Florence Griswold Museum Uses New Exhibition to Teach Principles of Art

Old Lyme, CT – The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut has announced a series of Sunday Art Labs and creative learning opportunities for all ages held in conjunction with the groundbreaking exhibition, Sewell Sillman: Pushing Limits on view February 13 through April 18, 2010. All activities are free with Museum admission.

In the late 1940s Sillman (1924-1992) became a protégé of the Bauhaus master Josef Albers at Black Mountain College, a hotbed of avant-garde activity in America. Sillman absorbed Albers’s approach to color, design, drawing and education over the decades of their work together, bringing Albers’s lessons to bear on his own art and teaching. Pushing Limits features Sillman’s graceful abstract drawings and watercolors alongside the powerful color studies created in collaboration with Albers.

Over the series of Sundays listed below, areas of the Museum will be transformed into experimental learning laboratories that examine the principles of art as they apply to color, line, and the idea of marking time. Visitors have the opportunity to experience lessons and try their hand at a number of art “problems” taught by Albers and Sillman at such prestigious institutions such as Yale University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Pennsylvania. Considered radical for the time, these concepts are now the accepted basis for color and art theory today. These fun educational programs are made possible by the support of the AT&T Foundation. In speaking of the Museum’s efforts to provide dynamic educational opportunities for all ages State Senator Eileen Daily stated, “Funding from the AT&T Foundation offers vital support for the Museum’s efforts to reach new audiences in increasingly diverse and captivating ways.”

Tell + Show Gallery Discussions with Amanda C. Burdan, George B. Tatum Curatorial Fellow

Transforming the galleries into learning laboratories, Burdan both tells about Sillman’s distinct approach to color, line, and time with the work on exhibit as well as shows, using hands-on examples of Sillman’s creative lessons and artistic practices.

Sunday, March 7, 2pm
“Reflecting on a Line”: Sillman’s Surfaces
In his earliest works, Sillman’s whimsical use of line led him to develop a unique style of drawing. His “wave” drawings eventually formed the basis of experiments in textiles and sculpture.

Sunday, March 28, 2pm
“Treading a Measure”: The Time Element in Sillman’s Work
Sillman’s time consuming late watercolors were painstakingly created with Sillman diligently marking the start and finish dates of each painting. We consider the ways in which Sillman marks time in other ways in his drawings and paintings.

ART+DESIGN LABS FOR ADULTS
Experience the art lesson “problems” that Sewell Sillman practiced under esteemed teachers such as Josef Albers and later taught at Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, Black Mountain College, and the Rhode Island School of Design. Test out color optics, intriguing drawing exercises, and time-based creative activities.

Sunday, February 21, 2-4pm
The Problem of Color
Sharpen your color memory and learn the color tricks that Sillman taught his own students. You learn how to make two different colors appear to be the same and how to make a color vanish.

Sunday, March 14, 2-4pm
The Problem of Line
Explore the brain-teasing drawing exercises that enhance motor skills and eye-hand coordination. We’ll learn to write with both hands at once and create optical illusions with simple lines.

Sunday, April 11, 2-4pm
The Problem of Time
Sillman believed the element of time was important for drawing and painting. We recreate some of his exercises in making “fast” and “slow” lines and learn how you can paint time into watercolor.

ART+DESIGN LABS FOR KIDS
These drop-in activities offer a variety of artistic experiences derived from art school lessons and skill building exercises. Each lab dedicated to one aspect of Sewell Sillman’s work: color, line, and time.

Sunday, February 28, 1-5pm
Hue Knew! Color Theory for Kids
Come to cut and paste and make colorful collages just like Sewell Sillman did. We’ll discover some of the color secrets that Sillman learned from his teacher, Josef Albers.

Sunday, March 21, 1-5pm
Swirly, Whirly, Wavy: Experiments with Line
Lines don’t have to be straight! We’ll try our hand at making Sewell Sillman’s special wavy line and check out the funny swirls in our own fingerprints.

Sunday, April 18, 1-5pm
Tickity-Tockity: Marking Time with Creativity
How fast can you draw? How slow can you paint? We’ll see what happens to our paintings and drawings when we try to speed up and slow down our art making just like Sewell Sillman did.

Beyond these interactive activities, the Museum offers lectures, film screenings, and other creative opportunities as part of the Pushing Limits programming. Visit FlorenceGriswoldMuseum.org for more information.

Tags: Art, Art Classes, Art Exhibits, New London County, Old Lyme

Category: Upcoming Events