Mary Alice Casto, assistant professor in textiles, merchandising & fashion design, created an assignment prompting students in her color theory studio to use artworks on display at Sheldon as source material.
Closely studying the values, hues, and saturation of color in works of art, as well as how artists use different strategies to organize their compositions with color, students then developed their own tessellated repeat patterns based on an artwork of their choice. Casto could have set the students out into the world to find color combinations and patterns, but felt that artworks at the museum provided better structure—and good models—for students to work with.
See students create tessellated repeat patterns after observing artwork at Sheldon. A student analyzes colors in Lee Krasner's 1969 canvas Invocation. The palette used by Norman Rockwell in The County Agricultural Agent (1947–48) captured the attention of a student designer. More info
In 1978, Wayne Thiebaud was one of forty-two artists, represented in Sheldon's collection, who joined members in sharing recipes in a commemorative cookbook for Sheldon Art Association's ninetieth anniversary.
Wayne Thiebaud's Cucumber and Pine Nut Salad
2 cucumbers, peeled and decoratively ridged with the tines of a fork 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted 2/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon imported white wine mustard Salt White pepper Freshly ground black pepper Finely chopped green onions, parsley, basil
Slice the cucumbers 1/8" or less; set aside. In a bowl, mix salt, white pepper, and mustard. Add oil first and mix. Add vinegar and blend until smooth. Next add cucumbers; add black pepper and mix again; add herbs, mix and chill lightly, not more than 1 hour. Before serving toss with pine nuts.
Wayne Thiebaud born Mesa, AZ 1920 Salads, Sandwiches, and Desserts Oil on canvas, 1962 55 3/16 × 72 3/16 inches Nebraska Art Association, Thomas C. Woods Memorial, N-138.1962Julia Jacquette's Four Sweets, left, and Wayne Thiebaud's Salads, Sandwiches, and Desserts in the 2019 exhibition Table Manners.
More info
James McNeill Whistler revolutionized the practice of printmaking during the mid-nineteenth century. Rather than follow the custom of reproducing existing paintings, he made novel compositions in etching—and even took his wax-coated copper plates outdoors to work en plein air.
Whistler also contributed to the burgeoning field of arts marketing. To heighten his public image and to provide information on the date of a print or its sale, Whistler penciled his initials in the form of a butterfly on a small tab at the margin of the work.
James McNeill Whistler Lowell, MA 1834–London, England 1903 Amsterdam from the Tolhuis Etching and drypoint, 1863 5 5/8 × 8 5/16 inches Sheldon Museum of Art, Nebraska Art Association, gift of James A. and Ann K. Rawley, N-710.1988More info
These bison were displaced to an existence imagined by Chung. Unlike the majestic animals that were once a critical part of the ecosystem of the Great Plains, these fragile beings lived on the flat surface of a constructed pedestal that is symbolically reminiscent of the region's topography. The precipitous edge of the platform and the artwork’s title bring to mind the violent manner in which Plains bison were killed.
Chung is noted for her cartographic drawings, sculptures, videos, photographs, and theater performances that examine migration, urban progress, and environmental impact in relation to history and cultural memory. As an artist who is active internationally, she presented a major solo exhibition in 2019 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Tiffany Chung: Vietnam, Past Is Prologue.
Chung was interviewed at Sheldon for The Modern Art Notes Podcast. Her conversation with podcast host Tyler Green is available here and on the podcast platform of your choice, as Episode 413 of the series.
in between foraging sites, first raindrops and the Big .50Tiffany Chung born Da Nang, Vietnam 1969 in between foraging sites, first raindrops and the Big .50 Glass, 2012 Courtesy of Tyler Rollins Fine Art, New York More info
Judith Godwin's Male Study, at left, and Franz Kline's Study for Shenandoah Wall on view at Sheldon in the 2017 exhibition Now's the Time.
Judith Godwin’s career was impacted by her affiliation with the New York School—an interdisciplinary movement of visual artists, writers, composers, musicians, dancers, and others who gathered in Lower Manhattan from the 1940s through the 1960s.
After moving from Virginia to New York in 1953, Godwin began a lifelong friendship with Martha Graham, one of the leading modern dancers and choreographers of the twentieth century. Graham’s innovative poses and distinctive use of costumes inspired Godwin, who stated, “I can see her gestures in everything I do.”
Judith Godwin born Suffolk, VA 1930 Male Study Oil on Masonite, 1954 67 1/2 × 48 inches Sheldon Museum of Art, Sheldon Art Association, gift in memory of Wilma B. Fulk, S-1083.2017
More info
