “femme brut(e)” will be “Moires Blinks Monochromes Stops Starts Mixes,” an installation of new work by contemporary lens-based artist Ellen Carey. Carey’s work explores the photographic process using large-format Polaroid cameras. Her monumental images are abstract — they do not record images seen through a camera lens — but rather the chemical process. The resulting images are brightly colored shapes: the “pulls” resemble surfboards and the moirés, a type of fabric. Carey’s unique work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, including solo exhibitions at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Conn., and the International Center of Photography in New York City. Her work is in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Chicago Art Institute, among others.
Complementing “femme brut(e)” will be “From the Hand of the Composer: The Art of Melissa Manchester,” an exhibit of original musical compositions penned by the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter. This exhibit aims to highlight and make visual the creative process and to link music with visual art forms. Text as image will offer the viewer insight into the composer’s creative process just as brushstrokes allow the viewer to retrace a painter’s labor trail.
Approximately 50 of Manchester’s compositions will be featured in this exhibition, none of which have ever been shown before, including the initial renderings of her hit songs “Midnight Blue” and “Just You and I,” as well as songs that were never recorded. “From the Hand of the Composer: The Art of Melissa Manchester” is presented in conjunction with “femme brut(e),” as it also addresses the limits of artistic disciplines.
Manchester will perform a concert to benefit Lyman Allyn Art Museum at Palmer Auditorium on Saturday, September 16, at 8 pm. Call 860-443-2545, extension 135, for ticket reservations or information.
The exhibition “femme brut(e)” will present a coordinating lecture program beginning several weeks after the exhibitions open. Each lecture takes place at 6 pm and includes a wine and cheese reception that begins at 5 pm. Lectures are $5 for members and $10 for the general public. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 860-443-2545, extension 112.
On Thursday, September 28, artist Carey will give a gallery talk in Glassenberg Gallery where her “Moires Blinks Monochromes Stops Starts Mixes” is installed.
Sherry Buckberrough, professor of art history and women’s studies at the University of Hartford, will present a lecture on “femme brut(e)” on Thursday, October 26. Buckberrough has curated exhibitions on women artists and has authored books and articles on artists, including Sonia Delaunay and Mierle Ukeles.
Ann Hoy, professor of art history at New York University and former curator at the International Center of Photography in New York City, will lecture on photography in the context of the “femme brut(e)” exhibition on Thursday, November 2. Hoy is the author of National Geographic Society’s The Book of Photography , 2005.
Art historian Susan Fillin-Yeh, visiting professor of art history at Connecticut College and author of several books on American art, will speak about the “femme brut(e)” exhibition, that date to be announced.
Lyman Allyn Art Museum is at 625 Williams Street. For information, 860-443-2545 or www.lymanallyn.org.
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