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March Issue 2006

Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, SC, Offers New Exhibits

The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, SC, will present several new exhibitions including: Jacob Kainen: Works on Paper from the Collection of William Strydesky and Sharon Willick; Sally Bowen Prange: Exploring the Vessel; and JoAnne Anderson: Letting the Painting Lead. All three exhibits will be on view from Mar. 2 through Apr. 23, 2006. The exhibit, The Mapmakers' Art: The Bishop Collection of Antique Maps: 1608-1863, will be on view through Mar. 26, 2006.

Jacob Kainen

Jacob Kainen (1909-2001) began his career as a printmaker, working in a Depression-era graphic arts program of the New York City Works Progress Administration (WPA). He later became known as one of the first abstract artists working in Washington, DC. Collector Bill Srykesky, also an artist, said of Jacob Kainen, "He is my hero - you can quote me on that. Kainen's devotion to art was premiere. His work ethic inspired me."

In addition to his creative endeavors, Kainen held the post of curator of the Division of Graphic Arts at the Smithsonian's United States National Museum from 1942-1970. He is credited for his vision in building the Smithsonian's collection of modern artists during that period, including Daumier, Bonnard, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, the German Expressionists and Jasper Johns.

Following his tenure at the National Museum, Kainen was hired as curator of the department of Prints and Drawings at the Smithsonian's National Collection of Fine Arts from 1966 to 1969.

Sally Bowen Prange

Ceramist Sally Bowen Prange has been called one of the foremost practitioners of her craft in the Southeast, known for her innovative surfaces and re-edged sculptural forms. Her works have been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.

A native of Illinois, Prange describes herself as largely self-taught in ceramics. Using the medium of clay, Prange borrows forms from architecture and from such objects as shipwrecked vessels at the bottom of the sea. Her use of shapes and colors often recall the forms and hues of underwater life seen only by scuba divers.
Prange is also a recognized teacher and lecturer in the art form with academic affiliations at numerous prestigious institutions.

JoAnne Anderson

South Carolina native JoAnne Anderson is an award-winning painter whose extensive training ranges from the University of South Carolina to the prestigious Parsons School of Art and Design in Manhattan, NY.

Best known for her watercolors, Anderson describes her creative method as giving up conscious control and letting the painting lead. "It can be invited and coaxed," she notes, "but never forced."

Anderson's works are displayed in corporate and private collections from Australia and Japan to the US Congress. In addition to a prolific body of work, Anderson has contributed to the advancement of the art of painting through teaching, jurying and presenting art programs at national and regional levels for over 30 years. In her home state, Anderson has served on numerous art boards and commissions, including the Arts Advocacy Committee of the SC Arts Commission.

The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is a wholly nonprofit institution. Components of Museum programs are funded in part by support from the City of Myrtle Beach, the Horry County Council and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Following the discovery of the New World in the 15th century, European mapmakers scrambled to document and map the new territories, using centuries-old technology. In contrast to today's mass-produced, utilitarian maps, early European cartographers recruited renowned painters and miniaturists of their times who created maps that were truly works of art, richly colored and intricately decorated.

In the exhibit, The Mapmakers' Art: The Bishop Collection of Antique Maps: 1608-1863, the Museum will display a collection of these magnificent works. The maps, a 1999 gift from a local entrepreneurial family, are part of the Museum's permanent collection but are only exhibited for short periods of time.

"Being antique works on paper, (the maps) are very susceptible to permanent damage if exposed to light and other environmental conditions for prolonged periods," said curator Kay Teer. "Therefore in an effort to preserve the collection, the museum only exhibits the works for short periods of time."

The collection includes 30 maps plus a selection of complementary historical prints, illustrating what has been termed the golden age of cartography. During that era of rapid discovery - and hence, extensive production of new maps - cities as far-flung as Paris, Amsterdam, Florence, Venice and London competed as mapmaking centers of the world.

Since early maps often relied on unverified and often unreliable information from native populations and other sources, the maps illustrate the evolution of both exploration and documentation of geographical information.

Robert Mills

Among the historic gems included in the collection is an 1825 map of Horry District by Robert Mills, considered the first American architect, and a map created by naturalist Mark Catesby for his celebrated 1731 work A Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands.

"It fascinates viewers to locate area plantations and landmarks existing prior to the Civil War that are still in existence today," Teer added. "The hand-drawn map of Charleston Harbor created in 1861, as well as the engravings of the Charleston area Civil War scenes from Harper's weekly appeal to a wide variety of visitors."

For further information chck our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Museum at 843/238-2510 or at (www.MyrtleBeachArtMuseum.org).

 

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