Former Director Heidi Gealt announced her retirement and received a notable state prize. David Brenneman, former director of collections and exhibitions at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, took her place during the summer.
Going into 2016, the 75th anniversary year for IU Art Museum, the museum is already planning new exhibitions and events.
Abraham Morris, manager of public relations and marketing for the museum, said the sadness that came from Gealt’s retirement earlier this year was lessened slightly by the vibe Brenneman brought when he came to the museum.
“Heidi has made so many wonderful contributions to the museum, has such a rich knowledge of the artwork in the museum and always has such a glowing presence,” Morris said. “It’s great to have David Brenneman come on board. He brought a ton of energy and new ideas to the museum.”
Students had the opportunity to meet Brenneman at the beginning of the semester with an ice cream social, just one of a few opportunities to engage students and bring new traffic to the museum.
The new exhibitions of this semester combined traditional artistry, such as the paintings by former IU Fine Arts professor Robert Barnes, and less conventional displays, such as the Indian saris of collector Prema Popkin, among others.
Morris said one of his personal highlights at the museum this year was the Jeffrey Wolin Progressive Tour, which united shows at multiple venues across town to celebrate the photographer’s work.
“It was wonderful to honor Jeffrey Wolin for his great work here at the University as a professor of photography and to highlight his ‘Pigeon Hill’ series, which highlights an aspect of Bloomington that does not often get a lot of attention,” Morris said.
The collaboration with other art hubs provided a chance to mix audiences from multiple parts of town, Morris said.
“It was also an opportunity to partner with the Monroe County History Center and Pictura Gallery that connected the city of Bloomington with the museum and the University,” Morris said. “It brought a number of people to the museum that don’t normally attend our events.”
The “Best Attraction” award from Visit Bloomington and a feature in Architectural Digest’s “Best University Art Museums in America” list were among the commendations the space received this year.
Gealt won the Sagamore of the Wabash, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed by the governor of Indiana, for her work with the museum.
Morris said another wonderful story the museum experience inspired was of Arlo Altop, a student whose visit to the museum led to a chance encounter.
“Arlo was so inspired by a painting he saw by the contemporary artist John Himmelfarb, that it led to his mother contacting the artist,” Morris said. “His whole family traveled to Chicago to meet the artist and got a personal tour of Himmelfarb’s most recent gallery show.”
Morris said 2015 doesn’t feel like an end, as the next year includes some fresh ideas. One project, “Rainworks,” will be a twist on the conventional artistic display.
“It’s artwork that is invisible when dry, and only appears when it rains,” Morris said. “This will be a project that starts at the museum, but will expand beyond our walls and will be an art happening that the whole town will be able to enjoy.”
The final big event of this semester will be a Noon Talk by Kristina Keogh on Barnes’ work. The talk will take place Dec. 16 in the museum.
