Frost Art Museum FIU offers exhibitions for viewing in person or virtually

Mickalene Thomas, b.1971, Camden, New Jersey, lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. A Moment’s Pleasure in Black and White Chromogenic print 2006 14 x 17 inches Collection of Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz.

The Frost Art Museum FIU  debuted a new exhibition on Sept. 26 titled, “House to House: Women, Politics, and Place.” It runs through Feb. 7, 2021.

“House to House” examines the transitional period of the 20th century where women became more active outside the home and involved in social justice reform by demanding equal representation including in the U.S House of Representatives, where there are now 100 women serving as Representatives. 

Amy Galpin, curator for Frost Art Museum FIU, said the show theme came about as a suggestion from the Frost director who was thinking about the election and the anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment. 

“I ended up focusing quite a bit on the complexities of the domestic space because I believe there is ample ground to cover. Home can evoke nostalgia, freedom, and/or oppression, among other complex concepts,” said Galpin. 

Leonard Suryajaya, b. 1988 Indonesia, lives and works in Chicago, Illinois Musing Chromogenic print, edition 1 of 5 plus 3 Artist Proofs, 2015 36 x 45 inches Courtesy of the artist

The exhibition debuts one short week following the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who successfully fought against gender discrimination in the U.S Supreme Court. November’s 2020  election also marks the 100th year anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, making this exhibition quite timely. 

“There is a moment in the exhibition where portraits of political figures are presented. You will find pictures of Sandra Day O’Connor, Patsy Mink, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among others,” said Galpin. “Some time ago, I had decided to present a promotional poster from the documentary, RBG, in the exhibition. As a result of Justice Ginsburg’s passing, we ended up giving the poster a bit more prominence.”

The exhibition includes work from Aurora Molina, Catherine Opie, Martha Rosler, Wendy Red Star, Laurie Simmons, Mickalene Thomas, and Deborah Willis, among others and was supported by the Funding Arts Network. 

One special component of this exhibition’s virtual opening (held on Saturday, Sept. 26), included a taped message and music videos by Grammy award-winning producer DJ Tracy Young. Young, who is owner of Ferosh Records, has worked with over 100 artists including Beyonce, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato and Madonna.

“I’m thrilled to be involved with this event at Frost Art Museum FIU. As the first woman to be nominated and win a Grammy in the remix recording category, I know what it means to shatter the glass ceiling and I can imagine many of the female artists featured in this exhibition can relate,” said Young. “I’m honored to be associated, and know that House to House will spark important dialogue about women, politics and place.”

The Frost Art Museum FIU will eventually make the House to House exhibit to be viewable virtually, however another exhibition on display at the museum,  “Otros Lados: Itzel Alexis Basualdo, Hugo Crosthwaite, and Judithe Hernández,” is available virtually. All the Museum’s virtual and digital experiences can be found here.

“Otros Lados”, which opened on Aug. 22, and will be running through Dec. 13, 2020, looks at Mexican and Mexican American experiences from three different generations of artists. 

The works by the three main artists were inspired by the novel “A Dream Called Home” by Reyna Grande, offering a shared view of Grande’s text. The title of the exhibition “Otros Lados” comes from a phrase used in Mexico “Al Otro lado” referring to the shared space populated with many Mexican immigrants at the other side of the Mexico/U.S. Border. 

Wendy Red Star, b. 1981, Billings, Montana, lives and works in Portland, Oregon Apsáalooke Feminist #4 Photograph, 2016 42 x 55 inches Courtesy of the artist

Itzel Alexis Basualdo said the title, and the show hits home on so many levels.

“I was born in Miami to a Mexican mother and Argentine father. Both my parents left home for the U.S. in their early twenties practically solo, not having much family outside of Mexico or Argentina. So throughout my childhood every other year my parents planned these almost “pilgrimages” to both countries. And in visiting both Mexico and Argentina it was being surrounded by so much love, warmth, excitement, and feelings of belonging? But the latter was always complicated by the fact that I was too gringa to be Mexican, never Argentinian enough because I lacked the accent and was born in the U.S. to a Mexican mother. And back in the U.S., I’ve never quite been American enough for everything that makes me me. I think I’ll always spend my days longing for these otros lados.”

The show has been on display for a little over a month, and according to Basualdo, the response has been good. 

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive. COVID has obviously made it very difficult for a lot of my close friends to visit the exhibition, but those who have seen it have commented on the nuance of the exhibition,” said Basualdo. “One of my mentors, the Cuban-American photographer Mirta Gomez,whom I owe so much too, commented on how having us three  [Judithe, Hugo, and Basualdo] in the space was a beautiful blend of innovation and tradition and how it was refreshing to see the experiences of Mexican, Mexican-Americans on view here in Miami. She said, and I quote, “muy requete bueno.” I think that’s good enough for me.”

Guests who wish to view these new exhibitions in person at The Frost Art Museum FIU are more than welcome as long as they follow the new safety guidelines put in place to protect against COVID-19. All visitors not a part of the FIU community must make an appointment. 

“House to House and Otros Lados launch our fall programming at a moment of seismic shifts in the world of culture,” said Jordana Pomeroy, director of the Frost. “Social inequality frequently inspires visual and written narratives that can be unsettling and yet intellectually gratifying at the same time.” 

 IF YOU GO

WHAT: House to House Women, Politics, and Place

WHEN: Through Sun., Feb. 7, 2021

WHERE: Frost Art Museum FIU

COST: Free 

FOR MORE INFO: 

https://frost.fiu.edu/exhibitions-events/events/2020/09/house-to-house.html

This blog item is presented as part of the Artburst Miami Mentorship Program.

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