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On left, Museum Educator Bari Martz prepares the medium
while Educational Programs Coordinator Maria Brueggeman assists. |
In preparation for an upcoming teacher in-service entitled "Portraits: Express Yourself," the Education Department made paper-pulp portraits. The workshop will be held at the Museum on February 4th and is open to all art teachers, K through 5th grade. Participants will learn about portraits in the Museum’s Permanent Collection and be inspired to create their own portraits, as well as customize lesson plans provided by the Education Department. The Museum’s Education Department is proud to offer professional development for teachers throughout the year.
Curator of Education, Claire Clum describes her experience of preparing the paper-pulp portraits.
“People marvel at the caliber and frequency in which the Boca Raton Museum of Art provides programming for our community. It all stems from creative staff that plans well and supports each other. The Education Department works together as a team and helps to make each program the best that it can be. I took this photo on my phone after I dried my wet, pulpy hands. I couldn't resist blogging about it as I am so proud of the work we accomplish!”
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CHUCK CLOSE- (American, born Monroe, WA, 1940- )
Keith, 1982, Stenciled linen pulp on cotton base sheet,
pigment, 35 x 26 ¾ inches, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur
Steinman. Permanent Collection PC1993.302
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The paper-pulp portraits were created in the style of acclaimed contemporary artist Chuck Close, who manipulated prepared scraps of homemade papers into impressive, painterly portraits of a variety of subjects, including his friend and fellow artist, Keith Hollingsworth.
Keith (1982), part of the Museum’s Permanent Collection and currently on view on the second floor galleries, is a superb example of the medium. Keith is based on a large-scale 1970 grisaille (rendered in shades of gray) painting of Keith Hollingworth. Hollingworth was a sculptor Close became friends with while they both taught at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 1982, Close reworked the portrait, experimenting with different materials and techniques, including paper-pulp.
Close remarked on his portraiture in a 1970 interview:
“I am not trying to make facsimiles of photographs. Neither am I interested in the icon of the head as a total image. I don't want the viewer to see the whole head at once and assume that that's the most important aspect of my painting. I am not making Pop personality posters like the ones they sell in the Village. That's why I choose to do portraits of my friends –individuals that most people will not recognize. I don't want the viewer to recognize the head of Castro and think he has understood my work."
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