Auburn museum presents contemporary art, university collections inspired by the Creed's "work" tenet
July 28, 2024
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The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University announces its fall exhibition schedule, which addresses the theme of work in all its forms as visually represented in the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibitions are on view from Tuesday, Aug. 6, to Sunday, Dec. 8. This thematic exploration is directly connected to “The Auburn Creed,” which emphasizes a strong work ethic and investigates the universal and multifaceted aspects of human effort and innovation. Through various media, including painting, photography, and sculpture, objects on view include never-before-seen artist commissions and highlights from university collections.
John Augustus Walker, "Agriculture Moves Onward," 1939, Tempera paint on Canvas, 67 5/16 x 88 3/16 in. The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University; Transfer from Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University.
John Augustus Walker’s “Historical Panorama of Alabama Agriculture” documents the state’s agricultural industry, a cornerstone of the state’s economy. The large-scale murals, produced in 1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration, are a storyboard chronicling Alabama’s first farmer to the technological advances of the day, envisioning the progress of what was then the future. Featuring selections from the historic Advancing American Art Collection, “People at Work” surveys how artists have portrayed labor throughout 20th-century North America, a time of the labor force’s prosperity and advancements in workers’ rights.
Karl Knaths, "Clam Diggers," n.d., Watercolor on paper, 26 3/4 x 26 5/8 x 1 7/8 in. The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University; Advancing American Art Collection.
In its ongoing “Radical Naturalism” series, the museum invites contemporary artists inspired by nature to curate works from the Louise Hauss and David Brent Miller Audubon Collection and exhibit in tandem. Florida-born artist Daniel Newman, who frequently experiments with digital manipulation of images by artificial intelligence, brings his practice into the physical world. In this iteration, he employs animals who paint to create collaborative works that challenge ideas around non-human artists' awareness, reason and intelligence, from several dogs to birds to a monkey named Pockets Warhol.
"Untitled," Daniel Newman with Pockets Warhol, Acrylic on Canvas, 16”H x 20”W x 5/8”D (Unframed), 2023, Courtesy of the artist; Photo by Ruben Diaz.
“The Golden Record,” the debut solo exhibition from artist Rachel Libeskind, gathers relics of daily life, prompting reflection on the significance of everyday roles and responsibilities and what those communicate about human existence. Her research-based approach is inspired by Alabama’s NASA connection and the agency’s interstellar time capsule of the same name, launched nearly 50 years ago aboard the Voyager spacecraft. She also includes personal narratives Auburn researchers gathered from sharecroppers who lived on and farmed the land where the campus is now cited.
Museum admission is free. Outreach programs are offered every Thursday and Saturday during the academic year, with offerings for ages three through five on the first Wednesday of the month.
"Schoolhouse/Confessional," Rachel Libeskind, MDF, stretcher bars, original digital collage on projection film, black paint, found objects, original digital print on latex, foam, glue, Dimensions Variable, 2023-2024, Courtesy of the artist; Photo by Mike Cortez.
