Opening this September in the Docent Gallery, Drawing as Discovery: 500 Years of Drawings and Watercolors from MAG’s Permanent Collection will showcase over 100 stellar works selected from the museum’s holdings of over 2,000 drawings. Significant work by legendary artists such as Lesley Dill, Edgar Degas, Georgia O’Keeffe, Francisco Goya, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Kara Walker will be displayed alongside drawings by less familiar artists whose works are of equally striking quality.
Drawing as Discovery embodies MAG’s vision: As the center of the conversation on creativity, MAG builds community and enriches the way we see ourselves and the world around us. The drawings in the exhibition represent a diverse array of artists, media, and subject matter, uniting a breadth of cultures and time periods. Each reflects the technical prowess of the artist, the purpose for which it was made, and, above all, the process of discovery that is at the core of all artistic creativity. The pieces included in the exhibition demonstrate the rich strategies artists use to explore line and tone, render three-dimensional space, and capture the nuances of the human condition.
Guests will be able to discover their own creativity in our playful in-gallery drawing studio. The space will include drawing supplies, objects for setting up still lifes to draw, how-to books and lesson sheets tied to show themes, a community wall for showcasing guests’ creations, and a specially curated video montage for inspiration.
Drawing as Discovery will be in MAG’s Docent Gallery from September 26, 2024-January 12, 2025. The exhibition is sponsored by The Norry Family and the Rubens Family Foundation, with additional support from Sonya and Quincy Allen, Dr. Michael J. Feinstein, Walter B. D. Hickey, Jr., The MAG Council, Elizabeth Rennert, Barbara and George Segel, Robert Tortorella, and the Elaine P. and Richard U. Wilson Foundation. Funding is also provided by Courtney and Michael DeRisio, Nancy G. Curme, and Deanne Molinari.
The exhibition is also made possible by the Dr. Robert Lewis Berg and Florence Foster Berg Fund, the Langdon and Ellen Clay Endowment, the Robert A. and Maureen S. Dobies Endowment Fund, the Joan Feinbloom Grand Gallery Endowment Fund, the Suressa H. Forbes Endowment, the Margaret Davis Friedlich and Alan and Sylvia Davis Memorial Fund, the Irving and Essie Germanow Fund, the Grant Holcomb Fund, the Kayser Fund, the Elizabeth and Eric Rennert Family Fund, the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Fund and the Nancy R. Turner Fund for Special Exhibitions.
Opening Program: Sketch Night
Thursday, October 3, 2024 | 7–8 pm | Auditorium
Join us for a rare treat of delving into an artist’s creative process and discovering your artistic eye and drawing skills. Artist and former art preparator at MAG Carol Acquilano will reveal drawings from some of her sketchbooks and lead the audience through drawing exercises using still lifes specially designed for this event. Supplies will be provided. Registration information will be forthcoming.
Be Our Guest: The Art of Animation in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Thursday, October 10, 2024 | 6–8:30 pm | Vanden Brul Pavilion and Auditorium
Join Peter Murphey, Senior Lecturer in Animation from the School of Film and Animation at the College of Imaging Arts & Sciences at RIT, as he explores the ins and outs of drawing in animation, how animation has changed over the ages, and how Disney’s classic helped to set the stage for what we see today followed by a screening of Disney’s 1991 Beauty and the Beast. Light refreshments start at 6 pm in the Vanden Brul Pavilion; lecture and film screening start at 6:30 pm in the auditorium. Register here.
Meet the Artist: Chitra Ganesh
Thursday, December 12, 2024 | 7–8 pm | Auditorium
Nightwatchers, Chitra Ganesh’s two-sided drawing in Drawing as Discovery, is a captivating enigma. With sequins and handwritten texts, the mixed-media work breaks from the traditional notion of drawing. Join Ganesh as she speaks on her work, creative process, and inspiration. Her talk will be followed by Q&A.
MAG’s collection also holds a portfolio of prints by the artist. Chitra Ganesh: Sultana’s Dream was on view at MAG’s Lockhart Gallery in 2020.