McNay 60th Anniversary article in the new edition of Plumage-TX magazine

Click here to read article online The 60th Anniversary at the McNay Museum 2014 marked the 60th anniversary of the McNay Museum in San Antonio; giving praise and recognition to founder’s artistic vision. The McNay is one of the more unique and distinguished museums in Texas and the U.S.  Billed as the first museum in Texas to be dedicated to modern and contemporary art, the museum’s six decades of collections, public programming and continued acquisitions set the bar for such art world accolades.  “We have been celebrating our 60th Anniversary since the beginning of 2014, reflective of the official opening of the museum in 1954”, says Dr. William J. Chiego, the museum’s Executive Director. The McNay chose to kick off their celebrations with 3 major exhibitions: Beyond Love–Robert Indiana, Beauty Reigns: A Baroque Sensibility in Recent Paintings, andIntimate Impressionism. These three exhibitions highlighting the anniversary grasp to encapsulate the full scope of resources afforded to the museum; highlights from the existing collections, public programming, as well as the eccentric visual language, legacy and lineage of Mrs. McNay. More than just the “Love” icon and his Pop Art influences, The McNay was able to feature over 100 artworks by Indiana, rounding out the experience with a 256 page catalog of the exhibition.  “It is significant to point out that Robert Indiana has become one of the most important artists in the 1960’s -1970’s decade”, said Chiego.  “Beauty Reigns was co-curated by The McNay Museum’s Chief Curator, Rene Paul Barilleaux and highlighted 13 artists who were working in similar bold, colorful and exotic ways”, Chiego says.  Beauty Reigns: A Baroque Sensibility in Recent Painting at the McNay Museum captures a post-graffiti sensibility mixing visual elements of design, illustration, graphics, and artistic liberties; drawing the viewer into a world of sensory overload.   With a stylized artistic appeal, Barilleaux sought to have the audience leave the museum walls and journey into a new realm, met by stimulus that engages us; reflective of acquainted and  non-familiar imagery -- worldly as well as mysterious. He accomplishes this task and gives voice to a new generation of mixed eclecticism that breeds cohesive thought—visually and conceptually. Intimate Impressionism was organized by the National Gallery of Art in Washington and featured over 70 Impressionist and Post-Impressionistic paintings,. Dr. Chiego highlights the fact that the Intimate Impressionism exhibition gave context to their existing collection and Mrs. McNay’s taste in French Impressionism.   He boosts that with the success of just this one exhibition added 1,600 new members alone. A recent spotlight of the museum’s celebrations includes a temporary exhibition of local artists, hand-picked to help in the yearlong festivities. “The museum's finale celebration included an electrifying McNay After Dark party, inspired by Mrs. McNay's legacy of supporting artists in her community aand geared towards the next generation of museum supporters included a two day pop-up exhibition featuring six Texas-based artists: Sylvia Benitez, Elizabeth Carrington, David Anthony Garcia, Allison Gregory, Rex Hausmann, and Leigh Anne Lester”, says Communications Director, Daniela Oliver de Portillo. The Pop-Up exhibition opened on Friday, January 23 and remained on exhibit over the weekend - Saturday, January 24, through Sunday, January 25, 2015. With the 60th Anniversary in full swing, 2015 also has some surprises in regards to the celebrations, public programming and outreach. From Family Art Play, Free Family Days, Family Gallery Kits, Guided Cellphone Tours, and museum sponsored Art Strolls, the McNay has a variety of family friendly options for those who want to expose their families, babies, toddlers, children and young adults to modern and contemporary art. “You will see a continued push in a lot of public programs, workshops, and family days.  We are constantly engaging our audiences within all age groups”, Chiego says.“Everything is ongoing; we want to push our attendance of our public programming…we are currently developing areas we have not engaged before; the collection is a living thing and is growing in different ways”. Future 60th Anniversary festivities include an exhibition of recent gifts and acquisitions exhibition titled: Rodin to Warhol: 60th Anniversary Gifts and Recent Acquisitions, February 18, 2015 to May 17, 2015. “We have been holding back roughly two years of recent acquisitions from the public, and now is the time to show them”, says Dr. Chiego.  This collection of artworks is curated by museum staff: René Paul Barilleaux, William Chiego, Lyle Williams, and Jody Blake. Summer events will include a collage and assemblage exhibition titled:  Recycled, Repurposed, Reborn, June 3, 2015 to August 10, 2015; and the fall will feature a touring exhibition of Joan Miró, among other special exhibitions. Extended future calendar exhibitions range from German Contemporary Art to Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland . Although the 60th Anniversary is a major stepping stone for The McNay Museum, but they have multiple long range plans and strategic long term projects that will guide and lead them into the next 60 years. A twenty year master-plan includes the continued structural and building additions as well as modifications to the museum grounds with an exciting contractual pairing with famed architect, Michael Van Valkenburgh and a high profile Boston based architecture firm. By: Gabriel Diego Delgado Full article can be read online at: http://issuu.com/gdelgado2010/docs/plumagetx_draft_2