Bloglines
Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square at the Walters Art Museum
Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square
When:
Sunday, March 16-Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Where:
Mount Vernon Place, 600 block of Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Who:
Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square is organized by MICA faculty members George Ciscle and Jann Rosen-Queralt and the students in two MICA classes-the Exhibition Development Seminar and Conversation As Muse; MICA and the Walters Art Museum.
Exhibition Overview:
Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square, an exhibition installed in Mount Vernon Place, was conceived and curated by students in MICA’s Exhibition Development Seminar. Inspired by and exploring themes of the Walters Art Museum’s Maps: Finding Our Place in the World, it is a component of Baltimore’s city-wide Festival of Maps. Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square features contemporary art by 10 emerging MICA artists that is interactive, explores new and abstract ways of understanding historical mapping concepts, and reflects myriad approaches to mapping and way-finding. Tours, lectures, activities, and educational programs for all ages enhance the exhibition experience.
About the Art and Artists:
Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square showcases work produced by students in MICA’s Interdisciplinary Sculpture course, Conversations As Muse. During this semester-long course, students were encouraged by faculty member Jann Rosen-Queralt to explore ideas about mapping, site-specificity and how those ideas could relate to the artists’ creative process. The exhibition reflects the unique artistic conversation and the diverse ways that each artist interpreted a fixed theme. The art was developed over the course of the fall 2007 semester, with student artists presenting proposals to students in the Exhibition Development Seminar, faculty members, mentors, and representatives of MICA and the Walters Art Museum.
A Unique Exhibition Development Process:
Under the guidance of George Ciscle, MICA’s Curator-in-Residence, the Exhibition Development Seminar is a hands-on learning experience for students interested in all aspects of museum administration, community arts, and gallery work. In addition to producing and curating this exhibition of work by their peers, the students in the class serve as educators; website, graphic, and exhibition designers; and project administrators. Their goal is to explore new ways to engage artists, students, museums, galleries, and the Baltimore community. Development of exhibition programming, design, curatorial focus, and all collateral and communication materials took place in the fall 2007 semester, with teams of students planning every aspect of the exhibition and presenting their ideas to their peers in the Conversations As Muse class, as well as mentors, faculty, and representatives from MICA and the Walters Art Museum. In the spring semester, students in this two-semester class will execute all public and educational programs.
Support:
Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square is sponsored by the Baltimore Community Foundation and the Friends of the Exhibition Development Seminar. MICA’s exhibitions and public programs receive generous support from the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Special Programs Endowment; The Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education, Inc.; the Amalie Rothschild ‘34 Residency Program Endowment; The Rouse Company Endowment; the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive; and the generous contributors to MICA’s Annual Fund.
