Old Friends and Psychopomps on View at the Museum of Art Through December 10
Inspired by the works and words of artist Stephen Appleby-Barr, Old Friends and Psychopomps is an exhibition of prints from the Grinnell College Museum of Art’s collection that features various representations of psychopomps. The defining quality of a psychopomp is that it guides souls through a transition of life, often into death. Throughout many religions and spiritualities, psychopomps have been seen as conductors on journeys to worlds unknown. These mystical, whimsical, and occasionally grim figures introduce viewers to companions that, while otherworldly, can cast immense reflections of the world we know.
The exhibition responds to Appleby-Barr’s discussion of psychopomps in works such as Fenris and Pearl. This 2022 painting depicts a character named Fenris who was inspired by the canaries the artist had in his Berlin studio. According to Appleby-Barr, “The story for Fenris goes like this. They are a little psychopomp and mischief-maker. They tend to the Well of Souls, deep in a forest where no one likes to go. They are a little bit Hermes, the Greek messenger god; a little bit Charon, the coxswain to the underworld, Hades; and a touch of Ratatoskr, the mischievous messenger squirrel of the Vikings. They are at ease above, between and below.”
Just as Fenris represents many qualities for Appleby-Barr, this exhibition includes images of a variety of psychopomps—ranging from the Grim Reaper and Charon, who transport souls into death, to angels and fairies, who provide instruction and lead beings to happiness during life.
The exhibition was made possible by support from the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) Foundation. The IFPDA Foundation offers direct financial support to museums and other arts nonprofit institutions through grants for educational programs, exhibitions, scholarly research, and museum-based curatorial internships.
The grant partially funded a summer internship for a postbaccalaureate student to curate an exhibition from GCMoA’s print collection. The Museum hired Melena Johnson ’23 for the position and asked her to curate an exhibition which responded in some way to the exhibition Stephen Appleby-Barr: Correspondence. After researching the work of Appleby-Barr, Johnson decided to focus on his discussion of psychopomps in his work.
Johnson graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Gender, Women’s, & Sexuality Studies. Her previous exhibition experience included serving as one of the student curators of Fragmentary Visions: Grinnell College’s Kelekian Collection, which was on display at GCMoA last spring. Johnson commented on the postbaccalaureate curatorial internship by saying, “It was an amazing opportunity, to step directly from college into curation, and I'm especially thankful that I was able to work with the Grinnell College Museum of Art one more time. The experience was invaluable, and I couldn't be happier with the finished product. Hopefully, museum visitors will encounter something that sparks their interest, whether that be the whimsical, the ghastly, or the idea that we are never truly alone. I'm deeply grateful to the IFPDA and to the GCMoA for making Old Friends & Psychopomps possible, and to Stephen Appleby-Barr for having an astounding collection of work and ideas to gather inspiration from.”
Johnson’s exhibition Old Friends and Psychopomps and Stephen Appleby-Barr: Correspondence, an exhibition curated by Daniel Strong, will remain on view through December 10.
Related Events and Programs
Tuesday, October 3, 11 a.m.
20 Minutes@11 with Melena Johnson
Join us for a conversation with Melena Johnson ’23, curator of Old Friends and Psychopomps. Melena will explain how Stephen Appleby-Barr (whose work is being shown in the exhibition Correspondence) inspired her print exhibition and will invite exploration into reimagining the concept of psychopomps. Attend in person or via Zoom: https://grinnellcollege.zoom.us/j/84348801239