The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Allen Memorial Art Museum pays tribute to former professor
The Allen Memorial Art Museum will celebrate the art and life of former Oberlin College professor Ellen Johnson in a new exhibit running until May 27.
Johnson is credited with helping to build the museum, 87 N. Main St. in Oberlin, with its collection of modern and contemporary art through her friendships with emerging artists of the 20th century.
The exhibit, entitled “This Is Your Art: The Legacy of Ellen Johnson” features more than 50 modern and contemporary works that were procured thanks to Johnson, according to a news release.
The release said Johnson graduated from Oberlin College in 1933 and became an art librarian there in 1939.
When substituting for a professor on leave, Johnson discovered a love for teaching and later took that role at the college before retiring in 1977.
While there, Johnson received the first teaching award granted by the College Art Association.
The title of the exhibition is a take on what Johnson would often say to her students: “This is your art.”
The exhibition is comprised of pieces that were acquired through “the expansive scope of Johnson’s influence and vision,” and includes works she advocated for purchase; those donated in her honor; acquisitions made possible through a fund established by her friend Ruth C. Roush; works by artists who participated in the exhibition series Three Young Americans, which ran from 1951 to 1990; and works from Johnson’s personal collection, which she bequeathed to the museum at her death in 1992, according to the release.
The works in “This Is Your Art” display “the breadth of Johnson’s interests and expertise,” and run the gamut from 19th century Post-Impressionist works to “audacious” PostMinimalist sculptures, according to the release.
The exhibition further highlights timely acquisitions made possible through Johnson’s personal relationships with influential artists, including Andy Warhol, Jim Dine, Eva Hesse, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg.
Objects on view and anecdotes woven throughout the exhibition’s texts conjure a picture of a woman once described by the New York Times as “a powerful force in the promotion of contemporary art,” the release said.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday; from 1-5 p.m., Sundays; and closed Mondays and major holidays. Free educational or group guided tours may be arranged by calling 440775-8671.