2007

September 9 – August 17, 2008: Collective Wisdom: Selections from the Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art Collection

January 26, 2008, 7 p.m. Greta Pratt

March 1, 2008, 7 p.m.: Kenneth FitzGerald

April 12, 2008, 7 p.m.: Annual Juried ODU Visual Studies Student Show

May 17, 2008, 7 p.m.: Governor’ s School for the Arts Juried Visual Arts Student Exhibition

September 9 – August 17, 2008

Grand Opening of the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries
at Old Dominion University
4905 Monarch Way   

Collective Wisdom: Selections from the Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art Collection

Pioneering folk art collectors Ellin and Baron Gordon of Williamsburg, Virginia have donated a significant portion of their collection of 20th and 21st century American folk art to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. They have previously donated pieces to the Museum of American Folk Art in New York and other prestigious institutions such as the Visionary Museum in Baltimore, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in Colonial Williamsburg and loaned pieces to many groundbreaking exhibitions. Additionally, the Gordon’s collection was the first exhibition of twentieth century folk art to be exhibited at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum occurring in 1997. The largest art donation ever received by the University, the collection is comprised of 375 pieces by over 70 artists, including paintings, sculptures, jugs, canes and carvings. The collection includes works by artists Howard Finster, Geneva Beavers, Mose Tolliver, Leroy Archuleta, Thornton Dial, Inez Nathaniel Walker, Miles Carpenter, Israel Litwak, and many others from across America.

Key to the successful presentation and preservation of the Gordon Collection is an appropriate, professional space in which to exhibit and conserve the art. This reception marks the grand opening of a new facility in the University village, the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries. Barry Moss of Tymoff+Moss Architects designed an exciting facility guided by American Association Museum standards. The new facility, entirely temperature and humidity controlled includes a 1086 sq. ft. storage space, 2600 sq. ft. gallery for the permanent exhibition of selections from the Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art Collection, a 2600 sq. ft. exhibition space for the ODU Gallery’s changing exhibition schedule of contemporary art, a reception area and a study area. An appropriate museum setting will ensure the preservation of fragile works and keep the art available for public viewing and scholarly research. This collection is accompanied by an equally generous supporting donation from long-time arts advocates and enthusiasts Susan and David Goode.

Reception: Sunday, September 9, 2:00–5:00pm.

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January 26, 2008, 7 p.m.

Greta Pratt

Greta Pratt will begin her service as an assistant professor of art this fall, teaching in our
photography program. She is the author of two monographs, Using History (Steidl, 2005)
and In Search of the Corn Queen (National Museum of American Art, 1994). Her works
are represented in major public and private collections, including the Smithsonian American
Art Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, The Museum of Fine Arts
Houston, and The Minneapolis Institute of Art. In addition, Greta was nominated for a
Pulitzer Prize, served as photography bureau chief of Reuters International in New York City,
and had photo essays published in major newspapers and magazines, including The New
York Times Magazine and The New Yorker. The exhibition continues through February 24.
“ Collective Wisdom,” Selections from the Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art
Collection continues.

http://www.gretapratt.com/

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March 1, 2008, 7 p.m.

“ The Kenneth FitzGerald Album (Extended Play)”
Kenneth FitzGerald

The exhibition continues through April 6.
The Kenneth FitzGerald Album (Extended Play) is an exhibition of new and original mixed
and multimedia artworks, combined with remixed and remodeled selections from the artist’s
past, plus selected samplings and mash-ups from other sources—all presented in an
installation format! FitzGerald is an artist, educator, and writer. His work is in corporate and
private collections in Minnesota, New England and New York, and his artist books are in
The Museum of Modern Art’s Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection.
He has presented papers at the College Art Association and
been a visiting critic in the 2-dimensional design program
at Cranbrook Academy of Art. The News of the
Whirled, a seven-year, four-issue self-produced
magazine project for which he was editor,
principal writer, designer, and imagist, was
selected for The American Center for Design’s
100 Show, and received awards for design
excellence from AIGA branches in Minnesota
and Richmond.
“ Collective Wisdom,” Selections from the
Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art
Collection continues.

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April 12, 2008, 7 p.m.

“ First Annual ODU Art Students' Juried Exhibition”

The exhibition continues through May 11.
“ Collective Wisdom,” Selections from the Baron
and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art Collection
continues.

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May 17, 2008, 7 p.m.

Governor’ s School for the Arts Juried Visual Arts Student Exhibition

The exhibition continues through June 22.
“ Collective Wisdom,” Selections from the
Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art
Collection continues.

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