backstory: Artistic Expression

“He greeted me in French with a soft and friendly tone that reminded me of the cordiality I had encountered in the Haitians families with which I had grown up in Montreal. In the studio there were dozens of wrapped objects. Engels diligently unpacked one after another in a sort of ritual. This slow pace, so rare in places like New York City, forced us to stop and conceive the singularity of each work. At the same time, across the whole studio space were hundreds of pictures, some old, some new, showing people visiting the studio and engaging with Engels. I left the studio filled with ideas for the installation and for the catalogue and residency.”

 

That project, which you still have a few days to see—it ends Sunday—has exemplified the kind of collaboration that is so special to us, the kind that really happens best in the academic museum. Through the exhibition and residency, visitors were able to engage directly with the artist, particularly during Purchase College’s Global Festival looking at Haiti. The artist was able to engage directly with our students, building a sculpture in our Art+Design building, and museum members were able to visit with the artist in his Brooklyn studio to learn about his creative process.  Bringing the art to life in this way, letting it leap off the museum wall so to speak, is actual and inspirational for us, key to the way we think about our work with contemporary artists. As we continue to imagine what these opportunities might look like in the future, stay tuned.