Curator's Circle
2007 Past Programs

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Bj Averitt | Bill Clark

Conversation: “Islamic Art at the Denver Art Museum—Why?”
Bj Averitt was a docent in the Denver Art Museum’s education department, and she remains a teacher at heart. Her beneficence and intelligence have helped the museum acquire works that foster an understanding of Islamic art and culture. When selecting an acquisition, she takes into consideration what it has to teach. In an interview with curator of Asian art Ronald Otsuka, Averitt reveals why a Connecticut Yankee feels it is necessary to have Islamic art represented in the museum’s collection. She reflects on her ongoing role in developing the museum’s collection and describes what the beauty of Islamic art has meant to her personally.
November 6, 2007

Workshop: “Islamic Art—A Few of My Favorite Things”
When asked to name her favorite piece, Bj Averitt said that she felt like a sultan in his harem. “How could I choose when I love each one with all my heart?” And like Shahrazad in Arabian Nights, Averitt has many stories to tell about the works of Islamic art in the Denver Art Museum collection. Known for her wry wit, she was a popular docent in the museum’s education department and gave countless tours of the Asian art galleries. When she turned 85 on July 19, 2007, Averitt retired from her volunteer position but promises to continue her assistance to the department. She remains busy tidying up her research files and adding to her knowledge of Islamic art. From the 1,000 tales in her repertoire, she will recount a few of her favorite stories about the works she helped the museum acquire.
November 7, 2007

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Conversation: "The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture—Build It and They Will Come"
In 1995, Bill Clark and his wife Libby founded the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture on their ranch six miles south of Hanford, California (near Fresno). Their rapidly growing collection includes Japanese artworks from the 10th to 21st century, and visitors from around the world come to see it. In a conversation with curator of Asian art Ronald Otsuka, Clark describes his Japanese art collection and explains how it traveled to five cities in Japan under the auspices of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a leading economic newspaper. One of the main goals of the Clark Center, which recently added a bonsai garden, is to continue and expand its educational programs. Its future may include additional art galleries, classrooms, a scholar’s village, and one of the largest libraries for Japanese art and culture in the western United States. Clark also explains the challenge of creating a collection of considerable breadth and determining the best way to ensure its future.
Tuesday, December 11

Workshop: "Japanese Art—The Fine Line Between Collecting and Insanity"
Of sound mind and body, Bill Clark relates his personal addiction—collecting Japanese art. His madness led him to pursue not only individual works of art, but also the acquisition of an entire collection of ceramics by contemporary Japanese sculptor Fukami Sueharu (born 1947). Clark’s interests are not limited to Japan. His collection includes superb examples of sculpture from Cambodia and India and paintings by the California impressionists. His experiences span several decades of involvement in the front lines of collecting. He relates how he has maintained his sanity while developing a world-class collection of Japanese art.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

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