Museum's Collection Connected to the LA Art Scene
Artwork selected from Utah State University’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art’s permanent collection is currently included in the nationally praised Getty Research initiative “Pacific Standard Time: Art in LA 1945-1980.”
“We’ve known about this initiative at the Getty for quite some time,” said Deb Banerjee, curator of exhibitions and programs at the USU museum. “We’ve loaned several pieces of artwork from our collection for two of the larger exhibitions in California, one to the Orange County Museum of Art and the other to the Hammer Museum at UCLA.”
The research initiative, now spreading throughout the museum and gallery scene in southern California, has fueled collaboration among 60 venues currently exhibiting artwork central to the United States. The art venues are focused on exhibiting the explosion of art after WWII and its diverse influences, including car culture, Hollywood, the aerospace industry and the influx of WWII veterans attending California art schools as a result of the G.I. bill.
Reproductions of three significant pieces of artwork from the museum’s collection appear in the main publication for the initiative, “Pacific Standard Time, Art in LA 1945-1980,” published by the Getty Museum.
A collection of more than 13 catalogues are on display in the museum lobby at USU illustrating the extensive work done by scholars associated with the Getty Research initiative. Museum staff members have marked the pages that feature the artists in the USU museum’s collection that are included in the “Pacific Standard Time” catalogue. More than 59 pages feature the work of artists in the museum’s collection out of the 330 pages of the catalogue.
“We’ve been trying to reflect the unique and fascinating artwork from the greater western region of the United States — in particular, the major hub of art and innovation in southern California,” said Victoria Rowe Berry, director of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. “We’ve been privileged to work with major galleries and artists directly.”
The research initiative and its work is applicable at USU.
“We think of the museum as a laboratory for students to investigate what is happening in the art world at large,” said Nadra Haffar, the education curator for the museum. “It’s very exciting to see the research that has come out of this extensive project and we hope to capitalize on what the Getty has started to bring a new perspective into our programs and installations.”
The initiative will have continued effects at USU as well.
“Through the Getty’s collective review and historical perspective in this research initiative, we are learning so much more about the interconnection and impact these artists have made,” said Berry. “The museum staff are currently planning programs to share what we learn with our visitors.”
The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art has collected modern and contemporary works of art for more than 30 years.
For more information or to schedule a tour of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, call 435-797-0165. The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art is located on USU’s campus at 650 N. 1100 East in Logan. Information is also available at the museum’s website.
The museum is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is closed Sundays and holidays. Admission is free. The museum is also accessible to persons with disabilities.
Parking for the museum is available in the Orange Lot west of the museum. The parking fee in this area is $5. Museum visitors who RSVP will receive free parking. Parking in the Orange Lot is always free after 5 p.m. and on weekends. Two dedicated stalls in the Orange Lot are available for museum members. Call Rachel Hamm for reservations, 435-797-1414. Parking is also available in the Big Blue Terrace located near the Taggart Student Center for $1.50 per hour with a $7.50 per day maximum. Free parking after 5 p.m. is also available in the Blue Lot, located on the corner of 700 N. and 1200 East in Logan next to Aggie Ice Cream.
Related links:
USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art
Writer: Rachelle Nielson, 435-797-9203, rachelle.nielson@usu.edu
Contact: Victoria Rowe Berry, 435-797-0164, victoria.berry@usu.edu
Norman Zammitt. Plexiglas with baked enamel, USU Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. Marie Eccles Caine Foundation Gift. ©Norman Zammitt Estate. Featured on page 166 of 'Pacific Standard Time, Los Angeles Art 1945-1980' published by the Getty Museum.
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