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FLINT INSTITUTE OF ARTS REOPENS AFTER $7.15 MILLION ADDITION OF THE CHARLES STEWART MOTT GALLERY WING

FLINT, MI (SEPTEMBER 5, 2006) The Flint Institute of Arts will celebrate the completion of a two-phased, $20 million renovation and expansion building project with the grand opening of the new Charles Stewart Mott Gallery Wing on Saturday, September 30, 2006 in the Flint Cultural Center. The 10,000 square foot space will include the Alice D. and Donald E. Johnson Gallery and the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Gallery exhibiting the FIA's 19th and 20th century American and European collections. Three other galleries will present the FIA’s regional, modern and contemporary art collections. The first phase, a $12.6 million renovation, was completed in September 2005.

“The FIA is most grateful to the C. S. Mott Foundation for fully funding Phase II prior to construction,” stated FIA Director, John B. Henry, III. “The grant award was a gift beyond all gifts. It allowed the FIA to build while concentrating its fundraising efforts on the endowment and operating funds needed for programming. It is a great honor to commemorate the stewardship of the cultural resources of Flint by Charles Stewart Mott with the opening of the expansive Charles Stewart Mott Gallery Wing".

The day’s festivities, sponsored by Citizens Bank, will begin with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and dedication at 10:00am, with the museum open to the public immediately afterward.

Opening exhibitions include: Excavating Egypt: Great Discoveries from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, University College London from September 30, 2006 to January 7, 2007, in the Hodge Gallery and new Temporary Exhibition Gallery, and, in celebration of his 400th anniversary…Rembrandt: The Consummate Etcher and Other 17th Century Printmakers from September 30, 2006 to November 5, 2006 in the Graphics Gallery.

IN ADDITION, THE FIA WILL PROUDLY UNVEIL AN EIGHTY-EIGHT FOOT FRESCO MURAL BY DETROIT ARTIST, HUBERT MASSEY. Hubert Massey was commissioned to complete the mural through a grant from the Ruth Mott Foundation. The mural installation will be located on the front wall of the FIA’s lobby, facing Kearsley Street and will be unveiled during the opening on September 30, 2006.

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THE FLINT INSTITUTE OF ARTS WILL PROUDLY UNVEIL AN EIGHTY-EIGHT FOOT FRESCO BY FLINT NATIVE, HUBERT MASSEY.

FLINT, MI (SEPTEMBER 5, 2006) Artist Hubert Massey was commissioned by the Flint Institute of Arts with funding provided by the Ruth Mott Foundation to create an eighty-eight foot fresco mural spanning the FIA’s entire retail storefront. The mural, titled “Earth, Wind, Fire and Water” will be unveiled during the museum’s opening at 10:30 am on Saturday, September 30, 2006.

“In addition to being a very accomplished artist, Hubert Massey is one of few fresco artists in the country with proven success for working on this monumental scale” states FIA Director, John Henry. “The 848 square foot painting will be visible through the Institute’s front windows even when the museum is closed. The subject of the painting has a universal and timeless appeal while alluding to Flint’s commitment to diversity, industry, and community. This is one of those memorable artistic expressions that will become an indelible image associated with an era in our city’s history.” Massey’s large-scale art is integral to the architectural space it occupies. His work is driven by a desire to create art that is available and connected to the community. As the artist explains, “Art brings communities together and creates a wonderful environment.”

The fresco technique has been used since ancient Greek and Roman times. In the 16th century, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in fresco. More recently and closer to home, Diego Rivera used the technique for the Detroit Industry murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Massey became fascinated with fresco in the 1980’s while an art student at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, and studied with two of Diego Rivera’s apprentices.

The subject matter, like the fresco medium, has a long history. According to ancient Greek philosophy, the four elements – water, air, fire, and earth – form all things in our world. As a subject for art, the four elements are part of a tradition of representation that reflects an interest in the visible world. With the rise of Humanism in 14th century Europe came the rise of the educated middle class. Many of whom became art consumers and pursued learning as a leisure time activity. They enjoyed pictures that made reference to the four elements as a way of understanding the hidden forces of nature and nature’s artistry. Jan van Kessel’s painting Air, on view in the FIA’s Summerfield European Gallery, is a good example of this type of painting.

The mural is the artist’s interpretation of the four elements of life: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Mr. Massey describes the image of Mother Earth, holding the plant of life in one hand and planet earth in the other. Her hair, carried to the right by the wind, flows into clouds in the sky. Strong hands grip an axel, tilting a crucible so the molten metal inside spills into a mold beneath it. Steam rises from the mold and travels over lily pads floating in water. The drops of water on the lily pads and the water beneath them reflect the sky above. “The message,” states Massey, “is that Man has the responsibility of maintaining the balance of the elements.” The crucible and hands at work symbolize the hard work and strength of the community, while the drop of water on the lily pad signifies the DNA of life. “We are all connected as human beings.”

Massey attended Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan and spent a semester abroad, studying art at the University of London’s Slade Institute of Art. After graduating from GVSU, Massey perfected his craft by working as a sign and billboard painter. In this position Massey was able to produce large-scale paintings, used as billboards, on a daily basis. It would be twelve years before he would receive his first major art commission, a 625 sq. ft. oil mural for the lobby of the Atheneum Hotel in Detroit. Numerous commissions followed, including Earth, Wind, Fire and Water, the first major fresco mural in Michigan since the 1930’s when Diego Rivera painted his murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

In 1995, Mr. Massey was selected to participate in a Fresco workshop under the tutelage of apprentices to world-renowned artist Diego Rivera. Mr. Massey has been commissioned to create Frescos for many organizations, including: the Detroit Athletic Club, the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Grand Valley State University, and the Charles Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.

BACKGROUND ON THE FIA
The FIA received the first gift to its collection in 1930. Since then, the collection has grown to over 6,500 works of art and is world-renowned for its quality and diversity. Permanent collection works range from important American and European paintings by such notables as Sargent, Cassatt, Calder, Goya, and Renoir to Native American, African, and Asian works of art. Each year more than 90,000 people come to view this important collection, free of charge.

In addition to welcoming museum visitors from around the world, the Institute’s Art School serves a large regional audience and is this area’s primary educational resource for the visual arts. An enrollment of 4,000 students is projected for coming years, which will make the FIA one of the largest museum art schools in the country. In addition to students enrolled in the Art School, K-12 outreach school programs serve more than 20,000 children annually.

FIA THEATER FILM SERIES
The FIA Theater presents quality avant-garde, independent, and international films 52 weeks of the year. Films screenings are held every weekend in the FIA’s newly renovated Theater with plush theater-style seating and a state-of-the-art sound system. The FIA Theater is also host to several film festivals throughout the year.



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April 2006

Special Exhibitions opens April 22

FEBRUARY 2006
Special exhibition opens to the Public on February 4, 2006

NOVEMBER 2005
FIA To add four galleries with C.S. Mott Foundation grant

MARCH 2005
The FIA has received "The Challenge"” from the Kresge Foundation!

 

 


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