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Cincinnati Art Museum, October 17, 2015–March 6, 2016

CINCINNATI – September 18, 2015 – The first major U.S. museum exhibition featuring German artist Jochen Lempert’s photographs will be on view at the Cincinnati Art Museum from Oct. 17, 2015–March 6, 2016. The show will include more than 100 hand-printed black-and-white photographs spanning 15 years.

Originally trained as a biologist, Lempert began making artistic photographs of animals, plants, and natural phenomena during the early 1990s in Hamburg, Germany. “Lempert’s unique background allows him to depict the world with both scientific rigor and a poetic sensibility,” said Brian Sholis, Cincinnati Art Museum Curator of Photography.

The artist uses both conventional and experimental processes, and the results are anything but traditional nature photos. Out in the field, Lempert uses his 35-mm camera to chart human-animal interactions, the patterns made by birds and insects, or the play of sunlight and shadow. But he also brings the outside world into the studio, making camera-less photograms of leaves and algae or letting bioluminescent species like fireflies expose photographic paper. The exhibition will also include his ongoing 25-year project to document all 80 known taxidermy specimens of the Great Auk, a flightless North Atlantic bird that went extinct in 1844.

Lempert often arranges his images in sequences or grids to highlight similarities, underscore how classification defines what we see, and encourage close looking. The photographs, in a wide variety of sizes, will be placed on the walls unmounted and unframed in an installation devised on-site by the artist and curator.

This survey of Lempert’s photographs includes new work made on the East Coast and in Cincinnati during May 2015. His behind-the-scenes visits to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Museum of Natural History & Science at Cincinnati Museum Center, and the Lloyd Library and Museum allowed him to cast new light on these familiar local landmarks. Several artworks made in Cincinnati will be included in the show.

Field Guide: Photographs by Jochen Lempert is sponsored by PNC Bank and Darlene and Jeffrey R. Anderson. It will be on view in Galleries 103, 104 and 105. The exhibition will travel to the Contemporary Art Gallery Vancouver, where it will be on view April 15–June 12, 2016.

About the Cincinnati Art Museum

The Cincinnati Art Museum is supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Cincinnati Art Museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Cincinnati Art Museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as our members.

General admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is always free. The museum is open Tuesday – Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and is closed Monday.

FIELD GUIDE PROGRAMMING AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Please visit http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org or call 513-721-ARTS for reservations, tickets or more information.

CAM in the A.M.

October 12, 2015, 8:30–9:30 a.m.

Join artist Jochen Lempert and Cincinnati Art Museum Curator of Photography Brian Sholis for a lively conversation about the themes explored in Field Guide.

Field Guide Member Preview and Opening Reception

October 15, 2015, 6–9 p.m., Member Reception

October 16, 2015, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Member Preview (exhibition open to members only)

Art in the Making: Urban Birdwatching with Happen, Inc.

October 17, 2015, 1–3 p.m.

Designed for children ages 6–12 accompanied by an adult. Select local artists make it fun by leading interactive classes that include a gallery tour and hands-on art activity. Reservations Recommended. $20 per pair general admission $10 per pair members ($6/$3 for each additional person)

Creative Encounters: Photography

October 18, 2015, 1–3 p.m.

Each Creative Encounter will feature a visiting artist who will lead a tour of works in the Art Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions, followed by a discussion of his/her own work. Each event will culminate in a hands-on project. Reservations required. $10 general admission, $5 for members and college students

Family First Saturday: The Great Outdoors

November 7, 2015, 12–4 p.m.

Family-friendly performances, artist demonstrations, storytelling, scavenger hunts, tours, and hands-on art making activities. FREE.

Art and… The Natural World Lecture

November 18, 2015, 7 p.m.

Reservations required. FREE for Art Museum members, $10 for general admission, $5 for students/seniors.

Evening for Educators: Poetically Capturing Nature: The Photography of Jochen Lempert

November 18, 2015, 4–7 p.m. (registration and refreshments 4-5 p.m., program begins at 5 p.m.)

Monthly teacher professional development program. Cost: members $10; non-members $20; students $5

Baby Tours: Animals

November 20, 2015, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

30-minute experience to introduce you and your infant (ages 0-2) to the world of art with a tour. FREE. Reservations recommended.

ASL Tours for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired: Field Guide

November 21, 2015, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. A certified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter joins an Art Museum docent each month for a free tour of one of our special exhibitions. FREE. Reservations required.

InDepth Gallery Experience

December 12, 2015, 2–4 p.m.

Field Guide: Photographs by Jochen Lempert with Cincinnati Art Museum Curator of Photography Brian Sholis and visiting artist Mårten Lange. Lange, a Swedish artist living in Copenhagen, will also give a lecture about his work.

FREE. Reservations required.

MUSE: The Sounds of Nature

December 13, 2015, 2–3:30 p.m.

Part-gallery talk and part-classical music concert, this program explores the intersection of the visual arts and music throughout history. Each month, students from the University of Cincinnati examine a different era through the lens of the Art Museum. FREE. Reservations not required. Seating limited.