Maryna Bilak: Caring Hands
September 22, 2019-January 5, 2020
Opening Reception: Sunday, September 22 @ 1:00-3:00 p.m., Remarks at 2:00 p.m.
Maryna Bilak’s art addresses the process of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease – in this case, the artist’s mother-in-law, Dorothy. Bilak explores the different roles that the act of caregiving requires from each person involved. Caring Hands is a series of 18 plaster casts the artist created from hands of those who work with Dorothy. This exhibition will take place on the second floor at Rose Hill.
Guided Artist Talk
Sunday, September 22, Noon-1:00 pm.
Join us before the exhibition opening reception for an artist talk given by Maryna Bilak. Stay for the opening to enjoy this and current exhibitions. Free for Members / $7 General
Jeff Koons One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank
July 14, 2019-January 5, 2020
This May, Jeff Koons set an auction record for the most expensive work by a living artist. The work (Rabbit) was one of a group of sculptures Koons began producing in the 1980s that used actual consumer goods as substitutes for the idea of art as commodity. Among them was the exciting One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (1985). Created with the help of Nobel Prize Winning physicist Richard Feynman, the work features a Spaulding Dr. J Silver Series basketball suspended in the center of a tank of water, seemingly preserved in its motionless state. Koons set out to have, in his words, “a basketball just hover in a state of equilibrium, where all the forces would be equal.” He viewed the basketball as a metaphor for social mobility and used it to address the socio-economic realities of 1980s.
On loan from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and made possible through the support of the Art Bridges Foundation, the Mattatuck presentation will serve to inform visitors of Waterbury’s important place in the history of the sport. Following the creation of the game in 1891 in Springfield, MA by James Naismith, the inventor brought “basketball” to the Waterbury YMCA, the second place the new game was played. A full series of programming focusing on this historical connection, as well as the scientific aspects of the work will be presented while the piece is on view through January 2020.
MIXMASTER Call for Entries
Submission dates: September 23-November 25, 2019
Exhibit dates: January 12-February 23, 2020
The Mattatuck Museum is seeking artist submissions for the 5th annual juried members exhibition, MIXMASTER @ the MATT. Open to submissions by residents of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont 18 years and over who are current members of the Mattatuck Museum. Work must be created within the last three years and not previously exhibited in a Connecticut museum.
MIXMASTER @ the MATT is an exhibition that seeks to discover and recognize the talents of artists working in the region. Initiated to support and recognize contemporary art, MIXMASTER provides an opportunity for established and emerging artists to debut their most recent work. The Mattatuck looks forward to highlighting the work of its artist members. Works will be judged by Richard Michelson, Owner, Michelson Gallery, Northampton, the largest commercial gallery in western Massachusetts. Submissions are taken online through CaFÉ at https://www.callforentry.org/ only. Late submissions will not be accepted. For more information about MIXMASTER contact Chelsea Garth at (203) 753-0381 x113 or chelsea@mattmuseum.org.
To register, please call the Mattatuck Museum at (203) 753-0381 x130 or visit online at mattmuseum.org
The Mattatuck Museum is in the midst of a capital campaign to fund a renovation and expansion project for their building. Construction is scheduled to take approximately one year. During this time, the Museum will be temporarily relocated to Rose Hill, a historic house located at 63 Prospect Street. A portion of the Museum’s permanent collection will be on view, as well as a special exhibit on the history of Rose Hill and the three families that lived there historically – the Chase, Welton, and Scovill families. Museum staff also plans to offer a series of special programs and events throughout the construction period that will take place at Rose Hill and in venues throughout the City of Waterbury. These programs include lectures, tours, pop-up exhibits, and other surprises for members and visitors.
The Mattatuck Museum is operated with support from the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development/CT Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of 21 world-class museums and historic sites (ctarttrail.org). Located on the Green in Waterbury, CT at 63 Prospect Street, the Museum is open Monday through Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m., and the first full weekend of the month, Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 5:00 p.m. Convenient, free parking is located at Rose Hill and in the Museum lot which can be accessed through the Prospect Street gate on Park Place.