The Marin Museum of Contemporary Art to show "Mary Tuthill Lindheim ~ Agent of Change"

Written by Susan Tremaine Thursday, 08 December 2011 00:19

Novato, California.- The Marin Museum of Contemporary Art is pleased to present "Mary Tuthill Lindheim: Agent of Change", featuring the work of the late Bay Area ceramicist, sculptor, and activist, Mary Lindheim (1912-2004). It will be the first museum exhibition of Lindheim’s work since her death, and the most comprehensive solo show ever of her work. "Agent of Change" will be on view at the museum from December 10th through January 15th 2012. MarinMOCA Executive Director, Heather Murray, will curate the exhibition in close collaboration with the artist’s estate and Abby Wasserman, editor and essayist of the recently published 'Mary Tuthill Lindheim: Art and Inspiration' (Cameron and Company, 2010). The exhibition honors Lindheim, who lived in Sausalito and Bolinas for the last 65 years of her life, not only as an artist but as someone passionately dedicated to social justice.

"Mary Tuthill Lindheim: Agent of Change" encourages the viewer to consider the historical and material importance of an artist who created with a true awareness of the impact an artist can make in and out of the art world. Although visitors to the exhibition will likely associate the title with Lindheim’s socio-political activism, the phrase “agent of change” also refers to the physical transformations an artist makes to her/his medium. This is particularly true in the case of a ceramic artist, who transforms earth into art and must understand and employ the chemical transformations of ceramic glazes under the heat of the kiln. Mary Tuthill Lindheim was especially prominent in the Bay Area in the1940s, 1950s and 1960s, years during which she worked tirelessly on behalf of art organizations to which she belonged. An exhibiting sculptor when she began her ceramics studies in 1946, she received a scholarship for advanced research in ceramics in her second semester at the California College of Arts and Crafts. Five years later, she was elected president of the Association of San Francisco Potters. She was concurrently an active leader in San Francisco Women Artists. Sometimes her dual involvement in art and activism dovetailed, but sometimes they were at odds, challenging her ability to actively promote her own career.

A passionate advocate for studio craft against challenges to its status as “fine art,” Lindheim contributed to the public discourse about ceramics by publishing in Craft Horizons and Ceramics Monthly. In 1958 she was one of the founding members of Designer-Craftsmen of California, and in 1966 she began years of volunteer work organizing and improving the Sausalito Art Festival.  She served many times as juror for exhibitions in Marin and San Francisco as well as out of state, and taught ceramics and arts and crafts classes at the California Labor School and the California School of Fine Arts (now San Francisco Art Institute), among others. Throughout her career she traveled and exhibited extensively, but kept her roots in the Bay Area. Her work is now in the John Magnani Memorial Collection at San Francisco State College, the Bolinas Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Oakland Museum of California, Arizona State University, and Mills College, among others.

The Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (MarinMOCA) at the Novato Arts Center at historic Hamilton Field in Novato, California is the permanent gallery and headquarters for the 'Artists of MarinMOCA' a community-focused association of artists. Members come from around the Bay Area and work in a variety of media including painting, photography, sculpture, and fiber art. All levels of artistic experience and expertise are welcomed--from novice or hobbyist to professional. They provide both formal and informal artistic support through rental studios, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and critique group. Member Exhibitions are held at least once a year in the permanent gallery at Hamilton and the Hamilton Gallery also features the work of 2 member artists each month. The museum also run a Summer Arts Camp that gives underserved students the opportunity to explore their creativity through an innovative, interactive, standards-based program. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.marinmoca.org

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