University Communications and Marketing

November 1, 2010

Contacts:

Grace Frankforter, Northcutt Steele Gallery, 657-2324
Dr. Connie Landis, Art Department, 657-2981
Dan Carter, University Relations, 657-2269

Art historian lecture, Northcutt Steele Gallery reception set for Friday

MSU BILLINGS NEWS SERVICES — The Montana State University Billings Art Department and the Northcutt Steele Gallery will present an exhibition of original photographs by artist Andy Warhol in November.

The acquisition of this unique collection is the result of a collaborative effort by longtime MSU Billings Professor Dr. Connie M. Landis, MSU Billings Reference Librarian/Archivist, Eileen Wright, the MSU Billings Art Students’ League and a gift from Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

The Warhol photographic exhibit will be on display from through Dec. 10 the Northcutt Steele Gallery on the first floor of the Liberal Arts building at MSU Billings.

The exhibit opens Friday Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. with a lecture “Warhol 101” by MSU Billings art historian Dr. Patricia Vettel-Becker.

A free public reception with refreshments is set for Friday at 5 p.m. Those who attend are invited to dress as Andy Warhol for a look-alike contest, which will be held at 6 p.m. Winners will receive cash prizes of $50 and $25 for first- and second-best costumes and consolation prizes for all who participate. Landis will also speak briefly at the reception about the gift from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the New York-based Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, 159 original photographs by the artist were presented to the MSU Billings Department of Art. Now part of the Northcutt Steele Gallery’s permanent collection, the photos were gifted as part of the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program, an unprecedented opportunity available to educational institutions museums, galleries and art collections across the United States.

The MSU Billings art department is the only Montana educational institution to be accepted into the program.

Landis and the department worked with MSU Billings Reference Librarian/Archivist Eileen Wright to meet the display and storage archival requirements set by the Warhol Foundation. In addition, the MSU Billings Art Students’ League, through funds from the Eric Robert Anderson Memorial Fund, approved and contributed the funds to cover the cost of meeting the faming requirements outlined by the Warhol Foundation. 

Of the 159 total photographs, 105 are Polaroid images and 54 are 8-inch by 10-inch black and white silver gelatin photos. The subject matter includes: portraits and figure studies, landscapes, cityscapes, nature close-ups, still lives and loaves of bread and Famous people (Paloma Picasso, Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg, Jerry Zipkin, Rex Reed, Chris Evert, Robin Leach, Wayne Gretzky, Ron Gould and Truman Capote) as well as obscure yet nonetheless interesting unidentified “folk” captured by Warhol as he took hundreds of photographs most days of his adult life.

The Northcutt Steele Gallery is open for public viewing Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there is no admission charge.

For more information, please contact Grace Frankforter, Northcutt Steele Gallery, at grace.frankforter@msubillings.edu or at 657-2324, or Landis at clandis@msubillings.edu or 657-2981.