Mary Smul
Willow, 2011
Found needlepoint and yarn
Courtesy of the Artist
Photography: Aaron Igler, Greenhouse Media LLC

Twenty-First Century Heirlooms

April 28 – September 15, 2013

The notion of an heirloom often describes objects “passed down” to family and friends. It suggests an intimate connection or—at a minimum—a relationship between something past and something present (and, hopefully, something future). This exhibition will use the work of contemporary artists to investigate heirlooms as ideas—as links between generations and communities, as concepts to modify or embellish, as techniques to master or modify, and as objects to treasure or refuse.

Featuring artists at various phases in their careers and objects crafted from a variety of different media, Twenty-First Century Heirlooms is a large-scale exhibition that offers a context for exploring what we value today and why. From brooches that use famous Western paintings as reference points to sculptures made of accumulations of recycled twentieth-century pressed glass, as well as fast food containers made of silver, the work included in this show expands and challenges how we define heirlooms in the twenty-first century.

Artists in the Exhibition

Chris Antemann, Lucrezia Bieler, Melanie Bilenker, Ashley Buchanan, Linda Cordell, Amber Cowan, Kim Cridler, Venetia Dale, Jack Earl, Michelle Erickson, Diane Falkenhagen, Susan Taylor Glasgow, Heirloom Couture/Joanne Kliejunas, Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Beth Lipman, Maggie Meister, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Susan Myers, emiko oye, Donna Sharrett, Christina Smith, Mary Smull, Kimberlie Tatalick, Jennifer Trask, Jonathan Wahl, and Stacey Lee Webber

Twenty-First Century Heirlooms

April 28 – September 15, 2013
Mary Smul
Willow, 2011
Found needlepoint and yarn
Courtesy of the Artist
Photography: Aaron Igler, Greenhouse Media LLC

The notion of an heirloom often describes objects “passed down” to family and friends. It suggests an intimate connection or—at a minimum—a relationship between something past and something present (and, hopefully, something future). This exhibition will use the work of contemporary artists to investigate heirlooms as ideas—as links between generations and communities, as concepts to modify or embellish, as techniques to master or modify, and as objects to treasure or refuse.

Featuring artists at various phases in their careers and objects crafted from a variety of different media, Twenty-First Century Heirlooms is a large-scale exhibition that offers a context for exploring what we value today and why. From brooches that use famous Western paintings as reference points to sculptures made of accumulations of recycled twentieth-century pressed glass, as well as fast food containers made of silver, the work included in this show expands and challenges how we define heirlooms in the twenty-first century.

Artists in the Exhibition

Chris Antemann, Lucrezia Bieler, Melanie Bilenker, Ashley Buchanan, Linda Cordell, Amber Cowan, Kim Cridler, Venetia Dale, Jack Earl, Michelle Erickson, Diane Falkenhagen, Susan Taylor Glasgow, Heirloom Couture/Joanne Kliejunas, Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Beth Lipman, Maggie Meister, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Susan Myers, emiko oye, Donna Sharrett, Christina Smith, Mary Smull, Kimberlie Tatalick, Jennifer Trask, Jonathan Wahl, and Stacey Lee Webber

Gallery of Work

Exhibitions at RAM are made possible by:

Platinum Sponsors

Judith and David Flegel Fund
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Ron and Judith Isaacs
Nicholas and Nancy Kurten
Windgate Foundation

Diamond Sponsors

Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation
Ruffo Family Foundation

Gold Sponsors
Anonymous
David Charak
Silver Sponsors
Art Bridges
A.C. Buhler Family
Andis Foundation
Baird
Lucy G. Feller
Ben and Dawn Flegel
Annette Hirsh Family
J. Jeffers & Co.
Dorothy MacVicar
RDK Foundation

Jan Serr and John Shannon
Bronze Sponsors

Anonymous
Susan Boland
Virginia Buhler
Butcher & Barrel/Amos Los Tacos
Educators Credit Union
Express Employment Professionals
Get Behind the Arts Studio Tour
William A. Guenther
Tom and Sharon Harty
Tony and Andrea Hauser
David and Judy Hecker
Bradley Lynch
Carlotta Miller
Larry and Barbara Newman
The Norbell Foundation
The Prairie School
Georgiana Treivush
Twin Disc, Inc.
Deb and Will Walker

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