by TRACY BONFITTO, CURATOR OF ART In 1937, WPA artist Elizabeth Olds (American, 1896–1991) persuaded “muckraking” investigative journalist Ida Tarbell to help her secure entrance to the Carnegie-Illinois steel mill. When Olds arrived with fellow artist Harry Gottlieb, skeptical mill workers required the artists to become union members in order… read more
Preparing Color Illustrations for Elizabeth Olds’s Deep Treasure (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1958)
by TRACY BONFITTO, CURATOR OF ART The exhibition Public Works: Art by Elizabeth Olds features original illustrations and preparation art that were used in the creation of Olds’s children’s books. These important process materials are on loan from the Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature at the University of Minnesota.
Exploring the Visual Dimensions of Language
Art in Words: Prints from the 20th Century to Today In one print, the light from an unseen window falls across a series of affirmational statements. In another, interlocking, repeated letters in Cyrillic text encircle a tricycle wheel. Across the gallery, the top halves of the letters that spell “DUCHAMP”… read more