john mallery - kc collector

    Print society member John Mallery, a self-described new collector, although he’s already amassed @ 80 prints in the short time he’s been collecting, gave a spirited talk to society members describing how he discovered the Print Society and the world of print collecting. He has particularly become interested in early 20^th century American print artists including the Prairie Print Makers.                

John talked about the evolving nature of being a collector and how his son has joined him in this collecting passion. He talked about how being a member of the Print Society has opened up a new world of interest which he pursues through Society events, visiting museums throughout the country and all the books he has purchased to research his areas of interest.  paul sokoloff

Just do it!!  Jump right in. Many misconceptions will be shattered. Love what you collect -- "it's all personal." Learn as you collect; ask questions; you will be surprised how many will help you along the way.   paula winchester 

Everyone enjoyed John’s presentation which was both humorous and informative, and less anxiety provoking than a knife throwing demonstration (which is a professional side line of his).  paul sokoloff

1 of 2 videos  24 minutes.   It is standing room only in the Nelson Atkins training room Thursday evening. Justin Rogers speaks on the Diego Rivera lithograph commissioned by the Nelson Atkins Print Society.
Program coordinator Robin Gross introduces John Mallery as a husband, a father, a grandfather, an art historian in training. A man of a thousand faces. Also professional knife thrower and comedian on Youtube. Today, though, he is founder of a computer forensics company. His world is very technically-oriented. Some of the professional training he does for his peers include: Surviving Mobile Forensics, System Administration for SQL Servers 7.0, and Marsware Basic Computer Forensic Analysis. He is a new print collector and tonight he wants to talk about NUDES, COWS AND CLOWNS, adventures in print collecting.  24 minutes


2 of 2 videos        24 minutes

According to Mallery, his talk describes the "birth of a collector" from the very first impulsive purchase and on to more informed and personal collecting choices.

The presenter will share how his experiences as a marine biologist, traveling entertainer, and move to the Midwest influenced his collection. (courtesy of John Mallery)

 

Comments provided by Paul Sokoloff and Paula Winchester.
Video taping and uploading to Youtube format provided by Eric Lehnert.

jan schall - nelson atkins print tour

Curator Jan Schall described "Lipstick (Ascending) On Caterpillar Tracks"

 as the second version drawing of the first monument that Claus Oldenberg did.

 

Members inspect the Oldenburg work close up Thursday night.

 

 

       Twenty members learned that "thematic exhibitions" are assembled from the large print collection at the museum. Viewers can see new print exhibits EVERY TWO MONTHS, as prints are rotated throughout the building.

 

 

       In the older portion of the Nelson Atkins Museum there are three locations to view works on paper, according to Jan Schall, Sanders Sosland Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, and our tour guide Thursday night.

       The European prints are always on display on the first floor in the back by the doorway to the park. This is in the southeast section of the building. This was where we viewed the Mythological Subjects. Also on that floor but around the corner in the very corner is the small gallery, where we viewed Feminine Mystique. The American wing is on the second floor in the northeast corner. In that hallway we viewed the Impressions of the Southwest and Mexico. 

 

        In regard to the European exhibit, Schall explained that engravings of that day were how information got spread around. People would learn from the subject of the prints. Architecture, animals, plant life, and events were depicted in the etched or engraved scenes. Those ink impressions were from the 16th and 17th centuries.

 

Schall explained the Feminine Mystique as a theme for a variety

of lithographs, etchings, and other ink impression on paper to be shown.

 

 

Double click to enlarge images.

  

 

      The American Southwest and Mexico have long enchanted artists. In the early 20th century, this region of the United States as well as our neighbor to the south became particularly popular among American artists. A growing tourism industry, a burgeoning field of anthropology and the Arts and Crafts Movement combined to find interest in the Southwest and Mexico. Many of the artists whose work appears in this rotation travelled to New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Mexico in search of inspiration. Through lithographs, woodcuts, etchings, and photographs their impressions highlight scenes of everyday life, ritual, traditions and popular entertainment, in addition to iconic architecture, varied landscapes, and diverse people.

      The Nelson Atkins' American art collection has some 600 works on paper by many of the country's most revered artists. Installations in this gallery rotate every six months in order to display the variety of the collection and to protect it from overexposure to damaging light. Showcasing the breadth of media, techniques, styles and themes, these rotating installations convey the engaging possibilities of art on paper.  (Introduction, courtesy of Museum)

My excitement was high. I was face to face with nuggets I had been searching for. Missing pieces to an ongoing puzzle. My interest is in Alfred Fowler. In 1932 he selected contemporary woodcuts for a unique traveling exhibit. Ray Bethers, Jessiejo Eckford, Ruth Saunders, and Fred Geary  were in his first annual exhibit. You can view that exhibit, click HERE and HERE.. It was the Clairece Black, Betty Stoner, and John Lawrence Stoner woodcuts that raised one question: which year did their work tour? Was it 1933, 1935, or 1939?   karl marxhausen

 

        Due to the delicate nature of the paper that ink impressions are on, works are exhibited for limited amounts of time. Works can deteriorate when exposed to too much light. As it is, works may be seen for up to six months. They spend five years in storage.

 

        With such a large collection, one wonders how often the unknown prints are rotated out to be viewed.

 

Jan Schall, Sanders Sosland Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, holds a doctorate in art history from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in art history from Washington University in St. Louis.  She led the group through the existing exhibitions through out the museum to view prints currently on display. (courtesy of Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, http://www.nelson-atkins.org/welcome/PressRoom_CuratorBio.cfm, accessed Sept. 29, 2013)

More on Print Collection at http://www.nelson-atkins.org/collections/collection-history-Prints.cfm
(accessed Sept.29, 2013)

Tour took place July 11th, 2013.