Exciting On-Site Events Announced for Summer 2023 WARHOL Exhibition

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) on the College of DuPage (COD) campus will present a wide variety of free programming in conjunction with the upcoming WARHOL exhibition taking place June 3 – Sept. 10. The WARHOL exhibition ticket grants free access to more than a dozen free on-site lectures and discussions by internationally renowned experts and authors, as well as COD Faculty Members. Free concerts, special events and a Warhol birthday celebration round out the engagement offerings that dive deeper into Warhol’s life and legacy.

The programming has been developed to support the exhibition, which unfolds across nearly 11,000 square-feet of exhibition space. In total, more than 200 original Warhol works will be on display, including the 94 works from “Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop | Works from the Bank of America Collection” on loan through Bank of America’s Art in our Communities® program, and a collection of 150 Warhol photographs and original works from the College of DuPage’s Permanent Art Collection. Visitors will experience Andy Warhol’s life through interactive exhibits, recreations and videos created exclusively for this exhibition including a historical exhibit, Kids Pop Art Print Factory, Studio 54 Experience, Central Park-inspired outdoor space and Silver Clouds installation.

“Our museum is housed in a performing arts center on a community college campus. This affords us a unique opportunity to present the art with more context than in a traditional gallery show. The MAC, CCMA and COD pulled together our resources, talent and spaces to fully explore and engage with Warhol’s life, artwork and lasting impact,” said Executive Director of the MAC, Diana Martinez. “It is important for us to not only curate and display the artwork in a meaningful way, but to offer opportunities that further expand the viewers’ knowledge about critical moments and unique experiences that shaped the artist into one of the greatest of the century.”

Featured in the series of lectures and discussions will be Blake Gopnik, author of the definitive biography Warhol; Joseph Freeman, Warhol’s former assistant; Thomas Kiedrowski, author of Andy Warhol’s New York City; former Chief Curator of the Andy Warhol Museum, Jessica Beck; and former Andy Warhol Museum Director Eric Shiner. Each expertly delves into subjects related to Warhol’s character, upbringing and personal struggles that influenced his views and artwork. These lectures are free to anyone who has purchased a ticket to the WARHOL exhibition (same date admission ticket is not required; reservations required). Without a ticket, admission is $10.

Local voices from the College of DuPage community will complement these lectures with free presentations. Exhibition curator Justin Witte will discuss Warhol as the ultimate outsider and the impact that had on his work. COD Film Chair Professor Brian Brems and Creative Writing Certificate Chair Trina Sotirakopulos lead a discussion about Valerie Solanas and her motivations for her assassination attempt on Warhol, COD’s David Ouelette will discuss Art and Biodiversity since Warhol, drawing inspiration from Warhol’s “Endangered Species” series, and COD’s Julia diLiberti will contextualize Warhol’s wildly familiar Soup Can series.

“The are so many interesting facets of Warhol’s life and we look forward to having special guests and staff, who have thoroughly studied these topics, share their insights,” said Executive Director of the MAC, Diana Martinez, who booked programming. “We hope that by exploring these topics in depth, it will provide more context to Warhol’s artwork and to the thoughtfulness behind the curation of the exhibit and why we chose to highlight certain aspects,” said Exhibit Curator and CCMA Curator Justin Witte.

In addition to the lectures and discussions, the MAC’s Lakeside Pavilion will host two free Warhol-inspired concerts: Pride Anthems Concert (June 24) and a concert by the MAC’s professional orchestra in residence, New Philharmonic, under the baton of Maestro Kirk Muspratt (July 30). The latter which includes a performance of the fifth movement “Passacaglia in Primary Colors” from Michael Daugherty’s composition “15: Symphonic Fantasy on the Art of Andy Warhol,” along with music from albums featuring Warhol’s cover art and some of Warhol’s personal favorites Both concerts are free, however in the spirit of Warhol who often anonymously volunteered at food banks, the MAC ask visitors to bring a donation for the COD Glen Ellyn food pantry.

Other special events include a $50 ticketed wine and print workshop led by COD Professor Charles Boone (Aug. 3); an Andy Warhol’s 95th Disco Birthday Bash! (free admission with purchase of WARHOL exhibition ticket for Aug. 6) and a meet and greet with children’s author and illustrator Mike Venezia (free admission with purchase of WARHOL exhibition ticket for Aug. 9).

A full list of events and additional details can be found at Warhol2023.0rg.