sheldon 4th tour

7/28/2019 sheldon 4th tour

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Beginner

Tour:

Sheldon

History

www.ganzelgroup.com/ph10.html


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Who oversees the Sheldon

Programs?

Sharon KennedyCurator

Jorge Daniel Veneciano

became the new director of

the Sheldon Museum of Art

in July of 2008

Curator of EducationKaren Janovy

Security & Facilities SupervisorLynn Doser


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Hi! Im Karen!My job at the Sheldon is Curator

Of Education.

The best part of my job iswatching the faces of visitors asthey see how much fun they can

have Lookingat the art at Sheldon!


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The

Build

ing

The Sheldon isamong the top

university museums

for 20th-CenturyAmerican Art

collectionsparticularly in the areas of Realism,

American Impressionism, Cubism,

Modernism, Pop, Minimalism, Geometric

Abstraction, and Abstract Expressionism.

The Sheldon Museum of Art collects, studies, and presents

American art in its historical diversity and transnational origins.

Housing one of the countrys premier collections of American art,

Sheldon is committed to being a national leader in developing

multidisciplinary approaches to the visual arts. Our programs andactivities explore manifold relationships among the arts, from music

to architecture, philosophy to film, and performance to literature.

We invite inquiry and imagination by fostering creative and critical

thinking.

Located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,

Sheldon supports the Universitys objectives in academic research

and teaching. In the public service tradition of land-grant

institutions, our activities and outreach programs foster

collaborations within the University and among our constituents in

the community, Nebraska and the nation.


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Hours

The Sheldon's new hours as of June 1, 2009are:

Tuesday, 10 am to 8 pm;

Wednesday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm.

Sunday noon to 5 pm.The Sheldon is closed on Monday.

The outdoor Sculpture garden is open 24 hours a day 7 daysa week.

The

Basic

s!

The Sheldon is open to the public!

Everyone is Welcome!

Admission is free!Donations are encouraged.


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Sheldon receives support from UNL

for staff, supplies and services;

endowments at the UniversityFoundation, and also from the

Sheldon Art Association, our

dedicated support group.

The Sheldon building and all of the

artwork in its collections are the

result of the generosity of private

donors.

The

Basics!

How is Sheldon supported?

The Sheldon Art

Association and people

like you help buy the art.

Many folks care about

sharing their love of art

with the community, in

fact that is how our

museum got here, with

the help of what we call

our patrons.

So, how do they get art?


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Whatth

eSheldonstaffdoes

withthe

artwecan

tsee!

Storage Areas: Picture of

storage

here!

Picture of

storage

here!


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TheSculptureGarden!

The Sheldon sculpture garden,dedicated in 1970, contains 30major examples of 20th-Centurysculpture.

The garden is about a five-block

area on the University ofNebraska-Lincoln campus andextends itself and the impact ofits contemporary sculpture intothe downtown Lincoln area.


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TheE

thelS.A

bbott

Audit

orium

The Ethel S. AbbottAuditorium is used for publictalks, concerts and slide shows,and other activities.

It seats 299 people.And look around itits an artwork itself!

Do you knowthatyour group canrent theauditorium?

How cool wouldthat be!


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Howth

eBuildingc

ametobe!

The building is a work of art. So dont

forget to just look around at it!

If this building were your house, wherewould your room be?


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Notice that thegraceful arches, andthe symmetry of theoverall plan arereminiscent of theclassic temples ofancient Greece.http://www.crystalinks.com/greekarchitecture.html

The building is concrete covered in the same Italiantravertine that Johnson used inside of the Great Hall.

The travertine, limestone rather than marble, was cut soprecisely that each piece is held by metal clips. It wasquarried and cut near Rome, flown to Lincoln and puttogether like a big puzzle. An Italian foreman, who spokeno English, oversaw the placing of the travertine here inLincoln.

Large disks around the lights in the ceiling of the GreatHall are covered with gold leafto reinforce the eleganceof the space, and provide textural contrast to the poroussurface of the travertine.

At the time of construction, the Sheldon was considered tobe the most expensive public building per square footWest of the Mississippi.

When the gallery opened in 1963, more than $3 millionhad been spent, and there was still money to add asculpture garden and four large pieces of sculpture for it.
http://www.crystalinks.com/greekarchitecture.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/greekarchitecture.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/greekarchitecture.htmlhttp://www.crystalinks.com/greekarchitecture.html


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The Sheldons

The Sheldon was the gift ofMary FrancesSheldon and her brotherAdams BromleySheldon to the University of Nebraska for

the purpose of constructing and equipping agallery.

The Sheldon familys bequests (1950 and1957) stated that the museum be designed bya famous architect known around the world. A

university committee reviewed entries fromseveral leading architects and chose notedNew York architect Philip Johnson.


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After attending Lincoln Public Schools, Abbott Academy, a girls school inMassachusetts, and the University of Nebraska, Frances becameinterested in art and art collecting.

Frances loved art and antiques. She and her sister-in-law, OlgaSheldon, came to the Spring Exhibitions of the Nebraska Art Associationat Morrill Hall. Frances thought it was a miserable place to showartwork. She wanted a gallery where the art belonging to the Nebraska

Art Association could be properly exhibited.

Frances was a shy person and lived in the family home at 2525 N Street

Taken from:Kop Ramsey article, Omaha, NebraskaNebraskalands Weekly Magazine, Focus, January 18,1970.Lincoln Journal and Star, Lincoln, NebraskaKaren Janovy, [email protected], email to JonathanBusky,

November, 30, 2001Gladys Thompson article, December 1999

Mary Frances Sheldon (1892 -1950)

in Lincoln where she helped her father with his investments and banking work, managing thebusiness after his death in 1936.

Frances never married. When she died in 1950, it was learned that she had left her entirecollection, and funds, for an art museum to adequately exhibit the growing collections.

Her brother Bromley was the trustee of her estate. Frances had left the sum of $921,660.00,and all of the art in her home as a future gift to the Sheldon.

Bromley decided to add half of his estate ($675,000) to Frances trust. He died in 1957, andplans for the gallery began. Together, their gifts totaled around $1.5 million.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Olga Nielsen Sheldon (1897-1990)

At age 17, Olga Nielsen graduated from Lexington HighSchool, and the next year taught in a one-room countryschool near Elwood, Nebraska.

Olga was petite, soft spoken, quick to smile, and had adistinctive twinkle in her blue-gray eyes. She loved givinggifts that she brought home from trips. She was veryactive in the community, and was a very creative person.She cooked and sewed, and was also a great reader andentertainer

Olgas father, Hans, managed a feed store and grainelevator in Lexington and also served as mayor andpostmaster. It was Hans who introduced Olga to AdamsBromley Sheldon.


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Bromley and his sister Frances were born inVermont, then later moved to Lincoln where theirfather, George Sheldon, invested in stocks and realestate. George also owned a bank in Weeping Water,and had lumberyards in Cozad and Lexington.

Bromley attended Lincoln High School, and attendedthe University of Nebraska for a short time after that.Bromley then moved to Lexington to manage theSheldon farms and lumberyard, and to make hisfortune.

Bromley was tall and quite thin. He had deep-seteyes, prominent cheek bones, and a devilish grin.

He usually dressed in tweeds and a sweater.

Adams Bromley Sheldon (1887-1957)


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Olga and Bromley had no children. However, Olgahelped many of her nieces and nephews with theireducation.. Together Olga and Bromley loved to playbridge, enjoyed the theater and traveling to New York

City, Maine and Vermont.

In 1957, after a long illness, Bromley died. Olga was60 years old.


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Olga served on the committee to choose the architect, PhilipJohnson, for the construction of Sheldon. She had a great hand inthe planning and dedication of the building, and traveled to Italy tohelp in the selection of the travertine.

Olga, and then director of the Sheldon, Norman Geske, frequentlyvisited art galleries in New York City together to look at possibleacquisitions for the Gallery. Olga enjoyed a wide variety of art andwas receptive to the work of artists of all kinds. Her most importantpurchase, as a memorial to her husband, was Princess XbyConstantin Brancusi.

Not only did Olga Sheldon buy art for the museum, but she alsomade many important contributions to other activities of the Gallery.

She paid for travel grants, training courses for staff members, andan annual award of a gallery assistantship to a graduate student inthe Universitys Department of Art. She was always a greatbeliever in and supporter of education.

Olga received many awards, including the DistinguishedNebraskan Award. She was a life trustee of the Nebraska Art

Association, and a director of the Nebraska Arts Council.

Olga set up the Olga Sheldon Acquisition Trust Fund. She died in1990.

George Neubert, past Sheldon Director says, Mrs. Sheldonsunderstanding of the intrinsic value of art in society, and heruncommon generosity provided the foundation for the SheldonGallerys commitment to excellence.


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An Architect is a person whodesigns and builds buildings.

Before designing his first building at the age of 36, Philip Johnson hadbeen client, critic, author, historian, museum director, but not an architect.In 1949, after a number of years as the Museum of Modern Art's firstdirector of the Architecture Department, Johnson designed a residence forhimself in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later his famous Glass Housein New Canaan, Connecticut. Philip Johnson was the first recipient of theprestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize when it was established in 1979.

To read more go to:http://www.arcspace.com/camera/moran/glass_house/pages/20.htm

He built himself a house made from glass.

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Johnson_House.html

Ground was broken onJanuary 12, 1961 and

the Sheldon wasdedicated on May 16,1963. It stands as a

memorial to MaryFrances Sheldon and

Adams BromleySheldon.

PhilipJohnson

Philip Johnson theamazing Architect whoDesigned the Sheldon.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Johnson_House.htmlhttp://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Johnson_House.html


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QuickTime and a

Photo - JPEG decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Connecticut, USA

Philip C. Johnsons Glass House, New Canaan,Connecticut, USA (North America)

Johnson is the architect who designed the Sheldon.


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Mr. Johnson was known forbreaking the rules andthinking outside the box! He

used his imagination!

As an art collector himself,Johnson understood thenecessity of providing a

neutral background enablingeach work of art to be seen at

its best advantage, yet at thesame time creating a graceful

and elegant building that,itself, exists as a work of art.

Johnsons design for the museum is based in the geometric simplicity of theInternational Style of architecture.

http://www.davis-art.com/artimages/slidesets/slideset.asp?setnumber=416
http://www.davis-art.com/artimages/slidesets/slideset.asp?setnumber=416http://www.davis-art.com/artimages/slidesets/slideset.asp?setnumber=416http://www.davis-art.com/artimages/slidesets/slideset.asp?setnumber=416http://www.davis-art.com/artimages/slidesets/slideset.asp?setnumber=416


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THE COLLECTIONS

began in 1888, in a single room in what is now Architecture Hall. The collection grew sobig, that it had to be moved to Morrill Hall in 1927.

The galleries exhibit art from the Sheldons permanent collection and special travelingexhibitions that come from other museums or art collections.

The Sheldon has 14 exhibitions each year and focuses on American 20th-Century art in allmedia, including video and installation art.

Exhibitions are taken from the permanent collection and also are borrowed from other

museums.

The curatorial staff organizes exhibitions, many of which have been shared with othermuseums throughout the United States.

With more than 12,000 works of art, only a small portion of the Sheldons collection, is onview at any one time.

So take a look at the website or get down to the Sheldon and bring your family.


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These are some

Images from the permanentCollection.

What do you seein the picture?


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Do you see a

robotcityscape

flower

OKeeffe


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OKeeffe painted this view of theBeverly Hotel in New York City whenshe was living on the 30th floor ofthe Shelton Hotel nearby. She livedhere with her husband, AlfredStieglitz, a famous photographer andpatron of modernist artists. Bothhotels are on Lexington Avenue.

She once said: Lexington Avenue

looked in the night, like a very tallbottle with colored things going upand down inside it.

Does this seem to you like anOKeeffe painting? It is very unusualas one of fewer than 20 night scenes

she painted in New York before shemoved to New Mexico to paint cowskulls, but after her very, very largeflower paintings for which she is bestknown.

New York, Night

Georgia OKeeffe


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Do you see an

animal

appleabstraction

Brancusi


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Princess X

Artist: Constantin Brancusi

Mrs. Sheldon wanted tohonor her husband with a piece ofart. She went to a New York gallerywith former director, Mr. Geske,

where they saw Princess Xin aback room, beautifully lightedagainst a black curtain. Buying it forSheldon Gallery was a majoraccomplishment.

The artist, ConstantinBrancusi worked on the marble for

many years, chiseling it down froman earlier sculpture now known onlyin a photograph called WomanLooking Into a Mirror. The storygoes that it began as a portrait ofPrincess Maria Murat-Bonaparte,who was very vain, always looking

at herself in a mirror that she held inher handeven while she waseating! You can see marks on theside of her neck that Brancusi mighthave abstracted from the earlierversion.

Princess Xalso exists in

a bronze version.


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Do you see a

window ledgetree stump

totem pole

Hopper


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Hopper is bestknown for paintings aboutsilence, or people not talkingwith each other as in Room inNew York. The man is reading

the paper, and the woman isplunking away on the pianotrying to get his attention. Doyou think shell succeed?

He liked to use hiswife, Jo, as a model for many

of his paintings. Why do youthink they are dressed as theyare?

Hopper was born in1882 in Nyack, New York, andis recognized as the mostimportant realist painter of

20th-century America.Hopper was a

student of Robert Henri, wholived as a youth in Cozad,Nebraska!

Room in New YorkHopper


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How a piece of art gets to the SheldonHow does the Sheldon get the art?

PurchaseGiftBequest ($ given to museum to purchase)

Exchange

The Director and/or Curator, the Donors & the Museum Staff meet to decide whichartwork to purchase. They consider:

ArtistCommunityCollection

Cost

The Director and/or Curator then travel to the city or an art center where theartwork is, and purchases it from a Dealer or another museum or the artist.

The work is packaged and shipped to Lincoln.

Upon arrival the Associate Registrar or Collections Department oversees the

unpacking of the artwork.DocumentingStorage

Finally one day the artwork is exhibited at the Sheldon. The Curator of Educationsets up a schedule for kids from all over the city of Lincoln get to come to theSheldon to visit


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Questions Kids want to have answered!

What is a Docent?

A docent is a person

who is your tour

guide to help you see

some great art and

explore the building.


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Is it possible to spendthe night in theSheldon?

Sorry, the Museum is closed atnight. No visitors are allowedto remain in the building. Thereare a few guards who keep aneye on the museum during thenight shift!

How does the curatorial staff takecare of the paintings?

Its different for all kinds of art, but

the basics are that they need to bekept in a certain air temperature (68-72 degrees) and at a certain level ofhumidity (50%). Humidity refers tothe amount of moisture, or water, inthe air. This helps prevent works of

art from drying out, cracking, orbecoming damp.

There are people known as artconservators, whose job is to take

care of these objects of art.

The Sheldon has over12,000 pieces of art and atleast 15 folks to take care

of all that artsome arevolunteers.


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Things to look forIn a work of art!

Feel free to askquestions

Sit on the floor

Listen Look

Relax

Study Enjoy

Learn

Spend time lookingfirst at the elementsof art, line, shape,color, texture, andthe principles of artrepetition, balance,rhythm.Then you will beginto see just how thosecomponents compareamong individualartists throughout thecourse of history.


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Can you explore the Sheldon and check off at least 10 of the questions?

Permanent Galleries- What is different about the permanent galleries and the other galleryspaces? Museums may buy art, or sometimes pieces are given or lent to the museum. Thesespaces help the curator decide where to put different pieces of art.

Security Station and Cameras - The security team keeps an eye on all galleries to be sure the

art stays safe. The team uses cameras to observe all galleries.

Philip Johnson - There is a picture of Mr. Johnson (he is the architect who designed themuseum,) somewhere in the Sheldon. It might not be a painting, but its there! He is known forhis big black round glasses!

Travertine, inside and out. Its really limestone though, and itsfrom Italy. How does it feel?Smooth or rough? Why did Philip Johnson choose this material for the Sheldon?

Portrait - Before cameras were invented, artists painted portraits of people to record how theylook. Artists today paint portraits to explore a persons personality. Name one portrait yousee_____________________

Lights - Look for them in the Great Hall surrounded by gold leaf. And look to see how they are

used to make the artwork pop.

Symmetry - When you approach Sheldon before you walk up the stairs, do you see that thebuilding is the same on both sides? Is it like that all the way around? How about when youpeek inside? Windows? Stairs? Doorways?

Still Life - A still life is art that consists ofnon-moving objects such as fruit, books, flowers,furniture. Name one still life and tell a friend what objects are in the art and what shapes theyare. ______________


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Hurry Back! Name one thing that you enjoyed about the Sheldon. Its a free museumthat has many new and exciting things to explore. What did you like best? Who couldyou bring back next time?____________________

Princess XA sculpture by Constantin Brancusi that is made of marble. It

greets you when you visit. How does it look different than the travertine on

the walls?

Realism can often be found in art objects.This style tries to show real andexisting things as they appear. As you look at objects at Sheldon, see how manyyou think are realistic.

Auditorium - Inside of the Sheldon there is an auditorium. Can you find it? Why would therebe an auditorium in an art gallery? Can an auditorium be a work of art?

Landscape - A painting of natural subjects such as mountains, trees, sky, fields(you could

have a cityscape or seascape also) Name a landscape you see. _______________________

Abstraction - Artists change or simplify the subject matter to show how they feel about the

subject. Look to find lines, colors, shapes, value, and textures. Can you write the name of a

piece of art that is abstracted? ______________________________

Staff - Who else do you see working at the Sheldon? Look for

Karen Janovy, she is the Curator of Education, or Jorge DanielVeneciano , he is the Director. Who else do you see at theSheldon?

sheldon 4th tour

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