united states
July 15, 2012–February 24, 2013
Opening: Sunday, July 15, 2–5pm
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
T 203 438 4519
On Sunday, July 15, 2012, from 2 to 5pm, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will celebrate the opening of united states, a series of solo exhibitions and artist’s projects that approach both the nature of the United States as a country and “united states” as the alliance of separate forms, entities, or conditions of being.
united states includes solo exhibitions by Pedro Barbeito, Jonathan Brand, Brody Condon, Brad Kahlhamer, Brian Knep, Erik Parker, and Hank Willis Thomas, as well as singular projects by Jane Benson, Alison Crocetta, Celeste Fichter, Erika Harrsch, Nina Katchadourian, Matthew Northridge, Risa Puno, John Stoney, Sui Jianguo, Frances Trombly, Rosemary Williams, and Jenny Yurshansky.
Timed to coincide with the 2012 American election season, these works, diverse in medium and topic, are presented at a time when political and social divisions in the United States are readily apparent, and polarization on many major issues is at a historic high.
While no one series of exhibitions can comprehensively summarize the complexity of the meanings inherent in the concept of “united states,” this presentation echoes the universal hope that disparate entities united to form a whole are greater, and more profound, than the simple sum of their parts.
united states is the fourth implementation of a new curatorial programming schedule that presents seasons of solo and group exhibitions, all linked by a common theme.
united states exhibition and project descriptions are available for download.
Reception
The Aldrich will celebrate the opening of united states at a reception from 2 to 5pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012. For more information, or to reserve your space on The Aldrich shuttle providing round-trip transportation from New York City to the opening, contact Priscilla Matthews: pmatthews [at] aldrichart.org / T 203 438 4519. A performance work by Jane Benson, The Splits: Red/Blue, will take place at 3:30pm. Erik Parker will sign copies of the recently released monograph ERIK PARKER: Colorful Resistance starting at 4:15pm. Free for members, pre-K–12 teachers, and children 18 and under. Free onsite parking is available. Picnic fare from a selection of gourmet food trucks will be available for purchase. The Education Department will host family-friendly hands-on activities.
Museum
Founded by Larry Aldrich in 1964, The Aldrich is dedicated to fostering innovative artists whose ideas and interpretations of the world around us serve as a platform to encourage creative thinking. The Aldrich is one of the few independent, non-collecting contemporary art museums in the United States, and the only museum in Connecticut devoted to contemporary art. It is one of only twenty museums in Connecticut and only 318 art museums in the country to be accredited by the American Association of Museums. The Museum is located at 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877. All exhibitions and programs are handicapped accessible. Free onsite parking. Regular museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 12 noon to 5pm; extended summer hours every Saturday between July 5 and September 3, from 10am to 5pm. For more information call 203 438 4519 or visit www.aldrichart.org.
Sponsors
The Aldrich is supported, in part, by the Connecticut Office of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Art Works. Support for the united states exhibitions and projects has been provided by The O’Grady Foundation. The official media sponsors of exhibition openings are Ridgefield Magazine and WSHU Public Radio.
Contact
Pamela Ruggio: T 203 438 4519 / pruggio [at] aldrichart.org
*Image above:
Erik Parker, Preoccupied, 2012. Courtesy of the artist. Erik Parker is represented by Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles, and Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York.
