ASPEN, CO - Beginning with a free public Artist Breakfast walkthrough from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m., and a free evening public reception from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., on February 14, 2008, the Aspen Art Museum is proud to debut artist Jeremy Deller’s multi-faceted exhibition, Marlon Brando, Pocahontas, and Me, which takes as its starting point the career and interests of musician Neil Young. Marlon Brando, Pocahontas, and Me consists of three components: an exhibition of artworks addressing a number of Deller and Young’s overlapping thematic concerns—including American identity, history, politics, war, medical innovation, information technologies, and music; an interdisciplinary symposium at the Aspen Institute, addressing Young as a cultural phenomenon and featuring leading practitioners in fields related to both Deller and Young’s shared interests; and, an accompanying book that will include images of exhibition works, as well as transcriptions from symposium presentations and discussions.
 
Among the contemporary artists included in the exhibition are Paul Chan, Mark Dion, Peter Doig, Sam Durant, An-My Lê, Dave Muller, and Sean Schneider. The exhibition also includes historical works. Marlon Brando, Pocahontas, and Me will be on view in the AAM Lower Gallery from February 15 – April 13, 2008.

The Marlon Brando, Pocahontas, and Me symposium takes place from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., February 15^th at The Aspen Institute. It will be moderated by AAM Director and Chief Curator Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson, and feature key speakers: Daniel Bertrand Monk, Ph.D, the George R. and Myra T. Cooley Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, and Professor of Geography at Colgate University; U.S. Marine Veteran Jonathan Kuniholm, co-founder of both Tackle Design—an industrial design and technology firm—and the non-profit Open Prosthetics Project, an organization that puts its research on prosthetic hardware on the internet and allows public access to the information free of charge; Major General Matthew P. Caulfield, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), whose post-military experiences include acting as Deputy Director of The Military Office of the White House under President Ronald Reagan, and who is considered a “subject matter expert” on transitioning service members into the civilian sector; and, Captain Rye Barcott, USMCR, co-editor of Armed Conflict in Africa (Scarecrow, 2003), a joint MPA and MBA candidate at Harvard University, and co-founder of Carolina For Kibera (CFK) in Kenya, an organization which fights poverty and promotes ethnic and religious reconciliation through a unique model of participatory development.

In addition, a special free public program featuring Neil Young cover bands at the Sun Deck on Aspen Mountain is scheduled for March 30th.

Jeremy Deller was born in London in 1966 and studied art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Collaboration and participation are central to Deller’s work. He acts as curator, producer, or director of a broad range of projects, including orchestrated events, films, and publications which draw attention to forms of culture on the fringes of the mainstream or reveal hidden histories. He currently lives in London. He was the winner of Britain’s prestigious Turner Prize in 2004.

Jeremy Deller: Marlon Brando, Pocahontas, and Me is organized by the Aspen Art Museum and funded in part by the AAM National Council. AAM Art Talks are part of the Questrom Lecture Series.

The Aspen Art Museum is a globally preeminent non-collecting institution that presents the newest, most important evolutions in international contemporary art. Our innovative and timely exhibitions, education and public programs, immersive activities, and community happenings actively engage audiences in thought-provoking experiences of art, culture, and society.
 
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