Exhibit:  Hand Fans: Historical Perspective

Location: Fletcher Library, Third Floor Glass Display

Available: Through December 2009, during normal library hours

This small show will be presented in three parts:
September 15th – October 14th Hispanic Heritage Fans
October 15th – November 14th American World Fair Fans
November 15th – December 14th International Exhibition Fans

All fans are displayed by kind permission of Ms. Marjorie Moote and friends.

Scepters of Feminine Beauty to the Ancient Greeks, deflectors of negative chi for the Ancient Chinese, the likelihood of fans having been used since the dawn of humanity is very strong. Fans waving cool breezes against the heat of the day, wafting fires into flame, distracting insects, instruments of the complex language of love in theatre and life, in gamesmanship, and even in warfare, many societies have turned to the hand fan for a variety of uses.

Silks, fine linens, peacock feathers, leaves, paper, exotic woods and animal shells, vinyl and plastics, fan materials might provide an interesting and varied research topic in itself. Tutankhamen’s tomb included fans embossed with precious metals and gems indicating the symbolic majesty and authority of Egypt. From the Oriental silks used by the Greeks before Christian times, to the vellum and stiff cloth of Middle Age church fans, materials expressed the times, values and uses of the deceptively simple fan.

The mechanical operation of hand held fans has a complex history, too. Closed or open, showing the back or front, covering the face, or mouth, or used to indicate pushing or pulling, the language of fan operation is also complex and evocative. True folding fans were most likely first seen in the Western World in Italy, imported from the Far East by Venetian traders. Metal contraptions were used generations ago by warriors in the East, but versions were still in use in military engagements last century. Simple, sometimes non-folding, fans have often been used to advertise products, events and exhibitions, and the fan has become a design element in itself, in three-dimensional architecture, landscape, and two-dimensional visual arts. The period of the sixteenth century French court provides many examples. Louis XIV courtiers would never experience a day without fans as an essential accessory and fashionable accoutrement.

Fans have often been used as gifts, especially to monarchs. Queen Elizabeth I was an avid fan, of fans. Her collection was probably large and fabulous, and apparently dominant. The etiquette of fan language dictated that fans must remain closed in the presence of the monarch, which led to the guard sticks (the ends of the fan) becoming more and more elaborately decorated, perhaps to determine individual status.

The hand fan is a complex and beautiful artistic tool.

Image information:  Chicago Hand Fan from the 1893 Columbia Exposition

As temperatures in the Valley continue to climb into the triple digits, the libraries are a cool oasis from the summer heat. So kick back and let Anali show you how to beat the heat with fun and relaxing things you can do at the libraries.  You can grab a cold drink and a snack, watch a movie, surf the web, play some games and more.

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The Library Minute hosted by Anali Perry

Fred McIlvain, Mimmo Bonnani, Curator Karrie Porter Brace and Professor Emily Umberger of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts discuss the summer exhibit of Mexican Codex Manuscripts on display at the Hayden Library’s Luhrs Gallery.

This engaging conversation tackles the background of the collections, and how the codices depict life of historic and Pre-Hispanic Mesoamericans. Karrie and Emily describe what these codices look like and how they were used by priests for consultation on state events, family decisions, and war.  We’ll learn about a an interesting Mexico City map produced in the 1550’s for Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor of Spain), Montezuma, and the beliefs and practices represented in the manuscripts.  Well also learn about the calendar stone, Mesoamerican hieroglyphs, Diego de Landa’s alphabet, the destruction of manuscripts, and the status of the actual texts today.

The exhibit is on display in the Hayden Library’s Luhrs Gallery through Summer 2009.

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Additional exhibit information

The Dresden codex

Search for Mesoamerican codices (ASU Library Catalog) (Open Worldcat) (Google Scholar – Requires Authentication)

Hosts:
Fred McIlvain
Mimmo Bonanni

Guests:
Karrie Porter Brace
Emily Umberger

Episode 98
Running Time: 35:50

Exhibit: The 28th Annual Congressional Art Competition, and Artistic Discovery (Exhibit)
Location: Fletcher Library (West campus), Third Floor
Available: April 17 – May 30th

Description: The New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences in partnership with Congressman Trent Frank’s office presents the District Two Congressional Art Competition. The exhibit features art work from high school students in the Second Congressional District. All high school students in the Second District of Arizona are eligible to compete in the Congressional District High School Arts Contest. The winner of the contest will have his or her artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year.

Exhibit: The Cards Playing Era – Secret Meeting

Artist: Xiaoping Luo of the Shanghai College of Fine Arts Academy and Mesa Community College

Location: Hayden Library Rotunda

Available: March 16 though April 12, 2009, during normal library hours

Peter Held, Curator of Ceramics, ASU Art Museum Ceramics Research Center says,  “In his latest series Playing Cards, the artist shuffles our notion of playing cards with iconic portraits of movie stars, politicians and other glitterati embedded in global pop culture. Balancing the fragility of life and the delicate nature of porcelain, the cards mix and match personas, cultures, and eras into a new world order. Through a magician’s slight of hand, he points to a better place.”

Artist Statement:

The playing card is for gambling and all the people around the world like playing cards. Today, you may find people playing cards and gambling in pursuit of fame and wealth in all corners of China. The playing card is not only a symbol of gambling and competition, but also a symbol of our life of struggle. Gambling is an instinctive element in our life as it is none other than a game of chance.

For the past three years, I have taken the playing card as one of the elements in my works. By combining the cards with the public figures and their professions, I have created the connection between their public image and their value as a brand name entity; I have created daily-life wares and taken it into the living environment. The things in our lives, inanimate objects such as furniture, and house wares are brought to life by our endeavors to grow, advance and take risks. I will take objects and installations of cards into our life and make it as one; because where there are people, there is gambling and competition. Individuals make plans that involve risk because the future is uncertain. Life is a continuing game full of risks large and small.

- Xiaoping Luo