FLLAC to use closing as creative programming opportunity

The thought of putting a masterpiece in harm's way would make any art historian and most Vassar art buffs tremble with fear. So when an increasing amount of roof damage and leakage was detected in the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (FLLAC), something had to be done. As a result, the FLLAC has been closed since May 2010 for a complete roof replacement and various other renovations.

Though access to such a vast collection is undoubtedly a great privilege, the FLLAC's staff sees the situation as an opportunity instead of an inconvenience. By its grand opening in January of 2011, the museum's facilities will be in tip-top condition, and the collection will be reinstalled in a completely new way. In the meantime, the FLLAC is thinking outside of the box to bring art outside the museum.

"We're looking for all kinds of ways to make use of the inherent artistic elements of the campus whether architectural, sculptural or decorative arts," said James Mundy, the Anne Hendricks Bass Director of the FLLAC.

"Late Night Leaves the Loeb" is one of several programs the FLLAC has adjusted to get students thinking about art in non-traditional locales. "We're hoping that those who remember the good times they had at ‘Late Night' and the student groups that participated will jump right back into the mix," Mundy said.

Last Thursday night, the event showcased Jenny Holzer's bench installation that lines the path from Main Building to the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC). Student docents read several of the bench's poems, and guests got the chance to make rubbings of the texts.

"The Holzer benches are actually part of our collection, but we probably wouldn't walk over there on an average ‘Late Night,'" said Nicole Roylance, Coordinator of Public Education and Information for the FLLAC. She added, "It's important to consider the works of art that are in our lives, but we're not paying attention to­ the ones we take for granted."

In about a month, "Late Night Leaves the Loeb" will host an exciting performance art piece entitled "Walk the Walk" by 2010 Whitney Biennial artist Kate Gilmore that will involve students as both spectators and performers.  Noyes Circle will house a group of 12 female students dressed identically and standing on flints in a perfect circle. The students will then pass around a bucket full of yellow paint for two three-and-a-half hours shifts.

"Imagine the second hand of a clock going around, and then this movement of color, assuming there will be some spillage," said Mundy. "It's also a lot of work. Like three-and-a-half hours of a ‘bucket brigade,'" he added.

Roylance stressed the importance of such a presentation on Vassar's gender conscious campus: "I think the performance asks a lot of fabulous questions, especially for Vassar women, about what our role is in the 21st century and where we've been located on the artistic scale," she said.

The goal of these Late Night programs is to push the gallery experience and the questions that go along with it into a completely new sphere outside of the museum.

In addition, the FLLAC will also be hosting "Insights on Site" during the day. This weekly noontime lecture series will take art outside of the museum, and professors outside of the classroom. "We're asking faculty to talk about places on campus," said Roylance. Professor of Art History Nick Adams will discuss the quadrangle intersection near Rockefeller Hall, Mundy will explore the sculptural decorations on Taylor Hall and Professor of Chemistry Chris Smart will examine a stained glass window in the Chapel. The program is an innovative alternative to "The Artful Dodger," an in-museum lecture series that took place last year.

"Kaleidoscope: Interdisciplinary Views on Art" will take a work of art out of the traditional museum setting to promote its original purpose. Professor of Art Tyler Rowland will recreate a 13th century image of the Madonna and Child from the FLLAC's collection. This model will then be processed through Vassar's Chapel as it would have been during medieval times. The Vassar Camerata will accompany the procession with sacred music.  

"We'll bring together five faculty members of different disciplines to focus on one piece of art," said Mundy. Professors from the English, Chemistry, History, Art History and Visual Arts Departments will all bring their unique perspectives to the program.

"For me, as an art historian, as an educator, and as someone who really enjoys going in museums, to see a work utilized, not on a wall, and not in a case, is only going to make it better when it's back in the gallery," said Roylance.

Upcoming FLLAC events will put a creative spin on art outside the museum; however, come January 2011, the FLLAC's grand opening will greet visitors with a completely fresh installation of works inside the museum.

"We'll still have the same collection, but we're going to reorganize the progression of the galleries. What were the three temporary prints galleries will be replaced with a permanent installation of our 19th century American works, the Magoon collection," said Mundy. "The Hudson River school is more suited towards that kind of domestic, intimate presentation," he added.

Karen Lucic, Art History Professor and Hudson River School specialist, comments, "I think that [the organization] could work wonderfully to orient the new visitor to the history of the collection and really forefront American art."

To reinstall the collections, Mundy turned the FLLAC's curatorial team. "There are key works of art you want to have out there," he said. "For every new work we introduce, something else has to disappear. Those decisions get to be very interesting because you have to gauge the impact of moving a work that perhaps has played a role because you think a new work will play a more significant role. It creates a lot of conversation," he explained.

What is perhaps most exciting is the experience and insight students will bring back to the galleries after having been away from them. According to Roylance, "When we come back in January, suddenly we'll have a whole new set of questions from outside to bring in."    

Immediate access to such a dynamic collection has been a longstanding luxury for Vassar's students and faculty alike; however, in the face of much needed construction, necessity is the mother of invention.  The FLLAC's staff has no doubt taken an innovative approach to turning their lemons into lemonade.