Cororan College of Art + Design's Ivan Witenstein Exhibiting at Whitney Museum at Altria

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New York, NY – Corcoran College of Art + Design Chair of Fine Art Ivan Witenstein has been commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American to participate in a multi-media group exhibition at the Museum’s Altria branch. The exhibition’s title, Fight or Flight: Kristin Baker, Amy Gartrell, Rico Gatson, Wangechi Mutu, Marc Swanson, and Ivan Witenstein, refers to an involuntary physical reaction to sudden threat and relates to the psychological and scientific aspects of our turbulent times. Fight or Flight is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria through February 18, 2005.

“Exhibiting at the Whitney marks a major milestone in an artist’s career,” noted Corcoran College of Art + Design Dean Christina DePaul. “Ivan’s sculpture certainly explores the psychological confusion of our times. It is an honor for the Corcoran to have an artist on our faculty showing at the Whitney.”

Witenstein’s two sculptural installations in Fight or Flight reflect on the exhibition’s theme, which draws on pervasive discussions of fear and anxiety that have emerged in popular media in recent years. These pieces, “Bad habits die hard, I hope I die hard; Girl's song for a blessed sun” and “Light a fire so the world will be brighter, black knight, die and live free,” both fiberglass and epoxy resin, 2004, engage applications of the “fight or flight” concept and are on display alongside the other participating artists’ works, which range from ink drawings on paper to small-scale painting to video pieces.

As Administrative Chair of Fine Art at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, Witenstein teaches the BFA fourth-year core course, as well as courses in sculpture. Witenstein earned his MFA from the Yale University School of Art and his BFA from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. He is currently represented by Derek Eller Gallery, New York, and as a practicing artist has exhibited extensively including a solo exhibition at Derek Eller Gallery, a group exhibition at Oliver Kamm, The New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. He is the 2004 recipient of The Public Art Fund's “In the Public Realm” commission, for which he will create an outdoor work.

ABOUT THE CORCORAN COLLEGE OF ART + DESIGN
The Corcoran College of Art + Design, The Museum School in Washington, DC, was founded in 1890 and continues to be a vital force in the nation’s art education community. Part of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the nationally accredited College’s programs include four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree programs in Fine Art, Graphic Design, Digital Media Design, Photography and Photojournalism, a five-year combined BFA/Master of Arts (MA) in Teaching, two-year Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree programs in Fine Art, Photography, Graphic Design and Digital Media Design, an MA degree in Interior Design and an MA degree in the History of Decorative Arts (Fall 2005). The Continuing Education program offers more than 250 courses, 13 certificate programs and classes designed especially for children and teens. For more information, please visit www.corcoran.edu or call (202) 639-1800.

ABOUT THE WHITNEY AT ALTRIA
The Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria is located in the plaza of the international headquarters of Altria Group, Inc. The museum serves as a primary cultural resource in this bustling midtown commercial area. Funded by the Altria Group, Inc., which has been a longtime major supporter of the arts and has contributed to museums, theaters, dance companies, music groups and other cultural institutions worldwide. Four exhibitions are organized annually in the 900-square-foot gallery, with an emphasis on solo exhibitions by contemporary living artists. Each year, one or two projects are also presented in the 5,200-square-foot Sculpture Court, a glass-enclosed atrium with public seating and an espresso bar. Artists who have been exhibited in recent years include Jane Dickson, Ming Fay, Ik-Joong Kang, Christian Marclay, Shirin Neshat, Hope Sandrow and Accra Shepp. The Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria is located at 120 Park Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, New York. For more information, please call (917) 663-2453.

:: View images and further details from this exhibition

CONTACT:
Kristin Guiter
Manager of Media Relations
(202) 639-1867,
kguiter@corcoran.org

Media Resources:

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