Betty Parsons, Uman, and Marilou Schultz

The Hessel Museum of Art, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College presents three new exhibitions all opening on Saturday, June 27, 2–5pm.

Betty Parsons: An Expanded World is the first major retrospective to examine the intertwined legacies of Betty Parsons (1900–1982) as both pioneering abstract artist and trailblazing gallerist who shaped the trajectory of 20th century American art.

Best known for ushering in the American avant-garde by establishing the careers of Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollock, among others, Parsons also maintained a dedicated artistic practice throughout her life. This exhibition centers her output as a painter and sculptor, while exploring the radical history of the Betty Parsons Gallery and its support of underrecognized, experimental artists.

An Expanded World features approximately 80 works spanning painting, sculpture, and works on paper, tracing Parsons’ voluminous output as she evolved from a young academic painter to a mature abstractionist over a six-decade career. A revelatory and newly commissioned, multi-channel film by G. Anthony Svatek and Kaija Siirala will bring to life the largely unknown history of the Betty Parsons Gallery.

Uman: In Between provides a glimpse into two decades of art by Uman, highlighting key moments and innovations in the trajectory of this prolific and pathbreaking artist.

Throughout her career, Uman’s art has often been framed through biography: her winding path as an immigrant and her evolution as a self-taught artist. In Between shifts the focus toward her techniques and themes, examining her exploration of the natural world, the vicissitudes of selfhood, and the capacities of color. Her distinct visual vocabulary emerges in early paintings, collages, and drawings and then expands into more recent large-scale, densely layered compositions. Her process is one of constant working and reworking to enliven and complicate a primary set of signs, symbols, colors and textures that runs across painting, drawing, sculpture, and installation and create vibrant environments.

Featuring more than 100 works, In Between highlights the artist’s rigorous experimentation and commitment to challenging scale and convention, positioning her as one of the most vital painters working today.

Replica of a Chip: The Weaving Technology of Marilou Schultz marks the first survey of acclaimed Navajo/Diné weaver and mathematics educator Marilou Schultz, positioning Schultz as an innovator whose work across culture and industry has influenced the practices of art, Navajo weaving, and computer architecture over a 65-year career.

Replica of a Chip traces the full arc of Schultz’s artistic practice, demonstrating how she has consistently pushed the boundaries of experimentation within Navajo weaving, first through teaching herself new weaving styles, dyes, and techniques and later, using it as a means to reflect on the digital technologies shaping contemporary culture and society—from early computer microprocessors to stock market tickers and other digital data.

The presentation also includes archival materials related to Fairchild Industries’ manufacturing plant in Shiprock on Navajo Nation that invite viewers to consider the complex intersection of Navajo textiles and technology.

Related public programming:

Sunday, June 28
12pm: Marilou Schultz in conversation with Candice Hopkins
1:30pm: Uman in conversation with Lauren Cornell and Roberta Smith
3pm: Amy Sillman and Kelly Taxter in conversation with Ksenia Soboleva

Saturday, July 18 (Rain Date July 25)
12–4pm: Family Day

Visitor information
Exhibition hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11–5pm. All Hessel Museum exhibitions and programs are free and open to the public. Guided tours of the exhibitions are available, please email CCSvisits@bard.edu for more information or see the website here for updated info.

For a seat on the free roundtrip-chartered bus from New York City available for the opening reception on June 27 please call Mary Rozell T +1 845 758 7598 or email mrozell@bard.edu. Reservations are required for the bus.