The Jule Museum at Auburn University

We're closed for exhibition change out. Be sure to come by when we reopen! Plan your visit: https://lnkd.in/enyjs2Uv

Did you know The Jule has an #AndyWarhol photograph in its permanent collection that was the study for a painting that's inspired a limited-edition bottle from The Absolut Group? A leading figure in the #popart movement, Andy Warhol is considered one of the most important American artists of the second half of the 20th century. His works explored concepts such as the relationship between artistic expression, #advertising and celebrity culture. Warhol wielded his camera like a sketchbook, recording variations on ideas for future use. One of the photographs from The Jule's collection, "Absolut," was translated into an iconic screenprint. The story goes that Warhol was inspired to create a work after spotting the Swedish brand's apothecary-style bottle at Studio 54, leading to the "Absolut Vodka" piece, which lives at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. But rumor had it that Warhol had made another piece - one lost for decades. The rumors were just that, until the piece was rediscovered in 2020 at auction. Soon to be unveiled to the public, Warhol's blue painting ("Blue Warhol") will anchor the "Andy Warhol, Money on the Wall" exhibition at Stockholm's Spritmuseum. The painting has been incorporated into a limited-edition bottle of Absolut, 40 years after the brand first collaborated with Warhol himself. Absolut has a long history of working with artists and, as a company, believes in art as a power to unite people across differences, highlighting a unique crossover between two worlds that otherwise seem to live very distinctly from one another: art and business in the form of #productdevelopment and #brandstrategy. In addition to featuring the painting on the bottle itself and across the vodka brand's "Born to Mix" campaign, the long-lost piece will join other artworks in the Absolut Art Collection housed at the Spritmuseum. Consisting of over 850 works created between 1985 to 2004, pieces served both as the basis for many #globaladvertising campaigns for Absolut and also comprise a dynamic, nuanced portrait of 30 years of cultural trends. Including pieces from Keith Haring and Ola Billgren, the collection examines much of what Warhol himself played with in his own iconic works: the overlap, and inherent incompatibility, of art and advertisement. Credit: 1. Andy Warhol, "Absolut," gelatin/silver on paper. 2. Andy Warhol, "Absolut Vodka," 1985, screen print. 3. Andy Warhol, “Blue Warhol,” 1985. © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

The Jule Museum Podcast is now an award winner! We are thrilled to announce that our #podcast recently was awarded a Bronze-level Circle of Excellence award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. You can listen to our latest episode featuring Auburn University's Taneshia West Albert and Hood Design Studio 's Walter Hood here: https://lnkd.in/eh-YsQfi #CASECOE #newepisode

Walter's two-part exhibit, "Arc of Life/Ark of Bones," at the The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University is still on view until July 7th! "Arc of Life" showcases 10 oil paintings that evoke memories of Walter's upbringing in segregated Charlotte, North Carolina. The paintings explore his experiences before venturing abroad and pursuing education and a career in an integrated world. Inspired by Henry Dumas' short story, "Ark of Bones," the second exhibit is a compelling, site-specific sculptural installation. This installation takes the form of an inverted ship's hull, allowing visitors to pass through and engage in reflection. Time is ticking, don't miss out!

Our "Black Codes" exhibition, featuring works from artist Lonnie Holley, Thornton Dial, Joe Minter and Ronald Lockett, is only on view for a few more weeks. Come see it at The Jule Museum before it closes on Sunday, July 7. Start planning your visit here: https://lnkd.in/evTqQaWu

Gordan Parks' "Department Store, Mobile, Alabama" was recently named among the 25 Photos that Defined the Modern Age by The New York Times's Style Magazine - but you don't need to leave Auburn to see something by one of the most important photographers in modern American history. Gordan Parks was renowned as a photographer, filmmaker, writer and composer, and he joined Life Magazine's staff in 1948 as their first Black photographer. He was self-taught, having been born into poverty into segregated Kansas. In 1956, Parks traveled to Alabama with writer Robert Wallace to capture the effects of the Jim Crow segregated South for the feature article, "The Restraints: Open and Hidden." Parks photographed Joanne Thornton Wilson with her young niece, Shirley Anne Kirksey, and intentionally captured them with signs in the background depicting the realities of segregation. In "Drinking Fountains" from The Jule's collection, Parks captured Wilson drinking from a "Colored Only" drinking fountain, her dress revealing the "White Only" fountain just next to it. But Parks' work also reveals a subtle defiance to the restrictions imposed by Jim Crow laws. Although not included in the final article edit, viewers can see Wilson in "Department Store, Mobile, Alabama" facing away from a doorway marked with neon arrows and the words "Colored Entrance." 📸: © The Gordan Parks Foundation

We are proud to share that our Elementary Princess, Macey Rackard, and our Boys & Girls Club recently participated in the National Scrollathon at The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University! This incredible collaborative visual arts project, led by artists Steven and William Ladd, brought together community members of all ages and backgrounds to create a masterpiece that will represent Alabama at the Kennedy Center in 2026. "Made for More" is on view through July 7th, showcasing the amazing work our community contributed to celebrate America's 250th Birthday! Visit the exhibit at The Jule Collins Smith Museum and learn more about this inspiring project: https://ow.ly/UqeQ50S4SNK #PoarchCreek #PCIProud #NationalScrollathon #AuburnUniversity

Bethany Collins' "Accord" is only on view at The Jule Museum until Sunday, June 16! Come see how she grapples with the potential of language and what it means to be a Southern artist. Plan your visit here: https://lnkd.in/eUVW_xP2

In the latest episode of The Jule Museum Podcast, renowned artist Lonnie Holley speaks with Dr. Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander of Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University , guest curator of The Jule's "Black Codes" exhibition, at the inaugural Auburn Forum for Southern Art and Culture. Featuring works by Holley and other pivotal Alabama artists Thornton Dial, Ronald Lockett and Joe Minter, "Black Codes" invites audiences to ask pertinent questions around how history is constructed (and by whom). Check out the latest episode of The Jule Museum Podcast, available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, and anywhere else you listen: https://lnkd.in/gPvgh-aR #museumeducation #arteducation #podcast #newepisode