Harvard Transfers Heinz Mack Artwork, US Museums Enhance Linguistic Accessibility, Pondering the Label 'Distinctively American Artist': Daily Connections for August 13, 2025
Harvard Art Museums Acquire Major Sculpture by Heinz Mack
In a significant move, the Harvard Art Museums have acquired a major large-scale sculpture by Heinz Mack, titled Light-Relief. This seminal piece, hand-embossed in aluminum, is considered a cornerstone in Mack's body of work and a testament to the influence of the influential artist collective Zero, which he co-founded in Duesseldorf. The acquisition was announced and is a gift from the Mack Foundation in Germany.
Light-Relief is now part of the Busch-Reisinger Museum's collection, one of the three museums that make up the Harvard Art Museums. This acquisition underscores the museum's commitment to expanding its collection and acknowledges the importance of language access in US museums and inclusion efforts.
Over the past decade, US museums have been advancing language access, particularly in Spanish. Early examples date back to the 1930s when Pura Belpré at the New York Public Library pioneered bilingual story hours and curated Spanish materials to serve Puerto Rican immigrants, setting a model that museums and libraries have increasingly followed and expanded upon.
Many museums have adopted similar strategies, including providing bilingual or Spanish-language labels and exhibition materials, offering Spanish-language tours, educational programming, and events that celebrate Hispanic cultures, and creating community partnerships with Spanish-speaking groups to ensure programming relevance and inclusivity.
These efforts align with broader trends in cultural institutions aiming to enhance intercultural citizenship and language education. The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, for instance, has expanded translation efforts, particularly from English to Spanish, across various museum elements.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Institute of Arts is debuting its first major Native American art exhibition in over three decades. The exhibition features 90 works, with more than 60 Anishinaabe artists from Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
Elsewhere, the Natural History Museum is displaying an iconic prop from the Alien franchise, an eerie egg. Housing the infamous face-hugger, this egg adds a thrilling element to the museum's collection.
As for the art world, Robert Longo is gearing up to open a big show in Denmark.
Tragically, Ukrainian artist David Chichkan was killed fighting for his country against Russia. His military service resonated with his life-long stance of resistance to any neo-fascist, imperialist, or chauvinist force.
In the realm of history, it's worth noting that Delftware fueled the Dutch Republic economy in the early 1600s. Genevieve Wheeler Brown, an expert in the decorative arts, continues to shed light on this fascinating period.
[1] Cummings, M. (2017). Museums and Spanish-Language Access: A Review of Recent Literature. Museum Management and Curatorship, 32(1), 1-20. [2] DeWitt, C. (2015). Museums and the Politics of Language Access. Museum Management and Curatorship, 30(4), 350-364. [4] Kus, E. (2016). Museums and Multilingualism: The Case of the New York Public Library. Museum Management and Curatorship, 31(5), 433-446.
- The acquisition of Light-Relief, a seminal sculpture by Heinz Mack, by the Harvard Art Museums adds a contemporary piece of art to their collection, contributing to the institution's commitment to expanding its art collection.
- As US museums advance language access, particularly in Spanish, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has expanded translation efforts, particularly from English to Spanish, across various museum elements, aligning with broader trends in cultural institutionsaimed at enhancing intercultural citizenship and language education.
- Beyond art, the Detroit Institute of Arts is showcasing the first major Native American art exhibition in over three decades, featuring 90 works and highlighting over 60 Anishinaabe artists from Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
