Three exhibitions are set to open this fall at the MMFA | Arts & Culture

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts will celebrate the openings of three exhibitions on Thursday, October 4 from 6 to 7 PM with an opening reception. The exhibitions are: Psychedelic Mania: Stephen Rolfe Powell’s Dance with Glass, Accumulations: The Art Joelle Ford and Stephen T. Johnson; and Highlights from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at the University of Alabama.  Following the reception, at 7 PM, Peter Morrin, who has studied Stephen Rolfe Powell’s career for many years, will lend his insight into the life and work of the artist.
 
On Friday, October 5 from 5 to 8 PM, join the Museum for an outdoor evening a glass blowing demonstration by Stephen Rolfe Powell, picnicking, music, and more. Pre-order a boxed dinner by September 28. Menu options and pricing is available at mmfa.org

More Information about the exhibitions:
Psychedelic Mania: Stephen Rolfe Powell’s Dance with Glass
October 6, 2012 through January 6, 2013

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the American Studio Glass movement, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts presents the work of Alabama native Stephen Rolfe Powell, an internationally recognized master glass artist.
 
Powell’s work employs a traditional Italian murrine technique, incorporating thousands of tiny beads of color that he blows and stretches into suggestive, asymmetrical shapes. His inventive method of blowing, swinging and torching the molten glass, combined with tongue-in-cheek titles, offers a fresh departure from conventional glass vessels. Beginning with early ceramic vessels and glass prototypes that informed Powell’s artistic development, this exhibition showcases Powell’s oversized blown glass vessels from his Teasers series, large, asymmetrical sculptures from his Whacko and Screamer series, and stunning bowls from his most recent body of work, Echoes.

Accumulations: The Art of Joelle Ford and Stephen T. Johnson
October 6, 2012 through January 13, 2013

The exhibition Accumulations: The Art of Joelle Ford and Stephen T. Johnson brings together two Kansas-based artists who playfully transform mundane materials into witty assemblages.
 
Looking for value in the unusual and unexpected, Joelle Ford collects discarded objects from antique stores, flea markets, and garage sales to serve as ‘raw material’. She often uses vivid colors or bold geometries to play with perception; it is not until viewing the piece up close that Ford’s materials reveal themselves for what they are—common objects.
 
Stephen T. Johnson also looks to everyday materials, yet instead of abstracting the objects he celebrates their uniqueness.The pieces featured in the exhibition correspond to his book, A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet. For this series, Johnson composed playful, alliterative phrases that form a portrait of an ordinary item. The phrases provide both visual cues and structure for the piece resulting in highly inventive works of art.

Highlights from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama
September 1 through October 28, 2012
 
This series of exhibitions is selected from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art in the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Alabama. Jones (1928 – 2010) was described by Art & Antiques magazine as “one of the top collectors in the country.” He amassed one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of 20th century African American art and donated much of it to The University of Alabama. The collection includes more than 1700 works of art in a variety of media by more than 600 artists.
 
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday Noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free and donations are welcome. For more information, call the MMFA at 334.240.4333 or visit the website at www.mmfa.org.
 
Source:  MMFA Department of Public Relations and Marketing