Williams College Museum of Art
left: original 1846 rotunda, now the Faison Gallery, sculpture: Robert Morris, Hearing, 1972, © 1986 Steve Rosenthal; right: the atrium with WALLWORKS installation by William Ramage, 1988, photo by Nicholas Whitman
Williamstown, Massachusetts
413-597-2429
The Last Take-Out: Paper Works by William B. Schade
July 22 November 26, 2000
Books, objects, prints, and paintings revealing Williamstown artist
William B. Schade's eccentric wit and exquisite craft will fill the Rose
Gallery at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) this summer. In "The
Last Take-Out: Paper Works by William B. Schade," animals of all sorts,
drawn with bright colors, accented with shining gold, and captioned with
creative misspellings, will greet visitors as they move through Schade's
finely detailed and often hilarious visual tales. Schade will speak about
his work during the museum's summer reception, which will take place on
Saturday July 22 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The reception and two artist talks
are free and open to the public. The exhibition remains on view through
November 26, 2000. (left: Noha's Last Take Out (detail), 2000,
gouache, pen and ink on cast, handmade paper, Courtesy of the artist)
Schade's
exhibition revolves around his fantastical musings about the biblical story
of Noah. Introduced by an antique-looking story book, the exhibition unfolds
with deck plans of the ark showing spaces for all imaginable activities
that a pack of animals might get into on their voyage. Creatures such as
Bayroot's Crock, Polynesian Jumping Frogs, and the Forked Tongued
Triple Evil Bad News Devil Snake are featured in smaller scrolls and
other cleverly constructed books. WCMA Assistant Curator, Ian Berry notes
that, "At first glance Schade's work may remind some of contemporary
children's book illustration, but after closer inspection the stories he
tells and the details he sneaks in suggest quite a different kind of narrative,
one filled with inventive wordplay and subversive combinations of fact and
fiction." (left: Damaskis Double Humper, 1999, gouache,
pen and ink on handmade paper, 30 x 32 inches, Courtesy of the artist)
The
centerpiece of the exhibition will be a dinner table set for the last feast
before the biblical flood. The setting will include plates, cups, and empty
Chinese take-out containers made of cast handmade paper. Surrounding the
installation will be over 30 portraits of animals, such as Zipper Zibera
and Tillie Konkin Walrus. (left: Sock Eye Sammon Storage
Tank (detail), 1976, gouache, pen and ink on handmade paper,15.5 x 256
inches, Courtesy of the artist)
William B. Schade received his MA from the University at Albany and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. A long list of international exhibitions followed, including solo exhibitions at Mt. Holyoke College Art Museum, Savannah School of Art and Design, Rhode Island School of Design and The Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield, MA. Schade is Professor of Fine Arts for The Sage Colleges, and the recipient of numerous honors including a Distinguished Fulbright Professorship, awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts, and fellowships from Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY and the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, NH.
"The Last Take-Out: Paper Works by William B. Schade" has been organized by WCMA Assistant Curator, Ian Berry, in collaboration with the artist.
Rev. 7/18/00
Read more about the Williams College Museum of Art in Resource Library Magazine.
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This page was originally published in Resource Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for more information. rev. 3/18/11
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