Red Barn holds Louisville Renaissance: Ode to Black Artists Thursday, Feb 23 2023 

By Hevin Ramsey–

Multiple organizations came together to give black artists a space to sell their work or have their artwork seen by students and local Louisville communities on Feb. 21. There were performances by rap duo Horace Gaither and Treshino, the Black Diamond Choir, an MLK monologue by Tajleed Hardy from the African American Theater Program, and a theatrical performance by the Keen Dance Theater titled Harriet.

Photos by Hevin Ramsey//The Louisville Cardinal

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Monet & Friends Alive Sunday, Jun 12 2022 

THE LUME Indianapolis featuring Monet & Friends Alive Opens at The Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields July 3. Did you get a chance to enjoy the Van Gough exhibit? We did and it was amazing and we are so excited to see the new Monet and Friends interactive experience this time around. Tickets are on sale now for that [...]

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U of L students take in St. James Court Art Show Thursday, Oct 7 2021 

By Daniel Rankin —

The start of October saw the return of one of Louisville’s longest, and most cherished, tradition: the 65th Annual St. James Court Art Show.

Over fall break, local residents and students were able to spend their weekend admiring arts and crafts created by over 650 artists.

Located in Old Louisville, many were able to enjoy the show’s atmosphere and environment as a start to the autumn season.

“The setting is great,” said sophomore Ryan Raccioppio, “I love Old Louisville and having people down here.”

He also stated that an evening out during fall midterms is always appreciated. “I was excited to go after class and grab a couple of buddies to check it out,” he said.”It’s super fun, and I like all the local artists.”

Along with Raccioppio, fellow sophomore Aditi Kanotra agreed that seeing the art show was a nice break from college life.

“I was looking forward to it this week and am really happy I came,” Kanotra said. “It’s definitely an experience and [there’s] always something new to see.”

While observing the victorian 4-square block, you could tell it wasn’t just the magnificent art that put everyone in such a pleasant mood. It was also being able to walk around, see your fellow classmates, and interact with your friends and family.

“I’ve really liked seeing everyone again,” said sophomore political science major Mercy Muluberehan. “Just getting out and feeling like normal. [It’s] exactly the right way to spend a Friday night.”

While the St. James Court Art Show concluded its successful weekend over fall break, students can still see more beautiful artwork at The Speed Art Museum: Kentucky’s oldest, and largest, art museum located on campus. Admission is free for U of L students.

Photo Courtesy of Daniel Rankin // The Louisville Cardinal

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”Fashioning Art from Paper”: A peek at Isabelle de Borchgrave’s Speed Art Museum exhibit Wednesday, Mar 17 2021 

By Grace Welsh

From now until Aug. 22, the Speed Art Museum will host the world-renowned work of Isabelle de Borchgrave. The Belgian artist’s work consists of life-size paper costumes representing five centuries of fashion history. The exhibit, like all exhibits at the Speed Art Museum, is free to all current University of Louisville students.

Born in Belgium in 1946, Borchgrave seemed to come into the world with a passion for art. She famously said once that, “The same day that I could walk for the first time, I picked up a piece of paper, started to draw, and I have not been able to quit since then.”

She was classically trained at Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and opened her own studio by the time she was 18.

Borchgrave filled her life with pretty and inspirational things. Opening a store in 1975, called La Tour de Bebelle, she sold dresses, paintings and home décor.

Over the years, she took a liking to the craft of paper maché and was struck by inspiration after visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in 1994. Combining her wisdom and expertise with that of Rita Brown, Borchgrave assembled her first series, “Papiers à la Mode,” which caught the eye of curators of prestigious institutions around the world.

Borchgrave’s superpower is more than just fashioning the outfits themselves. The artist utilizes an elusive trick of the eye called “trompe l’oeil,” which tricks the museum-goer into thinking they are looking at real fabrics, carefully assembled into extravagant outfits by the artist, but they are really an intricate take on paper maché.

The exhibit, titled, “Fashioning Art From Paper,” is divided into five major collections.

 

“Papiers à la Mode”

This is the largest and earliest showcase of centuries of fashion across cultures. From royal English and French gowns to traditional Victorian wear to chic streetwear, the exhibit takes the viewer from the Renaissance to the early 1900s with the magic of color, patterns, texture and beauty.

“Splendor of the Medici” and “The World of Mariano Fortuny”

Immersing visitors into the streets of Italy, this piece tells the story of the Italian Renaissance with inspiration from portraits of the Medici family and artist Mariano Fortuny. Borchgrave’s pieces reveal her unique interpretation of their art and colors and guide the viewer to experience the atmosphere of her work in the way she intended.

“Les Ballets Russes”

This most recent addition to the exhibit showcases costumes, outfits and drawings of twentieth-century Russian dancers that Borchgrave feels revolutionized modern art upon their entrance into the 1908 Paris art scene. Borchgrave breathes life into their stories and through her careful use of color and texture, allows them to live again and be seen by twenty-first century observers.

“Kaftans”

Inspired by her trip to Istanbul, this section of her exhibit showcases an appreciation for central Asian textiles.

Having a life-long fascination with the Silk Road, an ancient transcontinental trade route that connected Eastern Asia to Europe, Borchgrave worked in collaboration with artist Saeed Sadraee to highlight this ethnically and culturally diverse region that was a center for artisanal textile production. The textiles she selected, or “Kaftans,” illustrate the relationship between the nomadic people of Central Asia’s natural and cultural world.

 

The Speed Art Museum is free for U of L students and faculty and will be showcasing this impressive exhibit until August 22, 2021. For information on how you can reserve tickets, click here.

Photos by Anthony Riley // The Louisville Cardinal

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Andy Warhol exhibit gives look into pop artist’s influences Monday, Sep 14 2020 

By Kyla Thomas  —

An art exhibit on pop artist Andy Warhol is on display at the Speed Art Museum until Nov. 29–and it’s free for University of Louisville students. 

Warhol is best known for his work designing the Campbell’s soup logo and his pop art of Marilyn Monroe. “Andy Warhol: Revelation” highlights a new side of Warhol’s career, focusing more on his religious pieces and the story behind not only the art, but how the art correlates to Warhol himself.

The exhibit opens with a biography of Warhol, which talks about his sexuality as a gay man and how he managed to balance that part of himself while growing up in a religious community. Plaques at the museum said that “he made a point of regularly popping into his local parish to pray even if it was only for five or ten minutes.” Although he was deeply involved in a religion that condemned his sexuality, Warhol remained openly gay, and was a fixture in New York’s Queer underground. 

Many of Warhol’s pieces on display lie in this balance too, such as his recreation of Raphael Madonna. Warhol would take religious works of art and recreate it in his own unique style, he did this with “The Last Supper,” and a portrait of Jesus as well. 


SEE: Photo Gallery of the “Andy Warhol: Revelation” exhibit by Cardinal photo editor Anthony Riley. 


Through his art he showed two sides of his identity that came together to create the person he was, and through those pieces he showed that you can be both. 

Brady Alexander, a senior English major, said he enjoyed Warhol’s embracing of contradictions within his own identity.

“I love how [the art] highlighted that you have the ability to be both, you can still be true to yourself without having to give up something that gives you faith that things can be better,” Alexander said.

The exhibit doesn’t just focus on Warhol’s personal life, it also showed his love for women. Throughout the exhibit you can find portraits of women who he saw as powerful, such his mother and Jackie Kennedy. One photo shows a mother breastfeeding, as Warhol wanted to show how women not only gave birth to everything, but they nurture everything as well.

“I took my boyfriend here as a date, because we both liked [Warhol’s] pop art that we would periodically see,” Victoria Johnson, a political science major, said. “After going through the exhibit, we saw a different side of an artist that we loved but didn’t truly know the history behind. Now that we know, it’s like we love his art even more.” 

The “Andy Warhol: Revelation” exhibit will remain at the Speed Art Museum until Nov. 29. Due to COVID-19, hours are limited to only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. More information and tickets reservations can be made on the Speed Art Museum’s website. 

Graphic by Alexis Simon // The Louisville Cardinal

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Photo Gallery: “Andy Warhol: Revelation” exhibit at the Speed Art Museum Monday, Sep 14 2020 

 

 

 

Photos by Anthony Riley // The Louisville Cardinal

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Graphic design student combines both art and social impact in her work Monday, Mar 30 2020 

By Zoe Watkins —

For Virtual Portfolio Preview Day, a senior graphic design major shared some of her work and reflected on her journey.

Though she is from Louisville, Taylor Simone first began her college career at Arizona State University before transferring to University of Louisville. Her time at ASU was what first started her interest in graphic design.

“ASU is where I gained my love for visual communication, although I was studying film at the time,” she said. “In my first semester attending U of L, I took an intro class to graphic design and immediately switched my major.”

Simone said the reason she loves graphic design is because it combines both of her two passions, art and social impact.

“I love graphic design because I can address topics like racial injustice and be creative while doing it,” She said.

Even if her designing process varies on each of her pieces, Simone states that she loves the research aspect.

“Having a strong understanding of the content is always the first step in my design process,” Simone said.

When finding inspiration for her pieces, Simone looks in a lot of different place, but is mostly inspired by real stories and experiences.

“I am intrigued by how a design can speak to a certain emotion or an experience that we all go through. I am heavily inspired by designs that bring people together in hopes of creating dialogue and discourse.

She said that her favorite piece in her portfolio is a book called “When Words Unravel.” The book goes over the historical and cultural analysis of the n-word. Simone designed and wrote the book during her third year in a Bookforms class at U of L.

“This book is my favorite piece because it captures so many of my interests in one project. I also learned so much since I got to interview different people about their experience with this word and its history,” she said.

When asked for advice for students who are also in graphic design or considering in majoring, Simone said to take their time to absorb as much as they can.

“As a design student, you don’t need to focus in one area. Learning as much as you can about all kinds of design methods and processes is the most rewarding part about studying graphic design.” Simone states.

Photo courtesy by Alexis Simone // The Louisville Cardinal

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Two artists share their glass-blowing passion with students Saturday, Feb 29 2020 

By Aaliyah Bryant —

Dante Marioni and John Kiley led the “Sutherland Endowed Chair in Glass Lecture Series” at the Cressman Center Feb. 20.

Kiley started working with glass in 1991, and Marioni started over 40 years ago.

As experts, they have to take safety precautions such as wearing protective eyewear and not touching hot materials since the melted sand that makes the glass is at a high temperature.

Kiley mentioned that he is inspired by a spherical shape while Marioni is inspired by pattern. They both agreed they could combine the two to make beautiful artwork. With both men creating such wonderful pieces and the amount of people that were there at this event, their art is known and loved by many others.

At this event, Kiley and Marioni made their collaborative piece and a couple of wineglasses. Ché Rhodes from the Art Department explained the process.

Rhodes said they use a long pole called a blowpipe. They then add the melted sand material at the end of the blowpipe and spin it around to make it more even.

Rhodes said to make it larger they would either add more material or blow the blowpipe. To make the glass colorful they start off with a base of clear glass, then add a colored glass on top of it followed by another layer of clear glass.

He said the patterns they made on the glass is made from a large metal clamp. They would rub the clamp across the spherical glass or clamp the edges. There is another piece of glass that holds the piece on the end of the sphere.

Marioni and Kiley then detach that part and add another on the other end of the sphere. This is because they can’t manipulate and heat both ends of the sphere at the same time.

As Marioni and Kiley made their glasses the desired size, they kept the melted glass hot so they could fuse the two spheres together. The end result was a spherical masterpiece.

They made the wine glasses next, using basically the same process but shorter.

Most pieces are made from the base up as it is easier. To make a pattern on a wine glass, Marioni and Kiley stick the not-so fully formed glass in a cup with patterns engraved in them.

As they made the wine glasses, they added a ceramic brick material to make the glass less sticky. They fused the two parts together to make a wine glass.

Graphic by Alexis Simon // The Louisville Cardinal

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Revelry boutique holds their annual “Cuteopia” art show Tuesday, Feb 4 2020 

By Madelynn Bland–

Valentine’s Day, which often includes giving and receiving gifts from lovers and friends, has once again crept up and caught us by surprise. As usual, all there is to find at any chain store are teddy bears and generic chocolates.

While these are perfectly adequate gifts, some of us are in search of that amazingly unique gift meant to knock the socks off of our loved ones.

This year, there is some luck. 

On Feb. 8, Revelry Boutique Gallery and Mama Tried Tattoos will be presenting the 8th annual “Cuteopia” art show. Not only is this show a great way to support local artists, but it will feature some of the most unique Valentine’s gifts you’ll ever find. 

Native Louisville artists made all the featured art.

Some of the artists featured include University of Louisville graduates Anna Erwin, Monica Stewart, Irene Mudd and Jenna White. These former art students have now turned their passion into their work.

Erwin said, “I have actually been an employee with Revelry Gallery for four years now, even while still taking classes at U of L. This extra involvement in Louisville’s art scene elevated my education by learning from my artist co-workers and local artists on a face to face basis on how to make my art sellable in a commercial gallery.”

The show is proud to feature many different types of art that really stands out against the usual Valentine’s gifts. Some of the art already previewed includes a portrait of Leonardo Dicaprio by Susan Howe,  pressed flowers by Gritty Pearl and create your own conversation heart earrings.

An array of art mediums will be showcased, from earrings, paintings, ceramics and even underwear. The gifts purchased here are sure to be nothing short of unexpected.  

Owner of Revelry Boutique Gallery Mo Mcknight Howe, said, “Handmade gifts are more meaningful than something more mass produced. I think people love to receive a gift that was made by hand with love put into it.” 

The event is free and open to the public. It will be held at the Revelry Boutique Gallery on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.

Photo by Anthony Riley // The Louisville Cardinal

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The Speed Art Museum stayed busy over winter-break Wednesday, Jan 8 2020 

By Zoe Watkins —

Though many buildings on campus closed over winter break, a few still operated during those weeks.

The Speed Art Museum’s usual After Hours at the Speed happened Dec. 13. This event takes place on the third Friday of every month where the museum stays open until 10 p.m. During these hours, guests get to explore their permanent collection along with visiting exhibitions.

However, the fun part of the night belongs to the ranging music with the many unique performances. Guests can also dine on food provided by the Wiltshire Café.

Each After Hours at the Speed is unique in its own way with the next one being Jan. 17.

Admission is 20 dollars though U of L students get in for free.

One of their regular workshops, “Adult Workshop Back to Basics: Gold Leafing,” took place on Dec. 14. Participants learned about the process of art restoration and learned how to use faux gold-leaf with different techniques. People either got to bring a small wooden object from home to work with or create a new golden picture frame.

Besides workshops, there have also been a few films that passed through the cinema. A major one that left Dec. 29 was the 21st Annual Animation Show of Shows. Various students and professionals from around the world showcased their animated short films. “The Fox and the Bird” by Sam and Fred Guillaume and “Kids” by Michael Frei and Mario von Rickenbach were two of the short films.

The exhibition “Loose Nuts: Bert Hurley’s West End Story” features the work of Louisville native and African-American artist Bert Hurley.  It primarily focuses on her novella “Loose Nuts: A Rapsody in Brown” which contains over 125 pages that are colorfully illustrated and handwritten, covering a range of media from crayon to ink wash.

Another exhibition is “Tales from the Turf: The Kentucky Horse” which holds many differing paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, prints and manuscripts from all different creators. It tells the story of the relationship between the horse and Kentucky that is often seen throughout the state from its identity to the bluegrass state’s historical roots.

There is still more to come to the Speed where pieces from famous painter Andy Warhol will be present in the exhibition “Andy Warhol: Revelation” that will be coming April 3.  It will focus on Warhol’s relationship with his catholic faith and how it has been mixed in with his artwork.  The 100 pieces that come from the collection at The Andy Warhol Museum will be staying at the museum until August 21.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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