Hunter Museum of American Art

Object Project at the Hunter Museum

“Object Project” features 15 artists who incorporated five common items in their work

CONTACT: Katrina Craven (423) 752-2070 kcraven@huntermuseum.org

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Sept. 1, 2008) – What happens when you take five common objects and challenge 15 contemporary artists to incorporate those items into their work? The result is “Object Project” is an unusual exhibition that features 30 paintings by 15 contemporary artists.

Each of the artists were given the five objects—a clear glass of water, a moth, a ball of string, a bone and a mirror—in order to develop works that were consistent with each of their visions, but with common ties. The resulting works are a medley of portraiture, still life painting and landscapes in a variety of media.

The exhibition, organized by the artists in conjunction with the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science, Indiana, takes a look at how individuals perceive the creative process even while using the same objects in their work.

While the artists come from a variety of backgrounds, each share an interest in contemporary realism and are prominent painters in their field. Artists featured in the exhibition include Steven Assael, Michael Bergt, Debra Bermingham, Deborah Deichler, Rob Evans, Scott Fraser, F. Scott Hess, Robert C. Jackson, Janet Monafo, Pamela Sienna, Daniel Sprick, Skip Steinworth, Nancy Switzer, Jeff Uffelman and Will Wilson.

The exhibition began as a conversation among some of the artists and later developed into a plan which the artists presented to the Evansville Museum. The museum, fascinated by the idea and impressed by the quality of participating artists, agreed to host the exhibition before any art work had been created. It is quite unusual for artists to effectively curate their own museum displays, and for cultural institutions to commit their resources to an exhibition that doesn’t exist.

In choosing the objects to paint, the artists compiled a list of 45 possible elements and then voted on their favorites, narrowing the list to the five items they found most appealing. In the end, the biggest challenge was not in choosing the objects, but in finding enough objects that were exactly alike. The glasses of water, string and mirrors were easy to find, but the moths and bones proved difficult. The artists eventually worked with an entomologist to locate moths that were similar, and had casts made of a single bone so that all participants were working with objects of the same dimensions. Although the artists used the same objects as starting points for their compositions, every painting in the exhibition demonstrates each artist’s distinct creative vision.

###

The Hunter Museum of American Art is located at 10 Bluff View in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Museum is open every day until 5 p.m., Thursdays until 8 p.m. For more information the public may call the Museum at (423) 267-0968, or visit us on the Web at www.huntermuseum.org.