Traveling Exhibitions

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Challenge VIII: Bartram’s Boxes Remix

The Center is pleased to announce the next Challenge series and tour starting Spring 2014. Challenge VIII: Bartrams Boxes Remix is an exhibition call to wood turners, furniture makers, sculptors, painters, printers, video, instillation, performance, and multi-media artists.

Challenge VIII Bartram’s Boxes Remix

(BBR) is a collaborative project between the Center and Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia (home of famed 18th century explorer and botanist John Bartram). The title of this project, Bartram’s Boxes Remix, references the boxes containing seeds, plants, and curiosities that John Bartram began sending to his colleagues in England in 1735, making Bartram’s Garden an international hub of plant knowledge and sharing.

In the spirit of John Bartram’s desire to share his passion for trees and other plants, BBR will bring together artists who will create works in wood and other materials from Bartram’s Garden. Artists will be able to select from 13 types of wood from the Garden felled by a recent storm. BBR celebrates John Bartram’s legacy of discovery and will provide a unique opportunity for artists to “remix” the history, materials and inspiration of one of America’s oldest gardens in their work.

In September 2011, the Center received over 100 responses to the project from artists around the world. The Center’s Exhibitions Committee narrowed the first round of applicants to 53 artists inviting them to artist retreats to explore the garden, learn more about the project and to submit a final proposal for the jury. A final list of artists and their proposed work will be available in February 2012. The Jury includes: Leah Douglas, Director of Exhibitions, Philadelphia International Airport; Joel T. Fry, Curator, Bartram’s Garden; and Mira Nakashima, Artist,Philadelphia. A catalogue will be published which will include images of all the work, artists’ statements, and curatorial essays.

The Challenge series provides artists from around the world with a forum to push the frontiers of conceptualizing and executing their work while inviting the public to expand its understanding and appreciation of contemporary art in wood. The Challenge series includes works from both established and emerging artists. 

For more information about the project or to learn more about having your venue be apart of the tour schedule please contact Ron Humbertson, Director of Exhibitions and Collections at ron@centerforartinwood.org