What’s In a Gesture?

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March 1 – April 19, 2014

Perkins Gallery

A painter’s gestural brushwork can be important to convey emotional intensity. To some viewers, a wild lashing stroke of paint may seem like an unkempt act by an untalented artist. Yet actually, such gestural strokes are usually intentional; despite their appearances, these marks are important to the artist’s emotional intent.

The paintings in this exhibition emphasize gesture. Although they are characterized by a similar technique of animated brushwork, their inherent meanings are widely varied.

Stephen Knapp: New Light

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December 14-March 8

This exhibition will include 14 “lightpaintings” by Massachusetts artist Stephen Knapp. Knapp’s lightpaintings are created by using cut, shaped and polished pieces of specially coated glass, installed perpendicular to the wall’s surface, to reflect beams of colored light into abstract compositions. These unique works deepen the traditional relationship between the painter and light. They also expand the concept of light sculpture and light art, and they continue the traditions of kinetic art, op art and abstract painting. His sculptural canvases appear to be painted but are all created with light and glass. Lightpaintings are the intersection of painting, sculpture and technology by exploring color, light and space. Knapp has more than 30 years of experience creating installation art and exploring the possibilities of light. His work can be found in museum, public, corporate and private collections.

Home

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December 7, 2013 – April 27, 2014

Murray & Ledger Galleries

Home is more than a building of concrete and timber. It is that place where we feel most comfortable and secure. It’s the place we all long to leave, only to wish we could go back. And, more personally, it’s the container of our most cherished treasures and beloved memories. It’s where we feel most confident and less hustled to be something we are not. It’s a sense of belonging. It’s a much needed opportunity to let down our guards. It’s a chance to be open, critical, and uncontested with ourselves. Home is more than a place. It’s a state of mind.

Home can be a powerful subject for artists. As a repository for so many of our intrapersonal traits and a physical reminder of our identities, the idea of home can represent freedom, sentimentality, rawness, and honesty in an artist’s work.

In this exhibition, we select artworks from the Museum’s Permanent Collection that relate to this important sense of home.

Inventing Narratives

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November 16, 2013 – February 20, 2014

Perkins Gallery

Storytelling has always been an important part of the human legacy. Through stories handed down from one generation to the next, cultures have been defined, traditions have been established, and histories have been embellished. These stories have often been subjects for many works of art over time. Although paintings or illustrations may pertain to a specific story, it is difficult for us to refrain from applying our own creative interpretations to the story, which may over time become completely transformative to the original story.

Works of art are often open to our unique interpretations, which may or may not relate to an artwork’s intended meaning. Although the stories we create about a work of art may be different from the artist’s original intent, it does not necessary mean we are incorrect in our interpretations. It is only human nature to apply narratives to artworks that we may not understand completely.

This act of creating stories out of unfamiliarity is actually another form of art; although we may not fully understand a work of art, we still rely on our inherent creative abilities to construct some sort of relative narrative.

This exhibition is intended to spark those creative abilities within the viewer. The sole intent here is not to simply explain a work of art to the viewer, but rather to keep the meaning of a work of art hidden from the viewer so that they may create their own narratives.

Paintings of the Space Age

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October 12-December 7

Although the National Air and Space Museum is known internationally for its impressive collection of objects and crafts pertaining to America’s history in aviation and space exploration, it is less known for having a collection of artworks. With help from the Smithsonian’s Affiliations Program, the Polk Museum of Art will exhibit a sampling of artworks produced in the 1960s after James Webb, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, suggested that artists be enlisted to document the historic effort to send the first human beings to the moon. Working together, James Dean, a young artist employed by the NASA Public Affairs office, and Dr. H. Lester Cooke, curator of paintings at the National Gallery of Art, created a program that dispatched artists to NASA facilities with an invitation to paint whatever interested them. The result was an extraordinary collection of works of art.

reGeneration2: Tomorrow’s Photographers Today

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October 12-December 7

Following the success of the 2005 book and exhibition, which traveled to 10 different cities across North America, Europe and Asia, this second edition, reGeneration2, turns the spotlight on new, up-and-coming talents from 31 countries. Curators at the world-renowned Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, selected the most promising candidates from some 700 entries submitted by 120 of the world’s top photography schools. The resulting publication and exhibition reveal the flexibility of young photographers as they pass fluidly from one genre to another and/or one technique to another. This exhibition will include 105 photographs by some of the world’s most promising young talents.

This exhibition is produced by the Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, in collaboration with the Aperture Foundation, New York, with the support of Pro Helvetia.

Yousuf Karsh Portraits

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Yousuf Karsh, General John Pershing, ca. 1945, silver gelatin print, Gift of the Estate of David P. Hauseman

October 12 – December 7, 2013
Hollis Gallery

Susan Cox of Lakeland found the portraits of Winston Churchill and Gen. John Pershing tucked in the bottom dresser drawer in her late father’s home. She recognized the work of photographer Yousuf Karsh, and then found correspondence between Karsh and her father, David P. Hauseman. After consulting with a friend and an art dealer, she found out just how valuable her discovery was.

Cox and her siblings — Debbie Viertel of Lakeland; Carolyn Eng of Orlando; and David Hauseman of Birmingham, Ala.; and Jeanette Merkel of Thousand Oaks, Calif. — donated both photographs, as well as the correspondence authenticating them, to Polk Museum of Art.

The photographs that Cox found were original silver gelatin prints bearing Karsh’s signature. Cox had forgotten that her father had prints by Karsh (1908-2002), an Armenian-Canadian artist who is widely considered one of the most accomplished portrait photographers of all time. Hauseman, while a cadet at West Point, had worked as Karsh’s assistant for a time. In 1945, he helped at the Pershing shoot and, as noted in a Readers’ Digest story on the photo, Hauseman was saluted by Pershing afterward. Apparently Hauseman wrote Karsh and asked for a copy of the photograph, which Karsh sent, along with the Churchill.

Yousuf Karsh, Winston Churchill, 1941, silver gelatin print, Gift of the Estate of David P. Hauseman

Karsh’s iconic photograph of Churchill, titled “The Roaring Lion,” was shot December 30, 1941, immediately after Churchill addressed the Canadian Parliament. Churchill, in a foul mood, stormed into an anteroom and told Karsh he had two minutes to take the photo, Karsh wrote in his book, “Faces of Our Time.” He recalled that he yanked Churchill’s cigar from his mouth, leaving the prime minister scowling, “regarding my camera as he might regard the German enemy.” The photo, which some say is the most reproduced image in history, graced the cover of Life magazine when World War II ended, and it will appear on the Bank of England’s 5-pound note to be issued in 2016.

Both photographs were developed and signed by Karsh himself. They were found still in the original sleeve from Karsh’s studio.

Jackson Walker’s “They Called it La Florida”

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October 8-24, 2013

Polk Museum of Art is proud to participate in the statewide celebration of Florida’s 500th anniversary. Beginning October 8, a painting by noted Florida history artist Jackson Walker will be exhibited at Polk Museum of Art. They Called it La Florida is Walker’s rendition of Ponce de Leon’s first landing in Florida on April 2, 1513. The painting will remain on display to the public until it travels to Florida Southern College for Walker’s participation in the college’s Florida Lecture Series on October 24. Preceding his appearance at FSC, Walker will meet with students at Polk Museum of Art to discuss his works as they relate to Florida’s history.

For more than a year, Walker researched, sketched and painted this detailed 3- by 5-foot oil-on-canvas work commemorating Juan Ponce de Leon’s discovery of the coast of Florida. The explorer had convinced the King of Spain he would find the island of Bimini north and west of the islands already discovered in the Caribbean. The expedition left Puerto Rico and on April 2 sighted a shoreline. A landing party of heavily armored men (and dogs) boarded boats and headed for shore. They claimed the seemingly uninhabited land for Spain and named it “La Florida,” not only for the Catholic observance of the “Feast of Flowers” but for the beautiful landscape they saw from shore.

Polk Museum of Art is honored to participate in this celebration of Florida’s initial founding. We acknowledge and thank Dr. Sarah McKay, the Florida House on Capitol Hill and the Juan Ponce de Leon Society for allowing us to be a part of this important commemoration.

Have Lens Will Travel: Photographs by Tom Mack

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September 14-November 23, 2013

Lakeland photographer Tom Mack is constantly on the go and never leaves his camera behind. But he is much more than a travel photographer: His photographs are like accompanying illustrations to his life’s story. Mack is passionate about his work and thus is highly prolific as a photographer; clicking the shutter on his camera is as automatic as breathing. His productivity does not allow him to adhere to one photographic style or subject. After culling through literally thousands of photos, these few were chosen to represent Mack’s adventures both geographically and photographically. As a regular at the MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire-by-the-Lake festival, the community has grown fondly familiar with Mack’s photography.

Tibor Pataky: Into Abstraction

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July 27 – October 5, 2013

Dorothy Jenkins Gallery

Tibor Pataky was an obscure but notable Hungarian-American artist who lived and worked in central Florida during the middle of the 20th century. In 1936, he became the instructor of life drawing at Florida Southern College. During this time, he found inspiration from Milton Avery and other artists who were affiliated with The Research Studio in Maitland, Florida. As this influence grew, Pataky aspired to leave Florida and pursue additional instruction from leading artists. This led him to Provincetown, Massachusetts where he studied under the tutelage of Hans Hofmann in 1952. Pataky spent six summers as Hofmann’s student, which had a profound effect on his later work. This exhibition will be a collaboration between Polk Museum of Art and Florida Southern College. It will consist of works by Pataky from the collection at Florida Southern College, which includes eight paintings and some 400 drawings.

Culture Builds Florida

We gratefully acknowledge contributors to the Annual Exhibition Fund:
Dorothy Chao Jenkins
The Reitzel Foundation
The Linda & Alan Rich Fund
Lynda and Steve Buck

Polk County Collects

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July 27 – October 5, 2013

Gallery II

Polk County is truly a bastion of culture. Not only do we have great organizations like Bok Tower Gardens, the Polk County Historical Museum, and Polk Museum of Art; and impressive centers of culture and education like Florida Southern College and Polk State College, but there are many private collectors throughout our county who collect beautiful and important works of art. This exhibition showcases only some of those private collections to give our audiences a glimpse into what some fellow Polk County residents have collected over the years.

Culture Builds Florida

We gratefully acknowledge contributors to the Annual Exhibition Fund:
Dorothy Chao Jenkins
The Reitzel Foundation
The Linda & Alan Rich Fund
Lynda and Steve Buck

A Silver Lining

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June 29 – November 9, 2013

Perkins Gallery

This exhibition will showcase PMoA’s collection of Georgian silver, which refers to the period of the consecutive reigns of four English kings: King George I (1714-1727; King George II, son of George I (1727-1760); King George III, grandson of George II (1760-1820); and King George IV, son of George III (1820-1830). This time does not necessarily characterize a specific style in English silver as it does a time period when English silver became immensely popular. The styles of silverware varied throughout the Georgian Period, with the simplest forms produced through the reigns of George I and George II. Midway through the reign of George III, and lasting through the duration of George IV’s reign, silverwares styles became much more ornate by comparison. Most of these pieces were produced during the reign of King George III. The simpler pieces were produced during the early stages of the king’s reign and the more ornate pieces, during the latter years of his reign. When England entered into war with the American colonies during the late 18th century, styles in silver became to be far less ornate than the periods before and after. Around the turn of the 19th century, the style of English silverware was the most ornate of any other period.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: Master of Ukiyo-e

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June 15, 2013 – September 8, 2013

Ledger and Murray Galleries

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 – 1892) is widely regarded as the last great master of the ukiyo-e tradition in Japanese printmaking. He witnessed the great transition of Japan from the traditional Edo period to the westernization of the Meiji period and the struggle between the two can be seen in his works. Much of his work served as reminders to the Japanese people of the importance of their historical and cultural heritage.

The series displayed in this exhibition, 32 Aspects of Women, was produced in 1888 and remains one of his most respected bodies of work. His unique ability to express genuine emotion in his portrayal of his subjects has been highly praised. In these prints, Yoshitoshi chooses to highlight tradition over modernization by continuing to use the then-outdated ukiyo-e woodblock process instead of the modern mass reproduction techniques that were embraced by the younger generation of artists. In addition, most of the prints in this series feature women who display traditional Japanese values; only nine of the 32 images feature women of the Meiji period and only one of his subjects dons western apparel.

C. Paul Jennewein: An Usher for a New American Style, Works from the Tampa Museum of Art

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April 27, 2013 – July 20, 2013

Dorothy Jenkins Gallery and Gallery II

C. Paul Jennewein (1890-1978) was a highly regarded American architectural sculptor of the mid-20th century. He immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1907 and within four years of his arrival began receiving important national and international art commissions that drew upon his skills as an ornamental sculptor and as a painter. He is widely recognized for introducing the Art Deco style into American architecture.

Jennewein studied sculpture at the Art Students League in New York and won a three-year scholarship to study at the American Academy in Rome in 1916. The artist drew heavily from the art he studied during his four years in Italy, particularly mythological subject matter and the classical Greco-Roman tradition.

Following Jennewein’s death, more than 2,000 works from his studio were donated to the Tampa Bay Art Center (now Tampa Museum of Art) by his family. This exhibition features some of the pieces from Tampa Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

Exhibition sponsor:  Visit Central Florida

Reception sponsor: SunTrust

Reception: 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 26

The reception is FREE to members and $10 for guests.

Oil as Paint

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March 23 – June 22, 2013

Perkins Gallery

While the genesis of oil painting is most commonly associated with the Renaissance, the earliest examples of oil paintings are Buddhist murals, dating to around 650 AD, found in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan caves. The paintings are most likely to be the works of artists traveling on the Silk Road, which was the largest trade and cultural route connecting the East and the West.

Oil painting did not become very popular, though, until the Renaissance when it began to replace tempera painting. During the Renaissance, artists mixed their own paints, combining oils with raw pigments from substances that they often ground themselves. Because of the difficulty of making the paint, artists were largely confined to their studios. All this changed, however, in 1841 when oil paint began to be mass produced in small, portable tubes. This new convenience allowed the artists to leave their studios and allowed for the spontaneity of the plein air painting of French Impressionism.

Since that time, oil painting has remained a very popular medium because of its affordability and accessibility. This exhibition features a selection of oil paintings from the Museum’s Permanent Collection.

Florida Artists

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February 16, 2013 – June 9, 2013

Murray and Ledger Galleries

Florida’s vast cultural diversity nurtures a healthy contemporary arts scene. Each year, the Sunshine State hosts an array of arts festivals, including the internationally renowned Art Basel in Miami, which draw a number of artists from around the country.In addition to home-grown talents like James Michaels and William Kidd, many other artists, such as Ummarid “Tony” Eitharong and Humberto Calzada, have come to call Florida home. 

Because of its central location, the Polk Museum of Art has unique access to Florida’s diverse arts offerings. In fact, it was that accessibility that sparked the creation of the Museum’s Permanent Collection in 1970. Now containing nearly 3,000 objects from around the world, the Permanent Collection was originally based on works by Florida artists. These early additions were aided by the Mayfaire-by-the-Lake festival organized by the Museum each year on the banks of Lake Morton. With nearly 200 artists participating, many of whom are Floridians, the Museum always has a renewed resource to continue expanding its holdings of works by Florida artists.

This exhibition recognizes and celebrates several of those Florida artists whose works are included in the Polk Museum of Art’s Permanent Collection.

Coincidence: Works by Louviere+Vanessa

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January 19 – April 20, 2013

Gallery II

Vanessa Brown and Jeff Louviere (known collectively as Louviere+Vanessa) are creative partners working to expand the experimental properties of photography.  From their home and studio in New Orleans, they constantly strive to push the bounds of image making and reinterpret traditional ideas of photography; using such alternative materials as gold leaf and Super 8mm film, Louviere+Vanessa succeed in breaking with convention. Their surreal subjects emerge from a sense of literary romanticism and tragedy and often include satirical undertones. This exhibition will be a survey of their work and will include pieces from nine different series of works.

Members’ Reception: 6pm-8:30pm, Friday, January 18, 2013
Exhibition Reception Sponsored by SunTrust

Exhibition Sponsors: Jonn & Elizabeth Hoppe, Webb Tanner & Deanna Rhodes-Tanner, and Kerry & Buffy Wilson

Catalog Sponsors: Fleetwing Corporation, Robert & Malena Puterbaugh, Webb Tanner & Deanna Rhodes-Tanner, Kerry & Buffy Wilson

With special thanks to Joshua Mann Pailet and A Gallery for Fine Photography

No Ordinary Days: Works by Maggie Taylor

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January 19, 2013 – April 20, 2013

Dorothy Jenkins Gallery

Artist Maggie Taylor combines history and imagination.  The worlds she lays out in her digital creations include familiar imagery taken from found objects and 19th century daguerreotypes, which she scans and manipulates in her Gainesville, FL studio.  Although she retains aspects of their original content, she converts their historical and mysterious significances into something of sophisticated fantasy.  This exhibition will be a survey of Taylor’s work and will coincide with the release of her new book, No Ordinary Days.

Members’ Reception: 6 pm-8:30pm, Friday, January 18, 2013
Exhibition Reception Sponsored by SunTrust

Exhibition Sponsored by

The Muses

Sue Bentley
Carol Boyington
Sylvia Blackmon-Roberts
Lynda Buck
Kristen Carlson
Michelle Chandler-Raley
Beverly Hollis
Elizabeth Hoppe
Dorothy Jenkins
Karen Kovach
Karen Marker
Dixie Myers
Claire Orologas
Cheryl Philpot
Malena Puterbaugh
E. Beatty Raymond
Deanna Rhodes-Tanner
Linda Rich
Ann Rogers
Maria Saterbo
Sandy Sheets
Peggy Spirakis
Barbara Stampfl
Sheryll Strang
Anne Tucker
Diane Van Dusen
Buffy Wilson

PMoA Collects: Highlights

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December 8, 2012 – March 16, 2013

Perkins Gallery

Following PMoA Collects, this new exhibition, PMoA Collects: Highlights, will give another teaser of some of the pieces that will be featured in the museum’s first Collections Catalog, including works by Robert Rauschenberg, Picasso, and Donald Sultan. The catalog will make the very best of our collections even more accessible to you, and will feature a stunning high-resolution photograph of each artwork, along with artist biographies, quotes, and discussion about technique and artistic styles.

Presently, we are still raising funds to make this catalog a reality. If you would like to help us reach our goal, please contact Palemeschia “Pal” Rivers Powell, ext. 240 or Powell@PolkMuseumofArt.org

1989

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November 17, 2012 – February 10, 2013

Murray & Ledger Galleries

On June 21, 2012, Polk Museum of Art celebrated its 46th anniversary, and as we edge closer to the big 5-0, we think it is important to look back to our start.

The Museum was officially incorporated as the Youth Museum of Imperial Polk County on June 21, 1966, and opened for business in a small church building at 115 Walnut Street on December 11, 1967.  At first, volunteers from the Junior Welfare League (now Junior League), Junior Woman’s Club of Lakeland, Junior Sorosis Club and Keyettes at Lakeland High “staffed” the Museum.

The name was changed to Polk Public Museum at Lakeland: Science, History and Art, Inc. in 1968 and then shortened to Polk Public Museum. In 1970, the Museum moved into a former Publix Super Markets building on Palmetto Street. Eventually, the Board settled on a fine arts focus and on June 13, 1985, renamed the Museum for the last time:  Polk Museum of Art.

The current building – a work of art in itself with soaring 16-foot ceilings and marble-tiled floors — opened to the public in 1988. It was constructed for $5 million and opened debt-free.

1989 was the first full year that the Museum was open and to celebrate, the 1989 exhibition will showcase some of the pieces that were collected during that year.