STAGING - The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me

Connecticut has been the home to many goliaths of art history, including Anni and Josef Albers, Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns, Barkley Hendricks, and Sol LeWitt. Spanning the full footprint of the Museum's 8,000-square-foot galleries and recently renovated three-acre campus and Sculpture Garden, this survey will explore the varied artistic expressions of generations of artists who have chosen to live and work outside major art centers. The Aldrich has a long history of supporting Connecticut artists through solo, group, and invitational exhibitions since its inception. In alignment with the Museum's mission to support artists at pivotal points in their careers, this exhibition will feature an intergenerational roster of artists emphasizing breakout debuts and rediscoveries.

Modeled after other major museum series, this exhibition will showcase the breadth of artists' practices and present an opportunity for artists at varying stages of their careers within the state. The dynamism of Connecticut's landscape has long provided a respite for artists who have chosen to work outside the pressure and expense of major metropolitan art centers like New York or Boston. As rents continue to increase, this trend has accelerated. Diana Bowes Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart and Curatorial and Publications Manager Caitlin Monachino conducted over 100 studio visits to understand the tenor of creation across the state. 

The exhibition's title, I am what is around me, is excerpted from the American poet Wallace Stevens's poem "Theory," 1917. Stevens lived in Hartford, Connecticut, for 40 years, and many of his poems were inspired by the city. 

The typeface for the exhibition design is DROIT, designed by the artists Christopher Sleboda and Kathleen Sleboda, based in Guilford, Connecticut.

Conceived of and led by the Museum’s Diana Bowes Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart, the first edition of the series will be curated by Smith-Stewart and Curatorial and Publications Manager Caitlin Monachino. 

The exhibition will be accompanied by a significant publication featuring an introduction, short texts on each artist, plates, and installation views.