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The Kimball Art Center focuses on the visual arts, and curator Nancy Stoak knows that the written word, when done correctly, can enhance the visual arts experience.
So in 2019, Stoaks started the Kimball Art Center Book Club series that would address some of the issues, methods, and philosophies that inspire artists to create exhibitions that are on display at the Art Center.
There are two such events scheduled this month at KAC.
The first, which deals with The Sixth Extinction of Elizabeth Colbert, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, begins at 6 pm on Wednesday, December 8, and the second, which focuses on the collection of short stories by Jorge Luis Borges, «Ficciones», starts at 6pm on Wednesday. December 15, Stokes said.
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“The Sixth Extinction” is directly related to Claire Sherman’s exposition, “Here, Now,” shown alongside “On Precision in Science (Watts) by David Hart” and “In Memory: Carbon Plates” by Kara Despin, according to The Stoick.
“Often times, book choices come from conversations with the artists I work with, sometimes I have an idea, sometimes they have an idea,” he said. “In the first case discussion this month, the idea came from Claire Sherman.”
Sherman said in a statement that he borrowed the title “New Pangea” for one of his recent shows at the DC More Gallery from a chapter on “The Sixth Extinction.”
“The title of my presentation indicated a new situation in our environment due to globalization and increased world trade and travel,” the statement read. “This current situation, in which human intervention is creating a new supercontinent, is one in which invasive species and plants are forced to coexist in a new one… as I think of the 2019 show from our current perspective, a situation deep in the throes of a global pandemic caused by elements similar to globalization, I am more dedicated to these new trends that are developing in my work ”.
A discussion of the book, to be led by Neil Larson, Swanner Preserve and CEO of EcoCenter, will take place in the display area, whereby participants will be surrounded by Sherman paintings, Stwax said.
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“I thought it would be a good idea, given the environmental focus of the book, to invite someone who could add more to the discussion and Neil’s background: a BA from Yale and a MA in environmental management with a specialization in ecology from Yale School of Forestry It seems to be a good idea, ”Stoaks said. The most perfect person to invite.
Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to preserve the earth and the human connection with the landscape, educate local and general communities about the value of nature and nurture both the ecosystem and the people associated with it. she”.
When Larson heard what Stuack wanted, she fell in love with the idea of exploring Colbert’s book while surrounded by Sherman’s artwork.
“There are many ways to connect with nature and science, and art is an important and interesting way to do it,” he said. “At Swaner, we hope to spark curiosity and help our community learn about the natural world in a fun way, so working with the Kimball Center for the Arts to focus on the environment through an artistic lens is truly a proper and fun opportunity. for us. Therefore, it is exciting to combine art and science to gain a new perspective on environmental issues in partnership with KAC.
As he did in selecting “Sixth Extinction” for discussion on December 8, Stoaks turned to an entertainer to recommend his book for discussion on December 15.
It was David Hart who suggested the collection of short stories by Jorge Luis Borges, «Ficciones», he said.
Stoak said Borges, who died in 1986, was a famous Argentine poet, essayist, and short story writer, considered one of the pioneers of world literature in the 20th century.
“He was known for his short stories,” he said, “and he had a one-paragraph story called ‘On the Precision of Science’ that inspired the David Hart exhibit that we’re also showing now.” The story was about cartography and the inability to fully represent space, which is what David was referring to in his neighborhood of Watts. That is why the title of his exhibition shares that of the story «.
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Stoaks, who is currently reading the book, said the 17 “Fiction” stories show imagination and intelligence skills.
“When I meet people who have read Borges’ works, their faces light up and they tell me how interesting, deep, unpredictable their stories are,” he said.
While looking for someone to lead the discussion of the book, Stoaks contacted David Laraway, chairman of the Department of Philosophy at Brigham Young University.
«They introduced me to Borges’s work in the way that children know vegetables; his name appeared in a syllabus for classical Spanish authors in a literature class, and it was expected that I would meet him and other canonical writers, “Laraway said. in a letter. The text he commissioned me to read was called “The Secret Miracle,” and it tells the story of a young Jewish thinker and, for the most part, a failed writer, sentenced to death by the Gestapo after the Nazis took over Prague. I loved the philosophical richness of the story – which Christopher Nolan specifically cited as an influence in his film Inception, and soon discovered that all of Borges’ work was equally rich and provocative. I got hooked “.
Although Laraway is unfamiliar with Hart’s work, he hopes to see how it relates to Borges’s writing when he leads the discussion.
He said: “The short text that seems to have inspired Hart is one of Burgess’s jewels that in a few lines has managed to upset our intuitive understanding not only of maps, but of the concept of artistic representation in general.” “It indicates that the relationship between the terrain and the abstract representation of that terrain in symbolic form is philosophically more complex than we have ever assumed.”
“The discussions are open to the public, whether they have read the books or not,” Stokes said. You see, this isn’t your standard book club, because we don’t always pick the latest titles or books that people are talking about today. We just like people to come and dive deep into the conversation with us. “
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