Springfield Museums present New/Now: Contemporary Art Acquisitions January 28−July 30, 2023 at the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. Created between 1996 and 2020 and added to the permanent collection in the last two years, the exceptional prints, paintings, and mixed media works featured in this exhibition speak to the varied experiences of their makers, reflect the current moment, and support the Museums’ goal of diversifying the collection.
In alignment with a new strategic plan which prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Springfield Museums are expanding the scope of their art collection with acquisitions that reflect a rich, and increased representation, of artistic backgrounds and creative approaches. These acquisitions strive to help the Museums tell stories that were once hidden or overlooked and include more information about Black, Indigenous, Latino/a, and Asian cultures. The Museums are also increasing representation of LGBTQ+ and Disabled artists, entrepreneurs, and inventors.
“The Springfield Museums were established in service of our communities,” said Kay Simpson, President and CEO of the Springfield Museums. “When George and Belle Smith chose to gift their collection of fine art and decorative arts from around the world to their city, they hoped to offer beauty and inspiration for all. As we move into the future and become increasingly aware of stories that are essential to a full history and informed future, we want to help ensure that our collections are inspiring to all audiences. We want to nurture a barrier-free museum.”
“The art of our time is as rich and varied as the people who make it,” added Maggie North, Curator of Art at the Springfield Museums. “By expanding our contemporary art collection, the Museums can tell relevant stories about artists, communities, and the important questions of our era.”
“We look forward to sharing these outstanding new works and invite our visitors to return often as the Museums embark on an exciting multi-year plan to add-to, recontextualize and reinstall our permanent galleries to present more and varied expressions of artistic creativity,” stated Heather Haskell-Burns, Vice President and Director of the Art Museums.
New/Now is anchored by five works by Faith Ringgold (American, born 1930). One of the most influential visual artists of her generation, Ringgold remains active as an artist, writer, and activist at the age of 91.
Ringgold was born and raised in Harlem, New York, where she developed an interest in art at an early age. Her childhood memories of Harlem, including her father’s powerful storytelling and her mother’s work as a seamstress and fashion designer, influenced Ringgold’s artistic path. After earning a bachelor’s degree at the City College of New York she went on to complete a MFA at City University of New York in 1959. In the 1960s, Ringgold created oil paintings and posters that advocated for the rights of African Americans and women. In the 1970s, she began to integrate textiles into her practice, sometimes with assistance from her mother. By the 1980s, Ringgold was creating her now famous “story quilts” that conveyed imaginative narratives drawn from her lived experience as well as from collective histories of struggle and triumph. Through her quilts, Ringgold claimed sewing as a modality of fine art (rather than “craft” or “women’s work”), and in doing so challenged the Eurocentric canon. In 1991, Ringgold published her first critically claimed children’s book inspired by her story quilt Tar Beach, which drew on her memories of growing up in Harlem. In recent decades, Ringgold has continued creating, writing, and teaching. Since the 1990s, she—often with the help of assistants—has employed silkscreen printing to share her images more widely.
The Museums acquired works by Ai Weiwei (Chinese, born 1957) and Marlene Yu (Taiwanese-American, born 1937), following popular solo exhibitions at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. Face masks by internationally renowned contemporary artist and social activist Ai created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic exemplify the artist’s longstanding interest in engaging with traditional Chinese motifs while addressing contemporary issues. These masks include depictions of mythical beings from the Chinese text Shan Hi Jing or the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Trained in Chinese brush painting as well as academic drawing, Yu was exposed to Abstract Expressionism when she came to the United States in the early 1960s. Her paintings employ energetic brushstrokes and vibrant colors to synthesize Eastern and Western traditions to create immersive abstractions that evoke the power and beauty of nature.
Also on display through the month of February is Primal Force, a vibrant serigraph by Nelson Stevens (American, 1938-2022) who used printmaking to disseminate beautiful and empowered depictions of Black people. In March, the work will be installed in the exhibition Nelson Stevens: Color Rapping, to be on display from March 4 through September 3.