NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral -

 

Installation view, NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral -

UW Art Museum

Etsuko Ichikawa

UW Art Museum

The installation is nearly complete and the gallery is transformed into a special place of quiet contemplation.  Only the final fine-tuning remains.  Etusko has created an extraordinary work for the University of Wyoming and the Art Museum, for which we are most grateful and offer our congratulations.  The installation has been challenging and complicated, not only in its physical challenges but also by a schedule that involved so many students both in their classrooms and in the museum's galleries. 

NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - opens tonight from 6 - 8 pm.  The exhibition continues through August 6, 2011.

Don't miss the opportunity to meet Etsuko and join her for an informal walk through the exhibition today at 4:30 pm.

This project has been made possible with the support of an anonymous donor, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum Endowment, the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum, Wyoming Public Radio, and the Wyoming Arts Council through the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts which believes a great nation deserves great art.

Drawing Students Assist Etsuko Ichikawa's Installation of NACHI

It has been a busy week in the Art Museum as the installation of NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - continues.  Yesterday, drawing students from Prof. Shelby Shadwell's classes spent several hours helping to unfurl, untangle, and isolate each strand of the 11 miles of twine that comprise a large portion of the exhibition.  Prof. Margaret Wilson and dance students also visited the installation to finalize plans for improvisational dances during the opening reception this evening.

NACHI Installation Progresses

Installation view

Courtesy UW Art Museum

The installation of NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - continues.  The suspended structures are complete and preparations to unfurl the hanging twine and hang six 14-ft tall pygrographs begin tomorrow.

Installation and Class Visits with Etsuko Ichikawa

Artist Etsuko Ichikawa (3rd from left) takes a break from installation to meet
with a UW dance class, who created improvisational dances inspired by her work.

Courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

Work continued today on the installation, NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - by Etsuko Ichikawa. The large, ceiling mounted spiral of suspended cotton threads is almost complete. Video projection and pyrographs - drawings created by molten glass on paper - have yet to be installed.

Ichikawa met with UW classes today, including a drawing class and several dance classes. Dancers in the class met with her and learned about the inspiration behind her work. They then created improvisational dances in the gallery (pictured above) under the guidance of instructor Margaret Wilson.

Installation will continue throughout the week, and an opening reception will be held on Friday evening, 6-8 pm. UW Department of Dance students will be in attendance and will be performing some of their improvisational dance pieces. The reception is free and open to the public.

Please call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622 for more information.

NACHI Installation is Underway

Installation view. 

Courtesy UW Art Museum.

The installation of Etusko Ichikawa's exhibition, NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral -, is underway.  Primarily suspended from the ceiling, the structural support system is in place and the spiral spine from which a "waterfall" of ropes will be draped, is being attached. 

Interview with Scott Tilden about the UW Art Museum Now on YouTube

A video interview with Scott Tilden, editor of Architecture for Art: American Art Museums 1938-2008 is available on the Art Museum's YouTube page. To view it, click here!

The Installation of Etsuko Ichikawa's NACHI Begins

Etsuko Ichikawa lays out the template for the installation of 

NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - in the Art Museum's galleries.

Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Last week, Etsuko Ichikawa arrived in Laramie from Seattle to spend two weeks working with drawing and dance students in the Art Department and Theater and Dance Department and to install a major new work that she has created for the University of Wyoming.  For the next week, she will be in the museum installing NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral -, a massive work that is comprised of 6 14-ft tall pyrographs (drawings created with molten glass), 11 miles of suspended twine, and video and audio components.  The work was inspired by the Japanese waterfall, Nachi, after Ichikawa's visit there a few years ago.

Ichikawa's residency and exhibition has been funded in part by an anonymous donor, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum Endowment, the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum, Wyoming Public Radio, and the Wyoming Arts Council through the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The exhibition opens on Friday, Feb. 25 at 6 pm.  An improvisational dance will be performed by UW dance students.

Art Museum Profiled on UW Homepage

Artist Etsuko Ichikawa looks on as 
UW Dept. of Dance students rehearse.

Courtesy of UW.

The collaboration between the UW Art Museum, visiting artist Etsuko Ichikawa, and other departments on campus is highlighted on the UW homepage. Check out the profile here to learn more about what it takes to bring artists to UW!

Ichikawa will present a public Art Talk on Monday evening, February 21 at 7 pm. She will give a Gallery Walk Through on Friday, February 25 at 4:30 pm. An opening reception for her exhibition NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - will also be on Friday evening, beginning at 6 pm and will feature a performance by UW Department of Dance students. All events are free and open to the public.

Installation Artist Etsuko Ichikawa at the Art Museum

Etsuko Ichikawa, Firebird, 2010, still shot of the performance “Firebird”
that premiered at Museum of Glass, WA
Photo credit: Peter Mumford

A new multi-media exhibition by Japanese artist Etsuko Ichikawa, entitled NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral -, opens Friday, Feb. 25 at the University of Wyoming Art Museum with a public reception from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Students from the UW Department of Dance will present a short dance performance.

NACHI – between the eternal and the ephemeral – features a series of large glass pyrographs (drawings created with molten glass on paper), thousands of suspended cotton threads, audio and a video projection that creates a unique environment within the gallery setting.

Ichikawa says the exhibition was inspired by the Kumano waterfall, Nachi, which has been a destination for worship and purification in Japan for 1,200 years. Ichikawa’s installation will create a space for museum visitors to experience silence and reflection.

Ichikawa will give an Art Talk at the museum on Monday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. and a Gallery Walk Through on Fri., Feb. 25 at 4:30 pm. Both events are free and open to the public. She is in residence in the UW Art Department for one week and at the UW Art Museum for one week to work with students and assist with the museum installation.

Gallery Walk Through: Award Winning Students

Former UW art student Sarah Hayman works in the printmaking studio.

Courtesy of UW Photo Service.

Please join us on Monday evening at 6 pm for a Gallery Walk Through with students who have received an award for their artwork in the 36th Annual Juried UW Student Exhibition. The Walk Through is an informal gathering where each student will have a couple of minutes to talk about their work. This is an opportunity for students to practice talking about the concepts and ideas behind their work, and is a chance for the community to hear directly from the artists about the work that is on view. This program is free and open to the public.

Please note that the 20:20 event for students that was scheduled to follow the Gallery Walk Through at 7 pm has been cancelled.

For more information about programs and exhibitions at the Art Museum, please call 306.766.6622.

Sign Up Now for 20:20 Students

20:20 Students is scheduled for Monday evening, February 7th at 7 pm. All UW students from any discipline are invited to sign up. This is an opportunity for any student who creates art to share images of their work and talk about what they do.

Each presenter is allowed 20 images in a PowerPoint format, and each image is shown for 20 seconds. The result is a 6 minute and 40 second presentation. This allows for many presentations, and eliminates stage fright!

If you are a student who is considering entering the art world professionally, or applying to graduate school, this is a great time to share your portfolio and add a professional development opportunity to your resume!

Advance sign up is required and is on a first come, first served basis. The deadline to sign up and submit a PowerPoint is Friday, February 4. A minimum of 8 participants is required.

For more information, or to sign up, please contact assistant curator Rachel Miller at 307.766.6621 or rmiller@uwyo.edu.