Howard Oransky fell upon Ana Mendieta’s artwork by chance forty years ago, inspiring him to curate the first full-scale gallery exhibition of her films. This fall, Covered in Time and History: The Films of Ana Mendieta was on view in Paris, with University of Minnesota contributors, alumni, and sponsors there to witness it.

Why would a prison ban a book about Chicano art? Or military history? Or computer programming? Or an autobiography of Malcolm X? After all, such books are readily available to anyone not in prison for purchase or through one’s public or academic library. Visual artist Daniel McCarthy Clifford has his own theories, and he’s doing additional research and using his art to raise awareness of what seems to be an arbitrary process of deciding what can and can’t be read by inmates in prisons across our nation. “It’s injustice,” he says. “History is being withheld [from inmates].”

Tamsie Ringler’s MAEP exhibition explores the duality of the still life, the venerable art genre that celebrates pleasure even as it warns about the brevity of life. In traditional still-life paintings, human-made or natural objects are placed in a composed space, preserving them for time immemorial. Ringler’s compositions place familiar objects (a car, a canoe, a buffet) alongside natural forms rematerialized, like the Mississippi watershed cast in iron, to form a sculptural still life in the gallery. Placed within the context of the museum, Ringler’s exhibition speaks to the human need to preserve objects, protect moments of fragility, and illustrate our deepest potential for compassion.

Join us of an upcoming MFA Program Information Session on the following dates: Monday, October 1, 10:00 a.m.  Friday, October 12, 4:00 p.m. Friday, November 9, 4:00 p.m. Note: These sessions take approximately 1.5 hours, including a tour of the facilities. RSVP at https://goo.gl/forms/DXsfnCwUuiuVEid13.

The Department of Art in the College of Liberal Arts invites applications for a 75 percent-time Ceramics Technician (Job ID: 326640) to begin semester 2019 (08/26/2019). This is a 75 percent-time position providing health and safety and technical support for the ceramic facilities in the Department of Art. With this position, we seek to strengthen the Department of Art’s newly formed area of Sculpture and Ceramics with a technician who brings a broad perspective informed by active engagement with ceramics, knowledge of technical equipment, materials and processes used in the field of ceramic art, and experience working with undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty in a university setting. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical ceramics background with experience in maintenance, repair, design, and construction of ceramic equipment and can provide instruction on ceramic equipment and health and safety methods and processes.

Paul Shambroom, Associate Professor in Photography and Moving Image, discusses his Nuclear Weapon series (1992-2001), which he spent hours each day researching weapons policy and navigating government administration to get the clearance needed to take his photographs. The images from this series picture bunkers and weapons that had previously been classified.

Alum Brittany Kieler (MFA '18) presents her solo exhibition Female Reader. The show will adjoin two meanings of the term spread, referring both to the anatomy of a book and to the anatomy of a female. Various forms of printed matter will engage with the history of information gathering, propagation, and circulation. Join Brittany for the opening reception on Saturday, September 15th from 8-11pm. On view through October 14, 2018.

Faculty Laura Stack and Jeff Milliken are exhibiting work in Pulchra Scientia: The Aesthetics of Discovery: a nationally juried exhibition of works by contemporary artists that communicate current scientific developments. Join Laura and Jeff for the opening reception on Saturday, September 14th from 5-7 pm. On view through January 20, 2019.

The Department of Art seeks an artist with expertise in contemporary sculpture practices. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical and theoretical foundation, as well as an expansive approach that embraces the changing role of contemporary art and considers its role in a global society. We seek an energetic colleague with a strong professional record and the ability to teach across the curriculum, working with non-majors, BA, BFA, and MFA students.