Folio goes to the Cummer

When Folio Weekly announced its call for artists for its inaugural art show, I admit, a derisive chuckle may have escaped. Though Folio has been a long-time supporter of the arts, their focus has always been music. Or so it seems to me (and I used to write for them).

I then did a little research on the gentleman selected to be juror, Folio Weekly Art Director W. Kelley Lucas. I’d heard good things about him, however, looking at is work, which seems to have greater ties to comic, illustration, and satirical traditions, I arrogantly thought that the bent exhibited in his work would be evident in the show selections.

Though there is a distinct lowbrow/underground vibe to the show that could arguably be linked to Lucas’s personal aesthetic, as a whole, the show is thoughtful and surprising. And perhaps most exciting of all, there are several artists on display whose work I was not familiar with.

Franklin Matthews’s muddy green landscapes seem to consciously defy the clear, white-blue light so often depicted in NE FL landscapes. Almost tangibly hazy, the works seem quickly, but confidently executed and the boggy sensations the paintings evoke make me want to check my shoes for mud.

Clay Doran, the alter-ego of the artist Squid-dust presented two works which are based on the decay of the urban landscape. Using rickety window casings with the glass still intact adds to the feeling that Doran has rescued the piece from the “city floor,” and through a change of context reinvented it.

Edmund Dansart’s work is also evolving. His palette and brushstokes, though still conveying a great deal of agitation bow to the greater impact of his work as a whole. Which accomplishes much more through sly humor than his earlier grimmer and more narrative works did.

Overall, though I’d say the show displays what might be described as a Folio-esque aesthetic, it hangs together well….and even in that lowbrow-ish bent is still very much in keeping with values and interests that former director Maarten van de Guchte took the museum in. Specifically his interests in Americana and folk art.

Featured artists include:
• Brian Gray
• Casey Matthews
• Chad Landenberger
• Clay Doran
• Daryl Bunn
• David Hansford
• Edmund Dansart
• Matt Abercrombie
• Franklin Matthews
• James Greene
• Jose Cue
• Leigh-Ann Sullivan
• Christina Foard
• Logan Zawacki
• Mark Estlund
• Matthew Bennett
• Sarah Crooks Flaire
• Zac Freeman

Goodbyes

Currently, I am on the road, however, when the information that Cummer Museum Director Maarten van de Guchte passed my desk, I thought I'd post it.

From the Cummer: Dr. Maarten van de Guchte has announced his departure after nearly 10 years at the helm of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. “It has been an exciting and successful decade,” said van de Guchte. “The museum has grown in size and visitation has increased dramatically. The Cummer is now by size firmly in the top five art museums in the State of Florida. And it is the second most visited art museum in Florida.”

During van de Guchte’s tenure, the museum increased in size from 68,000 square feet to 102,000 square feet. Through new construction and renovation, the museum added the Thomas H. Jacobsen Gallery of American Art and the Raymond K. and Minerva Mason Gallery. The museum also acquired the adjacent Woman’s Club of Jacksonville as an expansion of its campus and has raised $25 million in capital funds.

Attendance has increased from 90,000 people in 1999 to a peak of 145,000 visitors in 2007. The art collection has enriched with significant artworks such as Gilbert Stuart’s Portrait of George Washington and paintings by Severin Roesen, Frederick Carl Frieseke, Norman Rockwell, Romare Bearden, and Camille Pissarro in addition to Asian works of art. “The Board and the staff have been very active and donors have been very generous. The museum is a better place for it,” said van de Guchte.

Chairman of the Board Edward W. Lane, III praised Maarten van de Guchte’s many contributions to the institution. “He brought an European style to the job. It was a pleasure to work with him. He will be missed,” said Lane.