Underpinnings coming summer 2018
Underpinnings is a collaborative project between Cedar Crest College’s Center for Visual Research and Muhlenberg’s Martin Art Gallery. Staged as two distinct exhibitions, in the summer of 2018, this show is intended shine a spotlight on the rich breadth of creative research produced by the arts and cultural workers in the Lehigh Valley.
We as a community facilitate the arts through range of fantastic programming, from college and university galleries such as Kutztown University’s Marlin Art Gallery to commercial spaces like Easton’s Connexions Gallery, to stand alone arts institutions such as Baum School of Art and The Allentown Art Museum.
Within each of these institutions is a wealth of talent, whose primary mission is putting together important exhibitions of regional, national and international importance. Underpinnings is designed to help arts workers as a community to look inward, share knowledge, and highlight a small portion of the creative research underpinning our respective structures. This exhibition will celebrate our most important resource, the individuals who make up these organizations.
This is a creative experiment, and we have no idea what will happen, but we need your work and your voice to make it a success.
Your work in the service of creating excellent exhibitions all year round helps to bring the arts alive for our community. You probably got into this profession because you’re not only committed to the arts, but you make art yourself, and this exhibition is intended to highlight the diversity of ideas and objects being produced by our community.
Who is eligible? Anyone who considers themselves a Lehigh Valley arts worker, and makes 2D or 3D “art”. Museum security? Yes! Curator of artifacts? Yes! Sole proprietor of an independent gallery? YES! Direct a large institution? Yes! Ticket sales for a theater? Yes! Run a professional dance company? YES!
Who is ineligible at this time? Persons whose sole position is as faculty of any arts institution, teaching artists, or individuals who are independent/unaffiliated/professional artists. Anyone who makes or produces work that is not considered “2D, 3D, or 4D visual art” [4D work includes theater, music, dance. Due to the condensed timeline, Cedar Crest and Muhlenberg are unable to organize and consider appropriate presentation for 4D works.
Drop off and Pick up Dates: - DROP OFF TWO WORKS May 19 and 20 between 1:00pm and 3:00PM at Cedar Crest College Center for Visual Research. Please contact Brian at [email protected] for scheduling earlier deliveries if needed. All work will be delivered to Cedar Crest College and arranged between the two spaces by the organizers.
Mayfair is hosted by Cedar Crest College (the art department and gallery are not official participants but since we have the gallery let’s use it to your advantage!) and takes place May 25th to 27th. Although there will not be a reception, Brian or a student worker will be in the gallery the 25th and through the weekend during daylight hours. Closing reception will be at Muhlenberg College [tentatively] first week of August, Saturday August 4th 2 – 4pm.
PICK UP: Muhlenberg College [tentatively] second Saturday of August. scheduling will be based around academic calendars and is TBD, we thank you for your patience!
EXHIBITION DATES: Muhlenberg Site: Martin Art Gallery, open [roughly*] first week of June - First Week of August. Site: Cedar Crest: Center for Visual Research Third Week of May - First Week of August.
* This site will be updated with exact dates and more information as the details are finalized.
About the actual art:
Each artist will bring TWO independent works, showing different aspects of your creative practice.
Since the shows are about bringing to fore a range of personal creative practices, your works will be split between two venues, and divided by public/private, traditional/nontraditional, spouse/lover, or just big/small. With this divide, we’ll end up putting together two completely different and independent exhibitions.
Again to be clear: Each Artist will submit TWO WORKS. ONE work will be on display at Cedar Crest College, ONE at Muhlenberg College [though both will be dropped off at Cedar Crest College for organizational purposes.
What kind of work will be accepted? Two Dimensional ready to hang work [does not need to be framed, but must be easily able to be hung on any wall]. Does not need to be “small”, but ideally should transportable, and not be larger than four feet in any dimension. Three Dimensional ready to place work [we have pedestals, but due to practical considerations, no individual artist installations will be allowed]. Four dimensional work [performance/video/sound] while well loved by us all, unless it is “plug and play” ready, will likely be refused due to the complexity of installation requirements across institutions. Since you are submitting TWO WORKS, please put your name on the back or bottom clearly so we can pair your works at the end of the exhibition.
Questions, comments or feedback about the exhibition can be sent to Paul Nicholson at [email protected] or Brian Wiggins at [email protected].
