Date: Jan 13, 2011

Hofstra University Museum Presents “1930s Art In America”

Exhibition Depicts Visual Arts in America During 1930s

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – “1930s Art in America,” on view from February 28 through May 27, 2011, in the Hofstra University Museum’s David Filderman Gallery, is intended to provide a “snapshot” of the visual arts in America during the 1930s. The exhibition highlights artists of the Works Progress Administration/Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP), the shift from a rural to an urban society, the exploration of new artistic techniques and media, and the influence of European artist émigrés.

Also accompanying the exhibition are two musical performances, both presented in the Rochelle and Irwin A. Lowenfeld Conference and Exhibition Hall. On March 5, 2011 at 8 p.m., The 1930s: Music in America will be performed featuring Hofstra University Music faculty Tammy Hensrud, Marilyn Lehman, Hofstra University jazz students and special guest Stanley Drucker. On March 17, 2011 at 3 p.m., actress Shirley Romaine will present a multi-media performance titled “Wasn’t That a Time!: Stories and Songs of the Great Depression" which includes stories, personal narratives, songs and prints that capture the power and pathos of the Great Depression.

A fully illustrated four color catalogue, 1930s: Art in America, with an essay by Director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center Helen A. Harrison, accompanies the exhibition.

 “The 1930s brought economic strife for the nation, and artists were deeply impacted both on a personal level and by the dramatic societal shifts taking place,” said Executive Director of the Hofstra University Museum Beth E. Levinthal. “This exhibition touches upon artistic insights, innovations, and the emergence of new American artistic directions created partially as a result of the existence of the Works Progress Administration. We thank the museums, galleries, collectors and funders who have helped bring this exhibition to fruition.”

Most of the exhibition is from the permanent collection of the Hofstra University Museum, with additional works on loan from the Heckscher Museum of Art; Michael Rosenfeld Gallery; The Old Print Shop; the Sragow Gallery; and the Syracuse University Art Collection. Included in the exhibit are paintings by Ilya Bolotowsky, Jon Corbino, Arthur Dove, Richard Hayley Lever, and John Whorf; photographs by Berenice Abbott, John Gutmann, Dorothy Normal, and Man Ray; and works on paper by James Allen, John Steuart Curry, Marion Greenwood, George Grosz, Louis Lozowick, Isaac Soyer and Grant Wood.

This exhibition coincides with a three-day multidisciplinary conference 1935: The Reality and the Promise, which will be held at Hofstra University on April 7, 8, and 9, 2011, sponsored by the Hofstra Cultural Center and Hofstra University Museum. This conference, which commemorates Hofstra’s 75th Anniversary, includes keynote speakers, performances of musical theater and dance, film, and radio broadcasts of 1935 and a 1935 themed costume banquet.

For more information on the exhibit and associated public programs call (516) 463-5672 or visit the Hofstra University website at www.hofstra.edu/museum. For more information on the three-day multidisciplinary conference 1935: The Reality and the Promise visit http://www.hofstra.edu/Community/culctr/culctr_events_1935_conference.html .

The Hofstra University Museum has been awarded the highest honor a museum can receive, continued accreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM). Approximately 4% of museums nationwide have earned this distinguished recognition. Accreditation certifies that the Hofstra University Museum operates according to professional standards, manages its collections responsibly and provides quality service to the public.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 12,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, communication, education, health and human services, honors studies, a School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.