The traveling exhibition “Art in Conflict” presents Soviet-era paintings, posters, and other works of art drawn exclusively from the permanent collection of the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis, Minn. Juxtaposing non-conformist and socialist realist approaches, the display unfolds conflicting perspectives that dominated the multifaceted and volatile art scene of the final Soviet decades. Arranged as a dialogue of state-sanctioned and oppositional models of artistic production, the display invites a creative interpretation of what it was to be an artist living in the Soviet era.
Exhibition dates: 9/17/19—8/9/20
Opening reception: Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 6:00—8:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public.
Special guests: Mark Meister, Executive Director and Dr. Maria (Masha) Zavialova, Curator, both at TMORA
Art | Food | Cash bar | Music
Piano music by Dr. Asami Hagiwara
The Tweed Museum of Art would like to thank The Museum of Russian Art for partnering and sharing their exhibition Art in Conflict with the Tweed.
Events:
Dr. Zavialova will be a guest speaker for the Visual Culture Lecture Series, October 29, 2019, at 6 p.m., Montague Hall 70 Lecture Hall.
Lecture Series with Carol Rudie Veldman
Tweed Museum of Art is proud to present a lecture series with Carol Rudie Veldman in reference to the current Soviet-era exhibition, “Art in Conflict,” curated by Dr. Marsha Zavialova.
January 21, 2020 | 6—8 p.m. | Art in Conflict: Themes and Styles in Soviet Arts
This lecture focuses on the Soviet era, when artistic methods and topics were employed to shape the Soviet citizen. Artists experimented with these issues and forms to tell another story about their cultural environment. Veldman Rudie shares how these different streams provided a nuanced picture of artistic conflicts and visual interactions that were part of this period of art.
February 18, 2020 | 6—8 p.m. | Art on the Edges: Non-Conformists and Spirituality
This lecture focuses on the ways artists used religious visual symbolism to show alternative cultural realities. Veldman Rudie shares both the original context of these symbols as well as their use in later 20th century Russian art.
The use of religious visual vocabulary was forbidden to officially recognized Soviet artists, so non-conformist artists often used religious symbols to express their experience. In a society governed by a materialist philosophy, these symbols were often not used for religious reasons but to give an alternative view of the world. Exploring their use in the context of the Soviet art world opens another perspective on the artists’ work.
March 24, 2020 | 6—8 p.m. | Women in the Soviet Union: Utopian Dreams. Reality Check
The lecture focuses on the ways in which women are pictured in Soviet art. Veldman Rudie describes both the visual utopian ideal of the Soviet Woman and the difference between that ideal and social reality.
At the outset of the Revolution, complete equality of men and women was assumed to be the norm. All occupations, education, and opportunities were now open. In public discourse, this equality was assumed. However, the reality gradually began to intrude on what became mere rhetorical utopianism. Looking back through the art of the era illuminates both the ideal and the real.
April 21, 2020 | 6—8 p.m. | The People’s Papers: The Poster Tradition in the Soviet Context
The lecture focuses on the aesthetic and public purposes that made posters such a powerful media tool. Veldman Rudie traces the ways that posters visually chronicle Soviet variations in policy and act as a timeline for the Soviet utopian experiment.
A long communication tradition rooted in inexpensive flyers and broadsheets developed into a robust Soviet poster tradition. Varying design principles made these posters valuable artifacts of the purposes and tastes of the time. Both the history and the aesthetics of this messaging medium become the background for the current exhibit at The Museum of Russian Art.
About Carol Rudie Veldman
Carol Veldman Rudie uses her Ph.D. work at the University of Minnesota, including a minor in Art History, and her college teaching skills to research and present background about Russian art and culture. She has been the lead docent and coordinator of outreach education at The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) in Minneapolis since 2005 and has developed its docent training program. Veldman Rudie regularly offers classes and talks about Russian art at TMORA and across Minnesota. As a special interest, she leads tours to Russia.