Palmer Museum to present Massad artist lecture, gallery talk this week

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Artist G. Daniel Massad will present a lecture titled “Yours Truly” at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11, in the Palmer Museum of Art's Palmer Lipcon Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public.

A show of Massad’s work, "A Small Radius of Light: G. Daniel Massad, A Retrospective," opened at the Palmer Museum on Sept. 25 and will remain on view through Dec. 9. This major loan exhibition charts the career of Massad, a contemporary pastel artist whose poetic, meticulously detailed still lifes call to mind the work of the Old Masters. Massad’s pastels can be found in numerous private collections across the United States and in major museum collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, National Gallery of Art, and the Palmer Museum of Art.

The retrospective explores the full gamut of Massad’s career, from early academic realist drawings from the late 1960s to his most recent pastel completed in early 2018, an homage to the upcoming 100th anniversary of the armistice of World War I.

In his lecture, Massad will look closely at key turning points in his work history that reveal the path he has followed for almost four decades. He also will elucidate the historical and personal background underpinning much of his imagery and welcomes questions regarding the particulars of his studio practice.

In addition, Palmer curator Joyce Robinson will engage with the artist in a public “gallery conversation” at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12, in the exhibition.

Accompanying the Palmer retrospective is a major publication featuring a comprehensive essay by Robinson and 43 “backstories,” short memoir-like reflections on the genesis of major works written by the artist over the past 30 years. The book is available for sale in the museum store.

Massad lives and works in Annville, Pennsylvania, where he is artist in residence at Lebanon Valley College.

Related programming

Third Thursdays: Mindful Making at the Museum — 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18

Take a break to enjoy a slow art experience at the Palmer as part of Student Engagement’s "Mindful Making" series. Attendees can participate in a beginning yoga class in the gallery or try their hand at drawing inspired by the still, yet powerful, images by G. Daniel Massad on view in "A Small Radius of Light." Third Thursday events include music and dance performances, art-making activities, and games, as well as evening access to the galleries, exhibitions and museum store.

Meditation Workshop — 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28

This 90-minute workshop will review the main forms of meditation practiced in the United States, discuss some of the scientific research supporting the practice, and provide instruction in three useful meditation techniques. Participants should wear comfortable clothing and be available to stay for the entire workshop. The instructor, Patrick Breslin, a retired professor of communication from Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, has been practicing and teaching meditation for more than 40 years. The workshop will take place in the gallery housing "A Small Radius of Light."

Gallery Talk: "A Small Radius of Light: G. Daniel Massad, A Retrospective" — 12:10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, with Joyce Robinson, curator

About the Palmer Museum of Art

The Palmer Museum of Art on the Penn State University Park campus is a free-admission arts resource for the University and surrounding communities in central Pennsylvania. With a collection of 9,000 objects representing and spanning a variety of cultures and centuries of art, the Palmer is the largest art museum between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Areas of strength include the museum’s collection of American art from the late 18th century to the present; Old Master paintings; prints and photography; ceramics and studio glass; and a growing collection of modern and contemporary art. The museum presents 10 exhibitions each year and, with 11 galleries, a print-study room, a 150-seat auditorium, and an outdoor sculpture garden, the Palmer Museum of Art is the leading cultural resource for the region.

Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays, and 6 to 9 p.m. on Third Thursdays. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays.

The Palmer receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

For more information on the Palmer Museum of Art or for the calendar of upcoming events, visit palmermuseum.psu.edu.