PAST EXHIBITIONS
Welcome to The Galleries' exhibition archive.
PLACES OF FREEDOM AND CONTAINMENT
October 1 – December 3, 2022
Opening reception: Friday, September 30
Places of Freedom and Containment is a new exhibition organized by Charlotta Kotik, the third iteration of Moore’s Visiting Curators Initiative, a program that engages curators interested in bringing their vision to The Galleries at Moore, a hub for contemporary art and creative exploration in the heart of Philadelphia.
Kotik's project incorporates the work of four women artists who explore relationships to/with/in various locations—often places of origin—and the formal and psychological impact of such places on their creative practices. They illuminate intricacies of urban design as well as individual domiciles, all having an immense impact on society’s functionality. These unique perspectives explore how cross-cultural gender roles can be employed to create more enriching environments and offers a multicultural examination of urban and domestic spaces through art. Artists in the exhibition include Rehab El Sadek, an Egyptian-born artist of Sudanese ancestry who works at the intersection of conceptual art, architecture and language; Sara Jimenez, a Filipinx-Canadian multidisciplinary artist who explores transcultural memories; Shervone Neckles, an interdisciplinary artist of Afro-Caribbean origin who integrates themes of identity and immigration into her work; and Kara Rooney, an American multidisciplinary artist living in Mexico City who uses architectural forms and spatial perception to pay “homage to architectural spaces that house our sense of cultural and personal identity.”
VISIONARY WOMEN: JANET BIGGS & JOYCE J. SCOTT
October 1 – December 3, 2022
This exhibition brings together the work of two women whose practices demonstrate a unique mastery of materials. Janet Biggs is a research-based, interdisciplinary artist known for her immersive work in video, film and performance. Biggs’ work focuses on individuals in extreme landscapes or situations, navigating the territory between art, science and technology. Joyce J. Scott explores the ways in which art can be used to influence change through sculpture, weaving, printmaking, and performance. Much of Scott’s work reflects her experiences as a woman living, thriving, and creating in Baltimore—a city stricken with poverty but also a city full of rich cultural history. Scott’s labor- and time-intensive beadwork results in intricate and intimate pieces that serve as a commentary on issues around feminism, race, politics, stereotypes, sexism, and spirituality.
2022 JURIED ALUMNI BIENNIAL: RARE VISIONS & ROADSIDE REVELATIONS
June 4 – September 2, 2022
Every two years we welcome all of Moore's alumni to submit work for a juried exhibition—this year's show, Rare Visions & Restless Revelations, is organized by Morgan Hobbs, Assistant Director of Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia.
The works selected for this exhibition construct two adjacent realms of creative exploration. One set is deeply felt, emotional, corporeal, and physical. The other escapes into a disembodied land of idealism and fantasy. While these thematic distinctions are not always mutually exclusive, the works are loosely grouped and separated by the conjoined gallery spaces at Moore College of Art & Design. This exhibition presents paintings, sculptures, drawings, collages, videos, wearable artworks, and functional designs from over 50 Moore alumni.
The title of the exhibition is taken from a Kansas City Public Television (KCPT) show titled, Rare Visions & Roadside Revelations. Each episode is a short road trip across a part of the United States. The hosts stop at outsider art displays, roadside attractions, and small, hyper-specific museums. Light-hearted and humorous, the series evolves to tell a story about the people and culture of the area, what they care about, and what’s worth creating and maintaining in their environment. Likewise, the works in this exhibition forge pathways leading to deeper understandings of shared humanity, and gesture toward possibilities that are at times joyful, serene, and idyllic.
ROCHELLE LEVY: BY THE SEA
June 4 – September 2, 2022
This exhibition marks the fourth in an ongoing series that explores the prolific work of alum Rochelle F. Levy '79. Known for her depictions of equestrian tableaus, peaceful seaside moments, and beaches populated with an ever-changing ensemble cast of characters, Levy has been painting picturesque scenes from her life and travels for more than fifty years. From Margate, New Jersey to Deauville, a seaside resort in northwestern France, these works give viewers a sense of escape, allowing an imaginative departure from the responsibilities of everyday life. These selections were created between 1984-2022 and demonstrate Levy’s endless exploration of her favorite subject matter.
SKÄL /ɧɛːl/ FOR WEAVING
June 3 – September 10, 2022
SKÄL /ɧɛːl/ for Weaving uses the art of weaving as a practical method to think through relations of power in contemporary society. SKÄL /ɧɛːl/ for Weaving is the culmination of Nathalie Wuerth and Anamaya Farthing-Kohl's residency at RAIR in Northeast Philadelphia. The project features everyday objects that the artists found in the waste stream and incorporated into a large-scale weaving made specifically for the window gallery space. Wuerth and Farthing-Kohl approach this technique both as a craft and method to think through a series of inquiries around the intersection of their individual studio practices.
TRISTIN LOWE: BLACK HOLES & RABBIT HOLES
January 22 – March 19, 2022
Opening reception: Friday 2/4 from 5-7 pm
Yielding nearly 7,000 square feet of Moore's gallery spaces to a single artist for the very first time, Black Holes & Rabbit Holes is a mid-career retrospective that places a medley of Lowe's existing works—alongside never-before-seen projects—into newly imagined tableaus. Inspired by Moore's architecture and defined by its structural limitations, the exhibition invites viewers to experience a wholly immersive invasion of the artist’s large-scale constructed forms that engage creative, mechanical, and scientific discovery while reflecting his exploration of public vs. private space.
Lowe's practice is rooted in multi-disciplinary projects that explore the absurd and transform everyday, mundane materials into awe-inspiring creations. Influenced by theories that explore the science of outer space, the surrealist movement, and fairytales from our childhood, his ongoing work brings disparate worlds together and provokes viewers to consider their surroundings in a new light. Using conventional (and sometimes unorthodox) techniques to realize his sculptural designs, Lowe evokes unfamiliar curiosities & wonders that might otherwise go unnoticed. His installations provide new contexts that force us to reconsider scale, appreciate the eccentric, enjoy the spectacle, and find our place in that relative space he's created—whether we recognize it as comfortable, or undoubtedly troublesome, the observations demand imagination.
Featured works include GODDESS Particle (2021), a newly commissioned fourteen-foot long neon comet that hovers overhead; No Wave Goodbye, Transmutation: Into the Wind (2016) the tail end of a 2001 Volkswagen Passat B5 station wagon suspended from the ceiling; Lunacy (2010), a thirteen-foot diameter, inflatable felted-wool replica of the moon, with all its pocks and craters; and Dumbo and Bourbon Pillow (2001), a life-sized inflatable pink elephant made of vinyl, standing over a pillow saturated with bourbon.
ABSTRACTED MIGRATIONS: IDEAS ON EMBODIED MOTION
October 2 – December 4, 2021
Opening reception: Friday 10/1 from 4-7 pm
On view October 2 - December 4, visiting curator Kalia Brooks presents Abstracted Migrations: Ideas on Embodied Motion in The Galleries at Moore. The exhibition features the work of three artists, Firelei Baéz, Saya Woolfalk and Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, whose practices model new modes of recognizing bodies in motion as emergent from the prospect (and consequence) of social and political forms, geographic and cultural mobility, technology and the stability of the environment in supporting the human condition. CLICK HERE to read more about the exhibition. Image above: Firelei Báez, DREAMer (a demand for opacity that weaves no boundaries), 2017. Acrylic and oil on canvas, 105 x 249 in. Private collection, courtesy of the artist & James Cohan Gallery, New York.
STEPHEN WOOD: WILD LANDS
October 6 – December 4, 2021
Wood created this new body of work during a recent sabbatical, in which he set out to explore the use of the Unreal 4 game engine as a tool to create 3D animated short films. Wood utilized Physical Based Rendering systems—allowing for high quality rendering in real time and increased high resolution rendering speeds—as well as Maya LT, Photoshop, Zbrush, Quixel Mixer and Corel Painter to create a teaser that expands the world of his tabletop role-playing game, Wild Lands. The short tells the history of the moles of Dew Drop Mountains and gives the viewer a glimpse into the Mole Kingdom of Stone Burrow—one of many locations in the Underways, a new setting for players and readers to explore in the Wild Lands universe.
VISIONARY WOMEN: LORENE CARY, HOWARDENA PINDELL, AND JOAN SHEPP
October 6 – November 13, 2021
This year, Moore honored three women with the Visionary Woman Award, celebrating the rich legacy of creatives that have found inspiration and success in their hometown of Philadelphia.
ALICIA GRULLON: FROM MARCH TO JUNE: AT HOME WITH ESSENTIAL WORKERS
July 31 – September 25, 2021
These self-portraits were created in the artist's home in New York City during the Covid-19 quarantine, from March To June 2020. In this body of work, Grullón simultaneously documents her time at home and current affairs affecting the nation during quarantine. As performances, they are sites of mapping, engaging in participatory approaches of record keeping with the body. CLICK HERE to read more about the exhibition.
HERE & THERE: ALUMNI INVITATIONAL
June 5 – August 21, 2021
Here & There highlights the work of six alumni whose artistic practices explore themes of "place." Through painting, photography, sculpture, and community engagement, the exhibition presents a variety of ways to understand how artists question, embrace, and interact with their surroundings. Featuring projects by Anne Canfield ’99 (BFA), Robin Dintiman ’72 (BFA), Naomieh Jovin ’17 (BFA), Michelle Angela Ortiz ’00 (BFA), Laura Petrovich-Cheney ’11 (MFA), and Rachel Wallis ’16 (MA).
RINGS! (1968-2021)
June 5 – July 17, 2021
Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, humans have adorned their fingers with ornamental jewelry. From signifying one's marital status to protecting the wearer from forces of evil, rings have served practical, symbolic and decorative purposes throughout history and across cultures. On view June 5 - July 17, RINGS! offers a glimpse into the boundless creative freedom revealed within the ring form.
Featuring work from Australia, Austria, England, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States, this international selection brings together over one hundred rings that demonstrate the artists’ wide-ranging expressions through a variety of aesthetic and conceptual ideas. From the traditional techniques of metalsmithing to avant-garde materials and approaches, the rings on view will offer a new examination of the cultural, political, and personal meanings of the ring itself.
RINGS! is organized by Helen Drutt and researched by Elizabeth Essner with assistance from Colleen Terrell.
CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2020
June 5 – July 17, 2021
In light of last year's situation, Moore's class of 2020 did not get to present their work in-person—this exhibition is the result of an open call and provides our recent grads with the opportunity to showcase thesis projects alongside their peers, albeit a year late. Participating artists include Emma Cortellessa (Illustration), Bri Cronin (Ilustration), Hannah Emert (Fine Arts), Victoria Gallagher (Photography & Digital Arts), Brianna (Olive) Hayes (Art Education, Aniyah Holmes (Fashion Design), Mary Kathryn Jardine (Graphic Design), Sarah Matheny (Fine Arts), Angela Palma (Illustration), Teonna Thornton (Fashion Design), and Nina Valdera (Art Education).