Williams College Museum of Art
left: original 1846 rotunda, now the Faison Gallery, sculpture: Robert Morris, Hearing, 1972, © 1986 Steve Rosenthal; right: the atrium with WALLWORKS installation by William Ramage, 1988, photo by Nicholas Whitman
Williamstown, Massachusetts
413-597-2429
The Last Take-Out: Paper Works by William B. Schade
July 22 November 26, 2000
Books, objects, prints,
and paintings revealing Williamstown artist William B. Schade's eccentric
wit and exquisite craft will fill the Rose Gallery at the Williams College
Museum of Art (WCMA) this summer. In "The Last Take-Out: Paper Works
by William B. Schade," animals of all sorts, drawn with bright colors,
accented with shining gold, and captioned with creative misspellings, will
greet visitors as they move through Schade's finely detailed and often hilarious
visual tales. Schade will speak about his work during the museum's summer
reception, which will take place on Saturday July 22 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The reception and two artist talks are free and open to the public. The
exhibition remains on view through November 26, 2000. (left: Noha's
Last Take Out (detail), 2000, gouache, pen and ink on cast, handmade
paper, Courtesy of the artist)
Schade's exhibition revolves around his fantastical
musings about the biblical story of Noah. Introduced by an antique-looking
story book, the exhibition unfolds with deck plans of the ark showing spaces
for all imaginable activities that a pack of animals might get into on their
voyage. Creatures such as Bayroot's Crock, Polynesian Jumping Frogs,
and the Forked Tongued Triple Evil Bad News Devil Snake are featured
in smaller scrolls and other cleverly constructed books. WCMA Assistant
Curator, Ian Berry notes that, "At first glance Schade's work may remind
some of contemporary children's book illustration, but after closer inspection
the stories he tells and the details he sneaks in suggest quite a different
kind of narrative, one filled with inventive wordplay and subversive combinations
of fact and fiction." (left: Damaskis Double Humper,
1999, gouache, pen and ink on handmade paper, 30 x 32 inches, Courtesy of
the artist)
The centerpiece of the exhibition will be
a dinner table set for the last feast before the biblical flood. The setting
will include plates, cups, and empty Chinese take-out containers made of
cast handmade paper. Surrounding the installation will be over 30 portraits
of animals, such as Zipper Zibera and Tillie Konkin Walrus.
(left: Sock Eye Sammon Storage Tank (detail), 1976, gouache,
pen and ink on handmade paper,15.5 x 256 inches, Courtesy of the artist)
William B. Schade received his MA from the University at Albany and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. A long list of international exhibitions followed, including solo exhibitions at Mt. Holyoke College Art Museum, Savannah School of Art and Design, Rhode Island School of Design and The Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield, MA. Schade is Professor of Fine Arts for The Sage Colleges, and the recipient of numerous honors including a Distinguished Fulbright Professorship, awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts, and fellowships from Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY and the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, NH.
"The Last Take-Out: Paper Works by William B. Schade" has been organized by WCMA Assistant Curator, Ian Berry, in collaboration with the artist.
Rev. 7/18/00
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