Vernacular Art from John Michael Kohler Arts Center Collection Travels to Venice Biennale Exhibition

SHEBOYGAN, Wis., May 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 50 works from the John Michael Kohler Arts Center Collection are slated for inclusion in the 55th Venice Biennale International Contemporary Art Exhibition in Italy, which is one of the world's foremost international art exhibitions.

Thirty Eugene Von Bruenchenhein photographic prints of his wife, Marie, and 24 of Levi Fisher Ames' hand-carved shadow boxes were selected from the Arts Center's renowned Vernacular Environments Collection.

"We are thrilled that a selection of works by two of the most beloved artists in our collection will be included in the Venice Biennale. It is undoubtedly the most famous contemporary art event worldwide," said Ruth DeYoung Kohler, Arts Center director.

The works will be exhibited as part of Il Enciclopedico Palazzo del Mondo (The Encyclopedic Palace of the World), curated by the Massimiliano Gioni, Associate Director at the New Museum in New York City. Gioni's interest in the work of self-taught artists led his curatorial team to explore the unique collection at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.

Determining which works would make the trip to Italy began with a list of preferred choices submitted by Gioni. "You feel such pride in the unique qualities of our collection," said Associate Curator Karen Patterson, whose efforts focused on the selection of the Ames work to be loaned. Lead Registrar Stephen Gorman will oversee the unloading and installation of the Arts Center's works of art in Italy.

Levi Fisher Ames (1843-1923), woodcarver and storyteller, enthralled early twentieth-century audiences with his "L.F. Ames Museum of Art," a traveling tent-show also known as "The Grand Museum of Art and Natural History, Whittled Out of Wood." Over several decades, he created a vast wooden menagerie depicting animals from around the world and bizarre or heroic characters from local legends and folklore, which he housed in handcrafted shadow boxes.

Milwaukee artist Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (1910–1983) was a poet and painter from the time of his youth. His artistic nature led him to explore ceramics, photography, and many other media, and to transform the small home he shared with his wife into a unique container for the thousands of works he made.

Il Enciclopedico Palazzo del Mondo will be on view in Venice, June 1 through November 24, 2013.

High-resolution images available via ftp:
ftp://ftp.jmkac.org/     User Name: media   Password: jmkac  Folder: Venice Biennale

ABOUT THE JOHN MICHAEL KOHLER ARTS CENTER
Established in 1967, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center is a nationally acclaimed visual and performing arts complex in downtown Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The Arts Center is a nonprofit organization devoted to innovative explorations in contemporary American art. Its exhibitions focus on a wide range of art forms, with particular emphasis on sculpture, photography, craft-related forms, new genres, installation works, ongoing folk traditions, and the work of self-taught artists. The performing arts emphasize dance, music, and theatre performances from around the world. Programming also includes a renowned Arts/Industry residency program, the Connecting Communities commissioning program, classes, and special events. With the completion of an expansion in 1999, the 100,000-sq-ft. Arts Center now comprises 12 galleries, an intimate theatre, a flexible interdisciplinary performance space, studio-classrooms, meeting spaces, the ARTspace shop, and the ARTcafe. The Arts Center also has two adjunct sites: The James Tellen Woodland Sculpture Garden in Black River and ARTspace, an exhibition space and shop in the Shops at Woodlake in the Village of Kohler. Both ARTspace shops and the Arts Center are fully accessible to those with disabilities. A wheelchair is available at the Arts Center. Call 920-458-6144 for additional information, or visit the Arts Center's website, www.jmkac.org.

SOURCE John Michael Kohler Arts Center