Cranbrook Art Museum - Network Exhibitions


Think Again! The Presence of the Past in Contemporary Art Through October 15, 2006 DeSalle Gallery Think Again! Explores the ways in which artists in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have looked simultaneously to the past and the present. Inspired both by earlier artistic traditions and by the modern period in which they were created, the works on display are rich with layers of historical reference, yet are thoroughly original and inventive rather than imitative. Through these works, artists ranging from Carl Milles and Eliel Saarinen to Ed Rossbach and Duane Hanson implicitly argue for the continuing vitality of the traditions that inspired them, while their own works continue to resonate for twenty-first century viewers. Think Again! explores artistic concepts and themes originating in several different traditions, including Pre-Columbian, Islamic, Ancient Greek, Indian, Asian, and Medieval art, and traces the ways that contemporary artists have borrowed and reinterpreted these themes as a means of engaging with their own culture and time period. Think Again! is curated by Rebecca Elliot, Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow, Cranbrook Art Museum.
FURTHER READING >>
Download .pdf from The Gallery Guide with extensive research information about Think Again! The Presence of the Past in Contemporary Art.
CREDITS >>
Think Again! The Presence of the Past in Contemporary Art was organized by Cranbrook Art Museum and curated by Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow Rebecca Elliot. Special thanks to Mark Coir, Leslie Edwards, Diane Schmale, Angela Riedel, Mira Burack and the staff of the Cranbrook Archives; Kevin Kelly and the staff of Cranbrook Institute of Science; Abigail Newbold and the installation crew at Cranbrook Art Museum; editor Dora Apel; and designer Kelli Miller (CAA MFA in 2D Design, 2006). Cranbrook Art Museum's 2005-2006 Exhibition Season, including Think Again!, is generously sponsored by LaSalle Bank. Think Again! also is presented at Cranbrook with the support of the 2005-2006 Museum Committee of Cranbrook Art Museum including Adele Acheson, Maggie Allesee, John Berry, Jonathan Boos, Deborah Bragman, Maxine Frankel, Ralph Graham, Stanley Grandon, John Henke, Jonathan Holtzman, Diane Kirkpatrick, David Klein, Til Klem, Wendy MacGaw, Diane VanderBeke Mager, James Nichols, Michael Poris, Ruth Rattner, Cathy Rosenthal, Jane Schulak, Gilbert Silverman, Ronald Swanson, and Gary Wasserman. Cranbrook Art Museum also is supported by the contributors to the Annual Fund of both Cranbrook Academy of Art and Cranbrook Art Museum, the fund-raising activites of ArtMembers@Cranbrook, including both Fanfare and Serious Moonlight, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Cranbrook Art Museum is a non-profit contemporary art museum, and an integral part of Cranbrook Academy of Art, a community of artists-in-residence and graduate-level students of art, design and architecture. Cranbrook Academy of Art and Cranbrook Art Museum are a part of Cranbrook Educational Community, which also includes Cranbrook’s Institute of Science, Schools and other affiliated cultural and educational programs. Cranbrook Art Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums. For information call toll free 1-877-GO-CRANBrook (1-877-462-7262). To become a member of ArtMembers@Cranbrook call 248-645-3032. Museum Hours Wednesday through Sunday, 11am – 5pm Fourth Fridays, 11am – 9pm Closed Mondays and Tuesdays and the following holidays during the exhibition: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Day, New Year’s Eve and Day Cranbrook Art Museum Members: Free! Adults: $6 Full-Time Students with ID and Teens 13 and over: $4 Senior Citizens (65+): $4 Children 12 and under: Free! No credit cards accepted Personal checks welcomed U.S. currency only For more information, please call 1.877.GO.CRANBrook. (1.877.462.7262)