Art of the State

Frank Ominsky, Around the Ring (detail), aquatint, Works Progress Administration print, 1938

Curators: Nick Hartman, Emma Sharps, Cierra Shields, Erin Wotring

Instructors: John Begley and Peter Morrin

Reception: Thursday, July 26, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

During the Spring Semester 2012, the Hite's Curatorial Practice seminar as part of its course work visited a collection of Soviet era artwork.  This visit proved provocative through the questions it provoked regarding the roles of the state and the individual artist in creative activity.  Where do the lines between art, personal exprssion and propaganda lie?

How is this influence of the state integrated into the artwork?  And what can be deduced about the state and the artist by looking at this work?  What is authentic and what is manufactured to influence the audience?  These questions carry over into today's world on many levels, and are therefore relevant for investigation.

For further examination of works by US artists employed by the Works Progress Administration in the University's collections both in prints and photos followed, and later the class undertook a look at People's Republic of China posters from the Crane House's collection.

Several differences in attitude and goals both on the part of governments and the artists became apparent.  This exhibition selected from these observations has been produced to highlight this interesting phenomenon of influence, coercion and individual counterpoint.  Thoughtful looking allows comparisons that visually explicate how art produced under these different regimes manifest remarkably different attitudes, goals and values.