2016 will be a pivotal time in the United States: a watershed moment in the divide of our national political system. Racial tensions, religious freedom, women’s health and reproductive rights, equality in the work place, gender equality and L.G.B.T. rights are all vulnerable to dramatic changes, both good and bad. The Faces of Politics: In/Tolerance asks artists to examine, on a personal level, how their creative vision is influenced by the current political unrest – locally, nationally, and on a global scale. Guest curator: Bruce Hoffman, Director Gravers Lane Gallery, Chestnut Hill, PA. The exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Caroline R. Graboys Fund, Katherine Glover, and Gravers Lane Gallery.
Artists in the Exhibition:
Artists showing in the exhibition: Kate Anderson, Russell Biles, Michelle Browne, Syd Carpenter, Sonya Clark, Marcia Docter, Lindsay Ketterer Gates, Leslie Golomb, Melissa Maddonni Haims, Jan Hopkins, Nicholas Kripal, June Lee, Ke-Sook Lee, Wendy Maruyama, Amy Orr, Jon Eric Riis, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Joyce J. Scott, Mara Superior, and Heather Ujiie.
Words from the Curator Bruce D. Hoffman, Director, Gravers Lane Gallery, PA:
“This exhibition is designed to examine how artists, through visual language and material choices, explore the ways in which they look at current world events—regional, national, and global in scope. The Faces of Politics: In/Tolerance, as a title, was not chosen lightly, nor the artists and artworks selected at random. Yes, this exhibition has a somewhat political and social bias: this I unequivocally offer upfront. To me, the curator’s role is to inform and to enlighten by bringing together a variety of artistic narratives and creating a dialogue between the viewer and the work. If successful, the conversation will ultimately be taken outside of the walls of the museum.”
Beth McLaughlin, Chief Curator, Fuller Craft Museum:
“Throughout history, art has been a powerful vehicle for voicing political viewpoints and inspiring social activism. It has swayed popular opinion, galvanized communities, and deepened public awareness of issues facing our communities and our world. Socially charged imagery has even served as a cathartic means towards resolution of personal history and cultural identity. With beauty, skill, and process, artists have loosened the grip of convention and allowed for broader political commentary.”
Freedom of Speech Commitment:
Freedom of speech is the foundation of our communities and our nation. The Fuller Craft Museum exhibits may awe, illuminate, challenge, unsettle, confound, provoke, and, at times, offend. We defend the freedom to create content and exhibit such work anywhere in the world, and we recognize the privilege of living in a country where creating, exhibiting, and experiencing such work is a constitutional right.
To exhibit a work of art is not to endorse the work or the vision, ideas, and opinions of the artist. It is to uphold the right of all to experience diverse visions and perspectives. If and when controversies arise from the exhibitions of an artwork, we welcome public discussion and debate with the belief that such discussion is integral to the experience of the art. Consistent with our fundamental commitment to freedom of speech, however, we will not censor exhibitions in response to political or ideological pressure.
THE FACES OF POLITICS: IN/TOLERANCE: APRIL 16 – AUGUST 21, 2016.
Reception: Sunday, April 17, 2016, 2:00 – 5:00 pm Finding a Voice: Affecting Social Change Through Creative Expression with 3:00 pm panel discussion led by Keynote Speaker Julie Burros, Chief of Arts & Culture for the City of Boston; Jason Talbot, co-founder and alumnus of Artists For Humanity (AFH); Cheryl Buchanan, JD, MFA, co-founder of Writers Without Margins; fiber artist Melissa Maddonni Haims; and Guest Curator Bruce Hoffman, Director, Gravers Lane Gallery. www.graverslanegallery.com Reception and lecture included with Museum admission.
A roomy “House of Cards” constructed with hundreds of recycled credit cards.
A ceramic sculpture of an African-American girl pondering a book about “Fun with Dick & Jane.”
A stainless steel mesh of tiny plastic guns woven into a pair of beautiful pillars.
A porcelain piggy with a golden portfolio.
**These are just a few of the images from our upcoming exhibition The Faces of Politics: In/Tolerance.