2020s
Welcome to The Galleries' exhibition archive.
ALUMNI GALLERY: NAOMIEH JOVIN
January 27 – March 9, 2024
Featuring new and recent works by Naomieh Jovin, photography & digital arts class of 2017. Jovin is a first-generation Haitian-American whose work utilizes appropriated photos from old family albums, combined with her own photographs, to illustrate resistance and intergenerational trauma, and how we carry the experiences of our past and our families’ pasts in our bodies. Her work has been featured in The Nation and Buzzfeed. She has photographed for The New York Times and Vogue Italia. She was selected as a LensCulture 2021 Critics’ Choice winner, awarded an artist residence at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center and recently named a 2021 PEW Fellow in the Arts.
Image: Naomieh Jovin, Adele (detail), 2018, inkjet print (digitally altered appropriated family photo). Courtesy of the artist.
EMILY WHYNOTT '23: FEAST
November 3, 2023 – January 20, 2024
In this exhibition, Whynott fills Moore's Alumni Gallery with ceramic food items as she further explores the identity of artist-as-maker and its relationship to that of hostess-as-provider. Her realistically rendered objects are colorful delicacies—treats for the eye—that remind us of how important presentation becomes in formal settings, both in the gallery and on our tables at home. Whynott says, "the more I sculpt and bake, the more I am struck by the similarities between working with clay and food. I think about how these processes are imbued with love and tenderness, a desire to connect with others. For both an artist and a hostess, there is a vulnerability during the final presentation, and anticipation that all will be well received."
(Re)FOCUS: THEN & NOW
January 27 – March 16, 2024
(Re)FOCUS: Then and Now is an exhibition in two parts that aims to celebrate a historically significant 1974 feminist show that was called FOCUS by 1) bringing artworks created by the original 81 participating artists together in one space and 2) presenting new & recent work/s by Philadelphia-based artists who are exploring ideas of gender identity, representation, marginalization, social justice, violence, equality, and empowerment in their contemporary studio practices.
Moore—the first and only historically visual arts college for women in the nation—is a leader in generating programs that examine how diversity, technology, sustainability, and creative production drive and disrupt new and existing industries. This exhibition, along with its ancillary programming, aims to highlight the ongoing work of artists who identify as women, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming in Philadelphia’s community of emerging cultural producers. Organized by gallery director Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski along with Denise M. Brown, executive director of the Leeway Foundation, (Re)FOCUS: Now provides a platform for underrepresented voices and presents projects that reexamine FOCUS’s historical context through a new lens. Participating artists include Atisha Fordyce, Wit López, Li Sumpter, Eva Wu, and The Future is Us: Angelito Collective, Annais Delgado ’22, Forrest Hubert, Laila Islam ’22, Traci Johnson, Isa Isioma Matisse, Dshon Mccarthy, Amber Mooers, Gina Taylor, Zella Vanié, Alyssa Weinfurtner, and Mitch Wiesen. (Re)FOCUS: Now is organized by Moore’s gallery director Gabrielle Lavin Suzenski along with Denise M. Brown, executive director of the Leeway Foundation.
CONVENTIONAL DEPARTURES
September 30 – December 9, 2023
New methods and technologies blend with traditional handmade techniques as we celebrate Philadelphia’s talented community of artists/makers whose work pushes the boundaries of conventional craft mediums. Rooted in CraftNOW's mission and presented as part of their citywide effort to elevate Philadelphia's historically rich legacy in the fields of craft-based design, production, and manufacturing, Conventional Departures emphasizes the city's ongoing role as an incubator for arts based in wood, clay, fiber, metal, glass, and beyond.
With makers exploring a broad range of materials in their practices to create functional, decorative, and wearable objects, the exhibition provides space for emerging and mid-career artists working locally and thinking innovatively about how their creative efforts inform the evolution of contemporary craft. As pioneers working to expand our understanding of commodity production and consumption, the participants force us to think objectively about our existing relationships to and understanding of how we shape raw materials—both new and recycled—into uniquely diverse items that become our cultural currency.
Artists in the exhibition: Amber Cowan, Hilary Hertzler, Kate Leibrand, Nick Lenker, Andrea Marquis, Victoria Ahmadizadeh Melendez, and John Souter.
Image: Nick Lenker.
FASHIONABLY UNCONVENTIONAL: DRAG FASHION
September 30 – November 11, 2023
Presented as an extension of Conventional Departures, Fashionably Unconventional: Drag Fashion celebrates and honors the craftsmanship, uniqueness, dedication, and creativity present within drag aesthetics and costume. Highlighting the work of some of Philadelphia’s most innovative and pioneering drag artists, the exhibition will illuminate the detailed process of creating head-to-toe drag fashion that not only captivates and dazzles audiences but builds immersive narratives and further elevates the art of drag. Artists in the exhibition include Miss Thing, Henlo Bullfrog, Sabine, Onyx Ondyx, Edith Poussard, Avery Goodname, and Deanna Joy.
ARTISTS BOOKS AT FIFTY
September 30 – December 9, 2023
In 1973, The Galleries at Moore opened an influential exhibition that included over 250 books created by prominent contemporary artists. Titled simply Artists Books, the exhibition surveyed the emergence of artistic book production after 1960, and in so doing, codified a phrase that is now the commonplace descriptor of a thriving genre of contemporary art practice. Curated by Moore’s then-gallery director Dianne Vanderlip, the exhibition was accompanied by an impactful catalog listing works by John Baldessari, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Sol LeWitt, and many others. In addition to the catalog, Moore published an original artist book by Claes Oldenburg—titled More Ray Gun Poems—to accompany the show.
BY DESIGN: ALUMNI INVITATIONAL
June 3 – September 2, 2023
This year’s presentation celebrates the work of Moore’s alumni who earned degrees in design-based fields including Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, and Textile Design. Graduates who received their BFA on anniversary years 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993, 2023 and 2013 were invited to submit projects for consideration and the exhibition features work by twelve graduates in a variety of media. The selections demonstrate a mastery of materials over a broad range of practices and reminds us that creative production is an inherent part of life after Moore. These alumni provide inspiration as committed makers both in their professional and personal spaces.
Artists in the exhibition: Niarus Benjamin Walker ’93, Jean Broden ’83, Mary Jo Brown ’83, Erin Daniels ’93, Diane Deery ’93, Renee Derr ’03, Michelle "Shell" Kennedy ’83, Suzanne Kopko ’93, Rachel Lopez Cerrato ’13, Kathy Mueller ’03, Andrea Pinkowitz ’73 and Jessica Robles ’03.
Image: Jean Broden '83,
5 INTO 1
June 3 – September 2, 2023
Moore is pleased to welcome 5 Into 1 back for its twenty-third year as we celebrate the city's emerging artists working in the round. Organized by Philadelphia Sculptors, the annual exhibition showcases recent projects created by 2023 BFA/MFA graduates who completed their degrees at five area colleges and universities. The presentation is an opportunity for young artists to show their sculptural creations in a unique format that emphasizes strength in Philadelphia's burgeoning community of emerging makers. Highlighting the achievements and artistic merit of selected artists from Moore College of Art & Design, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, The University of the Arts, and University of Pennsylvania, the curators reviewed and included works from departments not solely dedicated to sculptural output. Through a flexible approach, they focused on students whose work and/or studio practices reflect and promote sculptural thinking and movement.
Participating artists include Lily Scharff (Moore College of Art & Design); Julio Galvez, Lasha Stewart, and Kelly Lawler (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts); Brynn Hurlstone and Maria Marte (Tyler School of Art); Tori Schwartz, Maple Young, and Grace Plett (The University of the Arts); and Chenxi Shao (University of Pennsylvania).
Curated by Patrick Cabry, Chenlin Cai, Mandi Hall, Jacintha Kruc, Sherry Rossini, and Jaymi Vilardo.
CFEVA: 40 YEARS OF FELLOWSHIP
June 3 – July 8, 2023
The Galleries at Moore are pleased to host the Center for Emerging Visual Artists' (CFEVA) fortieth anniversary exhibition. In this art sale, CFEVA showcases an array of work by their Visual Artist Fellows, Finalists, Artistic Advisors, and Alumni of the program. For 40 years, through fellowships, residencies, educational outreach, exhibitions, professional development, and city-wide events, the CFEVA has provided Philadelphia artists with the tangible resources they need to develop truly sustainable careers. In turn, those creatives provide all of us with imaginative, inspirational opportunities to engage with and be uplifted by their artwork, across the city.
Featured Artists: Margery Amdur, Kathleen Beausoleil, Matthew Bender, Anna Benjamin, Shwarga Bhattacharjee, Anne Canfield, Helen Maurene Cooper, Rachel Eng, Ziui Chen, Elaine Erne, Sophie Glenn, Yikui (Coy) Gu, Marguerita Hagan, Theodore Harris, Mary Henderson, Ceres Henry, Darla Jackson, MiKyoung Lee, Chelsey Luster, Kirk Maynard, Stephen Perloff, Makeba Rainey, Paul Rider, Hiro Sakaguchi, Nancy Sophy, Krista Svalbonas, Ron Tarver, Sophie White, David Wilson, Natasha Zeta.
PLACES OF FREEDOM AND CONTAINMENT
October 1 – December 3, 2022
Opening reception: Friday, September 30
Places of Freedom and Containment is a new exhibition organized by Charlotta Kotik, the third iteration of Moore’s Visiting Curators Initiative, a program that engages curators interested in bringing their vision to The Galleries at Moore, a hub for contemporary art and creative exploration in the heart of Philadelphia.
Kotik's project incorporates the work of four women artists who explore relationships to/with/in various locations—often places of origin—and the formal and psychological impact of such places on their creative practices. They illuminate intricacies of urban design as well as individual domiciles, all having an immense impact on society’s functionality. These unique perspectives explore how cross-cultural gender roles can be employed to create more enriching environments and offers a multicultural examination of urban and domestic spaces through art. Artists in the exhibition include Rehab El Sadek, an Egyptian-born artist of Sudanese ancestry who works at the intersection of conceptual art, architecture and language; Sara Jimenez, a Filipinx-Canadian multidisciplinary artist who explores transcultural memories; Shervone Neckles, an interdisciplinary artist of Afro-Caribbean origin who integrates themes of identity and immigration into her work; and Kara Rooney, an American multidisciplinary artist living in Mexico City who uses architectural forms and spatial perception to pay “homage to architectural spaces that house our sense of cultural and personal identity.”
VISIONARY WOMEN: JANET BIGGS & JOYCE J. SCOTT
October 1 – December 3, 2022
This exhibition brings together the work of two women whose practices demonstrate a unique mastery of materials. Janet Biggs is a research-based, interdisciplinary artist known for her immersive work in video, film and performance. Biggs’ work focuses on individuals in extreme landscapes or situations, navigating the territory between art, science and technology. Joyce J. Scott explores the ways in which art can be used to influence change through sculpture, weaving, printmaking, and performance. Much of Scott’s work reflects her experiences as a woman living, thriving, and creating in Baltimore—a city stricken with poverty but also a city full of rich cultural history. Scott’s labor- and time-intensive beadwork results in intricate and intimate pieces that serve as a commentary on issues around feminism, race, politics, stereotypes, sexism, and spirituality.
2022 JURIED ALUMNI BIENNIAL: RARE VISIONS & ROADSIDE REVELATIONS
June 4 – September 2, 2022
Every two years we welcome all of Moore's alumni to submit work for a juried exhibition—this year's show, Rare Visions & Restless Revelations, is organized by Morgan Hobbs, Assistant Director of Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia.
The works selected for this exhibition construct two adjacent realms of creative exploration. One set is deeply felt, emotional, corporeal, and physical. The other escapes into a disembodied land of idealism and fantasy. While these thematic distinctions are not always mutually exclusive, the works are loosely grouped and separated by the conjoined gallery spaces at Moore College of Art & Design. This exhibition presents paintings, sculptures, drawings, collages, videos, wearable artworks, and functional designs from over 50 Moore alumni.
The title of the exhibition is taken from a Kansas City Public Television (KCPT) show titled, Rare Visions & Roadside Revelations. Each episode is a short road trip across a part of the United States. The hosts stop at outsider art displays, roadside attractions, and small, hyper-specific museums. Light-hearted and humorous, the series evolves to tell a story about the people and culture of the area, what they care about, and what’s worth creating and maintaining in their environment. Likewise, the works in this exhibition forge pathways leading to deeper understandings of shared humanity, and gesture toward possibilities that are at times joyful, serene, and idyllic.
ROCHELLE LEVY: BY THE SEA
June 4 – September 2, 2022
This exhibition marks the fourth in an ongoing series that explores the prolific work of alum Rochelle F. Levy '79. Known for her depictions of equestrian tableaus, peaceful seaside moments, and beaches populated with an ever-changing ensemble cast of characters, Levy has been painting picturesque scenes from her life and travels for more than fifty years. From Margate, New Jersey to Deauville, a seaside resort in northwestern France, these works give viewers a sense of escape, allowing an imaginative departure from the responsibilities of everyday life. These selections were created between 1984-2022 and demonstrate Levy’s endless exploration of her favorite subject matter.
SKÄL /ɧɛːl/ FOR WEAVING
June 3 – September 10, 2022
SKÄL /ɧɛːl/ for Weaving uses the art of weaving as a practical method to think through relations of power in contemporary society. SKÄL /ɧɛːl/ for Weaving is the culmination of Nathalie Wuerth and Anamaya Farthing-Kohl's residency at RAIR in Northeast Philadelphia. The project features everyday objects that the artists found in the waste stream and incorporated into a large-scale weaving made specifically for the window gallery space. Wuerth and Farthing-Kohl approach this technique both as a craft and method to think through a series of inquiries around the intersection of their individual studio practices.
TRISTIN LOWE: BLACK HOLES & RABBIT HOLES
January 22 – March 19, 2022
Opening reception: Friday 2/4 from 5-7 pm
Yielding nearly 7,000 square feet of Moore's gallery spaces to a single artist for the very first time, Black Holes & Rabbit Holes is a mid-career retrospective that places a medley of Lowe's existing works—alongside never-before-seen projects—into newly imagined tableaus. Inspired by Moore's architecture and defined by its structural limitations, the exhibition invites viewers to experience a wholly immersive invasion of the artist’s large-scale constructed forms that engage creative, mechanical, and scientific discovery while reflecting his exploration of public vs. private space.
Lowe's practice is rooted in multi-disciplinary projects that explore the absurd and transform everyday, mundane materials into awe-inspiring creations. Influenced by theories that explore the science of outer space, the surrealist movement, and fairytales from our childhood, his ongoing work brings disparate worlds together and provokes viewers to consider their surroundings in a new light. Using conventional (and sometimes unorthodox) techniques to realize his sculptural designs, Lowe evokes unfamiliar curiosities & wonders that might otherwise go unnoticed. His installations provide new contexts that force us to reconsider scale, appreciate the eccentric, enjoy the spectacle, and find our place in that relative space he's created—whether we recognize it as comfortable, or undoubtedly troublesome, the observations demand imagination.
Featured works include GODDESS Particle (2021), a newly commissioned fourteen-foot long neon comet that hovers overhead; No Wave Goodbye, Transmutation: Into the Wind (2016) the tail end of a 2001 Volkswagen Passat B5 station wagon suspended from the ceiling; Lunacy (2010), a thirteen-foot diameter, inflatable felted-wool replica of the moon, with all its pocks and craters; and Dumbo and Bourbon Pillow (2001), a life-sized inflatable pink elephant made of vinyl, standing over a pillow saturated with bourbon.
ABSTRACTED MIGRATIONS: IDEAS ON EMBODIED MOTION
October 2 – December 4, 2021
Opening reception: Friday 10/1 from 4-7 pm
On view October 2 - December 4, visiting curator Kalia Brooks presents Abstracted Migrations: Ideas on Embodied Motion in The Galleries at Moore. The exhibition features the work of three artists, Firelei Baéz, Saya Woolfalk and Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, whose practices model new modes of recognizing bodies in motion as emergent from the prospect (and consequence) of social and political forms, geographic and cultural mobility, technology and the stability of the environment in supporting the human condition. CLICK HERE to read more about the exhibition. Image above: Firelei Báez, DREAMer (a demand for opacity that weaves no boundaries), 2017. Acrylic and oil on canvas, 105 x 249 in. Private collection, courtesy of the artist & James Cohan Gallery, New York.
STEPHEN WOOD: WILD LANDS
October 6 – December 4, 2021
Wood created this new body of work during a recent sabbatical, in which he set out to explore the use of the Unreal 4 game engine as a tool to create 3D animated short films. Wood utilized Physical Based Rendering systems—allowing for high quality rendering in real time and increased high resolution rendering speeds—as well as Maya LT, Photoshop, Zbrush, Quixel Mixer and Corel Painter to create a teaser that expands the world of his tabletop role-playing game, Wild Lands. The short tells the history of the moles of Dew Drop Mountains and gives the viewer a glimpse into the Mole Kingdom of Stone Burrow—one of many locations in the Underways, a new setting for players and readers to explore in the Wild Lands universe.
VISIONARY WOMEN: LORENE CARY, HOWARDENA PINDELL, AND JOAN SHEPP
October 6 – November 13, 2021
This year, Moore honored three women with the Visionary Woman Award, celebrating the rich legacy of creatives that have found inspiration and success in their hometown of Philadelphia.
ALICIA GRULLON: FROM MARCH TO JUNE: AT HOME WITH ESSENTIAL WORKERS
July 31 – September 25, 2021
These self-portraits were created in the artist's home in New York City during the Covid-19 quarantine, from March To June 2020. In this body of work, Grullón simultaneously documents her time at home and current affairs affecting the nation during quarantine. As performances, they are sites of mapping, engaging in participatory approaches of record keeping with the body. CLICK HERE to read more about the exhibition.
HERE & THERE: ALUMNI INVITATIONAL
June 5 – August 21, 2021
Here & There highlights the work of six alumni whose artistic practices explore themes of "place." Through painting, photography, sculpture, and community engagement, the exhibition presents a variety of ways to understand how artists question, embrace, and interact with their surroundings. Featuring projects by Anne Canfield ’99 (BFA), Robin Dintiman ’72 (BFA), Naomieh Jovin ’17 (BFA), Michelle Angela Ortiz ’00 (BFA), Laura Petrovich-Cheney ’11 (MFA), and Rachel Wallis ’16 (MA).
RINGS! (1968-2021)
June 5 – July 17, 2021
Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, humans have adorned their fingers with ornamental jewelry. From signifying one's marital status to protecting the wearer from forces of evil, rings have served practical, symbolic and decorative purposes throughout history and across cultures. On view June 5 - July 17, RINGS! offers a glimpse into the boundless creative freedom revealed within the ring form.
Featuring work from Australia, Austria, England, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States, this international selection brings together over one hundred rings that demonstrate the artists’ wide-ranging expressions through a variety of aesthetic and conceptual ideas. From the traditional techniques of metalsmithing to avant-garde materials and approaches, the rings on view will offer a new examination of the cultural, political, and personal meanings of the ring itself.
RINGS! is organized by Helen Drutt and researched by Elizabeth Essner with assistance from Colleen Terrell.
CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2020
June 5 – July 17, 2021
In light of last year's situation, Moore's class of 2020 did not get to present their work in-person—this exhibition is the result of an open call and provides our recent grads with the opportunity to showcase thesis projects alongside their peers, albeit a year late. Participating artists include Emma Cortellessa (Illustration), Bri Cronin (Ilustration), Hannah Emert (Fine Arts), Victoria Gallagher (Photography & Digital Arts), Brianna (Olive) Hayes (Art Education, Aniyah Holmes (Fashion Design), Mary Kathryn Jardine (Graphic Design), Sarah Matheny (Fine Arts), Angela Palma (Illustration), Teonna Thornton (Fashion Design), and Nina Valdera (Art Education).
ANNUAL SENIOR SHOW
On view May 8-22, 2021, Moore's annual senior show featured the culminating thesis work of BFA students in all majors including Animation & Game Arts, Art Education, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Foundation, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design and Photography.