Evolve: a changing exhibition of work from the collection
October 21, 2020 – March 20, 2021
For much of the academic year, the museum is presenting an informal, changing exhibition of works from the collection. Rather than focusing on one theme or discipline, Evolve comprises artworks in a variety of media, some recent acquisitions, seldom seen objects, and those that are often incorporated into curriculum.
Evolve is also an exhibition which invites participation from its audience; in an effort to include a diverse range of voices and perspectives on its collections, the museum welcomes contributions of interpretive labels or videos. These may be short explanations of why you find a particular work interesting, or longer explorations of ideas or details in the artwork.
Works in the exhibition reflect the growing breadth and diversity of museum holdings.
Complemented by the museum’s collection database, the collection continues to grow as a resource for the curriculum across academic disciplines. Additionally, the exhibition gallery is functioning as a laboratory and by request and appointment, artworks from the collection not currently on view can be made available for study.
Evolve includes works by: Ghada Al Rabea, Peggy Bacon, Phyllis Bramson, Enrique Chagoya, David C. Driskell, Inka Essinhigh, Donna Ferrato, Samuel Fosso, Abdulnasser Gharem, Anthony Gross, Chenoweth Hall, Brad Kahlhamer, Peterson Kamwathi, Bernard Langlais, Donald Lent, Marc Leuthold, William Manning, Arata Nojima, Martin Puryear, Alexis Rockman, Berni Serle, Malik Sidibe, Carl Sprinchorn, Lou Yonglin, and Marguerite Zorach.
Ghada Al Rabea (Saudi, b. 1979), Bint Al Rijal, 2016, candy wrappers on wood, 52 1/4 x 46 inches, Bates College Museum of Art purchase, 2017.6.1 Phyllis Bramson (American, b. 1941), States of War, Siege 1 and States of War, Siege 2, 1985, oil on canvas, Bates College Museum of Art purchase with the Jane Costello Wellehan Endowment Fund, 2020.3.1 David Driskell (American, 1931 – 2020), Dance of the Masks, 2008, serigraph, artist’s proof VII, Bates College Museum of Art purchase with the Jean LeMire Payne ’53 Fund, partial gift of the Artist and Greenhut Galleries, 2008.3.1 Brad Kahlhamer (American, b. 1956), Mesa Mesa, 2019, ink and gouache on paper, 14 x 10 3/4 inches, Museum purchase with the Alumni Collector’s Society Fund, 2020.4.1 Peterson Kamwathi (Kenyan, b. 1980), Banana’s, 2007, woodcut and collage, Bates College Museum of Art purchase with the Robert A. and Minna F. Johnson Art Acquisition Fund, 2008.9.1 Alexis Rockman (American, b. 1962), Thylacine Drawing, 2004, soil and polymer on paper, 12 x 9 inches, Bates College Museum of Art purchase with support from the Robert and Minna Johnson Art Acquisition Fund, 2009.1.1 Jean Paul Roux (French) Blue Moon, Eclipse, 2010, archival inkjet print, Bates College Museum of Art, gift of the artist, 2013.4.1 Berni Searle (South African, b. 1964), Untitled [Red] from Colour Me series, 1998 (printed 2001), Photograph on Agfa Professional paper, edition 1/10, Bates College Museum of Art purchase, 2004.18.1