American Art American City - A Chicago Celebration, Sponsored by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Frederic Edwin Church, The Iceberg, c. 1875. Oil on canvas. Image: 22 x 27 inches, Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection, 1993.6
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Other EventThursday, October 18, 2007 1:01am - Wednesday, December 31, 2008 12:00pm
AMERICAN ART AMERICAN CITY SUMMER PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
CHICAGO — Opportunities abound this summer for Chicago residents and visitors to explore, discover, celebrate and participate in more than 50 American art exhibitions, tours, lectures and family programs. To encourage Chicago residents and visitors to get out and experience the rich diversity of American art in Chicago, the Terra Foundation for American Art has created a special American Art American City summer brochure that includes an easy-to-navigate map highlighting the locations of exciting events taking place throughout the city. From exhibitions and lectures to family programs and tours, there is something to see and do in every neighborhood. American art tours are planned across Chicagoland, including locations in the Loop, Humboldt Park, Hyde Park, Evanston and Oak Park, among others. Vibrant and thought-provoking exhibitions are opening all across the city, and American Art American City partners are offering fun opportunities for all ages with enjoyable family programs. Complete program details are available at www.americanartamericancity.org
“The Terra Foundation is proud to collaborate with a fantastic group of American Art American City partners at Chicago’s premier museums and cultural institutions, as well as the school district, libraries and parks to provide numerous opportunities for Chicagoans and visitors to get out and explore the incredible breadth of American art on display throughout our great city,” said Jennifer Siegenthaler, program officer, education programs, Terra Foundation for American Art.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 15, 2008
TERRA FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN ART ANNOUNCES AMERICAN ART AMERICAN CITY SUMMER PROGRAMS
Loyola University Museum of Art unveils Manifest Destiny/Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape, the first full-scale exhibition in Chicago that is part of the Terra Foundation’s worldwide Collection Initiative
CHICAGO — The Terra Foundation for American Art, one of the world’s largest private grant-making organizations dedicated to fostering exploration, understanding and enjoyment of historical (pre-1980) visual art in the United States, today announced summer 2008 programs that are part of the foundation’s unprecedented $3 million Chicago-wide initiative entitled American Art American City. The initiative, which initially launched in October 2007, continues to actively promote increased awareness of and appreciation for historical American art among Chicago residents and visitors. Throughout the summer, American Art American City partners from 22 cultural organizations throughout Chicagoland are providing more than 50 American art activities, including exhibitions and tours of important and rarely seen collections, special events, lectures, television programming, podcasts and more.
As part of the American Art American City summer programs announcement event held May 15, attendees were given an exclusive preview of Loyola University Museum of Art’s exhibition Manifest Destiny/Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. The exhibition of 55 outstanding examples of nature and landscape art from the Terra Foundation collection is curated by Terra Foundation for American Art Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow Peter John Brownlee. Manifest Destiny invites viewers to examine the ecological, cultural and spiritual aspects of their environmental “footprints” by showcasing paintings, prints, pastels and drawings created by a wide range of celebrated American artists. The exciting and thought-provoking exhibition explores America’s longstanding relationship to the land traditionally considered to be its national birthright.
“We are proud to partner with the Terra Foundation for American Art to offer such a stimulating investigation of environmental issues through the lens of renowned landscape artists from the Terra’s collection,” said Pamela Ambrose, director of cultural affairs, Loyola University Chicago. “Viewers of Manifest Destiny will certainly come away from the exhibition with new ideas about the complex relationship Americans have had with their ecological surroundings.”
Manifest Destiny is part of the Terra Foundation for American Art’s Collection Initiative, designed to expand and enrich knowledge of historical American art among audiences throughout the world by actively lending works in the Terra’s exceptional collection to national and international exhibitions. Manifest Destiny is unique in that it provides the first opportunity in Chicago (since the Terra Museum closed in 2004) to view a full-scale exhibition exclusively composed of works from the Terra’s collection.“As a Chicago-based foundation celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, the Terra Foundation is very proud to continue to be part of Chicago’s lively cultural environment,” said Elizabeth Kennedy, curator of collection for the Terra Foundation for American Art. “We hope the Manifest Destiny exhibition will encourage other cultural institutions in Chicago to consider works of art from the Terra collection in their art exhibitions as part of our Terra Collection Initiatives program.”
Additionally, the Terra Foundation for American Art is proud to partner with WTTW11 to produce monthly “Artbeat” segments on Chicago Tonight, highlighting little-known American art collections in Chicago and many special exhibits and programs that are part of American Art American City.
To date, seven segments have aired on the following topics: Alfred Juergens (Oct. 18, 2007)
Jasper Johns (Nov. 7, 2007)
Roger Brown (Dec. 12, 2007)
Henry Darger (Jan. 22, 2008)
Winslow Homer (Feb. 14, 2008)
Edward Hopper (Feb. 21, 2008)
Vanderpoel Art Collection (April 7, 2008)
This summer, WTTW11’s award-winning Chicago Tonight will continue to highlight activities that are part of American Art American City. Having an impact beyond their one-night airings, these “Artbeat” segments may be viewed in their entirety online at www.wttw.com by clicking on the Chicago Tonight link, and then on the American Art American City logo.
To encourage Chicago residents and visitors to get out and explore a rich diversity of American art, American Art American City has created a special summer brochure that includes an easy-to-navigate map of partner locations and events throughout the city. From exhibitions and lectures to family programs and tours, there is something to see and do in every part of the city. Summer American art tours are planned across Chicagoland, including locations in the Loop, Humboldt Park, Hyde Park, Evanston and Oak Park, among others.
American Art American City partners include: Anchor Graphics @ Columbia College, The Art Institute of Chicago, Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art (Northwestern University), Chicago Architecture Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago History Museum, Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Public Schools, DePaul University Museum, DuSable Museum of African American History, Field Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, Hyde Park Art Center, Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, Loyola University Museum of Art Midwest Art History Society, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Photography (Columbia College Chicago), National Museum of Mexican Art, Newberry Library, Roger Brown Study Collection, Smart Museum of Art, Spertus Museum, Swedish American Museum, Union League Club of Chicago, The University of Chicago and WTTW11.
To encourage participation in American art events, the Terra Foundation, in collaboration with its partners, also provides exclusive opportunities each month for AmericanArtAmericanCity.org visitors to sign up to win invitations to special events at partner institutions, including receptions, openings, private curator-led tours and more. The Web site also includes extensive program listings and information, an e-newsletter, special partner offers and a searchable calendar of events.
American Art American City is also continuing its “Take a Closer Look” campaign, designed to highlight the wealth of American art treasures present in Chicago. A group of prominent Chicagoans including Anna Davlantes, anchor, NBC5 News; Richard Hunt, internationally renowned sculptor; Lewis Manilow, philanthropist and National Medal of Arts Honoree; Phil Ponce, host, WTTW11’s Chicago Tonight; and Cleo Wilson, executive director, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art have shared their personal responses to a favorite work of historical American art on display in a Chicago museum, park, school or downtown plaza. These statements may be found in the “News” section at AmericanArtAmericanCity.org.
About the Terra Foundation for American Art
The Chicago-based Terra Foundation for American art is dedicated to promoting the exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of historical visual art of the United States. With financial resources of approximately $300 million and an exceptional collection of American art from the colonial era to 1945, it is one of the world's leading foundations focused on American art. The Terra Foundation devotes approximately $9 million annually in support of American art exhibitions, projects, and research around the world, as well as of the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny. Through its multi-year, Chicago-wide American Art American City initiative, the Terra Foundation for American Art is providing approximately $2.5 million in grants and programs in Chicago, as well as $500,000 in promotional support for grantees and non-grantees alike. For additional information, please visit the foundation’s Web site at www.TerraAmericanArt.org.
For additional information about American Art American City, please visit www.AmericanArtAmericanCity.org
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