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10: Artist as Catalyst

September 24 – December 1
Downtown Gallery

About: 

Seeking a space to present new political art, artists formed the Alternative Museum in New York in 1975. Like the museum, these prints by participating artists address social and humanitarian issues in their imagery that still resonate in today’s cultural landscape.

Curatorial Text:

10: Artist as Catalyst

Seeking a space to present new political art in a non-commercial context, artists formed the Alternative Museum in New York in 1975. Many of these artists were outspoken critics of government and social institutions. One way for the state to answer these critics was to reduce public funding for the arts in an exchange that became emblematic of the “culture wars” of the 1980s. To offset this reduced funding, in 1992 10 artists produced prints and bundled them into a portfolio that was sold to support the Alternative Museum. These prints – from the collection of the Samek Art Museum at Bucknell University – presented here bear witness to the ongoing role of artist as social critic and catalyst for social change.

 From the portfolio cover sheet of 10. Artist as Catalyst:

“The Alternative Museum is dedicated to presenting exhibitions of humanitarian significance that explore issues of social and political concern. Our mission is to facilitate a forum in which artists and the public can together challenge traditions and explore new ideas toward a shared ideal of a more equitable society.

 The Museum seeks to exhibit the work of those artists who have been disenfranchised because of ideology, race, gender, or economic inequality. Our goal is to redefine the notion of art by recognizing the contributions a diverse community can make given the true enfranchisement of all artists as equals.”

Exhibited Works: 

Untitled

Ida Applebroog
Untitled, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.2

Untitled

Lotto: The American Dream

Luis Cruz Azaceta
Lotto: The American Dream, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.5

Lotto: The American Dream

Interrogation

Leon Golub
Interrogation, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.7

Interrogation

The Mass of Mankind

Luis Jimenez
The Mass of Mankind, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.9

The Mass of Mankind

American Noir

Jerry Kearns
American Noir, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.3

American Noir

Lenin at the Palladium, May Day, New York City

Komar and Melamid
Lenin at the Palladium, May Day, New York City, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.4

Lenin at the Palladium, May Day, New York City

Let’s Have a Talk

Adrian Piper
Let’s Talk, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.10

Let's Have a Talk

Yellow Peril

Ben Sakoguchi
Yellow Peril, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.1

Yellow Peril

Red River #10

Andres Serrano
Red River #10, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.6

Red River #10

Cure/Heal

Lorna Simpson
Cure/Heal, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection
1998.2.8

Cure/Heal

Introductory page from 10: Artist as Catalyst portfolio

Robert Storr
Introductory page from 10: Artist as Catalyst portfolio, 1992
Silkscreen on paper
Gift of Ernest Kalman
Samek Art Museum Collection

Introductory page from 10: Artist as Catalyst portfolio

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