ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College will present two exhibitions this summer. From June 23 to September 8, Dave Muller: Connections and Mirror Image will be on view at the Museum. There will be an opening reception for the exhibitions on Sunday, June 23, with free bus transportation from New York City available.



Dave Muller, known as a dynamic and multitalented force in the Los Angeles art scene, is the subject of the exhibition Dave Muller: Connections, curated by Amada Cruz, director of the CCS Museum. Muller’s ongoing series of drawings-his personal interpretations of exhibition announcements and invitations for shows by artists whose work he admires-will be the centerpiece of the exhibition. Inspired by amateur flyers created by fans of indie-rock bands, Muller began producing watercolors based on the actual exhibition announcements of artists he admired. But these acts of homage are not merely copies, as Muller transforms them and makes them his own. He always retains the factual information, but subverts and reinterprets it with wry humor.



In addition to the Museum exhibition, Muller will hold what he calls a Three Day Weekend. This will include a show of works by various artists chosen by Muller in what he describes as an "artist-run, nomadic project" that can occur in various types of settings. The events are collaborative endeavors, as Muller works with each artist to choose work for the show. The CCS Three Day Weekend is planned to take place at an area location popular with Bard students at a time and date to be announced. As is usual with CCS Museum exhibitions, a catalogue will be printed and distributed worldwide by Distributed Art Press (D.A.P.). It will include essays by Amada Cruz and British artist Matthew Higgs (a kindred spirit who is well acquainted with Muller’s work). The exhibition travels to the UCLA Hammer Museum in Los Angeles from October 7, 2002, to January 5, 2003. It is supported by grants from the Peter Norton Family Foundation and Kenneth L. Freed.



The exhibition Mirror Image takes a look at some of the ways in which artists have explored ideas related to self-portraiture. In many of the works-by artists including Mark Bradford, James Ensor, Oskar Kokoschka, Nikki S. Lee, Christian Marclay, and Robert Rauschenberg-the line between straightforward self-presentation and the assumption of a more-or-less fictional persona is decidedly blurred. This exhibition seeks to explore this area of ambiguity. As in a mirror, the artists’ images are accurate reflections of their appearances, yet are often at the same time complete reversals, or alternate identities. Organized by the UCLA Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Mirror Image is curated by Russell Ferguson, deputy director of exhibitions and programs and chief curator of the Hammer Museum. Works for the exhibition are drawn from the Hammer Museum collection and from the Marieluise Hessel Collection, on permanent loan to the Center for Curatorial Studies. This exhibition is supported by the Friends of the Center for Curatorial Studies.



On June 23, the day of the exhibition openings, free bus transportation will be available from New York City to the Center for Curatorial Studies. A chartered bus will leave from SoHo at 11:00 a.m. and depart from the Center at 4:00 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the Center at 845-758-7598 no later than Friday, June 21. Transportation is provided through the generosity of Howard and Donna Stone.