January 21, 2010—The Saint Louis Art Museum, in collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis, announces a free lecture, "Archive, Memory, and Mythology," with Chicago-based artist Ian Weaver on February 1, 2010.
During the free program, Weaver will talk about his first solo museum presentation, Document, currently on view at the Saint Louis Art Museum. He will discuss his artistic practice of making work specific to the African American experience yet universal in its themes of community, history, and memory.
The installation of Document, a series of 10 paintings, is Weaver's first solo presentation in a museum. In Document (2005), Weaver riffs on the highly illusionistic, centuries-old trompe-l'oeil (trick of the eye) that was embraced by the old masters and by 19th-century American painters. These poignant small paintings depict the documents of his family members: a birth certificate, a social security card, a baptismal commitment, a marriage certificate, a divorce decree, a personal letter from his grandmother to his mother and two death certificates.
Curated by Charlotte Eyerman, former curator of modern and contemporary art, Ian Weaver, Document is on view in Gallery 321 through March 7, 2010.
An emerging national artist, Weaver has been honored with a grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation. This lecture is co-sponsored by the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. The free program begins at 6:30 p.m. in Steinberg Hall at Washington University in St. Louis.
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the nation's leading comprehensive art museums with collections that include works of art of exceptional quality from virtually every culture and time period. Areas of notable depth include Oceanic art, pre-Columbian art, ancient Chinese bronzes and European and American art of the late 19th and 20th centuries, with particular strength in 20th-century German art. The Museum offers a full range of exhibitions and educational programming generated independently and in collaboration with local, national and international partners.
Transforming Your Museum
Gallery closures and art movement throughout the Museum are anticipated as we make progress toward our exciting expansion project. Thanks for your patience.
Admission to the Saint Louis Art Museum is free to all every day. For more information about the Saint Louis Art Museum, call 314.721.0072 or visit www.slam.org.