Gifts from the permanentcollection fill the lower-level galleries with large and small visualtreasures, including work from Pierre Bonnard, Alexander Calder, David Hockney,Roy Lichtenstein, Raphael, Rembrandt and Andy Warhol. The name of each donorappears next to the corresponding works of art.
Fittingly, not all ofthe featured artists are men. Sculptor Louise Nevelson’s Distant Landspeaks with abstract configurations constructed from organic components inpainted wood. Ruth Bernhard’s silver gelatin print In the BoxHorizontal elegantly confines a female nude within anelongated cardboard box, evoking a modern master’s odalisque.
Viewers of “Women Donorsto the Haggerty” can also enjoy Beatrice M. and Patrick Haggerty’s generousdonation, which includes 12 etchings from Marc Chagall’s “Bible” series, manyof which depict wonderfully fluid angels.
Celebrateforward-thinking women and the accomplishments of master artists before theexhibit closes Aug. 15.
In a one-night-onlyevent July 16 at the Milwaukee CatholicHome (2462 N. Prospect Ave.),Shamlu Dudeja comes from Calcutta, India, topresent a lecture/demonstration at 7:30 p.m. on the heritage of Kantha. Thisvenerated quilting technique involves intricate embroidery composed of runningstitches.
Vintage Kantha quiltsstitched from worn sheets and old blankets have been exhibited at Washington, D.C.’sSmithsonian Institution and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. The PhiladelphiaMuseum of Art holds the largest collection of Kantha textiles in its permanentcollections.
At home in Calcutta, Dudejapreserves Kantha’s long legacy under the auspices of Self Help Enterprise, orSHE. The organization has educated more than 5,000 rural Bengalwomen on how to earn money through the age-old embroidery techniques of thisart form.
Dudeja encourages thewomen of SHE to create works that are sought in the United States, be it quilts,bedcovers, wall hangings, or high-fashion clothing like scarves and jackets.SHE efforts and merchandise will be on display and available for purchase forone week, July 14-21, at the Village Bazaar (2201 N. Farwell Ave.).
