In honor of America’s favorite day of feasting, family, and football, here are works from the IMA’s permanent collection appropriately themed to help celebrate the day.  Enjoy.

Wayne Kimball, "Chairing Thanksgiving," 1982.

Just like that odd distant relative engaging you in awkward small talk for the entirety of the family dinner, Wayne Kimball’s quirky but meticulously crafted lithograph allows us a chance to appreciate that which often goes unnoticed or makes us uncomfortable. Kimball states, “My perceptions of certain past movements in art (most notably Northern Renaissance and Islamic Painting) coupled with idiosyncrasy…lead me to making some rather odd pictures…the compilation, arrangement and execution (and material quality) combine to hint at symbolic interpretations.”

Norman Rockwell, "Ours To Fight For, Freedom From Want," 1943.

Rockwell’s iconic image of the American gathering is more than likely etched in the back of everyone’s minds as we celebrate this season. Culturally significant now for its representation of American nostalgia, it was complementary in its own time to FDR’s “Four Freedom’s” speech given in 1942 to aid the war effort. This lithograph is based on one from a series of four themed paintings:  Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom of Worship (the Tenants of FDR’s speech).

Emile Bernard, "Le Moissonneur (The Harvester)," 1889.

Thanksgiving is said to have been born out of an English tradition of appreciative agrarians gathering as a community, not only to give thanks for their fall harvest, but also to rest and celebrate their hard work throughout the summer months. Bernard’s Breton farmers engaged in back-breaking labor to gather wheat from the field with their scythes. Bernard’s primitive technique and subject matter allows the viewer to be transported back in a time where the harvest was well-earned – where one didn’t go to the big-box store to grab a turkey from a freezer section, make stuffing from a box, or pick up a plastic wrapped Pumpkin pie and canned whipped cream.

Workshop of Jan Brueghel the younger, "The Sense of Taste," 1618.

This image is our urging of how not to eat today. Thanksgiving is a notorious diet breaker, and even the strongest-willed dieter can easily crumble at the mouth watering smell of Grandma’s homemade yams or Aunt Becky’s mashed potatoes. Jan Brueghel’s image contains a gluttonous feast, drunkenness, and if you look hard enough in the (bottom center left) you will see a small monkey. This is the artist’s representation of the devil being present in the scene (a common symbol in artwork during this time period). Lesson to be learned: Stuff the turkey, not yourself.

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As a museum photographer, I get asked on occasion what is involved with my work.  What do I do?  My response is fairly straightforward, “I document the objects and exhibitions at the IMA.” But the specifics of my work are rarely detailed. And that is what I intend to do here. If you feel the intricacies of museum photography are best left unwritten then stop reading at, “I [just] document the objects and exhibitions at the IMA.”

For those of you who have a taste for the technical and an appreciation of process, begin reading here:

Art Directed Photography

Unfortunately for me (and I would argue the patron), this is what I get to do the least.

Art Directed photography requires a fair amount pre-planning and time to explore an approach to photography of an object or setting.  It requires the input of multiple parties, is of high quality, and has a distinct “look” to the final image.  These images are generally intended for more targeted uses in magazine and catalogues.

The images below of Alberto Meda’s Light-Light chair were taken with a Mamiya 645D and a Phase One P45 digital back. The inspiration came from our Senior Curator of Design Arts Craig Miller, who wanted to focus on the texture of the material. The silhouette of the chair legs emerges from the darkness to reveal the back and the carbon fiber texture.

Alberto Media, "Light-Light chair (prototype)," 1988, carbon fiber and Nomex composite. Purchased with funds provided by James E. and Patricia J. LaCrosse.

Here’s another example of an art directed photo shoot:

Allesandro Mendini and Alessandro Guerriero, "Side chair from Ollo Collection,"1988, plastic, laminate. Frank Curtis Springer and Irving Moxley Springer Purchase Fund. © Alessandro Guerriero.

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Filed under: Art, IMA Staff, Photography

This posting was originally written in early March. Since then, the world has been witness to the incredible power of water. We are seeing serious repercussions from flood events in this country and around the world. My sense of wonder, joy and enthusiasm below is only possible because I am safe. I know that well, and I am grateful.

Maybe it’s because I’m a Minnesotan – I am drawn to water. Big water, little water, tiny creeks, large rivers, I need to be there. So it is difficult to stay away from the White River even when it is rising toward a flood. I feel like one of those crazy parents, the kind that drags her son along to see the water flowing where normally there is a path. “Let’s go to the danger zone.”

The U.S. Geological Survey installed a stream gauge several years ago to monitor the height of the river. I find can find this data by going to the IMA’s Dashboard, and find it under Topics, and then Nature. The data on the dashboard is in real time.

The artists  commissioned for 100 Acres are told there might be flooding. The inaugural pieces are evidence of this potential.  Here are some images of the works impacted by the flooding back in March:

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Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Horticulture

Next Tuesday, March 1^st, the IMA officially adopts its new Photography Policy for the entire Museum campus, including 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, Oldfields-Lilly House & Gardens, and Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana. This new policy comes out of a need to further protect the works of art in the collection and avoid any potential infringements of copyright laws. As a general rule of thumb, visitors and professional photographers will be able to identify the areas/pieces that cannot be photographed by looking for this symbol:

As some of you may recall having read on the IMA’s Blog last year in Picture This by Tad Fruits, the season of “peak shutterbug activity” will quickly be upon us. We would like to take this opportunity to inform and educate those who want to bring their families, friends, or clients for their next photo shoot to the IMA grounds.

For the general visitor to the IMA very little is changing. We simply ask that you remain cognizant of your surroundings – both the artworks and other visitors. You may photograph for your private use, which includes sharing images with your family and friends through social media sites like Facebook and Flickr.

We ask that all visitors, professional photographers, and guests do not walk in any plant beds or climb upon any of the sculptures. We want the grounds to be as beautiful in October as they are in April. This request is as much for your safety as it is for the safety, longevity, and conservation of the artworks at the IMA.

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Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Photography

It’s things like this that remind me how lucky I am to work where I do. How many workplaces do you know that have a talent show!? You won’t see this in any of our galleries, at least not anytime soon, but it’s all amazing stuff!

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Filed under: Art, Local, Marketing