Sheldon Statewide exhibit, 'Particles to Planets,' opens May 2

The Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present "From Particles to Planets, Exploring the Physical in Art" -- its annual statewide touring exhibition -- in Lincoln from May 2 to Aug. 17.

An opening reception for the exhibition, which will be on view in eight communities across Nebraska during the next year, will be 5 to 7 p.m. May 2. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

In exploring and representing the physical world, artists are both constrained and freed by their media. Artists manipulate subjects by controlling light, color, texture, depth, form and space, to produce evocative images. Their artworks often are statements about their imaginations and viewpoints as much as they are representations of physical reality.

Artists John James Audubon and Ansel Adams strove to capture a truthful and accurate depiction of nature and contemporary life as their eyes saw it. For Adams, the image of the physical subject was not the entirety of a piece of art; he said his photographs were ". . . an investigation of both the outer and the inner worlds."

Harry Sternberg, Thelma Christenson and Marguerite Zorach portray the physical abstractly, using lines, geometric forms and fields of color to create landscapes of the imagination. Approximately 20 works by these artists and others, such as Manuel Neri, Andy Warhol and Robert Henri compose the exhibition of art that exemplifies the physical.

As the exhibition travels across the state, related educational opportunities will include the Sheldon Statewide Arts Connection Teacher Training Workshops at four locations, educational material available on the Sheldon Web site (www.sheldon.unl.edu) and docent training. The Web site will also include the sites in each community where the exhibit will be presented. The schedule is:

* Chadron, Aug. 29-Sept. 28

* North Platte, Oct. 1-Nov. 2

* McCook, Nov. 5-Dec. 5

* York, Jan. 5-Feb. 8

* Columbus, Feb. 10-March 8

* Nebraska City, March 10-April 12

* To be announced, April 14-May 15 (2009)

* Aurora, May 16-June 16 (2009)

This exhibition is organized by Sheldon Statewide, an outreach program of the Sheldon Museum of Art, the Sheldon Art Association and UNL. It is made possible by the support of the Sheldon Art Association, the Nebraska Arts Council, Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. of Nebraska, James and Rhonda Seacrest, and Lonnie Pierson Dunbier.

Sheldon Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects focusing on American art. The museum, 12th and R streets on the UNL City Campus, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For information or to arrange a tour, call (402) 472-2461. Additional information is also available on the Sheldon Web site.