News
University of Richmond Museums
Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art * Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center
Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature
Richmond, Virginia 23173
http://museums.richmond.edu

Contacts: Heather Campbell, Curator of Museum Programs, University Museums, 804-287-6324, hcampbel@richmond.edu or Brian Eckert, Director of Media and Public Relations, 804-287-6659, beckert@richmond.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 6, 2010


UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND MUSEUMS OPENS
BEST IN SHOW: STAFFORDSHIRE DOGS FROM THE COLLECTION



Best in Show: Staffordshire Dogs from the Collection will be on view at the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, University of Richmond Museums, from April 9, 2010, to September 25, 2011.  The exhibition highlights the museum's collection of porcelain dogs from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The decorative dogs originated in Staffordshire, England, a county in the west of the country with a rich heritage of successful potteries. Molded porcelain figures were mass-produced in late-nineteenth-century England, at a time when the production techniques of the Industrial Revolution combined with the decorative style of Victorian England.

Staffordshire potteries produced a huge variety of wares, from china plates to figurines of historical figures to dogs.  The middle class became the primary market for reasonably-priced Staffordshire dogs. Different breeds, sizes, and styles were produced, though the Staffordshire spaniel remains the most widely produced of all dog breeds. The exhibition, featuring Staffordshire dogs ranging in height from four and a half inches to fourteen inches, and dating from 1845 to the mid-twentieth century, are selected from a recent gift to the museum's permanent collection from Fletcher Stiers, Richmond College class of 1948, University of Richmond.

In the nineteenth century, many small potteries were molding porcelain dogs. Most figures bear no markings to indicate the original maker, which suggests that potters did not differentiate their wares from that of other potters once it was being marketed to the public. Staffordshire County is home to widely successful potteries like Wedgewood and Minton. But it was a group of smaller potteries, including Sampson-Smith and Parr-Kent, which made a decorative phenomenon out of porcelain canine companions that were considered by the buying public to add warmth to the interior of their homes.

The exhibition features a selection of dogs that illustrate variations in style over time. Several "fairings" are included; these small simply molded figures got their name because of their use as prizes at fairs. These little spaniels are contrasted with figures like the larger Sadler-Burslem pair, which has the unusual characteristic of a factory mark, dating them to sometime after 1899, the year the Sadler-Burslem factory opened.  Many dogs in the museum's collection are single figures that are meant to be paired with a symmetrical dog and placed on the mantel. A few pieces contain groupings, such as the mantelpiece decoration depicting a clock with three dogs surrounding it, which dates to around 1855.

Today, Staffordshire dogs have regained popularity with collectors and antique dealers.  Because most of the dog figures do not indicate the date of their production, several important characteristics of a traditional nineteenth-century spaniel are emphasized throughout the exhibition. Several changes in production methods in the twentieth century led to notable changes in the appearance of Staffordshire dogs, including type of molding, coloring, and style of facial features. Collectors and antique dealers use these characteristics to place Staffordshire dogs appropriately in history.

Organized by the University of Richmond Museums, the exhibition was co-curated by Richard Waller, Executive Director, University Museums, and Grace Leonard, '12, anthropology major, University of Richmond, and Collections and Curatorial Assistant, University Museums.


PROGRAMMING

Friday, April 9, 2010, 1:30-2 p.m.
Curator's Talk: Best in Show: Staffordshire Dogs from the Collection, Lora Robins Gallery
"Spaniel on the Mantel: Dog Figurines in the Victorian Home,"
Grace Leonard, '12, anthropology major, University of Richmond, Collections and Curatorial Assistant, University Museums, and co-curator of the exhibition



FEED ME ART: 2010 SENIOR THESIS EXHIBITION
OPENS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND MUSEUMS
AND RUSSELL/PROJECTS ANNEX



Feed Me Art: 2010 Senior Thesis Exhibition is on view concurrently in two locations, from April 16 to May 9, 2010, at the Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums, and at Russell/ Projects Annex @ Plant Zero, Richmond. The senior thesis exhibition is the capstone experience for graduating studio art majors in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Richmond. This year's exhibition includes art works by Jonathan Ashe, Megan Bell, Leigh Donahue, Anthony Ferguson, Ashley Foxen, John Frey, and Amy Mathis.

Artist Statements:

Jonathan Ashe: "Bananas to the Regal"

Art for me has always been the most natural outlet to express my thoughts and emotions. I hope that through the graphic novel that I have created I can inspire the minds of others to challenge their outlook on the world. In those who share a similar vision to myself, I aim to help shape their ideas into more concrete visual form.


Megan Bell: "Distortion of the Urban Landscape"

In my work I create scenes of an alternate reality through printmaking and collage. These images often evoke dreamlike states and fragments of memory, drawing physical and conceptual connections between the unexpected. Using these methods, my thesis work looks closely at urban environments and challenges their physical composition and structure. Combining images from cityscapes and urban life with objects and images from my memory, I create an invented, surreal landscape that is entirely fictional.


Leigh Donahue: "What We Overlook"

This body of work explores aspects of nature that are normally passed by unnoticed.  I group large format digital photographs at varying angles and depths to create a new rhythm in the work and an interesting movement for the eyes to follow.  My work also reflects my own attempts to have a greater appreciation for my surroundings.


Anthony Ferguson: "Spiritual Struggle Through Comic Fragmentation"

In my paintings I employ cartoon-language in reference to challenging aspects of Christian theology. Through the use of stark contrast, grotesque form, large-scale surfaces, and vibrating colors, I seek to present the viewer with universally accessible questions regarding corruption, confusion, and separation from God.


Ashley Foxen: "Mind Your Manners"

The purpose of my work is to capture people's character with photography. I photograph both the conscious and subconscious gestures and mannerisms of my subjects, intently looking for what their body language alludes to their personalities during conversation and everyday life. These photographs create an increasingly interesting photographic experiment on how human personality is a subconscious but visible entity.


John Frey: "Life in a Box"

Space can be defined by its perimeter, but more importantly it can be defined by its function in its environment. My ideas of space are driven by architecture, both basic and complex, with a desire to use recycled objects as building blocks for my structures. My art is about exploring the functionality of design as it pertains to sustainable practices. My video records the narrative of my structure from construction to its function.


Amy Mathis: "Utterances of Broken Space"

My work revolves around the question of my true place in the world. It visually responds to the ambiguity that comes out of jumbled ideas of home, mistranslation and language barriers, unfamiliar environments, and lingering nostalgia. It relies on me dissecting my memory and creating sculptural installations that incorporate momentos of my recent past to represent my culturally mutated identity. These formations become compilations of fragments, made up of materials that range from worthless trash to highly technical devices. Through them I try to retrace my steps in time and space by playing with their construction and purpose.


The studio art majors work throughout their senior year to prepare for this exhibition. In the fall, the students focus on creating a cohesive body of work that supports a developed thesis. The spring semester is spent organizing the exhibition by completing their artwork, refining artist and thesis statements, documenting their artwork, applying for fellowships, and engaging in critiques. The yearlong course was taught in the fall by Erling Sjovold, Associate Professor of Art, University of Richmond, and in the spring by Richard Waller, Executive Director, University of Richmond Museums.

Throughout the undergraduate studio art program, students are required to take classes in a variety of media. By their senior year, each student has a diverse portfolio of work and has begun to develop a personal style. The senior thesis class provides an opportunity for the students to use what they have learned to create their own work and present it in a professional manner. The art produced for the senior thesis class is created specifically for the final exhibition. The blog link for the class is http://honorsthesisexhibition.wordpress.com/

Feed Me Art was organized by the University of Richmond Museums and the Department of Art and Art History in collaboration with Russell/Projects.


PROGRAMMING

Artist Talks
Friday, April 16, 3:15 to 4:45 p.m.
Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts
3:15 p.m.  Bananas to the Regal, presented by Jonathan Ashe
3:30 p.m.  Distortion of the Urban Landscape, presented by Megan Bell
3:45 p.m.  What We Overlook, presented by Leigh Donahue
4:00 p.m.  Spiritual Struggle Through Comic Fragmentation, presented by Anthony Ferguson
4:15 p.m.  Mind Your Manners, presented by Ashley Foxen
4:30 p.m.  Life in a Box, presented by John Frey
4:45 p.m.  Utterances of Broken Space, presented by Amy Mathis

(The talks are presented as part of the University of Richmond, School of Arts and Sciences Symposium,
from 1 to p.m. The School of Arts and Sciences hosts the Student Symposium every spring, which showcases hundreds of student research projects from across the disciplines.)

Artist Reception
Friday, April 16, 8 to 10 p.m.
Opening reception and preview of the exhibition Feed Me Art: 2010 Senior Thesis Exhibition
Russell/Projects Annex @ Plant Zero, Zero East 4th Street, #44, Richmond


All exhibitions and programs are open to the public and free of charge.


Note: Images for press are available by contacting Heather Campbell, 804-287-6324 or hcampbel@richmond.edu

University of Richmond Museums comprises the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, the Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center, and the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature. Admission to all museums is free and open to the public. For group visits and tours, please call 804-287-6424 at least two weeks prior to your visit for reservations. Call 804-289-8276 for information and directions or visit our website at museums.richmond.edu

The Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art is located in the George M. Modlin Center for the Arts. Museum hours:  (1/12/10 through 4/25/10): Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 pm. Summer hours (4/28-5/14/10): Wednesday through Friday, 1 to 4 p.m. Closed Summer Break (5/15-8/17/10).

The Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center is also located in the George M. Modlin Center for the Arts. Museum hours: (1/12/10 through 4/7/10): Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 3 pm., and by appointment (804-287-6424). Closed same schedule as above.

The Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature is located in a separate wing of the Boatwright Memorial Library with its entrance on Richmond Way. Museum hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11am to 5pm; Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 5 pm. Closed Independence Day weekend (7/3-6/09).


Russell/Projects is located in the Plant Zero Arts Building in downtown Richmond, on Hull Street Road between 3rd and 4th Streets, in suite 44. Entrance is via the main entrance to Plant Zero on 4th Street.  Free public parking is available in the adjacent lot on Hull Street Road between 4th and 5th Streets.

Russell/Projects is open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 12-5 p.m. and by appointment.