The Land: The Art of Bill Hosterman and Ed Wong-Ligda
September 19 through November 15, 2019
Michael and Kay Olthoff Gallery
The Land: The Art of Bill Hosterman and Ed Wong-Ligda is the result of several years of independent experimentation by printmaker Bill Hosterman and illustrator and painter Ed Wong-Ligda and the artists’ shared conversations regarding the visual, expressive, and thematic potential of the land and the flora and fauna that populate it.
How we perceive, interact with, and shape the natural landscape informs Hosterman’s and Wong-Ligda’s prints, drawings, and paintings. Hosterman’s twisting, fantastical landscapes are entwined with lush vegetation, jagged rock faces, birds, boats, and forests, representing his thoughts on the human form and human desires and how both directly affect the land. For Wong-Ligda, the elements of the landscape become characters in a literary or theatrical drama as he explores the choreography and pacing of their visual interactions in dreamlike expanses. Combined, the artworks of these artists offer an invitation to consider the classical landscape in new ways.
Bill Hosterman is an Associate Professor of drawing, printmaking, and foundations in the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Grand Valley State University and Faculty Director of the GVSU Padnos Student Visual and Media Arts Gallery. Now retired, Ed Wong-Ligda was a Professor and head of the illustration program at GVSU. He has worked with numerous clients and participated in multiple artist-in-residency programs as a professional painter and illustrator.
Bill Hosterman, Guide, etching and watercolor, 2014-2017
Ed Wong-Ligda, Black Hills Birds, oil on canvas, 2014
RELATED PROGRAMS
Opening Event
Thursday, September 19
5:30 pm Reception | 7:00 pm Lecture
The MMA invites the public to the opening reception for The Land: Illustrations by Bill Hosterman and Ed Wong-Ligda. The artists will talk about their work at a lecture after the the reception, starting at 7:00 pm. Event is free and open to the public.
Little Landscapes Super Saturday Saturday, October 12
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Free Family Fun Day–Experience landscapes at the MMA with a family film, exhibition tours, and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) landscape art activity in the classroom. Free admission and activities are underwritten by Arconic – Whitehall Operations.
91st Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition
September 5 through November 13, 2019
L. C. and Margaret Walker Galleries
The Exhibition
The Michigan Contemporary continues the museum’s well-established legacy of showcasing the work of Michigan artists, from talented beginners to accomplished professionals in the longest running juried show of its kind in Michigan. The exhibition presents a look at the issues, themes, and materials inspiring today’s Michigan artists. The juried show will include painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, and installation. The artwork selection is meant to engage, challenge, and inspire conversation. The Muskegon Museum of Art’s 91st Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition (formerly the annual Regional Exhibition) opens at 5:30 pm on Thursday, September 5 and runs through November 13, 2019.
Opening Event
Thursday, September 5 5:30 pm Reception
6:30 pm Awards Program
7:00 pm Meet the Artists
Rejoin the artists in the exhibition after the awards program. Stay to meet and congratulate the winners and enjoy more time together to end the celebratory evening. The opening event is free and open to the public.
About the Juror
Photo courtesy of Amy Chaloupa
Amy Chaloupka, received her BFA from Western Washington University and MFA in Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has exhibited widely, and created several public works, including permanent installations in Santa Fe, Chicago, and Madison, Wisconsin.
Since 2008, Chaloupka has curated more than 15 contemporary exhibitions featuring national and international artists for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. While there, she contributed to several published catalogue essays related to exhibitions.
Now living and working in the Pacific Northwest, Chaloupka is Curator of Art at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington. In addition, she serves on the Arts Commission for the City of Bellingham and teaches within the Art and Art History Departments at Western Washington University. Recent exhibitions curated include: Crossover: Cruce de Vias, at the Western Gallery, Bellingham, WA (2015), Colorfast at the Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA (2016) Nek Chand:The World In A Garden at the Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI.(2017), and the forthcoming retrospective, Ed Bereal: Wanted for Disturbing the Peace (2019), at the Whatcom Museum.
Artist Information
Artists who entered work will be notified of the jury results by email no later than July 29, 2019. Questions? Please call the MMA at 231-720-2575.
Accepted Entries Information
Liability/Publicity: Entries will be handled with all possible care, but the MMA is not responsible for any loss or damage for any cause whatsoever. Submitting a work of art to this exhibition implies agreement on the part of the artist with all stated conditions. The MMA assumes the privilege of photographing or using any work entered in the exhibition for the purpose of publicity or education, unless the artist notifies the MMA in writing to the contrary.
Delivery: For hand-delivery, accepted artwork must arrive at the Muskegon Museum of Art on August 22, 23, or 24. Artists may deliver between 11AM and 4:30 PM on Thursday August 22, Friday August 23, and Saturday August 24. Call 231-720-2575 if you need to drop off prior to August 15. No objects will be accepted after August 24.
Ship artwork to: REGIONAL, Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W Webster Ave, Muskegon, MI 49440.Works shipped by carrier must be prepaid and arrive at the MMA by Friday, August 23, 2019. For shipped work, please include a prepaid return shipping label with your entry. All packing and shipping costs are the responsibility of the artist.
Attach identification labels securely on the back, upper left corner of two-dimensional artworks and under the base or securely tied to three-dimensional artworks. Labels must be those provided in the email of acceptance and should be completely filled in. Please notify the MMA if you require the loading dock for delivery by calling 231-720-2575.
Entry Condition: Works must be ready for presentation. All hanging works should be framed and fitted with wire or D-Rings. Sawtooth hangers are not permitted. Entries must be dry, completely assembled, framed, matted, or mounted. All works on paper must be framed and glazed. Multiple panel pieces (diptychs, triptychs, etc.) cannot exceed 6 feet wide by twelve feet high when installed. Work requiring special handling or installation will be accepted only at the MMA’s discretion. Unsuitably prepared, hazardous, unstable, or extremely fragile works will be declined. If you are unsure about your work conforming to these conditions, please email James Milostan at jmilostan@muskegonartmuseum.org before entering.
Pickup: Accepted entries must remain in the exhibition through Wednesday, November 13, 2019.
MMA staff will return shipped artworks in the packing materials they arrived in. Return of shipped artwork will begin Friday, November 15, 2019.
In person pickup:
November 14, Thursday, 11:00 am – 4:30 pm
November 15, Friday, 11:00 am – 4:30 pm
November 16, Saturday, 11:00 am – 4:30 pm
Due to limited storage, prompt pickup is required. Please call if you must make special pickup arrangements.
Written authorization, along with the notification email, is required for the MMA to release work to anyone other than the artist. Shipment costs are the responsibility of the artist.
Works not picked up by December 27, 2019 will be considered abandoned and will be discarded.
Memento mori (which translates to “remember death”) is a Medieval Latin Christian philosophy that encourages reflection on mortality, on the inevitability of death, and the transience of mortal pleasures and accomplishments.
The memento mori is typically expressed through the still life, incorporating the human skull with various symbols of time and decay. This tradition includes the danse macabre, a skeletal Death dancing away with the rich and poor alike, and the vanitas, a memento mori that depicts objects associated with physical pleasures such as musical instruments and food. In the Christian tradition, memento mori artworks were intended to remind the viewer that their death was assured and their focus should thus be on the spiritual and not the earthly.
Contemporary artists continue to explore this rich tradition in images that strongly reference their precursors. Skulls and flowers continue to fascinate artist and viewer alike. Organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art, Undying Traditions: Memento Mori brings together artists from across the United States currently exploring themes of death and earthly pleasure. From intricate paintings, to photography and sculpture, these artists offer us insights into our collective fascination with death.
(C)Paulette Tavormina (American, born 1949) Vanitas IV (Dreams), After A.C. Archival pigment print, 2015 Museum purchase, through the gifts of the Bob and Mary Sandling Estate, Ruth Frank, Kent and Gayle Brown, Mrs. Walter Shirlaw, and Mr. I.L. Butterfield, by exchange. 2018.5 Image courtesy the artist and Robert Mann Gallery, New York
Will Wilson The Painter’s Wife Oil on gold leaf panel 2012 Courtesy of Gallery Henoch, NYC
Kate MacDowell Memento Mori 2 Hand built porcelain, glazed 2015 Courtesy of Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, FL
RELATED PROGRAMS
Opening Event Thursday, September 12
5:30 pm Reception | 7:00 pm Lecture
Join us for refreshments and a lecture by Art Martin, MMA Director of Collections and Exhibitions/Senior Curator. Event is free and open to the public.
Open Mic Night with Kumasi Mack Thursday, October 10
6:00 – 8:00 pm, doors open at 5:30 pm
Join us for our second open mic night hosted by local poet Kumasi Mack. Kumasi, alongside his DJ and two featured artists, will provide a night of spoken word at the MMA. Spoken word pieces will relate to themes explored in the Undying Traditions exhibition. Crowd participation welcome. FREE.
Brown Bag Film Food for the Ancestors: The Mexican Celebration of the Days of the Dead Thursday, October 24 12:15 pm, doors open at noon
Food for the Ancestors explores the fabulous festival, Day of the Dead, as it is done in the culturally rich state of Puebla. Learn about special holiday foods, rituals, artwork, and more. Free admission, coffee, and cookies. Paid admission required to enter galleries.
Passion and Perversity: The Inner Chambers of Edgar Allen Poe Conceived, Arranged, and Performed by Tom Harryman Saturday, November 2
5:00 pm Cocktail Hour
6:00 pm Performance
This one act play examines the inner workings of this master of suspense through Poe’s letters, stories, & poems including The Imp of the Perverse, Lenore, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and others.
$12 advance / $10 MMA Member / $15 at the door. Call 231.720.2580 to order advance tickets.
Passion and Perversity: The Inner Chambers of Edgar Allen Poe Courtesy of Tom Harryman
Guitar with Wings: The Photography of Laurence Juber
May 16 through September 1, 2019
The Photography of Laurence Juber
This exhibition features photographs by Laurence Juber from his 2014 book, Guitar with Wings, which showcases the intimate photographs Juber took of the McCartneys during his days as guitarist with Paul McCartney’s band Wings.
Photo by Laurence Juber of Linda and Paul McCartney
Photo by Laurence Juber of Paul McCartney
Photos by Laurence Juber of Linda and Paul McCartney
Juber was lead guitarist in Beatle Paul McCartney’s band Wings and has since established himself as a world-renowned guitar virtuoso, composer and arranger, and concert performer. The two-time Grammy winner fuses folk, jazz, and pop styles to create a multifaceted performance with only one acoustic guitar.
Juber has released 22 solo albums, including LJ Plays The Beatles, one of Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s all-time Top Ten albums. As a studio musician, he has recorded with artists as diverse as Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks, Seal, and Barry Manilow, plus he is featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows and films.
Underwritten by FRANK & SUSAN BEDNAREK
Lights, Camera, Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Music Photography of Paul Jendrasiak
May 23 through September 1, 2019
Were you there? Lights, Camera, Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Music Photography of Paul Jendrasiak will take you back to the excitement of some of West Michigan’s favorite concerts. List of photographs in the exhibition [pdf]
Photos by Paul Jendrasiak
The spectacle of live concert events is portrayed vividly in Paul Jendrasiak’s photography. Over 25 years, he has chronicled the appearance of nationally and internationally recognized musical performers as they made their way to Michigan. With his camera and a pit pass, he has made a career of capturing the energy, passion, and visual excitement of the live concert experience.
Paul Jendrasiak
Jendrasiak’s work has appeared in Music Revue and GRNow and internationally through Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar, RIP Magazine, Hit Parader, Kerrang, BURRN, and Young Guitar, and in Ernie Ball campaigns among many other music and entertainment publications.
Willie Nelson The State Theatre – Kalamazoo, Michigan May 9, 2013 Photo by Paul Jendrasiak
Paul Jendrasiak at the Muskegon Museum of Art’s opening of Camera, Lights, Rock ‘n’ Roll.
