"Bird and Blossom" Curator Talk

(Isthmus pick) Twenty Japanese kachō-e (flower-and-bird woodblock prints) from MMoCA’s permanent collection are on display in “Bird and Blossom.” The depictions of birds in the natural world — from the Edo and Meiji era ukiyo-e and twentieth-century shin hanga movements — prompt contemplation of those relationships. Artistically, multiblock woodblock printing has its own unique aura. The art in the exhibition were collected by Madison residents Rudolph and Louise Langer and were a gift to the Museum that began the permanent collection in 1968. Assistant curator Eleanor Pschirrer-West will talk about the exhibit at noon on March 14.

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Collection of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art

Ohara Koson, “Flycatchers in Snow,” 1929.

Ohara Koson, “Flycatchers in Snow,” 1929.

media release: For Bird and Blossom, MMoCA presents a selection of kachō-e (flower-and-bird pictures) woodblock prints from the Museum’s permanent collection. This exhibition explores artistic renderings of the natural world through two pivotal Japanese print movements: the Edo and Meiji era ukiyo-e and twentieth-century shin-hanga. In these colorfully rendered works, animal-habitat relationships prompt close examination. Delicate surface details, the result of the multiblock woodblock printing process, convey naturalistic specificity as well as moments of poetic stylization.

The 20 artworks in the exhibition were collected by Madison residents Rudolph and Louise Langer which formed part of the foundational gift to the Museum’s permanent collection in 1968. This presentation of Langer Bequest prints not only prompts conversations about the history of Japanese printmaking but also is a reminder of MMoCA’s foundational strength in prints. Reengaging with these prints in a contemporary setting invites the larger discussion of how our relationship with and understanding of the collection shifts over extended periods of time and in new contexts.

Events:

February 22 

Living Gallery: the Botany of Bird and Blossom

10 AM – 6 PM • Museum Lobby • Free Admission

For one day only, MMoCA’s Lobby is transformed into a living gallery. We are partnering with the University of Wisconsin’s Botany Garden and Greenhouses to bring a selection of plants related to our Bird and Blossom exhibition to MMoCA. View the artworks in the gallery and then linger in the Lobby to view the living specimens while learning more about them.

March 8

Indoor Nature Walk of Bird and Blossom

2 PM • Henry Street Gallery • Free Admission

David Drake, professor and Extension wildlife specialist at UW-Madison, leads a tour of the exhibition Bird and Blossom, focusing on the bird habitats depicted. Explore the natural world in this 30-minute gallery talk through the woodblock prints in the exhibition while gaining insight into the native habitats of the birds depicted.

March 14

Bird and Blossom Curator Talk with Eleanor Pschirrer-West

12 PM • Henry Street Gallery • Free Admission

Take a mid-day art break as MMoCA’s Assistant Curator Eleanor Pschirrer-West leads you on a guided tour of Bird and Blossom. Learn more about the kachō-e (flower-and-bird pictures) from two distinct points in time and explore the relationship between these historical works and our contemporary collection. Following the talk, stick around for a brief Q&A.