February 5 – April 10, 2022

Artist Marian (“Bing”) Bingham explores place, temporality, memory, and meaning in her work. Shifting between materials and techniques, Bing’s practice concerns formal artistic exploration grounded in observation, narrative, and allegory.

Drawn to the natural world, the artist has found inspiration in the Connecticut landscape and the French countryside. In this exhibition, multi-panel paintings present sweeping views of forests and fields, while smaller canvases depict evocative, poetic spaces. Horses and figures on horseback are a recurring theme in Bing’s work, harkening back to her childhood and an interest in exploring the human and equine bond. Recent prints and collages reveal the artist’s exploration of seriality, color, form, and texture. Still-life and interior views alternate with imaginative scenes that playfully juxtapose materials and effects.

       
Left: Marian Bingham, Night Moth, 2019, mixed media, 20 x 20 inches framed, courtesy of the artist; Right: Marian Bingham, Descent/Civilization, 2017, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches, courtesy of the artist.

February 26 – June 19, 2022

Examining women’s rich contributions to modern and contemporary photography, this exhibition presents compelling photographs that address female innovation, power, and identity.

Curated in partnership with Connecticut College students, the exhibition showcases the Lyman Allyn’s growing photography collection, augmented by select loans. The title “Unbeatable Women” derives from photojournalist Donna Ferrato and her powerful work fighting domestic abuse. In addition to Ferrato’s imagery, the exhibition includes photographs by artists such as Cindy Sherman, Carrie Mae Weems, and Shirin Neshat, in addition to other photographers in the region.

Donna Ferrato, By leaving her husband, Mary empowered her four daughters to never tolerate abuse, St. Paul, 1985. Archival giclée print. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, gift of Dr. Rahul and Mrs. Sonia Shah, 2017.13.29.

January 29 – April 24, 2022

An innovative artist and designer, Norman Ives (American, 1923-1978) pioneered the use of type and letterforms as primary subjects for his designs. A student of Josef Albers, Ives taught at the Yale University School of Art from 1952 until his death in 1978, finding success in a multi-faceted career as an artist, designer, publisher, and teacher.

This large-scale exhibition explores the range and evolution of Ives’s work, with examples of his paintings, collages, prints, bas-reliefs, and murals. Whether designing corporate symbols or painting murals, Ives was guided by his love of letterforms in their whole or in fragments. His visual skill and passion guided everything he did. Ives revolutionized the field of graphic design, and he and his Yale colleagues became a driving force in making graphic design a more rigorous profession.

Illustrating the wide range of Norman Ives’s brilliant artistic output, Constructions & Reconstructions traces the artist’s enduring contributions to art and graphic design.

     
Left: Norman Ives, Number 4, 1968, screen print, 20 x 20 inches (image) © Norman S. Ives Foundation; Right: Norman Ives, Sheilagh Coulter, 1952, woodcut on mullberry paper, 16 x 11 5/8 inches © Norman S. Ives Foundation.