New MoMA to Open--The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, opens on Nov. 20 in its new midtown Manhattan home. The collection includes 135,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects, as well as thousands of films, videos and media works. The new MoMA includes an atrium that soars 110 ft. above street level, surrounded by redesigned and expanded collection galleries and expansive views of both The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden and the vibrancy of midtown. As a special gift to the public for its steadfast support, admission is free of charge on opening day. Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.moma.org.

Exhibitions Announced--The Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, WI, has announced the exhibitions to be presented during 2004/5 in the new Overture Center Galleries. A participatory community art installation, created as part of the grand opening festival celebration, will remain on display through December. For the schedule of exhibitions call 608.258.4177 or email communitygallery@overturecenter.com.

New President Chosen--The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, has announced that Emily Kernan Rafferty, a 28-year employee and accomplished senior executive, will become its next President. Current President David E. McKinney will retire effective January 15, 2005.

Holiday Stamps Released--The traditional holiday postage stamp for 2004 features "Madonna and Child" by Lorenzo Monaco (National Gallery of Art). Four Holiday Ornament stamps, to be released Nov. 16, feature painted glass Santa ornaments nestled in tissue paper to evoke happy memories of lights, tinsel and other favorite holiday decorations. Also available are Holiday Celebration stamps for Kwanzaa, a seven-day non-religious African-American holiday that draws on African traditions; and Hanukkah, a joyous yearly festival spanning eight days and nights and celebrated around the world.

Yaddo Deadline Changed--The application deadlines at Yaddo will now be January 1 for residencies beginning mid-May through February of the following year and August 1 for residencies beginning late October and extending through mid-May of the following year. Founded in 1900, Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs, NY. Its mission is to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment. For further info, visit www.yaddo.org.

Grants Announced--The 2004 Federal Save America's Treasures Grants are being awarded to 60 projects in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Among grants administered by the NEA are those to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA; Louis I. Kahn Collection, The Architectural Archives of the U. of PA in Philadelphia; the Hogg Family Collection, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; and Louise Nevelson's Atmosphere and Environment XII, Fairmount Park Art Association, Philadelphia, PA.

New Museum for D.C.--The Smithsonian's new National Museum of the American Indian has opened on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with a six-day celebration. The five-story building contains exhibition space and areas for ceremonies, performances and educational activities, as well as a theater. In addition to centuries-old artistic and archaeological objects, the museum displays current Native American art and artifacts. Satellite facilities are located in New York City and Suitland, MD. Timed entry passes are required and can be obtained at the museum for same-day entry or in advance at www.Tickets.com. For museum info: 202.633.1000.

Milestone Reached--Photographer Richard Avedon has died at age 81. The famed photographer was known for his celebrity photos and his immense influence on the fashion industry.

Exhibitions

New York, NY -- Metropolitan Museum of Art -- Gilbert Stuart is the artist's first retrospective in nearly four decades and features nearly 100 exceptional works that reveal his talent for capturing both the appearance and the character of his many prominent clients. A highlight is the display in a single room of 14 of Stuart's portraits of George Washington, including the celebrated "Lansdowne" portrait of 1796, recently acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Through Jan. 16. A complementary exhibition, George Washington: Man, Myth, Monument Images from the Metropolitan, will feature some four dozen works in all media depicting the United States' first President through Feb. 27.

Los Angeles, CA -- Los Angeles County Museum of Art - Renoir to Matisse: The Eye of Duncan Phillips provides an opportunity to experience European masterpieces from The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., one of the first museums in the U.S. to present modern art. More than 50 outstanding modern masterworks are on view by Bonnard, Cézanne, Daumier, Degas, Gauguin, van Gogh, Kandinsky, Klee, Marc, Monet, Matisse, Picasso and Renoir. Through Jan. 9.

Washington, D.C. -- The Phillips Collection - Calder Miro, an exhibition of mobile sculptures of Calder and the poem paintings of Miro, highlights the visual dialogue between these two artistic innovators of the 20th century. Featuring more than 100 works, the exhibition culminates with Miro's 30-foot mural and Calder's 12-foot diameter mobile, commissions for the Terrace Plaza Hotel that will be on view outside Cincinnati for the first time since their installation in 1948. Through Jan. 23.

New York, NY -- American Museum of Natural History -- Fall Colors Across North America features an exhibition of over 35 color photographs by Anthony Eaton Cook, an author, painter, naturalist, conservationist and photographer. The photographs showcase the unique natural features of autumn in North America and were taken over four autumns in the deciduous color belt that runs from the southeastern U.S. up through Canada and Alaska. Through March 13.

Newark, NJ -- The Newark Museum - Nicholas & Alexandra: At Home with the Last Tsar & His Family is the first exhibition to display the Romanov family's personal belongings from their living quarters in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, 15 miles outside St. Petersburg. More than 250 precious objects, most of them never before seen outside of Russia, are presented in a series of vignettes that depict the private life of the Imperial family. Through Jan. 9. NOTE: Due to overwhelming public response, exhibition hours have been extended to include Mondays from Noon to 5 p.m., when the museum is not normally open to the public.

Washington, D.C. -- National Gallery of Art -- Six Centuries of Prints and Drawings: Recent Acquisitions presents 100 of the finest works of art on paper acquired by the museum through gifts and purchases over the past five years. On public exhibition for the first time, they range chronologically from the earliest German drawing on paper to come to America, "Christ Kneeling in Prayer" (c. 1425), to etchings by Glenn Lignon from the 1990's. Opens Nov. 14 through May 30.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 15 No. 1 -- November 2004