CCA News
CCA Wattis Institute Presents: Huckleberry Finn
Posted on Friday, September 10, 2010, by Brenda Tucker
The CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts will present the exhibition Huckleberry Finn from September 28 through December 11, 2010, in the Logan Galleries on the San Francisco campus of California College of the Arts. The exhibition is free and open to the public, with an opening reception on Tuesday, September 28, from 6–8 p.m.
Huckleberry Finn is the final show in a trilogy of Wattis Institute exhibitions based on canonical American novels. In 2008, The Wizard of Oz revealed layers of political symbolism and escapism in L. Frank Baum's famous book, and in 2009, Moby-Dick delved into Herman Melville's depiction of an epic struggle between good and evil. These investigations of America and its realities through the lens of literature by means of artworks, artifacts, and historical documents are unique to the Wattis Institute.
2010 marks the 125th anniversary of the first publication of Mark Twain's book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well as the 100th anniversary of the author's passing. At its most elementary level, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn chronicles the adventures of a boy, Huck, and his loyal friend, Jim, as they raft down the Mississippi River. On a deeper level, the narrative provides an intimate look at a young boy's self-education, a moving argument for racial equality, and a biting social critique of the time in which Twain was writing. The novel is counted as one of the most important works of American literature, yet it still tops the banned-book list for its use of racial slurs, revealing that its underlying issues of intolerance and racism are still sensitive ones in our society.
This exhibition features the work of 36 artists, including 15 new commissions by artists such as Kara Walker, Yinka Shonibare MBE, and Tim Lee, and the West Coast premiere of the newly restored 1920 silent film Huckleberry Finn. Additional historical artifacts and artworks help develop a portrait of the American South and African American life in the time of slavery, while contemporary artworks reflect upon some of the themes of the book that still resonate—and unsettle—today.
About the CCA Wattis Institute
The CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts was established in 1998 in San Francisco at California College of the Arts. It serves as a forum for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary art and curatorial practice. Through groundbreaking exhibitions, the Capp Street Project residency program, lectures, symposia, and publications, the Wattis Institute has become one of the leading art institutions in the United States and an active site for contemporary culture in the Bay Area. For more information about the Wattis Institute, visit www.wattis.org.
About California College of the Arts
Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (CCA) is noted for the interdisciplinarity and breadth of its programs. It offers studies in 21 undergraduate and seven graduate majors in the areas of fine arts, architecture, design, and writing. The college offers bachelor of architecture, bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, master of architecture, master of arts, master of fine arts, and master of business administration degrees. With campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, CCA currently enrolls 1,800 full-time students. Noted alumni include the painters Nathan Oliveira and Raymond Saunders; the ceramicists Robert Arneson, Viola Frey, and Peter Voulkos; the filmmaker Wayne Wang; the conceptual artists David Ireland and Dennis Oppenheim; and the designers Lucille Tenazas and Michael Vanderbyl. For more information about CCA, visit www.cca.edu.
Press Contacts:
Sarah Owens, 415.703.9549 or sowens@cca.edu
Brenda Tucker, 415.703.9548 or btucker@cca.edu