On Oct. 16, the Reece Museum welcomed their new exhibit entitled “A New Subjectivity: Figurative Painting after 2000.” The exhibit—from the Pratt Manhattan Gallery in New York—is the first exhibit in Reece Museum history with elements designed specifically for low-vision and blind patrons.
The exhibit consists of over a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of artwork from six women, most of whom are from New York City. “The one thing that ties them all together is their work dealing with the figure; and more importantly the way they describe and paint the figure” said Reece Museum exhibition coordinator Spenser Brenner. “In many ways the curator of the exhibit, Jason Stopa, who is a visiting professor at the Pratt Institute of Art, has been describing this show as an attempt to recategorize expressionism” Brenner said.
The Reece Museum has worked hard to reach out to all members of the community and make the museum more accessible for those with disabilities.
Reece Museum Director Randy Sanders and Head of Disability Services at ETSU Mary Little began discussing ways to accomplish this goal. After researching what museums such as the Smithsonian and the Boston Fine Arts Museum were doing, Sanders and Brennen—along with graduate assistant Saro Lynch-Thompson—added various elements to the exhibit such as texture boards, audio description and musical interpretation uniquely designed to help sighted visitors capture the full experience of the artwork.
On Oct. 24, the Reece offered the first of two tours with the next one scheduled for Oct. 28 at 1p.m. Individual tours of the exhibit are welcomed anytime during normal business hours and even available online.
On Nov. 9, a lecture will be given by Stopa in the Ball Hall auditorium with a reception to follow at the Reece.
The Mary B. Martin school of the Arts, the Department of Art and Design and the Reece Museum have all partnered in making this exhibit possible. “Mary B. Martin needs a little bit more of a shout-out because they’re sponsoring the visit from Jason Stopa in addition to helping us with shipping” Brenner said.
“This is an opportunity to see what is happening in New York when it comes to this expressionistic, figurative work. These artists are movers and shakers in the art world” Brenner said.
The exhibit will run through Dec. 15. For more information and to schedule a tour, contact the Reece Museum at 423-439-4392.
