The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft (KMAC) will present two companion exhibitions titled Collecting Kentucky and Artists Collect from January 22 through March 12, 2011.  

Since its founding in 1981, KMAC has been collecting art and craft objects that relate to the visual art heritage of the state. Collecting Kentucky showcases a selection of works from KMAC’s permanent collection. Most of the pieces were given as gifts from founders, supporters, artists and members of the general public, while others have been purchased by the Museum. In the past four years, KMAC has been the beneficiary of three major gifts of art, one from the Mary and Al Shands collection and two from the Ann and John Miller collection. These generous donations include works by renowned Kentucky artists such as Marvin Finn, Noah and Charlie Kinney, Carl McKenzie, Tim Hall, Ron Isaacs and Earnest Patton.                                                                  

Collecting Kentucky gives the public an opportunity to view a number of pieces from KMAC’s collection for the first time. Among these are a Biwa, a traditional Japanese made stringed instrument which was a gift by master artist and musician Kakuho Ohashi. The Biwa was presented to the museum following a residency project with artist Dan Dutton of Somerset, Kentucky. Other new pieces include a whimsical ceramic and mixed media figure by Gayle Cerlan, an iconic fruit bowl from Sara Frederick, and a delightful mixed media sculpture by Jacque Parsley which could be deemed a self-portrait.

In addition to Collecting Kentucky, KMAC will exhibit a small companion display called Artists Collect, which features art and other objects owned by local artists. Glassblower Brook White is lending three pieces of art glass, including a piece by the Swiss-American partnership of Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin, a blown glass “Spaceship” by Rik Allen and a very early bowl by glassblower Stephen Powell. Pieces will also be including from the collections of designer and photographer Julius Friedman who collects African and American studio pottery, and artist C.J. Pressma who collects masks. Louisville artist Caroline Waite, a collage and assemblage artist, will be installing a wall piece composed of hundreds of objects from her storehouse of “stuff” as she calls it, the collected objects and ephemera that she uses to create her art work.