What Will Spring Bring?
After a year behind closed doors due to the pandemic and renovations, the Neuberger is ready to begin a phased reopening next week. Works from the permanent collection and some recent acquisitions will be on view for the classes who schedule the first visits.
The reopening will begin with appointment-only class visits that are scheduled by faculty with Kristen Lindberg, Associate Curator of Education, Academic Programs. Later this spring, as global and community health standards allow, the museum will reopen to the student body and general public for by-appointment visits on posted days. There may be specific times set aside for senior citizens and other visitors who need to take extra precautions in public spaces. The good news: the Neuberger is so big that there is plenty of space for social distancing!
For those of you who have been itching to get back into museums but have not been willing to take a trip into New York City, the opportunity to visit the NEU again is exciting. After this past challenging year, being back in the museum, surrounded by art, admiring the creativity of the artists and appreciating the diversity of the collections, will provide a sense of serenity and comfort that I’ve been missing.
On View
The shows this spring will feature objects from the museum’s collections of modern, contemporary, and African art that many of us returning students and faculty may already know and love along with works by Latin and South American artist and a few new pieces that were acquired last year.
Works from the artist collective For Freedoms will be added later this spring in the phase two of the ConnectiveCollective project that was launched last fall; the mask and speech bubble posters posted around campus now all came about from phase one of that project.
Press Release: Recent Acquisitions
Last year the Neuberger added to its collection works by Louisa Chase, Engels the Artist, Cleve Gray, Ignacio Iturria, Alfredo Jaar, Lilla LoCurto & Bill Outcault, Margot Lovejoy, Allison Miller, Reuben Nakian, Joseph Stapleton, Jessica Stockholder, Fan Lee Warren, and Sophie von Hellermann. Not only do these pieces bring even more diversity to the collections, their addition aligns with Roy R. Neuberger’s passion for colelcting the works of living artists and supporting them early in their careers.
Behind the scenes
I am one of six interns working at the Neuberger this spring. During the course of the semester you’ll be hearing all of our Student Voices in this blog. As we think about what the spring will bring, I asked them all to explain their responsibilities, what they are working on, and what they are most looking forward to learning from their NEU experiences. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
Art History
Research Fellow
“I’m the Curatorial Research Fellow for the year, so I worked with the NEU last semester, too! My main responsibilities focus on researching and organizing the provenance, exhibition history, and literature of the artworks in the NEU’s archives. I’m really excited to continue to look through more of the artworks that Roy R. Neuberger collected over the years and find out what shows they were included in – both inside and outside of the NEU. It’s really rewarding to see the range of artists, themes, and media that make up the collection!”
Art History
Archives Intern
“I am so excited to be cataloguing & researching the exhibition archives at the NEU this semester. I love being able to connect with art history in a way that humanizes it better than any textbook could. The way in which art institutions function from within is a fascinating roadmap that I am grateful to be contributing to.”
Painting and Drawing
Education & Community Engagement Intern
“As an Education intern, I will be working with Kristen Lindberg to research the Neuberger Museum’s local community and possible initiatives geared towards reaching out and helping as many people in the area learn about art as possible. I am very excited to learn more about the Neuberger Museum’s processes when it comes to engaging with visitors and potential visitors through programming, events and other decisions, as well as participating in research and any planning that might help to reach this objective!”
Art History
Curatorial Intern
“I am working with the Alex Gordon Curator of Art of the Americas, Patrice Giasson, and assisting to curate two exhibitions for display next year. I have been learning how to assemble exhibition checklists, proposals, wall text, and research; I’ve been communicating with artists and writing my own text, which will be included in the exhibition. It has been wonderful to uncover the inner workings of the Neuberger– and Patrice is amazing to work with!”
Art History
Curatorial Intern
“I am also working with curator Patrice Giasson in preparation of the Color and Motion exhibit. My responsibilities consist mostly of compiling information. Currently I am working on the Exhibition History which will chronicle featured artist Nicolás DeJesús’ previous work, and on an archive of pieces that will be featured in the exhibition, documenting them in a list and and filling in any missing information through research or collaboration with the artist.
I am excited to be returning to the Neuberger. The events of the past few months have made it so that we must completely reconsider the museum space and readapt it, moving away from old models completely. To be permitted to be a part in this intricate but nonetheless exhilarating process is an opportunity and learning experience that I value immensely.
Stay tuned for more posts about the work of our other interns and everything that’s happening at the NEU this spring!
Eve Hlavatovic
Neuberger Museum of Art
Spring 2021 Communications Intern
NEU Student Voices Blogger