George Nelson & Jill Downen Exhibitions opening

white logo

George Nelson:

Architect, Writer, Designer, Teacher

February 3 - May 8, 2011

George Nelson (1908-1986) was one of the most influential figures in American design during the second half of the twentieth century. With an architectural degree from Yale, he was not only active in the fields of architecture and design but also a widely respected writer and publicist, lecturer, curator, and a passionate photographer.

George Nelson: Architect, Writer, Designer, Teacher celebrates the birth of this iconic American designer, who would have turned 100 in 2008. Organized by the Vitra Design Museum to commemorate this occasion, the exhibition is the first comprehensive retrospective of Nelson's work. It includes over 120 three-dimensional objects, including examples of chairs, benches, desks, cabinets, lamps, and clocks as well as over 50 historical documents, including drawings, photographs, architectural models, and films. The exhibition is divided into five subject areas. Numerous furnishings by Nelson from the collection of the Vitra Design Museum-not only classics but also lesser known pieces-form the core of the exhibition.

Nelson's office produced numerous furnishings and interior designs that became modern classics, including the Coconut Chair (1956), the Marshmallow Sofa (1956), the Ball Clock (1947) and the Bubble Lamps (1952 onwards). As design director at Herman Miller, a leading US manufacturer of modern furniture design, Nelson had a major influence on the product line and public image of the company for over two decades. He played an essential role in bringing the company together with designers such as Charles Eames, Alexander Girard, and Isamu Noguchi. Early on, Nelson was convinced that design should be an integral part of a company's philosophy, and by promoting this viewpoint, he also became a pioneer in the areas of business communication and corporate design. More.

An exhibition of

the Vitra Design

Museum,

Weil am Rhein,

Germany. This Exhibition

has been

generously

sponsored by

Herman Miller

Jill Downen: COUNTERPARTS
Now on view
3rd Floor

Born in 1967 in Belleville, Illinois, Jill Downen maintains her studio in St. Louis, Missouri. She holds a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA as a Danforth Scholar from Washington University in St. Louis. Since completing her appointment at Washington University as the Wallace Herndon-Smith Distinguished Visiting Assistant Professor in 2008, Downen has pursued art practice full-time. Downen is a 2010 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow.

Jill Downen's visual art focuses on the interdependent relationship between the human body and architecture expressed in temporal installations, drawings, and models. Her art envisions a place of symbiotic relation between the human bodily composition and architecture, where the exchanging forces and tensions of construction, deterioration, and restoration emerge as thematic possibilities. Downen is most known for her large-scale installations, which invite viewers to experience environments that heighten their relation to space.

NEW FRONTIERS:Series for Contemporary Art presents the work of individual contemporary artists and current perspectives in the field. The series was created to provide a framework for the exchange of ideas between the Mu�seum, artists, and the community and to advance the visual arts. NEW FRONTIERS connects the Museum to the international dialogue on contemporary art and emphasizes the impor�tance of the art-of-our-time as a critical and dynamic part of our daily lives.

More online.

Jill Downen at Bruno David Gallery, Interview by William Griffin (2009) from Bruno David Gallery on Vimeo.

About OKCMOA

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art serves over 135,000 visitors annually from all fifty states and over thirty foreign countries and presents exhibitions drawn from throughout the world. The Museum's collection covers a period of five centuries with highlights in European and American art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and a growing collection of contemporary art as well as a comprehensive collection of glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly. The Museum boasts the region's premiere repertoire cinema, which presents the finest international, independent, and classic films. Amenities include the Museum School, which offers classes for students of all ages as well as art camps for children; a library; the Museum Store, a roof terrace, and the Museum Cafe, a full-service restaurant, offering lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch, afternoon tea, a full bar, and catering services.

Visitor Information

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is located in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City's Arts District, at 415 Couch Drive. Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Third Thursdays during winter months, 10am-8pm for Art After 5pm. $5 after 8pm. The Museum is closed on Monday and major holidays. (405) 236-3100. Admission is $12 adults, $10 seniors and students with ID, $5 military with ID. Children 5 and under and Museum members receive free admission. Cafe hours are Sunday Brunch, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Monday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (405) 235-6262.