Inauguration of New Hessel Museum of Art
at Bard Colleges Center for Curatorial Studies
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Sunday, November 12, 2006
10am 4pm
Free and open to the public
Inaugural Exhibition: Wrestle
(November 12, 2006 May 27, 2007)
Curated by CCS Bard executive director Tom Eccles and independent curator Trevor Smith
This weekend, the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College inaugurates the new 17,000 square-foot Hessel Museum of Art with Wrestle, an exhibition of over 150 representative works from the Marieluise Hessel Collection. Curated by Center for Curatorial Studies (CCS Bard) executive director Tom Eccles and independent curator Trevor Smith, Wrestle will open November 12 and remain on view until May 27, 2007.
This compelling overview of the Hessel Collection focuses on works that challenge notions of self and others, offering connections in form and content among works from diverse artistic and social positions. We have tried to be sensitive to the context and intentions of the artists, Tom Eccles states, but we have also tried to craft an exhibition that is contentious, provocative, and faithful to the character of the collection as a whole and the collectors bold and passionate choices over the past 40 years.
An innovative two-volume catalogue, also titled Wrestle, continues the curatorial play of suggestive juxtapositions. All works in the exhibition are illustrated along with three specially commissioned artist projects. In addition to essays by Eccles, Smith and CCS faculty member Ivo Mesquita, independent critic Michael Brenson interviews Ms. Hessel and Tom Eccles. Designed by Goto Design, New York, the Wrestle catalogue will be launched at the inauguration of the Hessel Museum on November 12.
The Artists
Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Giovanni Anselmo, Janine Antoni, Vanessa Beecroft, Alighiero E Boetti, Daniel Buren, Larry Clark, Martin Creed, Rineke Dijkstra, Valie Export, Luciano Fabro, Robert Gober, Nan Goldin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Mona Hatoum, Eberhard Havekost, Gary Hill, Roni Horn, Isaac Julien, Imi Knoebel, Yayoi Kusama, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mapplethorpe, Christian Marclay, Malerie Marder, Paul McCarthy, Ana Mendieta, Mario Merz, Marisa Merz, Bruce Nauman, Cady Noland, Gabriel Orozco, Tony Oursler, Nam June Paik, Giuseppe Penone, Sigmar Polke, Richard Prince, Jason Rhoades, Pipilotti Rist, Doris Salcedo, Thomas Schütte, Cindy Sherman, Thomas Struth, Do-Ho Suh, Rosemarie Trockel, Karlheinz Weinberger, Lawrence Weiner, Christopher Wool.
Inauguration Schedule on November 12:
10:00 AM Witness to Her Art Panel and Book Launch
With editors Rhea Anastas and Michael Brenson Blithewood Manor
A new anthology of artists writing and criticism featuring artists in the Marieluise Hessel Collection: Witness to Her Art: Art and Writings by Adrian Piper, Mona Hatoum, Cady Noland, Jenny Holzer, Kara Walker, Daniela Rossell and Eau de Cologne. Presentations by Michael Brenson, Faculty, CCS and Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College; Helen Molesworth, Chief Curator of Exhibitions, Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH.
Noon Welcome Remarks
Leon Botstein
Tom Eccles
12:30 PM Hessel Museum of Art Ribbon Cutting
Followed by a special performance by British conceptual artist Martin Creed, with students of The Bard College Conservatory of Music
1:30 PM Lunch (*Sandwiches and concessions will be available for purchase at the
Museum)
2:30 PM Wrestle Panel Discussion
With curators Tom Eccles and Trevor Smith Theater, Milton and Sally Avery Center for the Arts
A special panel discussion addressing the Wrestle exhibition with curators Tom Eccles and Trevor Smith, as well as invited guests Arthur Danto, Johnsonian Professor Emeritus, Philosophy, Columbia University; Vasif Kortun, Director, Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center, Istanbul; Ute Meta Bauer, Director and Associate Professor, Visual Arts, MIT; and Molly Nesbit, Professor of Art, Vassar College.
All events take place on the campus of Bard College.
Limited free seating on a chartered bus is available to and from the reception from New York City. Call (845) 758-7598 for details and reservations.
Directions
The Hessel Museum of Art and the Center for Curatorial Studies are located on the campus of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 90 miles north of New York City.
By Car
From New York City, New Jersey, and points south, take the New York State Thruway (I-87) to Exit 19 (Kingston), take Route 209 (changes to Route 199 at the Hudson River) over the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge to Route 9G; at the second light, turn left onto Route 9G and drive north 3.5 miles. Once on campus, follow signs for CCS Bard Hessel Museum.
From southern Connecticut, follow I-84 to the Taconic State Parkway, take the Taconic north to the Red Hook/ Route 199 exit, drive west on Route 199 through the village of Red Hook to Route 9G, turn right onto Route 9G, and drive north 1.6 miles.
From northern Connecticut, take Route 44 to Route 199 at Millerton, drive west on Route 199, and proceed as from southern Connecticut.
From Massachusetts and northern New England, take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Exit B-2 (Taconic Park- way), take the Taconic south to the Red Hook/Route 199 exit, and proceed as from southern Connecticut.
By Train
Amtrak provides service from Penn Station, New York City, and from Albany to Rhinecliff, about 9 miles south of Annandale. Taxi service is available at the Rhinecliff station.
About the Center for Curatorial Studies and the Hessel Museum of Art
The Center for Curatorial Studies and Art in Contemporary Culture is an exhibition and research center dedicated to the study of art and exhibition practices from the 1960s to the present day. Created in 1990 by Marieluise Hessel and Richard Black, the Center initiated its graduate program in curatorial studies in 1994. The Centers original 38,000-square-foot facility, designed by architect Jim Goettsch and design consultant Nada Andric, was completed in December 1991. Expanded and completely renovated in 2006, the Center now offers 9,500 square feet of exhibition galleries, advanced collection storage facilities, classrooms, a library and archive, and offices for faculty, staff, and visiting curators and scholars.
# # #
CCS Bard Contact:
Jaime Henderson
Phone: 845-758-7598
henderso@bard.edu
Bard College Contact:
Mark Primoff
Phone: 845-758-7412
primoff@bard.edu
Media Contact:
Blue Medium, Inc.
Antoine Vigne or Lucy Toole
Phone: 212-675-1800
lucy@bluemedium.com
