amamblog:

Three works of Minimalist sculpture are newly on view in the AMAM’s Ellen Johnson Gallery. On the left, Robert Smithson’s Slant Piece (1969-76) is made up of a mirror and a pile of rock salt imported from the Cayuga salt mine in New York. Carl Andre’s 8 Blocks and Stones (1973, center foreground) also uses materials found in nature, combining rocks he collected around a river bed in Portland, OR, with commercial paving stones. These natural textures contrast greatly with the pristine, polished metal surface of Donald Judd’s Untitled (1976, right).  Typical of Minimalism, all three works create an active experience of perception, prompting the viewer to move around the objects to take in their changeable appearances. (Visible in the background by the window is Richard Serra’s Two Cuts)

These works and others in the AMAM collection will be studied by Art History Professor Sarah Hamill’s seminar “What Was Minimalism?” Also, mark your calendars for the AMAM’s First Thursday evening hours on March 1, when Oberlin College student string quartet  Chartreuse  will be performing Steve Reich’s Different Trains, 1988, a work that draws on repetition, pattern, and the historical memory of the sound of trains during the holocaust. The event is conceived in dialogue with Professor Hamill’s spring courses on contemporary art; she will give a brief introduction relating minimalist music to minimalist sculpture in the AMAM’s collection.

And, don’t forget - tonight (February 9) is our opening reception for the spring exhibitions! Galleries are open 5pm to 8pm; hope to see you there!