exhibition
MUSIC AS IMAGE AND METAPHOR at the George Ohr Museum

About the exhibition

KENTLER FLATFILES TRAVELING EXHIBITION

MUSIC AS IMAGE AND METAPHOR
Selections from the Kentler Flatfiles 
at the Ohr-Okeefe Museum in Biloxi, Mississippi

Co-Curators: David Houston and Florence Neal
Musical track by Michael Kowalski and Allen Otte
 

Exhibition Dates: April 24 - August 22, 2021
Event: Thursday, August 12 (on site and online)
     6pm Museum Talk with Curators & Musicians
     7pm Concert: Michael Kowalski and Allen Otte
 

Artists:

Herbert Brün, Beth Caspar, Phillip Chen, Abby Goldstein, Takuji Hamanaka, Keiko Hara, robin holder, Richard Howe, Hannah Israel, Mary Judge, Kazuhiro Nishijima, Ralph Kiggell, Rosalinda Kolb, Jiří Kornatovský, Robert Lansden, Simon Lewandowski, Jim Napierala, Florence Neal, Margaret Neill, Morgan O’Hara, Gahae Park, Jaanika Peerna, Scott Pfaffman, Orlando Richards, Susan Schwalb, Viviane Rombaldi Seppey, Molly Snyder-Fink, Hugh Williams


Music as Image and Metaphor brings together forty-one works by twenty-eight artists from the Kentler Flatfiles (Brooklyn, NY) focused on the theme of music.  The theme of music-as-image includes works that were directly inspired by or are illustrative of sound art, while the image-as-metaphor theme encompasses a diverse group of works that, directly or indirectly, reflect the structure and artistic goals of musical composition and improvisation.  As an incentive to the viewer to pursue these rich connections more deeply, the exhibition also includes a suite of one-minute musical responses to each graphic work, specially created for the installation at the Bartlett Center.  Some of the connections are direct and clear, others poetic or even fanciful.  Whatever the connection, this exhibition celebrates the ongoing dance between the visual and the aural that is hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. 

Musical Responses:
The show includes a suite of miniature musical correspondences, one for each visual work, created by composer-pianist Michael Kowalski and percussionist-composer Allen Otte.   Kowalski and Otte explore the various ways that a musical composition can relate to a visual composition: as a gestural dialogue, as a thematic extension or development, as a compositional analogy, as a soundtrack, or as a spontaneous reaction. The results are often surprising, sometimes baffling, but always illuminating.  Unless specifically noted, compositions and performances are by Michael Kowalski or Allen Otte. 

Listen Online, press the AUDIO button under each artwork to open the corresponding music page.

PRESS:
Colleen Phelps, "Do You Hear What I See," New Music USA


THE KENTLER FLATFILES are an essential element of Kentler International Drawing Space since its founding in 1990. A compendium of artworks by more than 290 local, national and international artists, this living archive represents the breadth, quality and variety found in contemporary drawings and works on paper today.  The Flatfiles are available for viewing by the public and have become an important resource for artists, collectors, curators and anyone interested in the field of drawing and prints. Selections from the Kentler Flatfiles are regularly presented in guest-curated exhibitions at Kentler and in traveling shows.

This show was first presented at the Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia.
Special thanks for support of this exhibition: Kay Broda, Judye Harris, Janice Watson


OHR-O'KEEFE Museum of Art
386 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530
OPEN HOURS: Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm
Admission: Adults (18+): $10, Seniors (60+): $8, Student 6-17 (College with ID): $5, Children (Under 6): Free, AAA , Military & AARP (with ID): $8