The Frost brings art to life this fall

Edwive Seme/Staff Writer

The Frost Art Museum has been on the move lately, determined to fulfill their mission statement to bring quality exhibitions and programs to the community; besides launching many exhibitions this summer alone, they had their first Target Wednesday for the new school year on July 18. With exhibits such as the Jamaican Intuitive Art, This and That and Shared Threads still running, the curators of the Museum are already looking into their permanent collections and elsewhere to bring many new events and exhibitions to the public.

Klaudio Rodriguez, assistant curator of the Frost whom gathered the pieces that made the “intriguing” This and That exhibit from their permanent collections, went over some of the major events they were planning for this Fall season during an interview on WLRN (91.3 FM) this past Aug. 10. During the interview, he described their schedule as “…exciting, eclectic and inspired in a lot of ways… There will be something for everyone.”

Their different exhibits will range from contemporary art to historical works and more; they have enough to interest diverse groups of audience whatever their taste in art might be, and will probably even introduce them to new artists and art styles expanding their knowledge in Art.

One of the artists that the museum would be introducing the public to is Mike Kelley, a contemporary artist who sadly passed away seven months ago. According to Rodriguez, he was considered one of the most important artists of the last 25 years. They will be organizing a tribute for him through an exhibit displaying some of his paintings. The event, called Meaning: to Beauty, will debut on Oct. 17 along as their sculpture show.  The tribute will feature one of his few major videos named Banana man.

He touched on many different subjects, and through every line of work he created a new ambience, and caused his audience to go through a different experience, which is the key item when it comes to admiring Art.
Spectators should let themselves be guided through what’s beyond the surface. “The exhibits are experiences,” said Rodriguez, explaining why Kelly was one of his favorite contemporary artists, “you’re not just looking at something but experiencing it.”

The sculpture show (American Sculpture in the tropics) will take audiences outside of the museum, to the sculpture park around FIU’s main campus, to look at a collection of 11 large sculptures. Those sculptures were done by artists such as John Henry, Dennis Oppenheim and Albert Paley using medias such as metals, rocks and stones.

Later the semester, they will be paying homage to the Seminoles of the nation in an exhibit called Refection across time: Seminoles portraits that feature Native American portraiture. In order to put this exhibit together, the museum will be collaborating with the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum of the Seminoles nation and borrowing pieces from the Smithsonian American Art museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the museum of American Art and the National museum of American Indians.

The show will present 150 years of portraiture of Seminoles leaders; one of the highlights of the show will be George Catlin’s portrait of Osceola, which will be borrowed from the Smithsonian. It won’t only be interesting to adults, but will also be a great way to educate the younger audience on this important group of the nation.
The museum will also import some works from Chilean artist, Ivan Navarro. To create an exhibition called Fluorescent lights. Using fluorescent light tubes as the base for his works, Navarro brings brilliant sculptures to the art scene. The museum chose a series of 14 of his works, based on the 1972 Olympics pictogram by Otl Aicher, to bring to the U.S. “It’s the first time they’re being displayed together [in the U.S.],” commented Rodriguez.
One of their final events will be their 9th annual Breakfast in the Park around the Art Basel period, on December 9th from 9:30 to noon. The event will start off with a brief lecture, then a tour in the park to admire sculptures and it will close off with breakfast.

Those are just a few highlights of what the Frost Art Museum has prepared to make the Fall an exciting season. Their dedicated staff will keep on working hard and exploring around for quality exhibitions to bring the beauty of Art to the community. They will kick it all off on September 2nd with Target Wednesday featuring two new exhibitions (Out of the Ordinary Geometry and The Faculty Show).

Out of the Ordinary Geometry is about the cosmos, Sacred Geometry, the unknown and the magical. It calls the viewer to connect emotionally with the sculptural forms. The faculty show is annually done from the Art & Art History Department. This Target Wednesday will also include their Fall Arts Preview which is a collaboration of FIU’s College of Architecture and The Arts, The Wolfsonian-FIU and The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum. Together they will present a preview of everything FIU has prepared for the Fall season.