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MUSEUM OF ARTSONOMA VALLEY
Media Contact:
Maggie Sowell
(707) 939-7862 x14
WALL & ARDOR: WILLIAM T. WILEY IN THE 20TH CENTURY
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
May 10 through July 27 2014
Over a period of fifty years, William T. Wiley
has distinguished himself as an artist whose
extensive body of work has consistently
defied mainstream contemporary art. As
one of the most well-known and celebrated
California artists alive today, his work has
been seen in the Venice Biennale, Whitney
Biennial, Documenta V and the Carnegie
International. In 1979 the Walker Art Center
in Minneapolis presented a retrospective in
celebration of the Museum’s opening and
thirty years later, in 2009, the Smithsonian
American Art Museum honored him with
another wide ranging retrospective that was
seen both in Washington DC and at the Berkeley Art Museum. Joann Mose, co-
curator of this retrospective wrote, “This exhibition…affirms his significance as
an artist of national stature whose accomplishment resonates well beyond the
region in which he has chose to live and time period when he first achieved
recognition.”
In spite of his international recognition, Wiley’s activist political and social spirit
and his early commitment to the environment render him an essentially Bay Area
artist. Peter Selz, Co Curator and Professor Emeritus of Modern Art at UC
Berkeley writes that Wiley, working in his Woodacre studio in West Marin,
“creates innovative, highly personal works of art in many media that combine a
personal sense of irony with commanding craftsmanship. Painting for Wiley is
intertwined with language. Word and image seduce the viewer to experience
the unexpected.”
With titles such as, “No Bell Prys for Peace with Predator Drone,” “Abstraction
Interrupted by leaky Wicks,” and “The Easter Eye Lands,” his playful sensibility
and sense of humor contribute to his unique ability to confront complicated and
multi-faceted components of politics, art, and the human condition in accessible
and multi-layered ways.
“Punch and the Great Abstraction,” 2005.
Kate Eilertsen, Director for Sonoma Valley Museum of Art says, “Spanning
media from music to painting and from poetry to watercolor, Wiley is an artist
that uses his great wit to express his controversial opinions. He can make you
laugh and cry in the same moment.”
A feature of this exhibition is the full-scale mock up of a wall in his studio,
replete with drawings, watercolors, and notes, creating an atmosphere wherein
visitors can experience and engage with Wiley’s artwork not merely visually and
intellectually, but physically as well. Several interactive projects and games will
be available for people of all ages, making the exhibition filled with inspiration
and a great spirit of fun.
Additional images and information for works in the exhibition are available upon
request.
About the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art:
Established in 1998, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is a membership
supported 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that provides seasonal exhibitions of
contemporary and modern art and educational and public programming for
children, youth and adults. Its mission is to be, “a magnet of creative energy and
cultural inspiration with exhibitions and educational programs that engage the
community in the art and ideas of our time, encouraging curiosity and
innovation.”
The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is located at 551 Broadway, one half block
up from Sonoma’s historic Plaza. Regular Museum hours are 11am–5pm
Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults. Children k–12 are
admitted free, as are SVMA members. Additional information is available at
www.svma.org or by calling (707) 939-7862.