The Kluge-Ruhe Collection’s current exhibition by Vernon Ah Kee titled ill-like, is a collection of drawings and text works, which explore issues of race and racially motivated violence in conjunction with Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s birthday and Black History Month in February.
The exhibition will run from January 24 – April 8, 2012, with an opening reception on Friday, January 27, 5:30 – 7:30 pm.
Vernon Ah Kee is a member of the Kuku Yalandji, Waanyi, Yidinjii and Gugu Timithirr peoples. He is known for his candid explorations of contemporary and historical mistreatment of Aboriginal people in Australia. His work has been exhibited widely in Australia and internationally, and he represented Australia at the 2009 Venice Biennale.
The Kluge-Ruhe Collection will be closed from December 22 through December 26, 2011. We will open on Tuesday, December 27 and Wednesday, December 28 from 12:00 – 3:00 pm. A free guided tour is available each day at 1:00 pm. The Collection will then be closed from Thursday, December 29, 2011 through Monday, January 2, 2012. We will reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 with our regular hours.
The Kluge-Ruhe Collection is pleased to announce that their nomination, Djarrakpi Story (1966) by Narritjin Maymuru, was selected as a winner in the 2011 Virginia’s Top Ten Endangered Artifacts Program.
The Virginia Association of Museums hosted a competition among Virginia museums to raise awareness about preserving artifacts in the care of museums, libraries and archives throughout the Commonwealth. The fact that over 100,000 votes were cast by the public for all the nominations in the competition confirms that the citizens of Virginia recognize the importance of historic preservation and conservation.
Djarrakpi Story was painted by Narritjin Maymuru, a prominent Yolngu bark artist from Arnhem Land in the north of Australia. The painting depicts two ancestors who went fishing in a dugout canoe and were washed overboard by an ancestral sea turtle. It refers to a long history of interaction between coastal Aboriginal people and Indonesian traders, who introduced the dugout canoe, and demonstrates the creativity of an individual artist in depicting major themes of Yolngu art.
The painting shows signs of deterioration, particularly in areas where the pigment is flaking off the surface. It requires treatment by a qualified conservator before it can be exhibited.
The Kluge-Ruhe Collection is pleased to announce that their nomination, Djarrakpi Story (1966) by Narritjin Maymuru, was selected as a winner in the 2011 Virginia’s Top Ten Endangered Artifacts Program.
The Virginia Association of Museums hosted a competition among Virginia museums to raise awareness about preserving artifacts in the care of museums, libraries and archives throughout the Commonwealth. The fact that over 100,000 votes were cast by the public for all the nominations in the competition confirms that the citizens of Virginia recognize the importance of historic preservation and conservation.
To help preserve this endangered artifact, donate now.
Read more about the winning objects and view photographs of all nominations.
