CORNELL FINE ARTS MUSEUM AT ROLLINS COLLEGE ANNOUNCES FIRST EXHIBITION INSPIRED BY THE ALFOND COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART; Fractured Narratives: a strategy to engage Opens September 17, 2014in Winter Park, Florida

Fractured Narratives: a strategy to engage
Opens September 17, 2014in Winter Park, Florida

“Fractured Narratives begins a conversation both occasioned and facilitated by the Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art at Rollins College, which was lovingly acquired for the Museum by Barbara and Ted Alfond,” states Ena Heller, Director of The Cornell Fine Art Museum at Rollins College.  “For every work of art, there is a story; for every story, there are multiple translations, each of which not only sheds a different light on the work itself, but also reveals something about the translator. This exhibition and the broader Alfond Collection represent the possibility of what art can offer to a teaching institution and how looking deeply can lead to new kinds of learning and knowledge.”

Co-curated by Cornell Fine Arts Museum Curator Amy Galpin and independent curator Abigail Ross Goodman, the exhibition features film, photography, painting, sculpture, and sound by 14 artists from around the world: Dawoud Bey, Omer Fast, Eric Gottesman, Jenny Holzer, Alfredo Jaar, Amar Kanwar, William Kentridge, An-My Lê, Maya Lin, Goshka Macuga, Moris (Israel Meza Moreno), Rivane Neuenschwander, Trevor Paglen, and Martha Rosler.

Jenny Holzer’s large-scale color-blocked painting Water-board 14 U.S. government document (2010) depicts a redacted, confidential U.S. government document. Though the underlying language is largely concealed, bits of text are visible, such as “water board” and “top secret.” In leaving these cues amidst an otherwise Suprematist abstraction, the artist engages the viewer in questioning governmental power and human rights.

Also on view is Omer Fast’s film 5000 Feet Is the Best (2011), which grapples with the timely and critical subject of drone warfare; An-My Lê’s photographic depictions of war and military culture that play with fact and fiction; and photographs and a film by Eric Gottesman inspired by his exploration of the dissident Ethiopian novel Oromaye, written by Baalu Girma.

“When we endeavored to identify a theme for the inaugural exhibition drawn from the Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art at Rollins College, exploring artists’ roles as instigators of change and advocates for a socially engaged community seemed both essential and appropriate,” writes co-curator Abigail Goodman. “A powerful moment occurs when a narrative is cracked open, when something one expects to be presented simply for what it is, or even as fact, is left unguarded as just one possibility among many.”

Barbara and Ted Alfond (Rollins class of 1968) established the Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art at Rollins College in 2013. The collection was conceived as a “visual syllabus” and with the hope that it would become a cornerstone of liberal arts education at Rollins College. The collection offers opportunities for study, investigation and developing new kinds of visual and cultural wisdom, the result of which is crucial to the development of a new generation of global citizens who, in valuing difference, will care enough to learn one another’s languages, both literally and figuratively. To date the evolving collection includes more than 220 paintings, photographs, sculptures, and mixed-media works by established and emerging artists from around the world. The collection is housed at the College’s Cornell Fine Arts Museum and is on rotating display at the nearby Alfond Inn, a visionary philanthropic boutique hotel owned by Rollins College. Since opening in August 2013, net proceeds from the Alfond Inn have been directed to The Alfond Scholars program fund, which has awarded three full scholarships to date.
Fractured Narratives features works drawn from the Alfond Collection as well as major loans. Also on view at the Alfond Inn are additional works that relate to and extend the exhibition. These Alfond Collection highlights include pieces by artists such as Yoan Capote, Cobi Moules, Sandra Ramos and Trevor Paglen.
“Many of the works in Fractured Narratives are in dialogue with one another. Though different in aesthetic appearance, often the included objects reinforce the power of non-linear storytelling and urge viewers to question previously accepted histories,” says co-curator Amy Galpin. “My hope is that Fractured Narratives can elicit inquiries and thoughtful discussions in the same way the Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art has inspired engaged conversations on campus and in our larger community.”

ROLLINS COLLEGE
Founded in 1885, Rollins College is Florida’s oldest recognized college. Located in Winter Park, near Orlando, Rollins is consistently ranked as the number one regional university in the South by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to full-time undergraduate programs in the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Professional Studies, Rollins offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs for working adults through its evening program at the Hamilton Holt School and graduate business degree programs through its Crummer Graduate School of Business, which has been ranked a top MBA program by Forbes and Bloomberg Businessweek. Rollins serves approximately 3,300 degree-seeking students annually. For more information, visit www.rollins.edu. “Like” Rollins on Facebookand follow onTwitter@RollinsCollege.

THE ALFOND INN
The Alfond Inn, a Preferred Boutique Hotel, is located in Winter Park, Florida. Owned by Rollins College, a private coeducational liberal arts college in Winter Park, The Alfond Inn was built with a $12.5-million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation and opened in August 2013. In a visionary philanthropic partnership, net operating income from the Inn will be directed to The Alfond Scholars program fund, the College’s premier scholarship fund, over the next 25 years or until the endowment principal reaches $50 million, whichever comes later. The 112-room boutique hotel features a rotating selection of artwork from the Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art at Rollins College. Other amenities include Hamilton’s Kitchen restaurant, a pool and fitness center, and 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The Alfond Inn is 15 minutes from downtown Orlando and 30 minutes from Walt Disney World and Orlando International Airport. The Alfond Inn is located at 300 East New England Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789.  For more information, visit www.thealfondinn.com

ABOUT WINTER PARK, FL
Located about 15 minutes north of Orlando, Winter Park is known for its chain of lakes, lush urban plantings, and winding brick-paved streets lined with early 20^th-century homes and mansions. The small downtown has a genteel Southern feel, with boutique shops, restaurants and cafes. Winter Park neighborhoods feature stunning examples of Spanish Mediterranean architecture, with some of the best examples created by architect James Gamble Rogers II in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Known for art and literature, visitors to Winter Park can enjoy the city’s heritage for collecting and philanthropy at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College, the Polasek Museum and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which contains the most expansive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany works in the world.

VISITOR INFORMATION
Location:
Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Rollins College
1000 Holt Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499
407.646.2526 (p)
www.rollins.edu/cfam
@cfamrollins
Hours:
Tuesday–Friday: 10 AM–4 PM
Saturday–Sunday: 12 PM–5 PM
Closed Mondays

Admission: FREE ADMISSION courtesy of Bessemer Trust.