VISITOR CENTER proudly announces Provenance, an exhibition opening April 15, 2023, that will feature works by Sophia De Jesus-Sabella, Soull Ogun, Patricia Orpilla, Sagarika Sundaram, and Mia Wright-Ross. Provenance will present contemporary artists who engage craft materials and traditions to consider intertwining notions of materiality, lineage, and identity.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The ownership history of an art object, or provenance, is often recorded by cultural institutions in an effort to qualify an object’s authenticity or value. This practice frequently treats an object as its own entity from its completion to the present, separate from its creator, as it travels between places and amongst collectors. Recontextualizing the idea of provenance, this exhibition will encourage a broader application that centers and celebrates the layered histories and influences inherent to an object by re-engaging the agency of both the artist and the viewer.

The contemporary artists represented employ traditions, materials, and techniques associated with craft. This commonality is not coincidental, as craft media – including the weaving, metalsmithing, felting, and leather artisanship on view – are intrinsically rich with memory.

To observe any artwork is to activate it with one’s own interpretation; with craft media, the artwork is distinctly loaded with tactile connotations, historical applications, generational techniques, and material associations. Provenance thus presents works that are bolstered by their pasts, the identities of their creators, and the associations unearthed in the viewer.