November 3, 2009
For Immediate Release
For more information: Marcus Vincent (801) 863-4200
University Marketing & Communications: Erin Spurgeon, (801) 863-6807
Written by: Jesse Royston (801) 863-4200
UVU’s Woodbury Art Museum will feature two new winter exhibits beginning this week – one a national invitational postcard exhibition and the other a collection of Lewis Sorensen dolls courtesy of the McCurdy Doll Museum. The opening reception will be held Friday, Nov. 6 from 6-8 p.m. Both exhibits will be on display through Jan. 15, 2010.
The National Invitational Postcard show is a traveling exhibit of 50 postcards created by artists representing their respective home states. This exhibit was assembled by Jeanne Voltura, director of the Bridge Gallery in Las Vegas, and was exhibited there April through July of this year. The art pieces represent visual contexts and environments with diverse impetus and purpose. While the concept of postcard art is not new, this iteration presents serious works of art on a miniature scale, as opposed to simply images that have transited the country through the U.S. mail. Many of the works on paper are two-sided and are installed to permit the patron to examine each surface.
Just in time for the holidays, the Lewis Sorensen Doll exhibit will feature a selection of “Father Christmas” dolls representing traditions from a variety of nations. The dolls for this exhibit were generously loaned by Shirley Paxman, founder of the McCurdy Doll Museum. The wax dolls were created for the McCurdy Doll Museum by Lewis Sorensen. The life-like and individual character of each ornately clothed figure adds charm to the stories of their origin. Born in 1910, Sorensen became one of America’s premier creators of wax dolls. The subject of numerous newspaper articles, Sorensen gained a broad reputation for his life-size wax figures, and a general reputation as an outstanding sculptor. The McCurdy Doll Museum, which housed a collection of more than 4,000 dolls, closed in 2005. These dolls have not been on public display in four years.
Rotating selection from the Woodbury Museum’s permanent collection will be on display in the museum’s other galleries. One gallery will feature “The Mr. & Mrs. Harold (Hal) Wing Photography Collection: 1920-1979.” The collection includes photographs by Paul Caponigro, Aaron Siskind, Eugene W. Smith and Josef Sudek, all significant 20th century photographers. Also on display will be the Jeanne Leighton Lundberg Clarke Collection. Clarke is a local artist whose complex compositions fill the entire canvas, symbolizing the human experience, including the hidden meanings and patterns found in life. Her work highlights the importance of women and illustrates their responsibilities to both family and security.
The Woodbury Art Museum is located in the University Mall on the second floor between Nordstrom and the Gap. Admission is free. For more information, please call (801) 863-6200.
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