Published: October 02, 2008 02:27 pm            

Swope Museum announces fall exhibitions, events

The art exhibition “Umbria from the Eye of Al Pounders,” sponsored by Old National Bank, runs from Oct. 17 to Jan. 3 in the Sheldon Swope Art Museum.

An opening reception is 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 17. Another chance to meet the artist is at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 5.

For the past 20 years, Pounders has spent half of each year painting in the rugged Umbrian terrain of Italy and the other half at his home in West Lafayette, where he is professor emeritus of painting at Purdue University. Pounders’ Italian landscapes are grand panoramic vistas; nothing else could encompass Italy’s rich history ripe with myths and miracles. Pounders’ painting style, though realistic, is not bound to photo-like documentation. Instead, he interprets the essence of his experience of a place, mastering the use of painterly devices to bend and mold the space into a fantasy that stems from memory and history. These landscapes dramatize the rolling hills and patch-worked fields of the rugged Umbrian terrain. The mood in Pounders’ paintings and drawings reflect the artist’s respect, infatuation and awe of Italy, which he calls “the country of miracles.” The exhibition at the Swope will feature large-scale paintings not shown before.

The “Terre Haute Heroes Project: Photographs by Bill Elmore,” also runs Oct. 17 through Jan. 3, in the Education Gallery of the Swope.

Though Elmore works as a studio and commercial photographer, he is not new to adrenaline-pumping situations. He spent four years in Vietnam as a navy photographer and one of his photographs graces the cover of a 1975 Time magazine. For this continuing series, Elmore has spent several years following and documenting our local emergency responders as they carry out their harrowing jobs; a harrowing job in itself. These striking photographic images are evidence of Elmore’s admiration of the dedicated and courageous individuals who fight our fires, chase our criminals and respond to our accidents.

The exhibition is sponsored by Garmong Construction and Baesler’s Market. An opening reception is 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 17. Another chance to learn more about this project is Wednesday Brown Bag Lunch and Learn, sponsored by Duke Energy, Nov. 12. Jahn Enlund, Elmore’s partner, will discuss the project and the inspiration for the work. The public is invited to all events and admission is free.

From 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5, visitors can enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, plus create a holiday ornament inspired by the work of Pounders.

The public is invited to all events and admission is free. Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

The museum is at 25 S. Seventh St.

For more information, phone (812) 238-1676 or visit www.swope.org or the blog at www.swope.org/sammyblog.

        

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