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TAUBMAN PARTNERS WITH HARRISON MUSEUM ON UPCOMING EXHIBITION
Exhibition Features Work of Abstract Artist Helene Steene

Helene Steene, 'Red Sky Vail Fresco'

In collaboration with the Harrison Museum of African American Culture, the Taubman Museum of Art will open a new exhibition featuring more than 30 works from international artist Helene Steene. Curated by the Harrison Museum and exhibited at the Taubman from July 12 – August 7, 2011, the exhibition showcases Steene’s brightly colored mixed media abstract paintings. The exhibition is the first successor to the 17th Century Florentine Paintings from the Haukohl Collection, which had been on view in the museum’s Decorative and Early Modernism Gallery since the building’s opening in 2008. The transition represents the continued commitment from Executive Director David Mickenberg to engage in community collaborations and provide expanded experiences in the arts.

Helen Steene: Abstract Impressions
Helene Steene is an artist drawn to line, form, and color. The level of abstraction varies in her works, but she has stated that she is always searching for inner beauty and a harmonious balance of elements. Several of the pieces on display were inspired by the landscape and colors of the Greek island Paros, where the artist has a home and visits periodically. Steene works with diverse medias including oil, acrylic, encaustic, monotypes, collage, fiber, although most of the works on view here at the Taubman combine sand, metal, acrylic, oil and marble dust—a media that reminds her of the white marble dusted buildings of Greece. The saturated colors, depth of texture and linear abstractions in her works achieve timeless compositions and a peaceful aura. Steene has shown in over 200 exhibitions over the last 35 years around the world and exhibits extensively in her home state of Kentucky.

About the Harrison Museum of African American Culture
The Harrison Museum of African American Culture, Incorporate (HMAAC) was established in 1985 in Roanoke, Virginia as a project initiated by the Northwest Neighborhood Improvement Council and Total Action Against Poverty in Roanoke Valley, Inc. HMAAC is a museum and resource center that provides opportunities for historical, cultural, and educational enrichment through artistic, cultural, and historical exchanges. The HMAAC is normally located in Center in the Square in downtown Roanoke, but due to the building’s renovations, it is currently operating as a museum without walls. For more information about the museum, please call (540) 857-4395 or email info@harrisonmuseum.com.

About the Taubman Museum of Art
As a center for the visual arts, The Taubman Museum of Art encourages a free exchange between the making of art, the display of art and the interpretation of art. Museum programs endeavor to explore creativity from inspiration to presentation with the goal of engaging and intriguing audiences. For more information about the Taubman, including exhibitions and programming, please call (540) 342-5760, or visit the museum’s website at www.taubmanmuseum.org.