Lincoln, Neb.--School of Art, Art History & Design Director and Cather Professor of Art Francisco Souto is among the co-curators of “Go Big Red,” on display through Dec. 31 at Sheldon Museum of Art.
The exhibition “Go Big Red” presents numerous perspectives on the power of red—the school color chosen by University of Nebraska students in 1892.
Each artwork was selected from the museum’s collection by a member of the university community that extends from the campus to the city of Lincoln, state and beyond. The chosen works span history, genres, styles and media, just as the participants and their reflections represent the distinctive individuals who come together to realize this exhibition.
“Go Big Red” was organized by Erin Hanas, curator for academic and campus engagement, in collaboration with 45 guest co-curators, including students, staff, faculty, administrators, athletic coaches, alumni and friends of the university.
To Susan Longhenry, the museum’s director and one of the exhibition’s co-curators, the university’s rallying chant “Go Big Red” is “an intangible force that unites and inspires people on campus, in Lincoln and across Nebraska.”
“We’re excited to extend that spirit into the museum’s galleries,” she said.
Hanas credits the co-curators with helping the museum visitors see art in new ways.
“Everyone brings their own perspective to viewing art, and everyone has something valuable to say about what they see in a work of art,” she said.
In addition to Souto, some of the co-curators include former head volleyball coach John Cook, head football coach Matt Rhule, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Glenn Korff School of Music alumna Meredith Ezinma Ramsay and Tanner Maas, a student in the College of Business and drum major with the Cornhusker Marching Band.
Souto chose the work “Candle” (2002) by Sarah Charlesworth.
“Through composition, color saturation and conceptual depth, Sarah Charlesworth elevates the ordinary into the extraordinary,” he wrote in his curator statement. “Using simple materials and carefully staged arrangements, the artist makes a single object take on the quality of an offering—paying homage to the physical properties of art while transforming the creative process into a ritualistic or meditative experience.”
Maas chose Harold Edgerton’s “Milk Drop Coronet” due to its similarities to sound waves.
“Music is composed of waves like this work of art, ‘Milk Drop Coronet,’” he wrote in his curatorial statement. “The sound waves come together to become something greater than the sum of their parts. This is reminiscent of the aural landscape on a Husker gameday. The fans’ cheers, the kids’ excitement, and the band’s songs create a soundscape uniquely Nebraskan. . . . This photograph is a simple reminder that music creates a ripple effect on those around it, just as this milk drop will ripple through the pool of milk.”
Ramsay, along with UNO Professor of English Lisa Knopp, chose Stanley Whitney’s “Red.”
“Curiously, in a painting entitled ‘Red,’ more of the rectangles and borders are orange than any other color,” they wrote in their curatorial statement. “Yet, it’s the azure tile in the second row from the top that captures our attention. It refuses to stand in line, abreast with and equal to the others.”
For more information on the exhibition and a full list of co-curators, visit https://sheldonartmuseum.org/go-big-red/.
