Kennedy Museum of Art
Homesteading Women: Past, Present, Near and Far
SEPTEMBER 23 - MARCH 19, 2023
Homesteading Women, curated by Elizabeth Thompson, juxtaposes archival material illustrating the lives of women homesteaders of the 19th century with interviews and photographs of contemporary women homesteaders in and around Athens County. Historical women homesteaders often have been regarded as reluctant helpmeets to men, yet the records they left tell a different story, one that highlights the important role they played as well as their resourcefulness, creative problem-solving, and community-building. Contemporary women homesteaders and farmers demonstrate similar traits, skills, and values.
Yellow Dirt: New Paintings by John Feodorov
SEPTEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 18, 2022
John Feodorov is a Seattle-based artist, musician and educator of mixed Navajo (Diné) and Euro-American heritage. His work questions and explores assumptions about identity, place, and spirituality within the contexts of consumerism, colonization and environmental degradation.The Yellow Dirt series responds to the ongoing health and environmental crises on and near the Navajo reservation from over 500 abandoned uranium mines.
Recent Acquisitions
MARCH 25 - DECEMBER 4, 2022
The Kennedy Museum of Art (KMA) collections committee accepted over 50 new works into the permanent collection in 2022. A sampling of these artworks, including photography by Christopher Payne and retired professor Laura Larson, prints by Burhan Dogançay, a sculpture by Anne Culbert, and numerous ceramic works donated by Professor Emeritus Joe Bova and the International Academy of Ceramics, are featured in the Recent Acquisitions exhibition.
Night Skies: Navajo Textiles Depicting Sandpaintings
MARCH 25 - DECEMBER 4, 2022
Night Skies features twelve weavings from Kennedy Museum of Art’s (KMA) Edwin L. and Ruth E. Kennedy Southwest Native American Collection (SWNA). The weavings replicate imagery similar to that of sandpaintings created during traditional ceremonial practices of the Navajo (Diné) people. Called “chants,” “sings,” or “ways,” ceremonies are held for a variety of reasons, including restoration of harmony and balance. It is important to note that the sandpainting weavings are not ceremonial objects and carry neither the meaning nor the healing power that ceremonial drypaintings hold.
Representation of Women in KMA Collections
MARCH 25 - DECEMBER 4, 2022
Representation of Women in KMA Collections is a student generated exhibition developed by Kennedy Museum of Art education interns. This project began in spring 2021 as an online curatorial initiative for the Museum Experiences Blog called “KMA Picks.” The main theme of the exhibition emerged as student interns Madeline Kramer and Tristen Luken combed through thousands of images of art in the Museum’s collections and were drawn to a range of works representing women and the female form.