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In the mid-1800s, many French and Belgian artists rejected grandiose images of mythology and history to focus on everyday lives, especially those of rural folk, laborers, and the disaffected—people most vulnerable to the whims of the powerful. These artists called themselves Realists. Their social concerns, artistic talent, and frequently journalistic approach resonated with University of Minnesota Professor Gabriel P. Weisberg and his wife, Yvonne. Fifty years ago, they engaged in deep, original research into the Realists, often rediscovering significant but neglected artists. They began to collect drawings and small paintings by these Realists, later adding examples of Symbolism and Art Nouveau. The result is a fascinating, irreplaceable collection that the Weisbergs have designated as a promised gift to Mia. Come celebrate their generosity and explore these intimate works of art.
This exhibition will be presented in two rotations:
Rotation 1, Works 1830–1900: May 14, 2022 – March 26, 2023
Rotation 2, Works 1900–1930: April 1 &#8211; December 10, 2023

This is a drawing of three men linking their arms to use all their strengths to pull a boat onto land.

L2022.35.40

Reflections on Reality: Drawings and Paintings from the Weisberg Collection

A Finnish and Sámi descendent, Keobounpheng uses her artistic practice to recognize her familial connections to both the colonizers and the colonized. &#8220;Revealing Threads&#8221; will feature her abstract tapestries, influenced by traditional Nordic handwork techniques but infused with contemporary interpretations and symbolism. The results speak to marginalized histories, heritage, and the complexity of personal identity. The works will be informed by a research trip to Sápmi, the traditional land of the Sami people, in fall 2022.
Keobounpheng is a designer/maker and artist living and working in North Minneapolis. She is a recipient of the 2017 and 2020 MN State Arts Board’s Artist Initiative Grant, 2018 McKnight Foundation’s Next Step Fund, and 2022 MN State Arts Board Creative Support for Individuals Grant. Her work has been shown at the American Swedish Institute, in Minneapolis; the Finlandia University Gallery, in Hancock, Michigan; the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul; and the Anderson Center, in Red Wing, Minnesota. Her laser-cut jewelry has been sold by design retailers across the country for over a decade.
This exhibition is part of the <a href="http://new.artsmia.org/exhibitions/maep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program</a>, now located in the U.S. Bank Gallery.
Support provided by RBC Wealth Management.

Related Events

Tia Keobounpheng: Revealing Threads

This exhibition surveys the artist’s singular vision and signature style over the second half of the artist’s career, from 2007 to 2022. Jim Denomie (Ojibwe, Lac Courte Oreilles Band, 1955–2022) drew inspiration from lived experiences, pop culture, Anishinaabe traditions, and American histories to tell compelling narratives that depict his experiences of being Native in America. Despite the emotional weight of his subject matter, the artist&#8217;s dry wit opened space for necessary conversations about the legacies of colonization and the nature of humanity. The exhibition examines Denomie’s creative process, tracing his ability to transform inspiration into monumental artworks.
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A painting of Indigenous figures with animals masks sit on their horses.

The Lyrical Artwork of Jim Denomie

Azechi Umetarō (1902–1999) loved the mountains. His earliest memory of climbing was as a child, when he hiked a large hill near his house; upon reaching the top, he was astounded by even taller landmasses looming in the distance. As he grew older, he often hiked mid-sized mountains alone; they gave him an opportunity to meditate on life. The simplified figures of the bearded mountain men (yama-otoko), who reappear throughout his work, embody his love and appreciation for the environment. This exhibition features prints given to Mia from the extensive collection of Sue Y. S. Kimm and Seymour Grufferman.

An older man is dressed in a white scarf and a blue coat, in his hand is a smoking pipe.

2019.78.62

Azechi Umetarō: Call of the Mountains

Harriet and Walter Pratt, of Minneapolis, focused their collecting on the German, Austrian, Belgian, and Russian artists who broke with convention in the early 1900s, eschewing realism in favor of emotion. The artists’ exuberant use of color and line became known as Expressionism, the defining art movement of the early 20th century. In 2021, the Pratts bequeathed the 19 works in this exhibition to Mia, including paintings and drawings by Vassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter, and Lyonel Feininger, as well as a marble bust of a young woman by Erastus Dow Palmer, a prominent 19th-century sculptor and Harriet’s great-grandfather.

This is a watercolor painting of a woman in a orange and red dress, sitting on a green bed.

2022.64.7

Gifts Beyond Measure from Harriet and Walter Pratt

Marcantonio Raimondi occupies a prominent, if awkward, place in the history of printmaking. Notorious for ripping off the designs of Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and famous as Raphael’s personal engraver, Marcantonio is sometimes seen as a human Xerox machine. He was, however, a gifted interpreter who could transform drawings and paintings into clear, elegant, reproducible printed images. He democratized Renaissance art, making the ideas of great artists available to a public that had no access to elite palaces or distant churches. This exhibition offers a direct comparison between Dürer’s woodcuts and Marcantonio’s engravings and shows highlights of Marcantonio’s collaborations with Raphael.

L2023.4

Marcantonio Raimondi: Thief · Collaborator · Communicator

Mirrors and photographs, individually and combined, offer us glimpses of ourselves and the world around us. &#8220;Another Look&#8221; examines the use of reflective surfaces as sites of photographic experimentation and discovery. Much about the medium hinges on reflections; the early photographic process of the daguerreotype itself is mirrorlike, and the silver in gelatin silver prints sometimes emerges on the surface, producing a mirroring effect. Compositionally and conceptually, photographers have also employed reflections to dramatic effect. The featured artworks invite visitors to consider the many ways in which mirrored surfaces help define our perceptions, prompting moments of reflection.

In this white and black photo is a couple laying down on the ground. The woman has a tanning reflector in her hands with her eyes closed.

Another Look

Watercolor is a familiar medium. The paint sets are portable and affordable, and many of us have mixed a little water with the hard, dry cakes of pigment to brush color on a modest sheet of paper. The medium’s immediacy has delighted everyone from children to virtuoso professionals. But if getting started is easy, getting better takes extraordinary patience and practice. This exhibition features a selection of watercolors by American artists from Mia’s collection. Chosen for their variety of approaches, and arranged to “speak” to one another with shared content or styles, these works brim with lyrical surprises and inspiration.

This is a watercolor piece of a deflated balloon in the sky. The balloon is orange and has a animated face.

2019.146.67

Call and Response: American Watercolors in Conversation

In &#8220;The last safe abortion,&#8221; artist Carmen Winant considers the labor of women’s health clinics and abortion providers in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, North Dakota, and Ohio. Drawing upon thousands of historical photographs from archives across the Midwest, as well as photographs made by Winant since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the artist studies what physicians and staff refer to as “the work of the work”: answering phones, holding training sessions, scheduling appointments, and handling logistics. In assemblages made with print photography and ordinary office supplies, the everyday nature of Winant’s materials—as well as the activities they embody—contrasts with their vast individual, social, and political impact, creating a visual language that recognizes and honors abortion work.
The artist extends her thanks to the following organizations and individuals for sharing photographic and archival materials integral to this project:
<a href="https://images.chicagohistory.org/groupitem/7553/">Chicago Sun-Times collection</a>, Chicago History Museum 
Betsey Kaufman, former Director of Planned Parenthood of greater Cleveland 
Bonnie Bolitho, former Vice President of Development at Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio 
Emma Goldman Clinic, Iowa City, Iowa 
Iowa Women’s Archives, University of Iowa Libraries 
Planned Parenthood North Central States 
Preterm, Cleveland 
Red River Clinic, Moorhead, Minn., and Stanton, Ky. 
Social Welfare History Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries 
Special Collections, Cleveland State University 
Special Collections, Smith College Libraries, Northampton, Mass. 
Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland 
Whole Woman’s Health of Minnesota (Bloomington) 
Whole Woman’s Health of South Bend (Ind.)

A black and white photo of women in a office working. They are on the phone with paperwork everywhere.

The last safe abortion

Make the most of Minnesota’s short growing season with lush floral designs plucked from Mia’s permanent collection, all on view for the first time. In this virtual pleasure garden, tulips, daffodils, and morning glories mingle with the noble rose, whatever the weather may bring. Standouts include an embroidered Portuguese bedcover, a painted Chinese palampore, and a hot-pink priest’s mantle—all created in the 1700s. Women designers get special attention, with works by Anna Maria Garthwaite (1688–1763), Marjatta Metsovaara (1927–2014), and Helena Hernmarck (b. 1941).

Handprinted on a satin scarf are floral bouquets and trees with flowers stemming from them.

2022.9

A Perennial Pleasure Garden: Botanical Textiles from Mia’s Permanent Collection

Tamara and Michael Root have created one of the largest, most diverse collections in the Twin Cities of studio ceramics from the 20th and 21st centuries. For nearly 35 years, they have followed the Minnesota ceramic arts scene and collected nationally and internationally, assisted by knowledgeable dealers. Now retired professors, they truly lived with these works, showing a large selection in museum-worthy displays in their South Minneapolis home.
For more than 10 years, the Roots have donated singular works to Mia and provided generous funds for new ceramic acquisitions. They are now moving forward with the collection as a promised gift to Mia. Two complementary exhibitions celebrate their generosity while showcasing the Roots as thoughtful collectors of Japanese as well as North American and European ceramics.
This exhibition focuses on the Roots’ North American and European holdings, featuring more than 50 objects in sections exploring mingei (folk-craft) influences and Minnesota pottery, mid-20th century minimalism, American ceramic sculpture, and contemporary studio ceramics. Artists include Laura Andreson, Stephen De Staebler, Ruth Duckworth, Maren Kloppmann, Steven Young Lee, Warren MacKenzie, Gustavo Perez, and Amy Sabrina.
The concurrent exhibition “The Root Collection: Living with Japanese Ceramics” is on view in galleries 251, 252, and 253 from August 19 to November 26, 2023.

On a grey ceramic pot are white circles with objects painted inside.

L2023.30.269a,b

The Root Collection: Celebrating Studio Ceramics

Tamara and Michael Root have created one of the largest, most diverse collections in the Twin Cities of studio ceramics from the 20th and 21st centuries. For nearly 35 years, they have followed the Minnesota ceramic arts scene and collected nationally and internationally, assisted by knowledgeable dealers. Now retired professors, they truly lived with these works, showing a large selection in museum-worthy displays in their South Minneapolis home.
For more than 10 years, the Roots have donated singular works to Mia and provided generous funds for new ceramic acquisitions. They are now moving forward with the collection as a promised gift to Mia. Two complementary exhibitions celebrate their generosity while showcasing the Roots as thoughtful collectors of Japanese as well as North American and European ceramics.
This exhibition, in the Japanese galleries, presents a selection of tea bowls and other tea ware, standing and hanging vases, as well as sculpture. The Roots did not venture into Japanese ceramics until 2001, when they acquired the first of almost 50 tea bowls. The collection eventually encompassed 168 works, dominated by functional ware. While their focus remained strongly on contemporary works, the Roots also added a number from the mid-20th century, including pieces by the Mingei (folk-craft) artists Hamada Shōji, Kitaōji Rosanjin, and Arakawa Toyozō.
The related exhibition &#8220;The Root Collection: Celebrating Studio Ceramics&#8221; is on view in the Cargill Gallery, on the first floor, from August 19 to November 26, 2023.

The Root Collection: Living with Japanese Ceramics

Two paintings, 600 years apart: the 14th century Taima Mandala and the 20th century Chaos by Ken Matsubara. Despite the chronological distance between them, these two pieces are connected by Buddhist threads. In this installation, accompanied by the echoes of singing bowls, the visitor acts as the bridge between Matsubara’s depiction of human struggle and the Taima Mandala’s immaculate Pure Land. Take a moment to sit, be still, and focus on being with  art.
Ken Matsubara was born in Toyama prefecture, Japan, in 1948. Growing up in a relative’s temple, he admired and copied traditional Buddhist artworks displayed throughout the complex. In his late twenties, he apprenticed with Sankо̄ Inoue, a renowned Japanese painter of Western abstraction. Chaos (1983) marked a moment of synthesis and departure. He merged his knowledge of Buddhist concepts with his teacher’s abstraction to create a new form of representation, his own abstraction of space and sound.

2022.49a; 2022.49a,b

Chaos: Ken Matsubara’s Buddhist Masterwork

This exhibition is the first of two consecutive installations featuring the closely related techniques of collage, assemblage, photomontage, and found object sculpture. The diverse selection of artworks by leading national and international artists, drawn from Mia&#8217;s collection and local private collections, emphasizes the museum’s commitment to modern and contemporary art. The exhibition examines the resurgence of interest in these art forms during the postwar period and ensuing decades, highlights both formal and conceptual experimentation, and demonstrates how these interrelated techniques are particularly suited to exploring social, political, cultural themes and content.

This is an acrylic and fabric collage of colorful flowers. Colors of red, pink and white are used in the background.

2020.79

Collage/Assemblage Part I: 1940-1989

This exhibition celebrates the creativity of the older adults, 55 and better, who participated in seven Vitality Arts workshops from September 2022 through August 2023. The programs recognize the social, physical, and emotional benefits of engaging older adults in artmaking.
Major Supporter:
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Stories

This is a painting of an ocean with different shades of blue. To mimic the waves, swirls of purple, gray and black are painted.

55 and Better: Vitality Arts at Mia

Mia began collecting art from Latin America and the Caribbean in the 1940s, particularly ceramics, objects in gold, and textiles produced by the ancient civilizations of Central and South America. The collection has grown ever since, largely through generous donations and and purchases of work by contemporary artists. The selection of art in this gallery honors these efforts of previous generations to assemble some remarkable artworks, a foundation on which the museum will build a more inclusive collection, representing the full diversity and creativity of Latin American artists.

This is a colorful and bright artpiece of people dancing and playing music. All shades and ages come together to enjoy the music that's being created.

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Thursday, September 21, 2023

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Ongoing Exhibitions

Reflections on Reality: Drawings and Paintings from the Weisberg Collection

Tia Keobounpheng: Revealing Threads

The Lyrical Artwork of Jim Denomie