Two of my photographs have been curated for this show. I plan on flying out to the opening on April 30th, maybe I'll see you there.
CONTINUUM: Gender Identities
Each of us exists somewhere on the continuum between female and male. For some of us, that space is clearly defined; for others, it is more fluid. Some of us move freely about in the world in our given skin; others shed that skin and create a new one. Given the bombardment of gendered messages women, men, boys, and girls receive through mass media each day; American society's uneasy quest to define marriage; our embattled don’t-ask-don’t-tell military policy; our acceptance or nonacceptance of celebrities who have "come out"; and the very intimate struggle of individuals, young and old, who are questioning their own place on the gender continuum, this subject is timely in a variety of ways.
The Ridgefield Guild of Artists is excited to announce that it will be mounting a national exhibition entitled Continuum: Gender Identities, opening April 30, 2011, through June 3. This exhibition, curated by artist Nancy Moore, parent of a transgender son, will be a powerful exploration of how artists choose to depict gender in their work: from traditional images of masculine and feminine (the gal in pink and pearls; the guy with a tool belt), to work that bends or questions the role of female and male.
Artists are invited to display their depictions of gender in any of its manifestations: in nature, in the human family, in a political context, as an abstract concept, as a personal statement. The exhibition will fill RGA’s three large gallery spaces, and the small upstairs gallery will house an exhibit of adolescent art on the same subject.
The Guild will provide an array of programming tied to the exhibit, such as artist walk-and-talks, guest lectures, performances, and book signings. (Thus far, S. Bear Bergman, author and performance artist and Ridgefield native, will be performing, dates to come; Books on the Common has agreed to do an author event; True Colors, an advocacy group for LGBTQ youth, based in Hartford and recently featured on CNN, will be holding an event in the space; a dance performance is under discussion; I've approached a very receptive Ridgefield Playhouse to host performances and documentaries. We expect to be reaching out to a wide variety of visual artists, writers, lecturers, community groups, and performers, between now and April.)
One impetus behind this exhibit is RGA’s intention to have a “big conversation in a small town”—that a dialogue between artists and audience can take place in an environment that’s not charged with the usual awkwardness surrounding this subject. The idea that art can create a safe space to explore timely and significant topics is a critical component of RGA’s mission.
Nancy is presently extending invitations to a range of artists who work in a range of media. She will be curating work from March 1 through April 1. The Guild will receive accepted artwork on-site (34 Halpin Lane, Ridgefield CT 06877) between April 18th and April 21st. If you know an artist who is either working on the theme of gender or whose life is a celebration of that theme, please contact her at nancymooreart@gmail.com.