Families and Kids

The Art & Inventions of Rube Goldberg, an exhibition celebrating the groundbreaking artwork of one of the most influential cartoon illustrators of the 20th century, opens in the Main Gallery, April 28 and continues through July 21.

Marking the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of Goldberg’s work since 1970, The Art & Inventions of Rube Goldberg chronicles all aspects of the artist’s 72 year career, from his earliest published drawings and iconic inventions to his Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoons and beyond. Bringing together never-before-exhibited original works of art, preparatory drawings, video, and related ephemera, this exhibition offers visitors an unprecedented opportunity to witness the development of Goldberg’s artwork and trace his rise to prominence.

The exhibition begins with a look at Goldberg’s innovative early work, with original drawings that reveal the beginnings of his comic style; then follows his steady rise to fame as a nationally syndicated presence in the 1920s and 1930s.

The influence of vaudeville and early film on Goldberg’s comic imagination is explored, and his satirical takes on fashion, sports, politics, gender roles, and other aspects of modern life are showcased and celebrated. Rare family photographs and early films provide period detail and essential context.

The Art & Inventions of Rube Goldberg prominently features Goldberg’s crowning artistic achievement: his invention drawings. Highlighting their unique burlesque of our modern age of invention, this section explores how Goldberg’s zany contraptions caught the popular imagination and became—as he put it—“a symbol of man’s capacity for exerting maximum effort to achieve minimal results,” while making him a cultural icon.

The exhibition concludes with a vivid survey of Goldberg’s output during his final decades and with a celebration of his lasting influence on popular culture. The Art & Inventions of Rube Goldberg offers visitors an intimate look into the life and legacy of one of the keenest and wittiest observers of modern times, whose name has entered the cultural lexicon and whose influence continues to reverberate into the 21st century.

The Art & Inventions of Rube Goldberg was conceived by Creighton Michael; developed in cooperation with Heirs of Rube Goldberg, LLC; and curated by Max Weintraub. The national touring exhibition was organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC, and includes the following venues: Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle; Grand Rapids Art Museum; Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco; Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine; National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia; and the Queens Museum, New York.

International Arts & Artists

In Washington, DC, is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs, and services to artists, arts institutions and the public. Visit artsandartists.org

An artist committed to sculpture, the design of contemporary glass objects, and the architecture of spatial installations, Benjamin Johnson’s work explores pattern and texture to tell visual stories about our environment. His May 2-September 1, 2019 exhibition will be displayed in the John Streetman Alcove.

Born in Cicero, Indiana, Benjamin Johnson earned his BFA in glass from Kent State University and his MFA in glass from Ball State University. Johnson’s work is widely exhibited and held in the collections of the Indiana State Museum, the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, and the Glick Eye Institute. His work has received numerous best in show awards and he has been recognized as a Rising Star in contemporary glass at the Museum of American Glass in Millville, NJ. He has been the recipient of a Windgate Fellowship Grant Award, an Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship, a Metropolitan Contemporary Glass Group Jerry Raphael Fellowship, a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship, and the Indianapolis Art Center Skip McKinney Faculty of the Year Award. Johnson has taught glass at the Herron School of Art, Indianapolis Art Center, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and is currently lecturer and co-chair of glass at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Your Thursday Nights! is a program that delivers not only free admission from 5:00–8:00 PM every Thursday but also free access to lectures, family activities, workshops and other fun activities to the general public! This program is made possible with a generous grant from the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana.

Disclamer:

Your Thursday Nights! do not include admission into opening receptions. However, if there is another activity occurring at that time, guests can attend the activity for free just not the reception. Koch Immersive Theater tickets are regular price at $7 for Not-Yet Member and $5 for Youth and Museum Member.

Need a break from this screen–focused world? If so, then bring your friends and family to the Museum for Family Board Game Night! Join us 5:00–7:30 PM every 2nd Thursday of the month to enjoy a free evening of classic and new tabletop games. Have a favorite you want to bring? Please do! We love learning new games. Light snacks are provided for those attending!

Family Board Game Night is part of our Your Thursday Nights! programming which provides free admission to the general public from 5:00-8:00 PM.

This month, the Creative Crowd will be inspired by La Belle Epoque: Commercial Creativity in European Advertising, to create their own steampunk doodle designs. These fun and super relaxing designs can be created by artists of all ability levels. Come and hang out with us while you doodle.

Let’s be honest – you NEED a space where you can sit back, relax and be creative. And the Evansville Museum has just what you are looking for. The Creative Crowd gets together to explore new art techniques, materials and themes, all while having a great time with new friends.

We meet the second Saturday of each month from 1 pm to 3 pm, and the Third Thursday of the month from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. The Kids’ Creative Crowd (for kids ages 5 and up) meets the second Saturday of each month from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Join us every session or just drop-in for one! New guests are always welcome. While all supplies are provided, you are welcome to bring your own in-progress projects.

Entry to the Creative Crowd is included with Museum admission. Join us and bring a friend!

Kids Art Journaling Club is perfect for the little artist in your family! A journal is all a kid needs as they learn how to experiment with art and create mixed media art with techniques like collage, stamping, paper crafts and more. All other art supplies are included with Museum admission. Kids Art Journaling Club will meet the Second Saturday of every month from 11:30 AM–12:30 PM. This program is included with Museum admission and is recommended for kids ages 6 years to 10 years old.

Questions about Art Journal Club can be e-mailed to education@emuseum.org.

Come, meet new friends and create art! No art skills are necessary.

Twice a month participants will create personally meaningful pages in an art journal as they explore creative techniques designed to increase their knowledge of artist tools, paints and various other supplies. Participants need to bring an art journal of their choice. All other supplies are included with Museum admission, although participants are welcome to bring their own.

Saturday Advanced Art Journaling will meet every second Saturday of every month from 1:00–3:00 PM and every third thursday from 6:00 PM–7:30 PM. Thursday night Advanced Art Journaling is apart of our Your Thursday Nights! programming which provides free admission to the general public. This program is made possible with a generous grant from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana.

Email questions about Art Journaling to karen@emuseum.org.

At this Super Saturday, we will be celebrating the 1960s! We will be making our own minimal-mess tie-dye!

The fourth Saturday of every month is designated a Super Saturday at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science. From 11:00 AM–3:00 PM the day is filled with crafts, activities, challenges and/or guest lectures, all on a different theme each time. Children, teens, adults and families are encouraged to have a fun day exploring new topics. All Super Saturday activities are included with Museum admission. Super Saturdays are presented in partnership by the Evansville Museum Contemporaries.

Activities include:

• Tie-dye
• Paper flowers
• Kaleidoscopes

At this year’s annual Halloween Super Saturday, we’ll be taking a look at some urban legends, myths and conspiracies. Are they true? How can we find out?

The fourth Saturday of every month is designated a Super Saturday at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science. From 11:00 AM–3:00 PM the day is filled with crafts, activities, challenges and/or guest lectures, all on a different theme each time. Children, teens, adults and families are encouraged to have a fun day exploring new topics. All Super Saturday activities are included with Museum admission. Super Saturdays are presented in partnership by the Evansville Museum Contemporaries.

Activities include:

• Blood splatter analysis
• Make UFOs & aliens
• Fake a photo station
• Animal footprints