David Ryckaert III (Flemish, 1612–1661), Interior of an Inn with Four Figures, ca. 1640, oil on panel. A Gift from Max Oberlander, 2015.5.3. Photo: Richard Walker.
Two related exhibitions open at the Picker Art Gallery on January 30.
In Original Materials II: The Picker Art Gallery and the Building of a Collection, the museum continues its in-depth look at the past, present, and future of the art collections at Colgate. Drawing from the museum’s holdings, the exhibition combines works on view during the fall 2019 semester with many new selections — along with material from Colgate’s University Archives. The exhibition highlights some of the principal sub-collections that have shaped the museum, considers the people who helped to build the collection, and examines the ways in which the Picker has contributed to a Colgate education.
Opening alongside Original Materials is Works in Progress: Original Materials from the Netherlands, which presents the results of ongoing research on Dutch and Flemish artworks in the Picker Art Gallery’s collection. This small but significant group features paintings by artists such as Pieter Brueghel II, Isaac van Ostade, and David Ryckaert III, many of which are being publicly displayed for the first time since the early 20th century. By looking closely at the objects themselves, as well as their recorded traces in archives and literature, the exhibition investigates the works’ original significance as well as their centuries-long journey before coming to the Picker. Research remains a work in progress and the exhibition — which will be updated regularly to share new insights with visitors — considers both the potential and the limitations of art historical, archival, and object-based methods to shed light on all that remains unknown about museum collections.
Research of the Picker Art Gallery’s collection of Dutch and Flemish art is being carried out by Suzanne van de Meerendonk and is supported by a grant from the Kress Foundation.
Colgate’s Longyear Museum of Anthropology will reopen the exhibition, “Shhh! Don’t Tell Anyone!” Uncovering Histories of the Longyear Museum of Anthropology on February 4. Based on archival and collections-based research on the museum’s history, students in MUSE 300: Museum Curating, curated an exhibition that explores the lives and activities of the curators who shaped the institution; traces how collections evolve; and asks visitors to envision the museum’s future. This exhibition highlights nine different collections that entered the museum from the mid-20th century to the present and are connected to communities in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
For more information about the exhibitions and upcoming programming, visit colgate.edu/about/campus-facilities/museums-galleries or follow the museums on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @pagcolgate and @lmacolgate.
Related Events
Friday, January 17
2–4 p.m.
LMAkerspace Pop-Up
Conference Room, Office of Residential Life, Drake Hall
Join other makers for an informal gathering. Bring your own craft, or try out new ones, with supplies and refreshments provided.
Wednesday, January 22
4:30 p.m.
Golden Auditorium, Little Hall
Lecture by Suzanne van de Meerendonk, Original Materials from the Netherlands: ongoing research of the Picker Art Gallery’s permanent collection. Suzanne Van de Meerendonk will speak about her current research on Dutch and Flemish art in the Picker Art Gallery collection. Part of the Art & Art History Lecture Series.
Wednesday, January 29
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
560 Batza Meeting Room, Case-Geyer Library
Museum Conversations: Technical Investigations
Join Assistant Professor of Anthropology Santiago Juarez, Suzanne van de Meerendonk, and staff members from the University Museums for a conversation about how museums carry out technical research on their collections. Lunch will be provided.
Thursday, January 30
5 p.m.
Picker Art Gallery, 2nd floor, Dana Arts Center
Opening reception for Works in Progress: Original Materials from the Netherlands
Join us for the opening of a new exhibition featuring Dutch and Flemish artworks from the Picker collection, coinciding with the opening of Original Materials II: The Picker Art Gallery and the Building of a Collection. Light refreshments will be served.
Saturday, February 1
10 a.m.–noon
212 Alumni Hall
LMAkerspace
Join other makers for an informal gathering. Bring your own craft, or try out new ones, with supplies and refreshments provided.
Tuesday, February 4
10 a.m.
Longyear Museum of Anthropology, 2nd floor, Alumni Hall
“Shhh! Don’t Tell Anyone!” Uncovering Histories of the Longyear Museum of Anthropology reopens
Tuesday, February 4
11:30 a.m.–noon
Picker Art Gallery, 2nd floor, Dana Arts Center
Gallery Talk
Join Suzanne van de Meerendonk, curator of Works in Progress: Original Materials from the Netherlands for a walkthrough of the new exhibition.
Thursday, February 20
6–8 p.m.
Picker Art Gallery, 2nd floor, Dana Arts Center
Off the Wall
Join us for food and mixed-media collages inspired by Painting with St. Sebastian Figure no. 1 by Jim Morphesis.
Wednesday, February 26
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
560 Batza Meeting Room, Case-Geyer Library
Museum Conversations: Listening, Land Acknowledgment & Reciprocity
Join Lisa Latocha, Onyota’a:ká: (Oneida Indian Nation), invited guests, and staff members from the University Museums for a conversation about the significance of land acknowledgments in a time of reciprocity. Lunch will be provided.
Saturday, March 7
10 a.m.–noon
212 Alumni Hall
LMAkerspace
Join other makers for an informal gathering. Bring your own craft, or try out new ones, with supplies and refreshments provided.
Tuesday, March 24
11 a.m.–noon
Picker Art Gallery, 2nd floor, Dana Arts Center
Gallery Talk
Suzanne van de Meerendonk will speak about the exhibition Works in Progress: Original Materials from the Netherlands and the latest developments in the ongoing research project on the featured artworks.
Wednesday, March 25
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
560 Batza Meeting Room, Case-Geyer Library
Museum Conversations: Museums and Accessibility
Join staff members from the University Museums for a conversation about how museums are making themselves more accessible for diverse visitors. Lunch will be provided.
Saturday, April 4
10 a.m.–noon
212 Alumni Hall
LMAkerspace
Join other makers for an informal gathering. Bring your own craft, or try out new ones, with supplies and refreshments provided.
Wednesday, April 22
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
560 Batza Meeting Room, Case-Geyer Library
Museum Conversations: Sustainability and Museums
Join Pamela Gramlich, assistant director, sustainability and program coordinator, environmental studies, and staff members from the University Museums for a conversation about sustainability and museums. Lunch will be provided.
Thursday, April 23
4:30 p.m.
Golden Auditorium, Little Hall
Lecture by Suzanne van de Meerendonk, Loss and Limitations: Art Research as a Work in Progress
The curator of Works in Progress: Original Materials from the Netherlands will talk about ongoing research on Dutch and Flemish art in the PAG collection and what research can and cannot do to recover lost knowledge about these works.
Saturday, May 2
10 a.m.–noon
212 Alumni Hall
LMAkerspace
Join other makers for an informal gathering. Bring your own craft, or try out new ones, with supplies and refreshments provided.
Reunion Weekend Events
Friday, May 29
Picker Art Gallery, 2nd floor, Dana Arts Center
Gallery Talks
Join PAG curator Nicholas West for a tour of the exhibition Original Materials II. Curator of Works in Progress: Original Materials from the Netherlands, Suzanne van de Meerendonk, will also present a walk-through of the associated exhibition, with a special focus on the alumni donors who helped shape the Picker Art Gallery’s Dutch and Flemish art collection.
Saturday, May 30
212 Alumni Hall
10 a.m.–noon
LMAkerspace
Join other makers for an informal gathering. Bring your own craft, or try out new ones, with supplies and refreshments provided.