Column: Art Is…, by Bev Jackson Cotter

 

It’s been an unusual month at the Albert Lea Art Center. In spite of the cold temperatures outside, the energy inside has been at a fever pitch.

The annual All Member Show brought in a large variety of art. People that we don’t see very often who do their art in their basements or guest bedrooms came out in large numbers to display their creations, leaving the volunteers wondering what to do with all of the creations. It was a fun show with photographically real paintings, abstracts that left viewers wondering, “Just what is this supposed to be?” and delightful sculptures.

A real highlight of the show was the special display by Agnes Boss who celebrated her 90th birthday in December and has been painting, wood carving and doll making for most of those 90 years.

Her thank-you note to the Art Center was fun. When she was a young mother, her family took a road trip to the Black Hills. Her husband purchased her an easel, canvas and oil paint kit so their special souvenir could be a painting that she did on the scene. Then he took a picture of her sitting on the edge of the open trunk of the car painting the nearby lake and mountains.  This is the picture she included with her note. It’s delightful. She also told us the weather was 104 degrees, and of course their car had no air conditioning. Can you imagine that trip with two little girls and a baby boy?

Then it was time to set up for the new show “50 Shades of Red.” Once again, artists came out in large numbers, and the galleries glow. It was as if a special challenge was offered, “What can you do with a tube of red paint?” Here again, the paintings range from photographically real to abstract and the exhibit is bright and fun and memorable. I wonder how many people, if given a tube of paint and a brush, would be surprised at what they have to offer.

For a few days, the classroom/meeting room/gallery was in an uproar. Later in 2014, ALAC will celebrate its 55th anniversary. Plans are gradually coming together for a big celebration, and we’ll keep you informed as we get closer to the party date. One of the first steps was to sort through boxes of photos, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks and albums in preparation for acid free storage and digital preservation. What a dusty and musty job. Also, what fun conversations.

“So, this is what you looked like 30 years ago?”  “Remember how hard she worked?” “I wonder what happened to…?”  “I didn’t know you ever did….” The sorting was a trip down memory lane for some of us, and an awakening to the history of area art for others.

Did you notice that the movie “The Monuments Men” is playing at the theater in Northbridge Mall? It is the story of museum preservationists’ efforts through the U.S. Army to save some of the irreplaceable art in war-torn Europe during World War II. The request for permission to form such a brigade and the denial of its importance by some military personnel made the efforts by a very small group of men very difficult, and at times they were right on the front lines but their determination never wavered.

Before reading the book by Robert M. Edsel, I had not realized that one of Hitler’s dreams was for a  Fuhrer museum to be built in his home town of Linz, Austria. It would have been the most spectacular museum complex in the world, including a library, theater, opera house, symphony hall and parks by the Danube River. The art collection, of course, would be stolen from the cathedrals, museums, libraries and the private collections of Jewish people who would not be returning to their homes.

The movie is a Hollywood version of the actual story but it is based on fact and gives you a small perspective of the value of art and to what lengths some people will go in the name of art appreciation. I just realized the last statement can be interpreted in two ways – Hitler’s appreciation and determination to preserve billions of dollars worth of art for his own personal museum, and the appreciation and determination of the small group of U.S. Army personnel who wanted to find the art and return it to its original owners.

There was one line in the movie that I will always remember, “When you destroy the art of a civilization, its architecture and its visual art, the civilization will be forgotten.”

How I admire the people of Europe for their unbelievably difficult and costly efforts spent in the preservation of their past, their art, their civilization and the Americans and British who helped it to happen.

Back to today – do stop at ALAC and check out the “50 Shades of Red” exhibit. In it you will find just a little taste of the importance of art in our community and one more piece of our 55- year history.

 

Bev Jackson Cotter is a member of the Albert Lea Art Center where the show “50 Shades of Red” will be on display through Feb. 28.