EUGENE–The first major exhibition of the 21st century at the University of Oregon Museum of Art will open on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2000, with a primary focus on popular "folk" painting traditions of 19th- and 20th-century Korean painters.

"The Realm of Revelation: Vision and Imagination in Later Korean Art" will continue through April 9, 2000. A free opening reception, open to the public, is set from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 14, at the museum, 1430 Johnson Lane near the Knight Library on the UO campus.

"The Realm of Revelation" explores the idea that many Korean artists of the 19th and 20th centuries functioned essentially as visionaries, using their art to reveal otherwise invisible aspects of the world.

The exhibition exemplifies the varying ways in which such representations as landscapes, Buddhist hells and paradises, lands of immortality and the cosmos itself provided opportunities for artists to imaginatively envision sights (and sites) that could not literally be seen.

Organized by Charles Lachman, an associate professor of art history and the museum’s associate curator of Asian art, "The Realm of Revelation" is drawn in part from works in the art museum’s collections. The remainder have been loaned by Robert and Sandra Mattielli of Portland, who lived and worked in Korea for more than 20 years.

The exhibition consists of traditional folding screens, hanging scrolls and fans, as well as an unusual banner and several intricately folded prints.

In addition, Cara Forrler, a master’s degree student in art history of 1604 Mound Ave., Jacksonville, Ill., and Josh Tollefson, a master’s degree student in printmaking of 543 1/2 E. 13th Ave., Eugene, have created a video, "Unfolding Beauty: A Brief History of Screens," that will be showing in the gallery.

In conjunction with this exhibition, the Museum of Art will host a series of free weekly MusEvenings! programs and other special events, including a talk by the Mattiellis on how they built their collection. Unless otherwise noted, all programs will begin at 6 p.m. in the Museum of Art. The events include:

• Jan. 19 MusEvenings! gallery talk: Robert and Sandra Mattielli, Portland art collectors, "Collecting Korean Art."

• Jan. 26 MusEvenings! lecture: Kyung Gregor, Eugene art collector, "Women in Korean Culture."

• Feb. 2 MusEvenings! lecture: Song Nai Rhee, UO courtesy professor of cultural anthropology and former dean of Northwest Christian College, "The Choson Kingdom: Historical Background, Ideology and Society."

• Feb. 16 MusEvenings! gallery talk: Charles Lachman, UO associate professor of art history and curator of "The Realm of Revelation."

• Feb. 23 MusEvenings! lecture: Hattie Mae Nixon, Museum of Art docent and textile expert, "The Floating Skirt and Other Korean Textiles."

• Feb. 26 Korean Art and Culture Family Day: Free event from 1—3 p.m., with activities that include storytelling, creating paper-cuts and Korean screens, music, and tours led by the museum’s teen docents. This family day is sponsored by the Symantec Corp.

• March 1 MusEvenings!: A contemporary Korean film to be announced.

• April 2 Special lecture: At 2 p.m. in a location to be announced, Laurel Kendall, curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, "Gods, Shamans and the IMF: Contemporary Encounters with the Korean Spirit World."

The University of Oregon Museum of Art is a nonprofit state institution supported by the generosity of its membership and in part by grants from the Oregon Arts commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Operating funds also are provided in part by the Horton, Museum of Art, Culp, Krause and Autzen endowments. Additional funding for this exhibition was provided by a Lane County Tourism Special Projects Grant.

Accessible to people with disabilities, the Museum of Art is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Suggested admission is $3, except on Wednesday evenings when the MusEvenings! program offers free extended viewing hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Museum members, students, UO employees and children are admitted free.

For information, browse http://uoma.uoregon.edu or call (541) 346-3027.

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