More American Photographs Exhibit at MCA Denver
DENVER (January 3, 2012) - The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) today announces the exhibition, More American Photographs, opening March 1, 2012 with more than 100 works presenting some of the best-known examples from the Farm Security Administration (FSA) alongside recently commissioned work from 12 contemporary artists.
Inspired by the FSA’s 1930’s and 1940’s program to document the Great Depression’s effects on America’s landscape and people, More American Photographs offers a portrait of America today in the wake of the Great Recession.
Incorporating FSA works owned by the Library of Congress, this exhibition vividly and poignantly discloses the diverse effects of the recent economic calamity: environmental disasters, factory-ghost towns, the collapse of the housing boom and a lack of economic mobility.
The exhibition’s 12 contemporary artists include Walead Beshty, Larry Clark, Roe Ethridge, Katy Grannan, William E. Jones, Sharon Lockhart, Catherine Opie, Martha Rosler, Collier Schorr, Stephen Shore, Alec Soth and Hank Willis Thomas. Many of these artists, some of whom do not typically work in a documentary style, have emulated the same straightforward and unglamorous style of photorealism the FSA photographers pioneered in the 1930s. Such historical examples from Esther Bubley, Sheldon Dick, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, Gordon Parks, Marion Post Wolcott, Louise Rosskam and Ben Shahn will also be on view.
The exhibition’s title refers to Walker Evans’ American Photographs, one of the most powerful photography books ever produced, originally conceived as a catalogue to accompany Evans’ solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1938.
The exhibition is curated by Jens Hoffmann, director of the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts at the California College of the Arts, San Francisco (CCA Wattis). It was first exhibited at CCA Wattis from October 2—December 17, 2011, and following its presentation in Denver, will be traveling to the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, from January 26—April 7, 2013. Subsequent tour venues to be announced.
The presentation of the exhibition at MCA Denver is sponsored in part by MCA Denver’s Director’s Vision Society members and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. We would like to further thank the citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.
Currently on View
West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America, 1965-1977, on view through February 19, 2012.
Thinking About Flying, on view through April 30, 2012.
About MCA Denver
MCA Denver is a non-collecting institution acting as an incubator for art and ideas, artistic exchange, and dialog. As Denver’s first institution devoted entirely to contemporary art, MCA Denver inaugurated its new environmentally sustainable facility, designed by David Adjaye, on October 28, 2007. The 27,000 square foot space, located in the Lower Downtown area, received the distinction of Gold level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). MCA Denver marks David Adjaye’s first public building in the U.S. as well as his first contemporary art museum worldwide. In 2009, MCA Denver merged with The Lab at Belmar.
MCA Denver presents exhibitions of artworks by regional, national, and international artists.
Museum Location, Hours and Ticket Prices
MCA Denver is located at 1485 Delgany on the corner of 15th Street and Delgany, Denver, CO. The telephone number is 303 298 7554. Museum hours are Tuesday through Thursday 10AM to 6PM, Friday 10AM to 10PM and Saturday and Sunday 10AM to 6PM. The Museum is closed on Monday. General admission to the Museum is $10, senior and student tickets are $5. MCA Denver offers $1 off admission to visitors who come to the Museum via public transportation. Children under the age of 6 are admitted free.
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Inspired by the FSA’s 1930’s and 1940’s program to document the Great Depression’s effects on America’s landscape and people, More American Photographs offers a portrait of America today in the wake of the Great Recession.
Incorporating FSA works owned by the Library of Congress, this exhibition vividly and poignantly discloses the diverse effects of the recent economic calamity: environmental disasters, factory-ghost towns, the collapse of the housing boom and a lack of economic mobility.
The exhibition’s 12 contemporary artists include Walead Beshty, Larry Clark, Roe Ethridge, Katy Grannan, William E. Jones, Sharon Lockhart, Catherine Opie, Martha Rosler, Collier Schorr, Stephen Shore, Alec Soth and Hank Willis Thomas. Many of these artists, some of whom do not typically work in a documentary style, have emulated the same straightforward and unglamorous style of photorealism the FSA photographers pioneered in the 1930s. Such historical examples from Esther Bubley, Sheldon Dick, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, Gordon Parks, Marion Post Wolcott, Louise Rosskam and Ben Shahn will also be on view.
The exhibition’s title refers to Walker Evans’ American Photographs, one of the most powerful photography books ever produced, originally conceived as a catalogue to accompany Evans’ solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1938.
The exhibition is curated by Jens Hoffmann, director of the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts at the California College of the Arts, San Francisco (CCA Wattis). It was first exhibited at CCA Wattis from October 2—December 17, 2011, and following its presentation in Denver, will be traveling to the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, from January 26—April 7, 2013. Subsequent tour venues to be announced.
The presentation of the exhibition at MCA Denver is sponsored in part by MCA Denver’s Director’s Vision Society members and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. We would like to further thank the citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.
Currently on View
West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America, 1965-1977, on view through February 19, 2012.
Thinking About Flying, on view through April 30, 2012.
About MCA Denver
MCA Denver is a non-collecting institution acting as an incubator for art and ideas, artistic exchange, and dialog. As Denver’s first institution devoted entirely to contemporary art, MCA Denver inaugurated its new environmentally sustainable facility, designed by David Adjaye, on October 28, 2007. The 27,000 square foot space, located in the Lower Downtown area, received the distinction of Gold level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). MCA Denver marks David Adjaye’s first public building in the U.S. as well as his first contemporary art museum worldwide. In 2009, MCA Denver merged with The Lab at Belmar.
MCA Denver presents exhibitions of artworks by regional, national, and international artists.
Museum Location, Hours and Ticket Prices
MCA Denver is located at 1485 Delgany on the corner of 15th Street and Delgany, Denver, CO. The telephone number is 303 298 7554. Museum hours are Tuesday through Thursday 10AM to 6PM, Friday 10AM to 10PM and Saturday and Sunday 10AM to 6PM. The Museum is closed on Monday. General admission to the Museum is $10, senior and student tickets are $5. MCA Denver offers $1 off admission to visitors who come to the Museum via public transportation. Children under the age of 6 are admitted free.
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