Artists Interrogate: Race and Identity

The second in a series of exhibitions on social issues, Artists Interrogate: Race and Identity will include more than 80 objects drawn primarily from the permanent collection that explore how race and heritage issues influence politics and individuality in contemporary culture. These works—which span a variety of media from printmaking and photography to video and artist’s books—are drawn primarily from the permanent collection and touch on identity issues for Americans of African, Caucasian, Jewish, Latino, Native and Asian descent. Examples include Glenn Ligon’s untitled series based on Ellison’s seminal novel Invisible Man; Danny Lyon’s photo essay of the SNCC during the Civil Rights Movement; Tina Barney’s photographs of wealthy Anglo-Americans; Art Spiegelman’s Maus-related work; Luis Jiménez’s interpretation of contemporary Latino life in the United States; Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s examinations of the crossroads between Native and European culture; Roger Shimomura’s explorations of Japanese-American heritage; and Caren Heft’s description of Hmong traditions as practiced in Wisconsin. Offering a wide range of viewpoints, this exhibition will provide a glimpse into the complexity of the American people in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.