FREE ART-MAKING ACTIVITIES CELEBRATE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST EXHIBITION AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE

June 29, 2017

Williamstown, Massachusetts—Beginning July 13, the Clark Art Institute will hold weekly art-making activities in celebration of the exhibition As in Nature: Helen Frankenthaler Paintings (on view July 1–October 9, 2017). “Off the Wall: Soak Stain” sessions will be held on Thursday afternoons from 1–4 pm through August 31. Participants create a canvas wall hanging inspired by the work of Frankenthaler, an Abstract Expressionist painter, experimenting with the “soak stain” technique the artist pioneered. Activities will be held outdoors at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill. The art-making sessions are free; optional admission to the galleries will be charged.

As a young artist during the 1950s and ’60s, Frankenthaler explored various styles of abstraction, from cubist-inspired works to more free-form compositions. During these years, she developed her influential “soak-stain” technique, in which she used thinned paint that soaked into unprimed canvas. This approach allowed her to layer washes of paint on top of one another, creating unusual combinations of colors and forms and blurring the traditional distinction between figure and ground.

Art-making can be messy; art project-appropriate clothing is encouraged. This activity is weather dependent.

ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 270,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

Press contact:

Clark Art Institute
413 458 0471
[email protected]u