Repurposed with Purpose

Repurposed with Purpose   |     |  

Repurposed with Purpose: Meaning in the Materials of Making

Curated by Doreen Bolger

On View: September 20 - November 10, 2018

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 20, 6-9pm,

Performances by exhibiting artists David Page and Neil Feather

This exhibition aims to enrich the visitor’s experience—and their understanding of the arts and humanities—by encouraging viewers to look for greater variance and nuance in the meaning of materials. The choice of materials holds different significance for each artist, sometimes reflecting larger societal issues and at others, more personal interests, concerns, or priorities. Some artists are thinking about the environment and as they choose their materials, commenting on its fragility and the impact of its degradation on mankind and the earth, now and in times to come. They celebrate reuse while mourning waste, creating compelling works of art, sometimes interactive and experiential, even pointing out that mankind is causing obsolescence, decay, and even mortality. Some artists reference or incorporate historic found objects that take us from the present moment to the past and memory, reminding us that time is a continuum. Others repurpose their own creations, giving them a new expression. For many, the use and meaning of these materials allow them to reach across boundaries of race, class, and gender orientation to remind us that we are unified by our humanity. Some even embrace a more evident position of social activism or political statement, making work where their choice of materials raises issues specific to the time and place in which we live.

Featuring:  Laura Amussen, Jude Asher, Michael Benevenia, Sera Boeno, Ram Brisueño, Rebecca Burr, Mina Cheon & Gabriel Kroiz, Schroeder Cherry, Sonya Clark, Jim Condron, Hoesy Corona, Lisa Dillin, Alex Ebstein, Mark Eisendrath, Annie Farrar, Neil Feather, Alfonso Fernandez Vazquez, Linda Campbell Franklin, Alex French, Alice Gadzinski, Gaia, Marian Glebes, Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez, Ben Hamburger, Maren Hassinger, David Hess, Sanzi Kermes, Minas Konsolas, Edna Kurtz Emmet, Andrew Laumann, Leigh Maddox, Caryn Martin, Charles Mason III, Lat Naylor, The Merovingian, Mary Opasik, David Page, Edward Victor Sanchez, Lauren Schott, Joyce Scott, Leonard Streckfus, Maxine Taylor, Joshua Wade Smith, Stewart Watson, Stefan Ways, Jacob Zimmerman and Adam Zynger.

About the Curator: Doreen Bolger served as the Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) for 17 years, retiring in 2015. The BMA  is recognized as a center for 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art. There, she redefined the Museum’s artistic focus, placing greater emphasis on its world-class collection, initiating major exhibitions, and expanding educational programs. An enthusiastic supporter of Baltimore city's emerging art scene, in 2016-17 she co-curated graduate exhibitions of the Maryland Institute College of Art. Bolger, who received her Ph.D. from the Graduate Center of The City University of NY, was previously the Director of the RI School of Design Museum, Providence, and served as a curator of American Art at the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, TX, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY.

This exhibition is generously funded by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, with in-kind support from the MuseWeb Foundation.