Masterworks of the Illinois River

October 18, 2008 - February 15, 2009

Sleeping with the Leopard: African Art from Cameroon

January 24 - June 28, 2009

This exhibition of over 60 wood, metal, fiber and mixed media objects highlights the beauty, diversity and importance of art from Cameroon, West Africa. Rarely has the public had the chance to view a private collection as widely representative of different areas of the country and such diverse social groups as semi-nomadic herders to royalty. Many of the pieces are decorated with animal motifs that have underlying cultural significance. Although the appearance of leopards, spiders and lizards may seem purely playful, these animals were chosen for knowledge and their association with the ancestors or with physical qualities such as power and speed, and were often the perogative of royals. Didactic images in addition to informal photographs taken by the collectors will be juxtaposed with the pieces to demonstrate their use and appearance in context.

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Mother and Child: Henry Moore's West Dean Tapestries

April 12, 2008-January 11, 2009

Primarily known for his abstract monumental bronzes, modern master Henry Moore commissioned 8 tapestries to be woven at the West Dean Tapestry Studio in 1975. This exhibition will showcase both the tapestries, the drawings for which originated in the 1940's, inspired by the birth of Moore's only child, Mary. The tapestries, made from Moore's directions, represent charcoal, wax crayon, pastel, chalk and felt-tipped pen washed over with watercolor. The result is an accurate and pleasing translation of Moore's drawings interpreted in wool, cotton and silk. West Dean Studios: Director and weaver - Eva Louisse Svensson; Weavers - Dilys Stinson, Alison Innes, Valerie Power, Patricia Taylor and Diana Cameron. This is the first time the tapestries have been exhibited in the United States. Organized by the Figge Art Museum and Mary Moore.

For more information about the Henry Moore Foundation,

visit www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk.

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When Gold Blossoms: Indian Jewelry from the Susan L. Beningson Collection

May 31, 2008-August 24, 2008

This exhibition of 150 objects of 17th through 19th c. South Indian jewelry underscores the significance of ornamentation in Indian culture. For thousands of years jewelry has held power as a signifier in religion and society. Accessories both imbue a god with greater power and represent the devotion of the worshipper. To adorn a person is to offer him or her protection, prosperity, respect, and social definition. Gold is thought to have the power to purify those it touches and gems are thought to focus planetary influences that benefit those who wear them. Photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries will be displayes alongside the jewelry to provide fuller understanding of the ways in which jewelry is both worn and used

Organized by the Asia Society and Museum, NY; toured by American Federation of Arts

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In the Light - Photographs from the Brent Sikkema Collection

September 13, 2008 - January 4, 2009

This exhibition from a recent gift of over 80 photographs from the Brent Sikkema collection of 20th century photography displays the unique approaches of several early and mid-20th century American photographers.

Some experimented with abstraction, light, or exposure (Carlotta Capron, György Kepes) some were early experimenters in color photography (Eliot Porter), some focused on the lyric qualities of modern dance (Barbara Morgan), others concentrated on the abstract qualities of assembled still-lives and their manipulation in the dark room (Olivia Parker), while others invented new technologies to capture on a negative what the human eye cannot (Harold Edgerton).

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