Michelle Grabner
Weaving Life into Art
May 22–November 15, 2015
Indianapolis Museum of Art
4000 Michigan Road
Indianapolis, IN 46208
www.imamuseum.org
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The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is proud to present Michelle Grabner: Weaving Life into Art, the artist’s first solo exhibition at an encyclopedic museum. It features painting, sculpture, photography and video, as well as the largest installation of her ongoing paper weavings. Over 20 years ago, Grabner began making such weavings, which have come to represent the rich interwoven nature of her artistic practice, as she chooses to work both in and outside the traditional networks of the art world.
Drawing from her everyday experiences as artist, professor, curator and critic, as well as mother and wife, Grabner consciously makes her art reflect her life and vice versa. She actively threads together the various roles she has undertaken in the arts, such as co-curating the 2014 Whitney Biennial, teaching students and managing the much-admired alternative art space The Suburban with her husband, artist Brad Killam, at their home in Oak Park, Illinois. (This fall, The Suburban will reopen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.)
Her diverse interests, which range from painting and philosophy to football and knitting, resonate throughout her art. For this Indianapolis exhibition, curated by Tricia Y. Paik, Grabner, a lifelong fan of football, has produced a new series of photographic works inspired by the Indianapolis Colts.
Born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1962, Grabner was most recently featured in her first comprehensive solo museum exhibition at MOCA Cleveland in 2013. Among other solo shows, she has been featured in group exhibitions at a number of institutions, including the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), New York; MCA Chicago; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Tate St. Ives, UK; and Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland. In 2014, she co-curated the Whitney Biennial, marking the first time an artist has served as a curator of this exhibition. A professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 1996, Grabner is represented by James Cohan Gallery, New York and Shanghai.
Related programs:
The Temporary Suburban and Artist Conversation
Over four consecutive weekends from August 28 through September 20, the IMA will feature an outdoor installation, The Temporary Suburban, on the grounds of The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres. A spin-off of The Suburban, measuring only 10 x 10 feet, The Temporary Suburban will evoke the same homegrown flavor and dynamic atmosphere of the original. During each of the four weekends, The Temporary Suburban will feature a solo exhibition by a different Indianapolis-based artist.
On Friday, August 28, The Temporary Suburban will open with a public festive kick-off with Grabner in attendance.
On Saturday, August 29, the IMA will host a public outdoor conversation with Grabner and Paik, curator of contemporary art at the IMA, near The Temporary Suburban.
Master Class with Michelle Grabner
Continuing her distinctive engagement with the Indianapolis arts community, Grabner will host a public Master Class on Thursday, October 29. All current BFA and MFA students, as well as recent 2015 graduates from the state of Indiana, will be invited to apply. Seven finalists will be chosen to display their work during this live class, where they will learn firsthand from Grabner’s broad experiences as professor, critic, curator and practicing artist.
About the Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is located on a 152 acre campus of lush gardens, historic homes, outdoor sculptures, inspiring performance and gallery spaces. Founded in 1883, the IMA is among the 10 oldest and 10 largest encyclopedic art museums in the US, and features significant collections of African, American, Asian, European and contemporary art and design arts that span more than 5,000 years.
Media contact: Stephanie Perry, T +317 923 1331 ext. 231 / sperry [at] imamuseum.org
