IU Art Museum opens 'Pressure Points'

Warm colors, probing eyes and forceful words will fill the IU Art Museum's Special Exhibitions Gallery until Dec. 19. A new exhibit featuring contemporary art opened Friday at the museum.\nThe exhibit, "Pressure Points: Recent Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer & His Family Foundation" features 54 prints from more than 2,700 in Schnitzer's collection.\nSchnitzer led a special tour at the museum Sunday to discuss his acquisition of the artwork. A nondescript middle-aged man dressed in a simple navy blazer and blue jeans, he said exposure to art as a child led to his adult interest in the field. His mother was an art student who eventually opened her own gallery with his grandma and a family friend. Schnitzer's father was in the real estate business.\nSchnitzer grew up between the unique balance of business and art. He started collecting art at the age of 14. To him, he said, it is important for those in business today to consider the lucrative and aesthetic value of art.\n"If in each community we don't support the local artists, then they're not going to stay. It's our responsibility to support artists in our own communities," Schnitzer said in his lecture as his eyes traveled around the group of about 20 well-dressed middle-aged attendees at his lecture. Few students were in attendance.\nAs guests wandered the gallery, they commented on the bright, modern images decorating the walls. One print, a 2000 collage by Kiki Smith titled "Bat" showed a naked woman wearing wings and scratched with black marker. The word "butterfly" is crossed out at the bottom of the print and replaced with "bat." \nCarl Fuhrmeister, who was visiting his son at IU from New Jersey, was wandering the gallery with his wife. "I think the work is very interesting and unique," Fuhrmeister said. "I don't have a background in art, but I still get what I can out of it."\nHis son, sophomore Greg Fuhrmeister, did not accompany his parents to the museum. He said he opted out of the gallery visit because he had an accounting exam and little interest in the exhibit.\nJim Blyethe, a guard for the special exhibit, also noted the lack of IU students at the exhibit and in the museum in general. \n"IU students are not used to openings and art lectures in the gallery. A lot of the art students are busy with their own work on the weekends, and I think there is a financial gap between the audiences we get in here and college students," Blyethe said. "Many students would not feel comfortable with the dress-code and the men standing around in three-piece suits."\nBlyethe said he hoped more students would start coming to the Art Museum to experience the exhibits it contains.\n"I think everyone is just underexposed and missing out on a great education opportunity," Blyethe said. "Many students would rather watch a football game on a Sunday afternoon than come to the museum. It would be great if we could change that, and I think that involves getting more information out to the general public." \n-- Contact staff writer Stacey Laskin at slaskin@indiana.edu.