The Butler Institute of American Art is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019! There are plans for special exhibits and events throughout the year. Founded in 1919 by Joseph G. Butler, Jr., The Butler Institute of American Art is the first museum of American art. The original structure is a McKim, Mead and White architectural masterpiece listed on the National Register of Historic places. Known worldwide as “America’s Museum”, the museum’s collection totals over 20,000 pieces in all media, and spans four centuries of work. Plan a visit!
EXHIBITIONS
Paul Ching-Bor: Dramatized Propositions
September 22 – End of 2019
This exhibition of 10 large scale paintings by contemporary painter, Paul Ching-Bor reveals the artists daring exploration of watercolor, while expressing how the contrasting dark and light spirit of life in New York City has inspired him. These haunting images of buildings, bridges and tunnels are quietly intense in their bleakness. The dark and heavy surfaces interrupted by soft, streaked or radiant light, in these cityscapes demonstrate how Ching-Bor’s bold and dynamic approach to watercolor defies the naturally delicate and transparent qualities of the medium. The art of Paul Ching-Bor makes us realize that real talent is indeed a very rare gift. This is an artist who observes the world around him and beautifully alters that world by pulling out and revealing the underlying substance of his subjects. No one can paint the city or capture its energy as remarkably as Paul Ching-Bor. Learn more
Mark Perrott: Ancient Ink
Extended through December 29, 2019
Mark Perrott has spent decades documenting the ever-expanding tribe of tattooed Americans. He made his first portraits at Island Avenue Tattoo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1979, and since then has explored tattoo parlors all across America. In his current series, ANCIENT INK, Perrott turns his camera to the now increasing tribe of highly decorated, aging, and graying baby boomers. Through large scale (50”x50”) photographs and accompanying interviews, Perrott introduces the viewer to dozens of individuals, including Jim, a retired city planner and “ink addict” from the 1970s; Marge, a 74 year-old former Cleveland police officer; and Henry, an 87 year-old WWII era Navy veteran. “These subjects,” Perrott says, “speak of resilience, loss, transformation, mystery, and the emancipation that sometimes comes with growing old.” The exhibition is on view in Flad B Gallery in Beecher Center. Learn more
Pastel Society of America: 47th Annual Exhibition
December 22, 2019 – February 23, 2020
This exhibition, drawn from The Pastel Society of America’s annual fall exhibition, features works by some of the nation’s premier pastel painters. The Pastel Society of America (PSA) is the oldest organization of its kind in the nation. A primary mandate of the PSA is to provide a forum for the exhibition of works by the most accomplished pastel artists in the United States and abroad. Since 1972, the PSA Annual Exhibition: Enduring Brilliance!, held at the National Arts club in New York City, has been the premier event for pastel artists worldwide. Each year, the Butler shows selected works from the annual PSA show in the museum’s Giffuni Pastel Gallery. Learn more