Head Shot, 2008, Glassbeads and mold-blown glass with thread and bullet casings.
Come Together, Right Now: The Art of Gathering
Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
October 11, 2020 — January 3, 2021
In the wake of the global pandemic and social uprisings, the Chrysler Museum will celebrate the value of community this fall with Come Together, Right Now: The Art of Gathering.
The exhibition features more than 100 works of art drawn from the Chrysler’s collection and digital photography submitted by members of the community. This Chrysler-curated show will give visitors the opportunity to see many works from the Chrysler’s collection that are rarely on view, including photography, paintings, sculpture, and installation works. Four themes–Together in Celebration, Together in Purpose, Together in Justice, and Together in Love— will display the many ways artists explore the joys and complexities of “coming together” and showcase how communities are linked by activities, celebrations, demonstrations, love, and family.
Come Together, Right Now was conceived in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when people faced unprecedented isolation while also uniting in a struggle to control the devastating disease. The feelings of distance and loneliness have fostered a new appreciation for communities and personal connections.
The public killings of Black and brown people intensified the sense of separation and division and the need to create community as we address uncomfortable but necessary questions about racism and intolerance and chart the course toward an inclusive future. Artwork reminds us of the value of community and prompts us to consider creative solutions to the impediments we face as we work to come together. It also helps us to discover all that we can learn right now from self-examination and each other through our common experiences, causes, celebrations, and struggles.
As we come together again, what values will we rediscover as we ponder the future and re-engage with family, friends and strangers alike? Each section of the exhibition will encourage visitors to reflect on how we can come together and why doing so is beneficial.