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Off the Walls: A Work in Progress

Posted by Andrea Martin on July 27, 2012

One of the most innovative components of the Artist Fellows program is the goal to reveal the process of artistic creation—the weeks (even years) of planning, the evolving ideas, and the constant back-and-forth that foments creativity. Throughout the month of July, Artist Fellow Sarah Wilson and her artistic partners, Catch Me Bird (C. Derrick Jones and Nehara Kalev), have been exhibiting this collaborative process as they work together to produce Off the Walls. A multimedia performance that melds Wilson’s dynamic jazz-oriented music with Catch Me Bird’s dance and aerial performances, Off the Walls is inspired by the painter Aaron Douglas, whose painting Aspiration is a highlight of the de Young’s American painting collection.

Sarah Wilson and Catch Me Bird

Artist Fellow Sarah Wilson with C. Derrick Jones and Nehara Kalev of Catch Me Bird

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The Artist’s Archive: Making a Portfolio Work at the de Young Summer Camp

Posted by Eileen Lew Morris on July 26, 2012

“Making art is a building process. You have to set a foundation and then everything else grows steadily from that grounded place.”—Summer Camp Master Artist

Tracing

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Love Letters from the Harlem Renaissance Through the Generations

Posted by Andrea Martin on July 20, 2012

Love Letters from the Harlem Renaissance tells the story of the relationship between Alta Sawyer Douglas and her husband, Harlem Renaissance painter Aaron Douglas. Catch Me Bird’s C. Derrick Jones, the great nephew of this seminal American painter, shares his family’s story with guest blogger Elspeth Michaels. Tonight at Friday Nights at the de Young Jones will speak about the factors that propelled his great uncle to establish himself as one of the 20th century's visionary artists. This fall Catch Me Bird, in collaboration with Artist Fellow Sarah Wilson, will premiere a brand new production inspired by the art of Douglas entitled Off the Walls. The performance combines music, aerials, and dance as an expression of Douglas's painting Aspiration, which is currently on view in Wilsey Court.

Aspiration

Aaron Douglas (American, 1899–1979). Aspiration, 1936. Oil on canvas. 1997.84

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The Power of Painting at the de Young Summer Art Camp

Posted by Eileen Lew Morris on July 18, 2012

Week four of the de Young Summer Art Camp featured the theme The Power of Painting. Guest blogger Alida Jekabson visited the studios in the tower to report on the young artists’ emerging talents.

Splatter painting

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Totally Totems Take Over the de Young Summer Art Camp

Posted by Eileen Lew Morris on July 12, 2012

Guest-blogger Ashley Harris takes us into the world of "Totally Totems," the theme of week three at the de Young Summer Art Camp.

Group

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Forty Years of Keith

Posted by Colleen Terry on July 10, 2012

The year 2012 represents a milestone for Chuck Close, the Crown Point Press, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s works on paper department, the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts. Chuck Close and Crown Point Press: Prints and Processes, the special exhibition currently on view in the Anderson Gallery, honors these lasting relationships.

Keith1

Trial proof for Keith, 1972. Mezzotint. Crown Point Press Archive, Museum purchase, Bequest of Whitney Warren, Jr. in memory of Mrs. Adolph B. Spreckels. 1991.28.98

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