Curator’s Statement: ‘Bodies’ Waylaid by a Pandemic
Welcome to the virtual version of the Schiltkamp Gallery’s “Bodies” exhibition at Clark University.
This exhibition was to be shown in conjunction with the year-long symposium on “Bodies,” sponsored by the Higgins School of Humanities at Clark University, which took place during the 2019-20 academic year. However, after mid-March, the remaining programming — including this show — was waylaid by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This disruption to our lives continues to be a powerful reminder of the vulnerability of all human bodies — everywhere. The word “Bodies” connotes both individual mortal beings and whole groups, material carnality and conceptual coalition. According to Professor Meredith Neuman, former director of Higgins: “Bodies incorporate and synthesize contradiction. They are simultaneously metaphor and reality, machine and sensorium, the mortal coil and the site of transformation and wonder.”
For all of these reasons, there is perhaps no more powerful subject matter for the artist. This is about us — all of us.
This exhibition features unique interpretations of “Bodies” by 15 artists working in a variety of media. This is both an invitational and juried show and includes work by Clark faculty members Valerie Claff and Toby Sisson and Clark alumni Alexandra Gray ’17 and Michael Moore ’08.
The art was selected and curated by students in the spring 2020 Gallery Culture and Practice (ARTS 296) class: Sky Deitch ’23, Lilah Feitner ’22, Gittel Heschel-Aronson ’22, Amy (Chaoqun) Li ’20, Tommy Li ’21, Esha Shetty ’22, and Anna Svensen ’22, with four students also available for the installation this fall.
— Elli Crocker
Professor of Studio Art / Gallery Director
Online Gallery of Work
As part of the online version of “Bodies,” view the work of 15 artists and read their statements and biographies.
On Exhibit
‘Bodies’ Installation
