November | December 2021 Toledo Museum of Art Program Highlights

Eye On Art  |  10/26/2021 5:00 pm

November | December 2021 Toledo Museum of Art Program Highlights

New Exhibitions

Stan Douglas: Doppelgänger
Oct. 16, 2021-May 15, 2022: Canaday Gallery
Free

Stan Douglas: Doppelgänger is the science fiction-inspired film by prominent artist Stan Douglas, on view Oct. 16, 2021-May 15, 2022, at Toledo Museum of Art (TMA), its first North American museum presentation. The film centers around an astronaut named Alice, who embarks on a solitary outer space mission. When Alice’s ship unexpectedly turns around, she presumes she has returned to Earth, but instead she arrives at another realm, the exact reverse of her true home. In one version, Alice is welcomed and provided support upon her return, while in another narrative, Alice is received as a potential hostile threat. The work comprises two translucent screens, which can be viewed from either side and display parallel narratives that unfold simultaneously.

The installation of Stan Douglas: Doppelgänger at Toledo Museum of Art is supported by season sponsor ProMedica with local support from presenting sponsors Susan and Tom Palmer and the Ohio Arts Council.

The Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum
Nov. 6, 2021-Feb. 27, 2022: Levis Gallery
Members: Free
Non-members: Ticketed

The image of the knight in shining armor is familiar from fairy tales, films and games, but what was the reality behind the myth? Armor is as old as human civilization and has taken many forms and served many purposes through the ages. A new exhibition explores armor made for the battlefield, tournaments and ceremonies, highlighting armor’s practical function and its cultural role as a symbol of personal identity, social prestige and the values of a heroic past. The Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum presents European suits of armor from one of the most important and largest collections of the material in the U.S. The exhibition of more than 80 works focuses on the development and history of the classic knightly suit of plate armor, which was used from the mid-1300s to the mid-1600s, as well as how armor has been used in various forms around the globe, from antiquity to the modern era.

The comprehensive exhibition narrates the story of how armor evolved, how it was constructed and how it has impacted our cultural memory. The Age of Armor begins by inviting viewers to trace the progressive use of metals such as bronze, iron and steel for armor and weapons from ancient Egypt to ancient Greece and the time of the legendary Trojan War, when the increased importance of the foot-soldier coupled with the emergence of democracy. The exhibition continues into the Middle Ages, when knights with expensive iron coats of mail, as well as swords, lances and horses came to dominate the battlefield. For better protection, knights were soon to be covered from head to toe in suits of plate armor ultimately generating the popular and nostalgic image of the chivalrous knight in shining armor. Armorers transformed steel plates into elaborate and refined versions of civilian clothing as well as fantastical, highly decorated fashion statements. At the same time, however, armor began to lose ground against firearms.

The Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum was organized by the Worcester Art Museum and curated by Jeffrey Forgeng, The Higgins curator of arms & armor and medieval art at WAM. The exhibition is co-curated at TMA by Diane Wright, TMA’s senior curator of glass and contemporary craft and Sophie Ong, the Museum’s Hirsch curatorial fellow.

The exhibition is sponsored locally by presenting sponsors Taylor Cadillac and Susan and Tom Palmer, as well as 2021 Exhibition Program sponsor ProMedica, with additional support from the McLoughlin Family Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.

Continuing Exhibitions

Chameleon Effects: Glass (Un)Defined
Ongoing: Wolfe Gallery Mezzanine
Free

Chameleon Effects: Glass (Un)Defined brings together historical and contemporary works from the Toledo Museum of Art’s collection to explore the spectrum of technical and formal possibilities of glass. One of the oldest human-made substances, glass is neither a true solid nor a liquid and belies conventional understandings of how materials work. For more than 4,000 years, artists have exploited the inherent mutability of glass, transforming the molten material into an impressive range of forms, colors and textures, often blurring the lines between one medium and another. More recently, artists have turned to newer materials and techniques, such as plastic and photography, to engage with historic glass and draw connections with the past. Looking at the relationship between glass, precious stones, metalwork, ceramics, photography and performance, Chameleon Effects demonstrates the longstanding history of glass’ interaction with other materials, while challenging traditional art historical categories of separate media and defined materials.

Chameleon Effects: Glass (Un)Defined is sponsored by 2020 Exhibition Program Sponsors Taylor Cadillac and ProMedica, with additional support from the Ohio Arts Council.

Out of the Dark: A Historic Journey
Ongoing: Online only: https://www.toledomuseum.org/art/out-of-the-dark/the-collection
Free

Out of the Dark: A Historic Journey, a digital exhibition in recognition of Juneteenth, an observance acknowledging the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Juneteenth (a combination of the words June and nineteenth) is recognized in most states and the District of Columbia as a local holiday or ceremonial observance and was established as a federal holiday in 2021.

TMA invited eight members of the Toledo Black Artist Coalition (TBAC) to curate an online exhibition featuring works by influential Black artists from the Museum’s collection, including sculptor Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) and photographer Gordon Parks (1912-2006), among others. TBAC guest curators are noted local artists James Dickerson, Dustin Hostetler, Audrey Johnson, Imani Lateef, Yusuf Lateef, Lydia Myrick, Simone Spruce and Paul Verdell. The online exhibition launched on TMA’s website on June 19, 2021.

While the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on Jan. 1, 1863, the U.S. Congress did not pass the 13th Amendment of the Constitution that legally ended slavery until Jan. 31, 1865. It was not until June 19, 1865, that enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, would learn of their freedom. Celebrations date back to 1866 observing this significant milestone in U.S. history.

TMA and TBAC seek to bring more awareness through this partnership. Founded in the summer of 2020, TBAC’s mission is focused on creating avenues of artistic agency through advocacy, education and activism. “As artists of color and allies, we are investing in our collective value. Our hope is that our work will benefit future generations,” said Yusuf Lateef, a TBAC member. Lateef added that the Coalition is a new wave formed within the context of the current national and international movement to heal a nation traumatized by the effects of white supremacy. He said their goal is “to create pathways for artists of color and work with Toledo cultural institutions to collectively combat racial inequality.” TMA is committed to implementing a culture of belonging with TBAC and other community organizations.

For those without digital devices to access Out of the Dark: A Historic Journey, please contact TMA via phone at 419-255-8000 for alternative viewing options.  

Gallery Reopening: The Cloister
TMA Cloister Gallery Reinstallation
Reopens: Saturday, December 18
Free

Cloister Gallery:
The Toledo Museum of Art’s Cloister Gallery is home to one of the finest collections of medieval art in North America. The Cloister Gallery itself is unparalleled in its unique assemblage of three medieval arcades composed of capitals and columns dismantled from different monasteries in southern France. In 1926, the Museum's third director, Blake-More Godwin, envisioned a cloister-like gallery that combined various styles of medieval architecture – Romanesque with Gothic – into an instructive, unified space for displaying the institution's nascent medieval collection. The Museum secured its first set of historiated capitals (carved with imagery) from Saint Pons-de-Thomières in 1929, followed by a colonnade supposedly from the Cistercian abbey of Nôtre-Dame-de-Pontaut a year later. With the two arcades, the Museum built the gallery, completing the two missing sides with arches of plaster and timbers sourced from a torn-down building in Toledo. The gallery was dedicated in 1933 as part of the Museum’s East and West Wing expansion. Shortly thereafter, in 1934, the Museum acquired and installed a third arcade, attributed to the 12th-century Cuxa workshop active in the environs of Perpignan, France. Over the ensuing decades, the Cloister Gallery – much loved in the greater Toledo community – has served as a popular venue for weddings, concerts and community-building events. Above all, however, the gallery serves as an evocative space for displaying the rich cultural heritage of the Middle Ages and, as Godwin put it, “an excellent bit of teaching equipment.”

Reinstallation Project:
The reinstallation of the Cloister Gallery continues the Museum’s longstanding educational mission by expanding the scope of the art on view to better reflect a more interconnected and global Middle Ages (about 500-1500). The reinstallation uses the Museum’s collection to broaden the narrative of medieval art in four key ways: chronologically, culturally, geographically and materially. While continuing to highlight our esteemed collection of medieval art from western Europe, the reinstalled Cloister Gallery draws connections across time and media to showcase the artistic prowess and cultural wealth of the Middle Ages globally. The gallery explores themes including religious plurality, the legacies of Rome, the role of women in the arts, and cultural interaction and exchange, among others.

This project also addresses the gallery’s conservation issues. In summer 2021, the Museum’s conservation team worked with members of the community to clean the three medieval arcades and the Venetian Wellhead. The reinstallation also provides the opportunity to conserve several works of art, including three stained-glass windows, and to return to view objects not seen in decades. The reinstalled gallery will feature approximately 100 objects; new, conservation-grade casework; an updated paint color; and new light fixtures and security cameras. The reinstallation will be accompanied by a new TMA catalogue on the Cloister Gallery scheduled for publication in Spring 2022.

The Cloister Gallery reinstallation is made possible by Dr. and Mrs. John J. Dooner, Jr., with additional support from Taylor Cadillac and Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Horvitz.

Library Programs Highlights

Art Book Club: The Space Between Worlds
Wednesday, Nov. 3: Discussion, 5:30-7 p.m., Reference Library
Free

Join fellow art and book lovers to discuss the science fiction novel, The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, a story of multiverse travel, full of clever characters, surprise twists and social commentary. November’s book choice is in conjunction with the film installation Stan Douglas: Doppelgänger. Jessica Hong, curator of modern and contemporary art, will join the discussion. We encourage book club attendees to visit the film installation prior to the discussion. Pre-registration is required. Contact [email protected] or 419-254-5770 to register.

TMA History Pop-Up and Tour: Libbey Glass
Friday, Nov. 12: Pop-Up, 5:30-7 p.m.; Docent tour, 6-7 p.m., Glass Pavilion Crystal Corridor
Free

This drop-in gallery program gives visitors a first-hand glimpse of materials from the Library & Archives collections that tell the history of the Toledo Museum of Art. Archivist Julie McMaster will share a selection of materials that tells the story of Libbey Glass. Stop by the Glass Pavilion Crystal Corridor to explore some TMA history. Further your exploration of TMA’s history by joining a docent tour of related works of art.  Free Admission. Pre-registration is required for the docent tour at toledomuseum.org.

Art Book Sale
Free Admission

Friday, Nov. 12: 1-6 p.m., Reference Library
Saturday, Nov. 13: noon-3 p.m., Reference Library

The annual TMA Library art book sale is back! New and used art books, exhibition catalogs, magazines and more are available for purchase. Stock your library! All proceeds go to support the TMA Library.

Museum Library League Preview: Friday, Nov. 12 from noon-1 p.m.

Sponsored by the Toledo Museum of Art Library League

TMA History Pop-Up and Tour: Florence Scott Libbey
Friday, Dec. 10: Pop-Up, 5:30-7 p.m.; Docent tour, 6-7 p.m., Libbey Court
Free

This drop-in gallery program gives visitors a first-hand glimpse of materials from the Library & Archives collections that tell the history of the Toledo Museum of Art. Archivist Julie McMaster will share a selection of materials that tells the story of Florence Scott Libbey, wife of the Museum’s first President and a crucial figure in the development of TMA. Stop by Libbey Court to explore some TMA history. Further your exploration of TMA’s history by joining a docent tour of related works of art. Free Admission. Pre-registration is required for the docent tour at toledomuseum.org.

Art Book Club: The Good Knight
Free Admission
Wednesday, Dec. 15: Discussion, 5:30-7 p.m., Reference Library
Friday, Dec. 17: Docent tour of The Age of Armor, 5:30 p.m., Libbey Court

Join fellow art and book lovers for a discussion of the historical mystery “The Good Knight” by Sarah Woodbury. The first in the Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mysteries series, “The Good Knight” promises murder, intrigue and romance in medieval Wales. This month’s book was chosen to highlight historical themes from the exhibition The Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum. In conjunction with the discussion, a docent tour of the exhibition will take place on Dec. 17.

Pre-registration is required. Contact [email protected] or 419-254-5770 to register.

Special Events and Presentations

Medieval Weapons Demonstration with the Toledo Historical Swordsmanship Society 
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2:00-3:00 p.m., Monroe Street Terrace
Free

Watch experts demonstrate medieval fighting techniques! The Toledo Historical Swordsmanship Society is a Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) affiliated group based in northwest Ohio. They are part of the growing revival of historical combat arts dating as far back as the 14th century. Their group studies a large range of historical weaponry focusing on historical accuracy using fencing manuals left behind by the original swordmasters from across Europe. Members of the group will demonstrate what sword fighting would have looked like in the Middle Ages. Presented in conjunction with The Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum (Nov. 6, 2021-Feb. 27, 2022).

Trivia Night at TMA with Sporcle Live Trivia: Knights and Armor!
Saturday, Nov. 13: 5-7 p.m., Green Room
$25/team TMA members
$35/team nonmembers

Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, Monty Python and the Holy Grail – knights/warriors and armor are found in many forms throughout pop culture. Team up with friends and family to test your knowledge. Presented in conjunction with The Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum (Nov. 6, 2021-Feb. 27, 2022). Win prizes! Maximum six members per team. Snacks and drinks available for purchase. Visit tickets.toledomuseum.org to purchase tickets (please register only one person per team).

Wine by the Glass Pavilion

Explore the world through wine and cuisine without ever leaving Toledo! Guests are invited to participate in a premier wine tasting with curated food items paired with a delicious selection of wines at the Toledo Museum of Art’s Glass Pavilion. Discover wine and food pairings through a variety of themes and celebrations. Each tasting includes samples of four wines and small bite hors d’oeuvres that reflect the wine tasting’s theme. Themes include Wine and Chocolate and our first Blind Tasting. As always, we will raffle off a bottle of wine at every tasting. This is a perfect event to share with friends, family or for date night. Member Admission is $35; General Admission is $50.

Visit tickets.toledomuseum.org to purchase tickets.

Nov. 19: Wine and Chocolate
Dec. 17: Blind Tasting

Public Tours

Public Tour: Date with a Docent
Friday, Nov. 19: 5:15-6:15 p.m., meet at the Glass Pavilion information desk
Friday, Dec. 17: 5:15-6:15 p.m., meet at the Glass Pavilion information desk
Free

In conjunction with Wine by the Glass Pavilion. Interested in exploring the Museum collection before your wine tasting? Enjoy a themed Docent-led tour to complete your perfect date night or friends outing. Tours begin at 5:15p.m. and end at 6:15 p.m. just in time to sample wonderful wines. Contact [email protected] to register.

GAPP (Guest Artist Pavilion Project)

Since its opening in 2006, the Glass Pavilion has uniquely combined its role as the home of one of the world’s great glass collections with its place as a working glass studio born from Toledo roots. As the birthplace of the Studio Glass Movement, Toledo continues to play a pivotal part in today’s contemporary glass community. A large part of that influence comes from TMA’s continued association with many of the most influential and up-and-coming glass artists in the world through its artist residency program, GAPP (Guest Artist Pavilion Project).

GAPP artist Jennifer Halvorson is an Indiana-based artist. Since fall 2012, Halvorson has been working as a professor of art at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She teaches a range of courses within the studios of glass, metal and sculpture. Halvorson has also taught kiln cast workshops in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Halvorson's work has been exhibited internationally throughout the United States and Europe. Her work has been featured in New Glass Review 32 and 35, published by the Corning Museum of Glass, and at SOFA Chicago, fall 2013, 2016 and 2017. Halvorson’s sculptures revolve around objects that are manipulated or collaged to express uneasy emotions that occur within the individual.

GAPP Artist Residency: Jennifer Halvorson: Week of Nov. 3-12
Lecture: Friday, Nov. 12: 7 p.m., GlasSalon

Glass Art Workshops

Learn to create objects made of glass under the guidance of a Toledo Museum of Art instructor during a one-hour workshop at the Glass Pavilion. November's object is corn and December’s object is a snowman. Tickets are $30 for Museum members and $40 for nonmembers each (no refunds). Adults and children 14 and older accompanied by an adult are welcome. Visit tickets.toledomuseum.org