The Katonah Museum of Art will present Christo with its 2014 Himmel Award at a June 1 reception at Chappaqua Crossing Auditorium in Chappaqua, NY, to be followed by a lecture by the artist. During the lecture, “Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Two Works in Progress,” Christo will discuss Over the River for which he will suspend nearly six miles of translucent panels of fabric over 42 miles of the Arkansas River in Colorado, and The Mastaba, Project for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, an assemblage of 410,000 brightly painted oil barrels ultimately to become the world’s largest sculpture in the middle of the Abu Dhabi desert.
Christo will accept the award in honor of his legendary artistic partnership with wife Jeanne-Claude, who passed away in 2009. Their epic, often controversial, always provocative, large-scale artworks have redefined the promise and potential of environmental public art. Employing fabric and textiles on a massive scale that at times interact with wind and light, the public observes a once-familiar outdoor site utterly altered. Projects that remain in the public’s imagination include The Gates, Central Park, Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin, Running Fence in California, and The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris.
The award is named for Betty Himmel, former president of the Board of Trustees and KMA Trustee Emerita, who was instrumental in defining the mission of the Museum. The Himmel
Award recognizes artists, scholars, and educators who have demonstrated their ability to incite and provoke new thinking in the arts.
Tickets to the reception and lecture, as well as to a dinner with the artist following the event, are available to the general public.
WHEN:
Sunday, June 1
5:00 pm Reception
5:30 pm Christo Lecture
7:30 pm Dinner with the Artist (optional)
COST:
Non-Member Tickets: $75, Member Tickets: $50, Student Tickets: $15.
Patrons Ticket: $250 includes reserved lecture seating and dinner with Christo at Crabtree’s Kittle House.
TICKETS:
For more ticket and event information, please call Christina Makrakis at 914-232-9555 ext. 2968.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM:
The Katonah Museum of Art, committed to presenting exceptional art from all cultures and time periods, through innovative exhibition and education programs, promotes the understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts for diverse audiences. The founders’ decision to be a non-collecting institution resulted in a dynamic and flexible exhibition program, which remains one of the most distinctive features of the KMA. The KMA offers lectures, films, workshops, concerts and other events for a general audience; and presents innovative and substantive programs for over 100 member schools. Our Learning Center is the only interactive space in Westchester County where children can come on a daily basis to explore and create art.
EXHIBITIONS include Jasper Johns & John Lund: Masters in the Print Studio (March 23 – June 15, 2014) and ICELAND: Artists Respond to Place (June 29 – September 28, 2014).
Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street, Katonah, NY 10536
*Museum hours: Sunday: 12pm – 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday: 10am – 5pm, Closed Monday.
*Admission: $10 Adults, $5 Seniors & Students, Members & Children (Under the Age of 12) Always Enter Free