Daum Museum of Contemporary Art opens two new exhibitions. On view now through May 26 are “Haunted Francis in Fantasyland/Living on Deadlines,” which features the work of artist John F. Malta, and “Establishing Essence,” which explores elements of geometry, landscape, and color.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Malta, a multi-disciplinary artist, author and educator, earned an MFA in Illustration As Visual Essay from The School of Visual Arts. He currently has a studio in the West Bottoms of Kansas City. His client list includes “The New York Times,” “The New Yorker,” “Adult Swim,” “Beyond the Streets,” “Garbage Pail Kids,” “The Wall Street Journal,” “Honda,” “The Boston Globe,” and more.
Malta’s paintings, comics, zines, and installations have been exhibited nationally and internationally at galleries, art book fairs and institutions such as Comic Arts Brooklyn, Comic Arts Los Angeles, Toronto Comic Arts Festival, Hashimoto Contemporary, New Image Art, Spoke Art Gallery, Good Mother Gallery, Superchief, Gallery Nucleus, Cooler Gallery, and Skylab Gallery. For the past decade, he has served as Program Coordinator and Professor for The University of Central Missouri BFA Studio Art Illustration program.
“Establishing Essence” explores elements of geometry, landscape and color. The atmosphere of this gallery draws inspiration from the stylistic, fantastical aspects of animators Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle. It creates a physical experience for viewers that embodies the essence of early Disney artists. This exhibition was co-curated with SFCC student Blaise Brown. as part of a new initiative to utilize the museum and collection as a learning laboratory for students interested in curation and arts administration.
The Daum Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 2002 on the State Fair Community College campus in Sedalia. The museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits modern and contemporary works of art. It enhances the cultural life of the campus and the surrounding community in a 14-county region of central Missouri. Admission to the Daum Museum is free; hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call (660) 530-5888 or visit www.daummuseum.org.
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