Collaborative fall art show to be held at Penn

For over a decade the Institute of Contemporary Art and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology have not collaborated on exhibitions of artwork.

This fall, however, the ICA will host the east coast premier of "Pictures, Patents, Monkeys and More" -- an exhibition that shows various private collections of artwork, and one of them comes from a private collection donated to the Egyptian collection at the University museum.

"This event represents an important and innovative collaboration between two of Penn's major cultural institutions," Deputy Provost Peter Conn said.

The exhibit has been traveling for over a year and a half, and Penn is the last stop on the tour.

"At every venue curators were given an opportunity to bring in a local collection and here at the ICA this seemed like a great opportunity to work with the University museum," Senior Curator at the ICA Ingrid Schaffner said. "This show is a wonderful crossover."

The exhibit -- which will open to the public on September 4 consists of selections from four different private collections -- contemporary and bold art from Robert Schiffler, sock monkey's from an anonymous couple based in New York, 19th century patents from the Smithsonian Institute and antique pieces from the Dillwyn Parrish collection at the University museum.

"Each of the collections will be installed here as one collection, but each of the collections will maintain their own integrity as individual collections," Schaffner said.

Yet Conn believes that the dissimilarity among all the collections is the link that allows the different collections to become one.

"The exhibit will connect these disparate collections by posing questions and provoking us to think about the motives and significance of collecting in general," Conn said.

Although there is a great time difference between ancient artifacts and nouveau art, research scientist in the Egyptian collection at the University Museum thinks that no matter what someone collects, the motivation for a personal collection is the same.

"I think it's a very interesting proposition to combine these two collections -- the ancient and the modern," research scientist in the Egyptian collection at the University Museum Jennifer Wegner reflected. "Any time you have a contrast it makes people think about the differences between our world today and the world people lived in thousands of years ago."

The most striking contrast to the Dillwyn Parrish collection -- containing statues, scarabs, jewelry and more -- is the Schiffler one, which consists of very large sculptures, pieces of work that have many different components and other works made of organic materials, namely food.

However, Schaffner says the underlying theme to all Schiffler's works is that they are very aggressive, both politically and sexually.

"He collects the uncollectible," Schaffner said. "It's almost like the kind of work that makes contemporary art challenging to viewers."

However, the sock monkeys -- popular toys around the 1950's made with a pair of stuffed socks, clothing is optional -- should soften the tone of the exhibit.

While sock monkeys were a staple toy in America's past, Schaffner believes that the patent models are intrinsic to America's identity and history.

"The patent models represent an institutional form of record keeping," Schaffner said.

And since the show seems to be unique and eccentric, there is great hope that it will reach a diverse audience of Penn students and faculty and will also be embraced by members of the greater Philadelphia community.

"The Penn arts and culture scene is exceptionally vibrant," Conn said.

University museum spokeswoman Pam Kosty thinks the state of the art collections will be what attracts viewers.

"I think people are fascinated by what is cutting edge and contemporary, and what is ancient," Kosty said. "Where the two intersect -- that may tell us something more about what it means to be human."

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