The University of Mary Washington Galleries will exhibit American Abstract Artists: 75th Anniversary Print Portfolio in the Ridderhof Martin Gallery and Antediluvian by Mia Feuer in duPont Gallery. Both exhibitions open on Thursday, Oct. 23 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission to the receptions and exhibitions are free and open to the public. The exhibitions will run from Oct. 23 to Dec. 7.

American Abstract Artists: 75th Anniversary Print Portfolio is an exhibition of 48 archival digital prints. Founded in 1936, the American Abstract Artists held its first show the next year at the Squibb Gallery in New York City. The organization fosters the understanding of abstract and non-objective art by organizing exhibitions, producing print portfolios and catalogs as well as providing a forum for discussion through symposia, panels, and the American Abstract Artists Journal. For the first time in its long history the AAA portfolio was printed digitally rather than using traditional forms of lithography or transferring image to plate, thereby engaging the rapidly changing technological field of the twenty-first century.

duPont Gallery will exhibit Antediluvian, an installation by Canadian artist, Mia Feuer (b. 1981). Feuer’s latest project was to be a temporary public sculpture located near Heritage Island in Washington, D.C. created as part of the 5×5 Public Art Festival, a large temporary public arts. Feuer’s envisioned project was a solar powered gas station that would have floated in the surrounding Anacostia River. However, the proposal was abruptly cancelled by community protestors due to environmental concerns.

The duPont Gallery will display the preliminary materials that went into this major project- drawings, maquettes, projections and recorded lectures on environmental issues held at the location of the original project in order to initiate a dialog about public art, questioning what an artwork’s commitment is to the public, the site, and to the artist. Mia Feuer will give a lecture at the closing ceremony of the exhibition.

UMW galleries to host exclusive event featuring an advance screening of investigation from season seven of ART21’s Peabody award-winning documentary series “Art in the 21st Century”

ART21 Access ’14 is an international free screening initiative created to increase knowledge of contemporary art, spark dialogue and inspire creative thinking through hundreds of public screenings and events. Season seven premieres on PBS Oct. 24 at 10 p.m. EST (check local listings). Season seven profiles 12 artists who reveal how art can inspire and transform lives and communities.

“ART21 Access ’14 provides an opportunity for organizations around the country and the world to experience contemporary art,” says Susan Sollins, executive producer of ART21. “We hope that participating organizations find ways to utilize ART21 materials in their communities and that audiences take full advantage of the events in their area. These events are intended to spark new, innovative conversations and expose viewers of all types to the important work of the artists profiled in the series.”

ART21 Access ’14 events are presented in partnership with Americans for the Arts, the YMCA, and the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture. An updated list of ART21 Access ’14 events and venues worldwide can be found at art21.org/access.

Screening events are hosted by museums, schools, libraries, art spaces, community centers, and universities worldwide. Each event features an exclusive advance screening of one to four episodes from season seven.

The following episode(s) will be screened in the Ridderhof Martin Gallery on Oct. 9, 7-8 p.m.: Investigation

Episode 1: Investigation
PBS premiere on Friday, Oct. 24 at 10 p.m. ET

How do artists push beyond what they already know and readily see? Can acts of engagement and exploration be works of art in themselves? In this episode, artists use their practices as tools for personal and intellectual discovery, simultaneously documenting and producing new realities in the process.

Season seven of “Art in the 21st Century” will be available on DVD from ShopPBS.org or 800-PLAY-PBS, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information and images: art21.org/press

About UMW Galleries

The University of Mary Washington Galleries, comprised of the Ridderhof Martin Gallery and the duPont Gallery, are dedicated to advancing the educational goals of the University through the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art. The Galleries promote arts education on campus and in the local community.