My name is Maddy Brennan and I’m an intern in the Development Department here at Tacoma Art Museum this summer. During the school year I attend the University of Puget Sound, where I major in Art History. I am involved in a few different areas of campus life, including varsity athletics and the campus radio station, K.U.P.S The Sound. On the radio, my show is called ‘Up for Interpretation’, and has been running for three semesters now. For this show, I select art pieces I like, research them, and decide on an ‘interpretation’ to base my song choices off of. These interpretations also fluctuate based on my personal feelings, but ultimately boil down to one or two main ideas or themes that I feel best fit the piece I’m focusing on. I absolutely love creating playlists for my shows each week, and when given the opportunity to reflect on some pieces from the museum collection, I felt that recreating something similar was the best way for me to do so!
Acrylic and paper collage on canvas,
96 x 144 in. Museum purchase in honor of John and Shari Behnke, 2008.2
Each week I will take a piece from the museum’s collection and create a short 30-minute show for it, accompanied by a bit of information about the artist and the piece itself. These songs represent my own personal interpretations of the piece, but I encourage you to reflect on your own and see if you have any songs you associate with the artworks!
This week’s playlist is based on an abstract piece that is not currently on view but can be seen on the museum’s collection website. Entitled ‘Blue Tarp’, this painting was made by the artist Whiting Tennis in 2007 and was purchased by the museum in honor of John and Shari Behnke using funds from many generous donors.
Tennis primarily creates abstract art that explores structure and symbolism, and this piece exemplifies that idea. ‘Blue Tarp’ is a large painting designed to give the illusion of – you guessed it – a paint-splattered tarp. Tennis uses a variety of surface textures to develop this illusion, making his work feel very realistic, even through a screen. In addition to his visual art, Tennis is also involved in the music scene, and performs in local rock bands – an aspect I considered when creating my show.
For a more specific interpretation, I drew inspiration from Tennis’s own involvement in the music scene and his artistic style, both of which prompted me to create a primarily personal-led interpretation of this piece. I chose songs that resonate with me, focusing on an alternative sound. This show is a short, mellow listening experience – I hope you enjoy it!