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November 2008
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS |
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Museum Art Reflects Global Mission As the director and curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Jack Rasmussen, CAS/MFA ’75, CAS/MA ’83, CAS/MA ’91, CAS/PhD ’94, strives to keep in mind AU’s status as a D.C.-based, global institution with outstanding programs in government affairs and public policy, as well as strong international student and alumni populations. Therefore, it only makes sense to select exhibits that consciously reflect that status for the AU Museum. The new exhibits, which opened Nov. 11, do just that. Although some of the featured artists are American and reside in the United States, all of the exhibits – with pieces ranging from paper and metal sculptures to photographs and multimedia displays – capture international art at its best. Jack Boul’s exhibit, Then and Now, is a series of paintings ranging in subjects from flamenco dancers to Venetian canals. A Brooklyn native, Boul has lived in the D.C. area for more than 40 years. He studied painting at AU from 1951 to 1953 and taught here for many years as well. Calientamiento Global is an exhibition presented by the Association of Ibero-American Cultural Attaches and the AU Museum. The artists all live and work in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, and the art is a selection of various mediums, including digital photography, mixed media, and three-dimensional clay pieces. Onthaasting: About Spare Time and Slower Worlds, features six young Belgian artists utilizing contemporary video formats to illustrate the concept of onthaasting, a mental diversion through the use of recreation as an “escape” from the perceived unpleasant aspects of daily life.
Both Jae Ko and Dalya Luttwak, natives of Korea and Israel, respectively, present sculptures in their exhibits. In Ten Year Retropective, Ko uses large rolls of paper to create abstract works, while Luttak’s Hidden features metal constructions. Finally, in a moving exhibit titled Invasion 68: Prague, Josef Koudelka captures the invasion of his native Prague by the Soviety Union in a series of secretly taken photographs. Although the six exhibits are unrelated in style, technique, or subject matter, Rasmussen notes that they all eloquently represent the ideals of American University. “I receive about five proposals a day from artists and organizations,” he says. “I select shows based on what I perceive to be their quality, innovation, relevance, how well they complement the other four to five exhibitions going on at the same time, and whether or not they support the mission of American University. I always try to put our region’s artists in an international context and find work that has some social or political relevance.” When asked what most excites him about these late fall exhibitions, Rasmussen answers, “I think they are interesting, diverse, timely, and artistically exceptional. I hope you agree.” Form your own opinion by visiting the American University Museum. Museum hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, visit www.american.edu/katzen or call 202-885-1300. - Tara Lang | |||||
