An Errant Line: Ann Hamilton / Cynthia Schira

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

An Errant Line: Ann Hamilton / Cynthia Schira
An Errant Line: Ann Hamilton / Cynthia Schira
Susan Earle, curator
March 2, 2013–August 11, 2013
Gallery 316, Central Court, entryway, facade, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

In a project awarded two consecutive Art Works grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Spencer Museum of Art commissioned internationally recognized artists Ann Hamilton and Cynthia Schira to create room-sized works of art in the Museum’s galleries. Using digital technologies to express the essential nature of cloth and the ways museums organize and communicate the histories of art objects, Hamilton and Schira responded to the commission by exploring through fiber arts the meanings of abstract gestures and notations.

Working with current KU art students and Spencer Museum staff, An Errant Line investigates the artists’ former relationship as student and teacher (Hamilton came to KU in 1976 to study fiber arts with Schira). Transforming multiple galleries with their monumental installations, both artists employ images of and actual objects from the Spencer Museum’s permanent collection to create a rich and surprising tapestry.

Honoring the origins of the project in the student/teacher relationship, the Spencer Museum’s famed Bechstein piano (draped by Ann Hamilton) will host a series of lessons between volunteer master and student pairs. Throughout the run of the exhibition, students, musicians, dancers, and poets are invited to respond to Hamilton and Schira’s coded notations, adapting them to musical, theatrical, and literary dimensions.

Exhibition images

Works of art

Thomas Danforth and Sherman Boardman
teapot, circa 1825–1827
Thomas Danforth and Sherman Boardman
kettle, 1700s–1800s
José Benito Ortega
New Mexico Santo Figurine, late 1800s–early 1900s
George Phillips
pitcher, 1834–1848
unrecorded Cheyenne artist
unrecorded Chokwe artist
unrecorded Lakota artist
unrecorded Cheyenne or Sioux artist
pair of beaded moccasins, late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Cheyenne artist
pair of beaded moccasins, late 1800s–1962
unrecorded Mande artist
blanket, late 1800s–2007
unrecorded Lakota artist
pair of beaded moccasins, late 1800s–1993
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
presepio figure, male, late 1700s
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
Giuseppe Sanmartino
sample book, 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868) or Meiji period (1868–1912)
unrecorded Australian Aboriginal artist
ornament, late 1800s–1944
unrecorded Australian Aboriginal artist
headdress, late 1800s–1944
unrecorded Australian Aboriginal artist
fly whisk, late 1800s–1908
unrecorded Northwest Coast artist
bundle of cord, late 1800s–early 1900s
unrecorded Iyo'wujwa Chorote speaking artist
necklace, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Iyo'wujwa Chorote speaking artist
panis (hairbrush), late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Iyo'wujwa Chorote speaking artist
keyik tɅtehymɁi (face net), late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Iyo'wujwa Chorote speaking artist
unrecorded Iyo'wujwa Chorote speaking artist
titeiyeɁi (carrying strap), late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Iyo'wujwa Chorote speaking artist
rope, mid 1900s
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
dacateáto (men's hair tie), late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
necklace, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
sitting belt, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
sitting belt, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
sash?, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
arm band, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
fiber sponge, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
necklace, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
rope, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
peyé (mosquito swatter), late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
caraguata string, late 1800s–1976
unknown maker
one of two grass tassels, late 1800s–2007
unrecorded Maasai artist
beaded necklace, late 1800s–1965
unrecorded Xhosa artist
bridal choker, mid 1900s–1965
unrecorded Kalaallit (Greenland Inuit) artist
float with line, late 1800s
unrecorded Shilluk artist
doll, mid 1900s
unrecorded Shilluk artist
doll, mid 1900s
unrecorded Warao artist
cord for hammock, late 1800s–1966
unrecorded Purépecha (Tarascan) artist
unrecorded Purépecha (Tarascan) artist
spindle with wool, late 1800s–1980
unrecorded Purépecha (Tarascan) artist
skein of possibly hemp fiber, late 1800s–1904
unrecorded Purépecha (Tarascan) artist
skein of cotton fiber, late 1800s–1904
unrecorded Purépecha (Tarascan) artist
skein of pineapple fiber, late 1800s–1904
unrecorded Saanich artist
skein of cord, late 1800s–1926
unrecorded Urarina artist
rope, late 1800s–2002
unrecorded Karajá (Carajá) artist
quiver, late 1800s–2007
unrecorded Karajá (Carajá) artist
tumpline, late 1800s–2007
unrecorded Pech (Paya) artist
fish hook with line, late 1800s–2007
unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist
unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist
fly whisk, 1979
unrecorded Saanich artist
ball of cord, late 1800s–1926
unrecorded Northwest Coast artist
bundle of cord, late 1800s–early 1900s
unknown maker
spindle with wool, 1850–2007
unknown maker
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
plant fiber string, 1966–1976
unrecorded Northwest Coast artist
cedar bark cord, late 1800s–1926
unknown maker
Ann Hamilton
draw, 2003–2012
James Sheldon Carey
vase, 1975
Cynthia Schira
Etymon, 2011
unknown maker
one of two grass tassels, late 1800s–2007
unrecorded Iyo'wujwa Chorote speaking artist
bundle of niyek (string), late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
caraguata plant fiber, late 1800s–1976
unrecorded Karajá (Carajá) artist
poison darts, late 1800s–2007
unrecorded Ayoreo artist
fiber sponge, late 1800s–1976
Ann Hamilton
figura 23, 2012–2013
Ann Hamilton
figura 1, 2012–2013
Ann Hamilton
figura 12, 2012–2013
Ann Hamilton
figura 67, 2012–2013
Ann Hamilton
Ann Hamilton
waste basket, 1915

Events

April 8, 2010
Talk
5:00–6:00PM
309 Auditorium
March 2, 2013
Social
6:00–8:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, Gallery 316, Gallery 318
March 3, 2013
Activity
1:00–3:00PM
Gallery 316
March 4, 2013
Talk
4:30–5:30PM
309 Auditorium, Gallery 317 Central Court
March 28, 2013
Talk
10:00–11:00AM
Gallery 317 Central Court
March 30, 2013
Activity
10:30–11:30AM
Gallery 317 Central Court
April 18–April 25, 2013
Social
5:30–7:30PM
Gallery 317 Central Court, Gallery 319, Gallery 318, Gallery 401, Gallery 404, Gallery 405
June 16, 2013
Activity
1:00–3:00PM
Gallery 317 Central Court

Resources

Documents