This exhibition—part of the RAM Showcase series—highlights the work of artists Russell T. Gordon and James Tanner, both of whom were educators with significant positions in their respective universities. While both of their works have been shown at RAM before, this exhibition is an opportunity to share more about the artists—reflecting a few moments of intersection between them.

This exhibition spotlights glass as an art medium but, more importantly, in some ways, calls attention to the work of contemporary artists of color from RAM’s collection. While neither of these two threads are unique ones at RAM, this is the first exhibition dedicated to featuring only artists of color working with this material.

This show—part of the new RAM Showcase series of exhibitions—highlights contemporary artists of color whose work addresses intellectual, philosophical, and spiritual concepts through abstraction.

The unifying theme of this exhibition is that the works presented are objects—sculptural, functional, or both—made by artists from diverse backgrounds, all residing within the United States. Subject matter varies—from material exploration to personal narrative to function. While this work is not directly issue-oriented, the fact that the makers themselves, as artists of color, have experienced a wide range of implicit and explicit biases is a subcontext worthy of consideration. Seen through that lens, the story these objects tell is even more complex.