Major Collection of Wine-Themed Artworks Begins National Tour

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2005

Contact: Sarah McGreer
sarah@maaa.org

Major Collection of Wine-Themed Artworks Begins National Tour

Pressing Matters, 500 Years of Wine in Art from the Sterling Vineyards Print Portfolio opened at the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on January 28, 2005.

The works on view include 50 prints by 15th- and 16th-century European masters through well-known 20th-century artists and are executed in a variety of printmaking techniques, including steel engraving, woodcut, etching, and lithography.

Wine has played an important role in people's lives for centuries. It has been a part of religious ceremonies, public celebrations, entertainment, and family meals and gatherings, particularly in Europe and the Americas. It is only natural that artists, reflecting the life and customs of the times in which they lived, would incorporate images of wine, winemaking, and grapes into their work. The works are organized into five categories that reflect the various reasons the artists addressed the topic of wine: botanical prints, mythological and religious themes, harvest themes, social satires, and early advertising illustrations and diagrams.

Pressing Matters is curated by Joanna Reiling Lindell, an independent curator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Upon closing in Cedar Falls on March 16, the exhibition will continue to tour nationally under the auspices of ExhibitsUSA through January 2008.

The purpose of ExhibitsUSA is to create access to an array of arts and humanities exhibitions, nurture the development and understanding of diverse art forms and cultures, and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. ExhibitsUSA is a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1972.

Tour Schedule

January 28–March 16, 2005
Hearst Center for the Arts; Cedar Falls, Iowa

April 6–May 29, 2005
Ellen Noel Art Museum; Odessa, Texas

June 11–August 14, 2005
Fullerton Museum Center; Fullerton, California

September 1–October 20
2005 Hearst Art Gallery; Moraga, California

November 10–January 07, 2006
Wichita Falls Museum and Art Center; Wichita Falls, Texas

January 30–March 18, 2006
Walton Arts Center; Fayetteville, Arkansas

September 1–October 20, 2006
Masur Museum of Art; Monroe, Louisiana

September 1–October 21, 2007
The Haggin Museum; Stockton, California

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