Here’s a press release we received at Carolina Arts about a symposium taking place at the Columbia Museum of Art.
In conjunction with the exquisite exhibition, Imperial Splendor: Renaissance Tapestries from Vienna, the Columbia Museum of Art presents a symposium, Tapestries: Then and Now, focusing on the history, manufacture, variety and splendor of tapestries as an art form on Friday, June 11, 2010, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. A distinguished group of speakers, including a tapestry conservator from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, addresses a wide range of topics. Subject matter, use and display, the role of the artist in tapestry design, the revival of tapestry production in the early 20th century, weaving techniques and the conservation of these delicate works of art will be discussed by the scholars.
Tickets are $25 / $20 for members / $5 students and can be purchased online at (www.columbiamuseum.org).
“This is the first time the museum has undertaken a full-day symposium on a topic related to a museum exhibition and I think that the subject of tapestries is a perfect place to start, said chief curator and curator of European art Dr. Todd Herman. “The use, production and beauty of tapestries are little known today even though they were the leading indicators of wealth, power and prestige in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. While tapestries have been eclipsed by paintings and sculpture as the most valued art objects from these periods, tapestries were far more costly and highly regarded as indicators of position and power. This symposium will not only introduce the audience to the important role tapestries played in the Renaissance, but also discusses the revival of tapestry design at the beginning of the 20th century by such major artists as Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Anni Albers and Alexander Calder.”
Speaker Schedule (This is a framework – schedule subject to change.) A question and answer session will follow each lecture.
9:00 a.m. - Check-in and coffee
9:30 a.m. - Todd Herman, Ph.D., Chief Curator and Curator of European Art, Columbia Museum of Art Introduction – Imperial Splendor: Renaissance Tapestries from Vienna.
10:00 a.m. – Ward Briggs, Ph.D., Professor (retired), Department of Classics, The University of South Carolina – Romulus and Remus: Origins of an Original Legend.
11:00 a.m. -Carlton Hughes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Art History, University of South Carolina History – Metaphor, Narrative: Storytelling in the Romulus and Remus Tapestries.
12:00 p.m. – Dirk Holger, tapestry artist and historian – The Art of Tapestry: Style Development through 2,000 Years.
1:00 p.m. - Lunch on Your Own
2:30 p.m. – Olha Yarema-Wynar, Assistant Conservator, Department of Textile Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Lessons from the Rose Tapestry: Conservation Techniques from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
3:30 p.m. -Virginia Gardner Troy, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History, Berry College (Georgia) – Weaving Modern Art: The Marie Cuttoli Tapestries and the Pictorial Weavings of Anni Albers 1920-1960.
The symposium is made possible through a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, with additional funding provided by Family Medicine Centers of South Carolina.
Imperial Splendor marks the first time these centuries-old tapestries have traveled to the United States. Each of these eight exquisite tapestries, intricately crafted, measures from 11- to 12-feet high and from 12- to 18-feet long. The palace-sized tapestries came to the Kunsthistorisches Museum from the collections of King Matthias (Holy Roman Emperor 1612-1619) and King Francis I (1708-1765).
In addition, speaker Dick Holger leads a gallery talk entitled How Were They Made? on Saturday, June 12, 2010, from 11:00 a.m. until noon. Weaving demonstrations by Tommye Scanlin and Pat Williams begin at noon. Both are free with admission or membership.
For further information call the Museum at 803/799-2810 or visit (www.columbiamuseum.org).
