Public Programs
Opening Weekend
In Conversation: Sam Easterson & Amy Globus
Video artist Sam Easterson is the founder and director of Animal Vegetable Video, a project dedicated to building the world’s largest, most comprehensive library of video footage captured from the points of view of animals and plants. One of the most haunting works of video artist Amy Globus is Electric Sheep, a multi-media meditation on an octopus slipping though glass tubes. Both use technology to offer startling new views of animals in action, whether funny, jarring or beautiful. In our cable TV world of animal footage, what perspectives do artists add and how do they conceive their relationships to their animal subjects? The conversation will be moderated by designer, artist, filmmaker and geographer-at-large Eames Demetrios, director of the Eames Office in Santa Monica, CA. Listen in as Easterson and Globus talk about fusing art, technology and science in their quests to glean new perspectives of animal life.
Sunday, June 24 / 2:30 pm
DeBoest Lecture Hall
FREE
Tours
Animal Tours
Many animals call the IMA grounds home. Learn about the IMA’s furry, feathered and scaled residents with an IMA horticulture staff member who encounters the local wildlife on a daily basis. Be sure to wear weather appropriate clothing. Animal sightings not guaranteed.
Fridays, June 29 and July 13 / 6:00 pm
Meet at Lilly House
Free
Film
Seeing Shadows: A One-Day Film Series
Selected by video artist Sam Easterson as influential to his artistic career, these films range from the experimental to the classic television nature program.
Gulls and Buoys
(1972, dir. Robert Breer, 6 min.)
“I tried to amaze myself with something, and the only way you can amaze yourself is to create a situation in which an accident can happen,” says director Robert Breer. This short film, influenced by avant-garde movements such as Dada and Cubism, explores the sense of sight through abstractions of shape and color.
Mothlight
(1963, dir. Stan Brakhage, 3 min.)
Following the brief life of an insect, this animated film is a study of projected light. By attaching the remains of dead insects onto film strip, director Stan Brakhage brings life to the dead. The Senses of Cinema critic Darragh O’Donoghue writes, “the effect is exhilarating and terrifying.”
Wacky Babies
(1982, dir. Marty Stouffer, 60 min.)
This documentary episode of the PBS Wild America series chronicles the lives of baby animals on land and in sky across the United States as they learn basic tasks of their animal-hood. Host and director Marty Stouffer portrays the lighter side of the youngsters’ lives as they face challenges and realize achievements.
Global Groove
(1973, dir. Nam June Paik and John Godfrey, 30 min.)
An influential film in the history of video art, this commentary on global communications in a media-saturated world is a frantic electronic collage, a parody of sound and image that challenges the language of television.
Sunday, July 15 / 2:00 pm
DeBoest Lecture Hall
Free
Performance
Bi-Quad
Experimental performance group, Susurrus, presents a work of moving art, in response to the exhibition Nature Holds My Camera: The Video Art of Sam Easterson. Led by choreographer Melli Hoppe, this Susurrus performance investigates the marvels of non-verbal communication, energy and intuition. Bring a blanket and/or lawn chairs.
Thursday, June 28 / 8:00 pm
Rain Date: Saturday, June 30
Amphitheater
P $3 / M Free; call 317-920-2649 for tickets
Art-Making For Children
Ages 4-5
Animals and Art
Ever imagined the world through the eyes of a bug? Here is the chance to see the world from a whole new perspective. This exciting class will visit Nature Holds My Camera to see how artist Sam Easterson uses animals and their habitats to encourage people to look more closely at the natural world around them. The class will visit a variety of places and spaces to see the world in new ways. Each student will make a series of drawings and paintings to take home.
Monday–Friday, July 9–13 / 9:00 am–noon
Yellow Art Lab
Register by: Friday, June 29
Y2107 P $80 / M $56
Drawing on the Environment for Preschool
In addition to beautiful works of art, the IMA has a unique collection of plants and wildlife located around the Museum. This class will explore the IMA’s grounds to see how the landscapes are sculpted and shaped. Then the class will visit Nature Holds My Camera to see how a variety of animals see the world. The class will also explore the IMA galleries to view how artists use their surroundings to create works of art. Each day, students will return to the art lab to make a unique work of art inspired by the artistic journey.
Monday–Friday, July 9–13 / 1:00–5:00 pm
Yellow Art Lab
Register by: Friday, June 29
Y2207 P $85 / M $59
Ages 5-7
If I Were a Bug or a Bird
This fun class will encourage young people to activate their imaginations as they visit Nature Holds My Camera. The exhibition features “animal cams” in which flying and grounded animals show visitors the way the world looks from their perspective. Children in this class will visit the exhibition and return to the art labs to create a series of artworks inspired by their animal adventures.
Monday–Friday, June 25–29 / 9:00 am–noon
Yellow Art Lab
Register by: Friday, June 15
Y1907 P $80 / M $56
Painting Inside and Out
After visiting the exhibition Nature Holds My Camera, this class will explore its creative side by gathering inside the art labs and on the Museum grounds to make watercolor and tempera paintings inspired by the natural environment. If inclement weather occurs, the class will design works based upon landscapes found in the IMA galleries.
Monday–Friday, June 25–29 / 1:00–5:00 pm
Yellow Art Lab
Register by: Friday, June 15
Y2007 P $85 / M $59
Ages 7-9
Science and Art: Exploring Wildlife at IMA
As the natural environment changes, the plants and other wildlife are in constant motion as well. This class will explore the science of art by visiting Nature Holds My Camera to see the world through the eyes of moving, living things. Then the class will go to various parts of the Museum and grounds to look at the world through new eyes and make works of art inspired by animals and plant life.
Monday–Friday, July 9–13 / 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Blue Art Lab
Register by: Friday, June 29
Y2307 P $125 / M $100
Ages 10-12
The Natural World: Art Journals, Drawings and Paintings
Students in this class will create their own illustrated journals, paintings and drawings after visiting the IMA galleries and Nature Holds My Camera. Students will learn about perspective, landscapes, and much more from a local artist in this week designed just for young people.
Monday–Friday, July 9–13 / 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Blue Art Lab
Register by: Friday, June 22
Y2407 P $125 / M $100
Art-Making For Teens
Bird’s Eye View: Seeing the World from Different Perspectives
Spend the week traveling the grounds and visiting the exhibition Nature Holds My Camera to see how artist Sam Easterson gains inspiration for his video works. Then take your own photographs from various points of view to create a portfolio of perspectives inspired by your artistic journeys.
Monday–Friday, June 25–29 / 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Blue Art Lab
Register by: Friday, June 15
T0407 P $125 / M $100
Teen Scene Series: Introduction to Outdoor Photography
This one-day workshop will encourage you to investigate the IMA grounds and take digital photographs. Visit Nature Holds My Camera to consider how perspective can impact the subject of photographs. Then use your photos to create panoramic images of their own.
Saturday, July 14 / 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Green Art Lab
Register by Friday, June 29
T0507 P $65 / M $45
Boy & Girl Scout Badge Programs
For more information on Boy Scouts call 923-1331, ext. 214; for Girl Scouts call 923-1331, ext. 213
