November 1, 2012 – March 30, 2013, Contemporary Gallery
Above: Jill Slosburg-Ackerman, In Rome (detail), 2009-2012, mixed media installation, dimensions variable. Photo: Ashley McDowell
Jill Slosburg-Ackerman’s drawing project, In Rome, was initiated while she was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome in 2009. Roman pine cones inspired her initial observational drawings and led her to draw other forms, in particular, the patterned stone floors she encountered in medieval Roman churches. As she explored connections between these two representative forms of nature and civilization, Slosburg-Ackerman’s project evolved in ways that expose the fluidity of boundaries between two- and three-dimensional experience, organic and geometric structure, intimate and architectural scale, sculpture and furniture.
Occupying floor and wall, the installation is composed of hundreds of elements – drawings, photographs, paintings, sculptures, video, furniture, hand-carved frames – grouped into visual “episodes.” The prominent roles of the pine frames are dual: emphasizing the exquisitely drawn details within their borders and acting as intermediaries between adjacent elements. With basic materials, Slosburg-Ackerman has created an unusually immersive and participatory perceptual experience, one which invites both detailed and leisurely exploration.
Cambridge-based, Slosburg-Ackerman (b. 1948 in Omaha) trained as a jeweler and a sculptor, earning a BFA and MFA from the Boston Museum School and Tufts University. She is Professor of Art at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
This exhibition is supported by the Don and Mary Melville Contemporary Art Fund.
Related Events
Book signing with the artist
Jill Slosburg-Ackerman: In Rome – Publication available now in Museum Shop
Saturday, March 30, 12-4pm
Salisbury Hall, outside the Contemporary Gallery
Last chance! Final Day of Exhibition
Exhibition Opening & Artist Reception: Jill Slosburg-Ackerman
Thursday, November 1, 5:30-8pm
Thank you for making this a great event.
Click here to see photos from the opening on our Flickr page.
Publication
Publication available now in Museum Shop
Book Signing with the artist
Saturday, March 30, 12-4pm
Salisbury Hall, outside the Contemporary Gallery
Last chance! Final Day of Exhibition
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