BY PIA HAAS
The Katonah Museum of Art, since breaking ground in 1990, continues to be a valuable contributor to art, education, and to the community. A local gem with intriguing, ever changing exhibitions that offer discoveries with every visit.
I asked Emily Handlin, the Associate Curator of Exhibitions & Programs, how she comes up with ideas for new exhibitions. “Often an idea comes up through books or articles I’m reading, or I’ll see a show or a work of art in a gallery or museum that I think would be interesting to put in conversation with other work or another artist.”
She likes the challenge of working “in a Kunsthalle (a museum without a permanent collection) because there are always new challenges and new things to learn–each of our exhibitions is completely unlike the one that came before.”
The current exhibition is Constant Carnival: The Haas Brothers in Context. “It explores the work of contemporary artists, Simon and Nikolai Haas, within the art historical tradition of the carnivalesque–artwork that is transgressive, challenges the status quo and social hierarchies, and celebrates the human body,” explains Handlin. It also includes work by artists like Salvador Dali, John Tenniel, Niki de Saint Phalle, and others.
The Haas Brothers are this year’s recipients of The Katonah Museum of Art’s Himmel Award, given in recognition of creators, conceivers, radical thinkers, and risk-takers that provoke new thinking in art and design. Past awardees have included: Robert Storr, Christo, André Leon Tally and Julie Taymor.
Of note, the work of Local Armonk resident and internationally represented artist, Antoinette Wysocki is exhibited in a two-person show called Natural Synergy.
The Summer will bring Tradition Interrupted, a show which examines the work of contemporary artists who are combining traditional techniques and materials with contemporary ideas. Also scheduled is the exhibition, Remy Jungerman: HigherGround.Jungerman is a Dutch-Surinamese artist whose work explores pattern and symbol across European modernism and Surinamese Maroon culture.
Margaret Adasko, the Curator of Education, who has been with KMA for nearly 20 years, shared that to engage younger audiences, she develops hands-on art activities and family gallery guides. The interactive Learning Center space also changes with each exhibition.
“We present a diverse range of exhibitions that span various time periods, art movements, material choices, and cultures.” All the while, striving to make exhibitions relevant and accessible to all through related programming, activities, tours, and bilingual materials. “We run outreach programs including ArteJuntos/ArtTogether, a bilingual family art and literacy program offered to new immigrant families and their young children.”
The goals are to overcome barriers and increase awareness and comfort in using museums as a place for informal family learning and enjoyment.
The Summer will bring weekly art making workshops and a series of monthly “Creative Community Fridays” that include Stroller Tours, Artful Family time and Senior Socials. And the annual Young Artists exhibition, in its 39th year, one of the impactful programs that supports the growth of student artists in our community, features students’ work from 40 high schools, including Briarcliff, Ossining, Byram Hills and Horace Greeley.
The Museum is architecturally unique, beautifully situated among Norwegian Spruce trees, complete with a relaxing sculpture garden. The Museum hosts three to four exhibitions each year, lectures, films, concerts, workshops, and other events for a general audience.
