This past week I had the joy to return to the museum setting and put the finishing touches on a project that has been in development since the fall of 2008. Lynn Whitelaw, Director of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art on the Tarpon Springs campus of St. Petersburg College, invited me as guest curator for the exhibit Dean Mitchell: Visions with Heart & Soul. On view through May 2^nd, this exhibit features a diversely talented artist whose breadth and depth of style, technique, subject, and medium is extremely rare.

Collaborating with Mitchell has been a wonderful journey of insight, respect, and perspective. Becoming increasingly familiar with he and his work has only added to my respect of him as an artist and a positive soul in a world and time that often leaves one wishing for a simpler day and times with less negativity.

Fun too was the opportunity to work with the staff of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art. Throughout the process of coordinating loans of Mitchell’s work from California to New York and many places in between, to revising the checklist, to snow storms leaving us wondering if loan works would arrive on time, and installing the works as track lighting malfunctions; it’s all part of the process that keeps us on our toes and adept at crisis management.

This past weekend the Museum  hosted a very successful opening reception to its membership, with over 300 in attendance. It was a pleasure to meet many family, friends, collectors, and supporters of Mitchell’s work and of the Leepa-Rattner Museum. Many programming opportunities support the exhibit including a Family Day celebration on March 27, 2010 which will include my interview with Dean Mitchell at 2pm.

A full-color catalogue accompanies the exhibit and includes a checklist of all 65 works in the exhibit, many of which are illustrated, and my essay regarding the amazing work of Dean Mitchell. I strongly encourage you to treat yourself to Mitchell’s work; I promise you will not be disappointed.

In addition to the publication of the companion catalogue for this exhibit, I just received a copy of a long-awaited academic publication Encounters with Mycenaean Figures and Figurines. This publication presents the papers delivered during a seminar at the Swedish Institute at Athens, Greece. The paper I presented at this seminar, “Figurines, cultic space and the miniature vase,” is included among these proceedings.

Post Script: This past Wednesday evening Dean Mitchell was honored at the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee, FL as the Featured Artist for the State’s celebration of Black History Month for 2010. Are we on the cutting edge or what; Congrats Dean!

Whew what a month! October 1st kicked off the month with “Saluting the Arts” program hosted by Marion Cultural Alliance at which they not only presented their grants to the winning recipients but also announced the intent of the Marion County Board of County Commissioners to create a cultural plan to be integrated into the county wide master plan. Yes, the visual and performing arts do contribute to the economic and cultural health of Marion County!

October 2nd was the opening reception for the exhibit “Healing HeART” at Brick City Center for the Arts (operated by MCA) with which I had the pleasure to help install. Presented by the Mental Wellness Coalition and The Centers, this exhibit features artwork from The Centers, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance, The Vines, and Munroe Regional Medical Center. The majority of the creations resulted from artists and art therapists working with patients and the accompanying stories were indeed moving.

Collaborative programming about the healing power of the arts continued throughout the month and included a discussion panel which addressed case studies. As a panel participant I had the opportunity to look at prominent artist throughout history with mental illness and the movements of art they inspired such as Surrealism and Art Brut.

Contiguously relate to arts and healing was an exhibit at Munroe Regional Medical Center. A lovely reception hosted by the hospital’s Foundation provided the opportunity to share the private collection of retired pediatrician and nurse Dr. John and Susan Stechschulte (pictured at left).

FAFO (Fine Arts for Ocala) once again hosted their annual art festival; bringing artist from across the country to display their works amid the unusually warm weekend of 24-25th. With the heat index well above 90 degrees staying hydrated was paramount in order to avoid health disasters!

As October comes to a close I was about to think that this “healthy dose of art” theme was about over, but no! On Halloween day I am installing yet another show for a power-packed group of women artist collaboratively known as OOHA (Out of Hands Artist). The opening reception for their exhibit will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 pm on November 6th at Brick City Center for the Arts. A portion of the proceeds from all sales will go to the H.U.G.S. Charities, Inc. of Ocala. H.U.G.S. is a non-profit organization that raises funds for the research, prevention, detection and treatment of all forms of cancer and assists individuals and families whose lives have been adversely affected by it.

Truly this month has been crazy, but the power of the arts really does make a difference in our own health and those of others. 

The intensity of the Mt. Lykaion excavation and survey project - in which we have six weeks to accomplish as much as possible for a task that is by nature slow and meticulous - can be incredibly stressful and exhausting. Six day weeks and typically 10 hour days although the last two weeks – for me are non-stop; 12-14 hr days with none off.

Because I am responsible for archiving all excavation photos and overseeing the processing of all the archaeological artifacts uncovered I am often pulled in countless directions as excavators, artists, conservators, photographers, scientists, guest scholars, and student assistants need things simultaneously while I am trying to also attend to the delicate artifacts. This past summer’s excavations alone produced 128 small finds, over 13, 300 pieces of pottery, and 13,400 pieces of tile! We also spent a week attending to the backlog from the 2008 season’s materials, another 12,000 plus pottery sherds – for the summer – approximately 40,000 pieces of pottery and tile - WHEW! But alas, there is nothing more I can do about that now; it’s all in hibernation until next summer’s season. I Love it, its Xmas every day!

Recover? How & when? The next round of flurry begins as projects and clients on this side of the pond vie for attention. Recent updates to the web site note the juggling of many exciting tasks that not only keep me from being board, often keeps me awake at night as well.

Please take a few minutes to review the links “eye on Leslie” and “services / art gallery.” Eye on Leslie outlines upcoming events like attending the Florida Association of Museum’s annual meeting, exhibits I am curating, courses I am teaching, and writings published. Keep an “eye” out for additional publications – scholarly and popular – appear in the coming months.

The current economy had prompted many calls from clients asking – what is it and how much is it worth? We can certainly assist with this! Take a moment to visit the expanded offerings in our virtual art gallery. From a 19^th century Toulouse-Lautrec lithograph to 20^th century works by noted Italian artists Filippo di Pisis and reported madman Antonio Ligabue (at left) to International contemporary works by Erté (French), Ferjo (Brazilian),  Jiang (Chinese), American Larissa Holt (above right) and more; there is something for every eye of style and price ranging from a few hundred dollars and up.

If you are curious to know what you have and its value or are potentially interested in selling; contact us today!  

The New Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece officially opened June 20, 2009. Fortunately, I am currently in Greece working as Registrar for the Mt. Lykaion Excavation & Survey Project. The project maintains a blog at its web site and I encourage you to visit it for the lastest discoveries being unearthed.

This past weekend I was in Athens and had the distinct pleasure to visit the New Acropolis Museum. Slightly after 6pm on Friday evening I entered the Museum and remained until 8pm, closing time. To complete my visit properly, I returned during siesta hour on Saturday afternoon as well. Last summer I had a sneak preview of the ground and first floor as these areas were open for a couple of hours in the morning for visitors.

I am impressed by the concepts of a Plexiglas floor revealing the excavations beneath which were necessary prior to the construction phase and by the ramp from the ground to first floor reflecting the pathway of the Great Panathenaia leading to the top of the Acropolis.

The processional way from the ground floor was decked with muli-leveled cases of artifacts recovered from the sanctuaries around the base of the acropolis. Inscriptions, reliefs, and other sculptures continued along the ramp’s path to a flight of stairs leading to the ceramic pediment sculptures of the archaic temple to Athena – the pre-Parthenon. At this point looking back down the ramp, one is struck by the mezzanine floating above but appearing to be suspended by the Caryatids or maidens from the porch of the Erechtheion.

Continuing from the pediment sculptures one enters a large open hall filled with colossal modern concrete columns interspersed with archaic kore, korai and other dedicatory sculpture. This floor includes architectural models and sculpture from the Propoylea, Erechtheion, and Nike Temple. Other Classical votives were displayed in cases in the load-bearing wall on the west end of the Museum. Along the glass-walled northern side of this floor are sculptures from the shrine of Artemis Brauronia and those from later periods. Tucked into the northeast corner were a few Mycenaean and Geometric remains as well; too tucked away?

Nevertheless, it was the sight of the Caryatids from behind that is one of the most memorable moments of my visit. I, like most other modern visitors, have never seen the back of the Caryatids because it was not only impossible to see that view in their original location supporting part of the roof of the Erechtheion, but when previously on display they existed in their own walled fish tank. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful is their thickly coiffed hair. Multiple braids are pulled around their skulls, then a fishbone braid down their back culminating in a thick tuff. Absolutely gorgeous!

The second floor led on one side to an overview of the archaic sculpture display and the other side hosted an aptly marketed gift shop and café that spilled onto an outdoor herbed-lined terrace with perfect view of the Parthenon aloft the great rock. The blue and white Parthenon ground plan placemats on the café tables were a perfect touch; if they were laminated and available in the gift shop I would have purchased them. I opted for the Parthenon ground plan notebook, short museum guide, and mouse pad of the back view of the Caryatids instead.

An engaging video greets visitors on the third floor. Alternating in Greek and English, it presents the history of the Parthenon outlining its various incarnations and pillages. It is the marble sculptural program of the Parthenon however that is the climax of the Museum. Completely laid out in orientation to one another are the Metopes, Frieze course, and Pediment sculptures that currently remain in Athens.

In many instances, especially in the case of the Metopes, casts from the pieces in the British Museum in London are included and clearly noted as such. To aid the viewer’s experience in understanding the fragmented compositions of the metopes and frieze are numerous drawings by artist Jacques Carrey completed in 1674 just prior to the 1687 explosion of the Parthenon by the Venetians while it was being used by the Ottomans as a weapons arsenal.

This superb installation allows not only more comprehensive understanding of the sculptural program but also allows a brilliant view of the Parthenon itself. Reflection and contemplation, awe and reverence, are inspired in this room with a view. Time will tell if all of the known fragments are united once again, within the shadow of its former glory.