Celebrating the Eskenazi Museum of Art’s commitment to studying, exhibiting, and collecting contemporary art, this exhibition features 51 works by 45 artists—all of which were acquired in the past five years. As a preeminent teaching museum, the Eskenazi Museum of Art recognizes a need to include more contemporary art in its collection. Some of the works in this exhibition represent the first by an emerging or mid-career artist in our collection, while others add to existing holdings by established masters. Central to our collecting philosophy is adding diversity in terms of artistic identity, subject matter, materials, and techniques. This exhibition is divided into five themes—Beauty and Identity; Race, Ethnicity, and Community; Social Activism; Nature and Place; and Abstraction—although the divisions have been left intentionally fluid, as some works reflect multiple ideas. Some of the artists included in the show have a strong regional connection, including several IU faculty artists, while others create work that alludes to larger public art projects or performance pieces.
The exhibition is curated by Nannette Brewer, Lucienne M. Glaubinger Curator of Works on Paper.
