Rachel Burgess’s temporary studio in her basement. Rachel Burgess at the South Bend Museum of Art
June 1 – December 27, 2020
The mentality of the nation shifted during the week of March 13, 2020. That week, the respiratory illness, COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus, went from being something concerning to something alarming as the United States declared a national state of emergency. If we weren’t seeing things differently already (doorknobs, handshakes, water fountains, etc.), we did then.
The South Bend Museum of Art closed its doors due to the pandemic on March 16. At the same time, doors were shutting all across the country to help prevent the spread of the virus. Stay-at-home orders were issued by governors and people began to wait.
During this time SBMA staff discussed many strategies for furthering the museum’s mission virtually. The idea for Making A Way — SBMA’s first online exhibition — grew from these conversations. We saw it as an opportunity to assist artists through exposure to their work while also presenting the public with an art experience from within the safety of their homes. Most importantly, we wanted to share the stories of artists — how the Coronavirus and imposed restrictions had affected their lives and their work. In the end, we hoped the exhibition would also be a way to connect people through visual art as expressions of a shared experience during a time when what is safest is to stay apart from one another.
As this exhibition is not bound to a physical space or ordinary logistics, it will release episodically, beginning with TOGETHER on June 1.
ADAPTATION | June 8
Artists adapting to the loss of their regular work space, equipment or materials
Featuring artists: Andranik Aroutiounian, Pat Brentano, Rachel Burgess, Jennifer Celio, Joe Karlovec, Ken Reker, Shawn Rowe, and Amy Schissel
Click here to view the full list of participating artists.
Follow Rachel on Instagram here.
