Martin Art Gallery

MAG is pleased to share this video artist talk by one of the first artists MAG Director Paul M. Nicholson brought to the gallery, R. Sikoryak. Here, Sikoryak talks about his timely new project: "Constitution Illustrated", which was published earlier this week. In 2016 MAG hosted a gallery exhibition of R. Sikoryak's "Terms and Conditions", a critical project that illustrated the iTunes terms and conditions using a multitude of graphic styles.... https://www.rsikoryak.com/

As we enter the final scheduled weekend for Anthony Cervino’s Hurry with the Furies, MAG would like to acknowledge Anthony’s success in putting together a wonderful exhibition. While we are heartbroken to have not been able to share Anthony’s show widely before the closure of campus in early March, we are pleased to be able to share a few images of this wonderful exhibition. Catalogs will be available at the Martin Art Gallery front desk upon the reopening of Muhlenberg Co...llege campus. Additionally, Anthony was not able to give a public talk on his work, but we look forward to hosting him on campus to speak about his work when it’s safe to do so.

About COVID-19, our Programming, and Protocols: Because of our organization’s mission to unite the public through a shared experience of art and creativity, we are paying close attention to the CDC’s guidelines with respect to large public gatherings to keep the safety of Campus and Community in mind while moving forward with programming decisions moving forward. Martin Art Gallery will adhere to all guidance and protocols outlined by leadership at the College, and will mak...e any potential available hours consistent with open hours of the Baker Center for the Arts, and the College more broadly. Because these guidelines are subject to change, we encourage visitors to check muhlenberg.edu for updates before visiting the gallery or campus. With immediate effect, we will cancel forthcoming talks and events occurring this coming week and continuing through at least April 13th 2020. We move forward with the awareness that conditions are fluid, and that we may need to announce additional cancellations moving forward. The forthcoming exhibition: The Autonomous Anomaly, Curated by Felice Moramarco, including all talks and public programming related to the exhibition, previously scheduled to open on March 25th and moving forward - will be postponed until the 2020/2021 semester.

Life of the Mind is now on view through March 15. Life of the mind is an exhibition comprising three parts, each probing what exactly employers are asking of us while we are on the job. Any and all work requires an output, and when we sell our labor, that labor consists of some combination of physical and mental energies. Through the projects in this exhibition, Burak Delier, Vesna Pavlovi and Pilvi Takala examine the context and costs of that transaction on our mental liv...es. The title of the exhibition is taken from moral philosopher Hannah Arendt’s (19061975) final work of the same name. Life of the Mind (posthumously published in two volumes in 1977 and 1978) begins with a quote from Cato the Elder (234149 BCE) Never is he more active than when he does nothing, never is he less alone than when he is by himself. Arendt saw modernity as an age of bureaucratic administration filled with anonymous labor, dominated by elites who manipulate public opinion. Arendt’s perspective was shaped by her experience under totalitarianism, and it is as relevant in the present day as ever. Today, the consequences of neoliberal capitalism and increased authoritarianism here and elsewhere are exponentially amplified by deindustrialization, automation and Artificial Intelligence, which are reshaping not only workplaces, but the mental lives of white collar workers all over the globe. We all seek to be free, and to think and do what we want, but in order to survive under any economic system, most of us need to go to work. Many of us take pride in our careers, and for those who do, it’s an integral part of our personal identity. Through the work of these three artists, we don’t find satisfying or tidy answers to questions about personal and professional boundaries, but instead are given further avenues of inquiry about the norms, compromises, and control that our workplaces offer in exchange for what we hope amounts to a living wage. Life of the Mind was curated and organized by MAG Gallery Director Paul M. Nicholson. Catalogs for this show will be available starting Monday, February 10th.

From Heide Fasnacht's solo show Past Imperfect, on view through February 8th: Wicked Twister, 2019 48" x 60", Acrylic paint on manipulated photo, mounted on board.

not mentioned below is the exhibition catalog, some still available, featuring a wonderful essay by @Nancy.Princenthal

Images from the opening last night, once again, congratulations to Heide on an excellent exhibition [on view through February 8th], and to her for 2019 Anonymous Was a Woman Grant https://www.artnews.com//anonymous-was-a-woman-award-2019/

Congratulations to Heide Fasnacht, just named a 2019 Anonymous Was A Woman Award recipient! Fasnacht's works are new now on view in our gallery in her solo show: Past Imperfect, on view through February 8th in our own Martin Art Gallery and adjacent Center for the Arts public spaces.