‘Faces & Figures’

Exhibit peeks inside collections at FSRAM

The arts have taken great strides in the River Valley over the past several years, and I know the best is yet to come,” says Casey Seamans, gallery manager for the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum.

Seamans gets to see those changes up close and personal because of her job and most recently, in the shaping of a new exhibit at FSRAM titled “Faces & Figures of the Permanent Collection.” On show through April 21, the exhibit “captures the diversity of artistic expression in a variety of media through various artists’ interpretations of a familiar subject.”

Seamans answered these five questions for What’s Up!

Q. When you say you’re going to pull an exhibit together from the permanent collection, that sounds overwhelming. How did you narrow down the scope of the “Faces & Figures” exhibit?

A. To an extent, it can be overwhelming, considering our collection numbers over 600 pieces. But that is also one of the most exciting things about a permanent collection exhibit — the options! You can organize an exhibit in many ways, and “Faces & Figures” is a very common yet timeless theme. Later this year our Digital Media Coordinator Bridget Duncan, who holds a BA in Studio Art, will be curating a permanent collection exhibit featuring many of the beautiful landscapes from our collection. We have also been discussing an abstracts exhibit and perhaps something that showcases our watercolors.

Q. How many artists are included? And what kind of span of dates and places are included?

A. Approximately 25-30 artists will be represented. One of the older images in the exhibit will be a piece by Benham Carter, “Dangers” from 1953. It is a beautiful portrait of Anne Brooke Covey and is a traditional studio portrait. A piece by Patrick Angus from 1991 is of Jim White. Unlike the traditional studio scene of Dangers’ piece, Angus’ piece is of a house or apartment interior and features a man at a folding table full of papers and a typewriter. Another piece is a 2020 block print by Micah Savage that is set in someone’s mind and touches on issues of depression.

Q. Tell me about your favorite piece that you discovered in putting together the exhibition?

A. It’s very hard to pick a favorite, but one of them would have to be a Noel Davis Rockmore piece, “Market Israel Group,” from 1968. After visiting Israel in 1966-67, Rockmore produced a series of works considered to be of a more poetic, compassionate nature. “Market Israel Group” is from this series and is a watercolor of a market in Israel, two children holding hands while their fathers shop through the market. For some reason, I find it captivating.

Q. What would people see if they could see the storage areas of the museum? Is it like “Night at the Museum”? Or the tomb of King Tut?

A. LOL! We can only HOPE to someday have the vast storage and extensive collections such as seen in “Night at the Museum.” But honestly, on a much, much smaller scale, yes, storage is a huge part of any museum. We have most of our storage dedicated to holding flats (paintings/images that hang on walls), but also have large shelving and racks to hold 3D objects (sculptures, etc.) as well as vertical files that hold images awaiting framing and smaller items such as negatives, etc. We’ve even accepted our first piece of furniture (in the 10 years I’ve been here anyway). It is a wonderful little wingback chair that is upholstered in a print created by John Bell Jr. when he worked at Brook’s Fabrics. It’s in wonderful shape, pretty fabulous really, and should be preserved.

Q. What does this particular exhibit say about FSRAM and art in the River Valley?

A. First, it continues to solidify us in the community as a true art museum, with a purpose to collect, preserve, interpret and present works of art, while inspiring and educating the public. Second, it highlights the stunning works contained in the RAM Permanent Collection. It is imperative the community see us as a depository, a place they can feel safe about donating relevant artwork by our area’s wonderful local and regional artists, to be kept safe and enjoyed by audiences for years to come.

(Courtesy Image/FSRAM) Annette Rawlings’s “The Window” (1992), an oil on linen, has been exhibited at the Muse D'Art Musee in Bordeaux, France. It was a gift to FSRAM by F. Hawryliw.

(Courtesy Image/ FSRAM) “Psicosis” was created by Madjer Linares, an artist from El Salvador who has created murals in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Mexico.

(Courtesy Image/FSRAM) Among artworks currently on display from the permanent collection at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum is Alex Ojeda’s haunting photograph of the face of Christ in a statue weathered with age and lichen. “Faces & Figures of the Permanent Collection” opens this weekend and remains on show through April 21.

(Courtesy Image/FSRAM) Michael P. Smith’s “Aretha Franklin at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival” (1994), a giclee print on paper, was the gift of Louis and Suzie Meluso.

(Courtesy Image/FSRAM)” Also on show is “Market Israel Group” by Noel Davis Rockmore, painted in 1968. An Associated Press news article described Rockmore as a “Picasso-like figure who combined the mythological and real.” Rockmore’s art is included in many museum collections, including the Hirschhorn Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and RAM’s permanent collection.