TEMPORARY EXHIBITION
Jeffrey Gibson: This Is the Day
OPENS
July 14, 2019
CLOSES
September 29, 2019
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About the Exhibition
Jeffrey Gibson: This Is the Day is a vibrant, celebratory exhibition in which the artist brings together his Choctaw and Cherokee heritage and a range of diverse artistic and cultural influences to explore race, sexuality, religion, and gender. More than 50 works made between 2014 and 2018 include intricately beaded wall hangings and punching bags, paintings, ceramics, garments, helmets, and a new video commissioned for the exhibition, I Was Here (2018). The film follows Macy, a trans-Choctaw woman living on a reservation in rural Mississippi, melding documentary and fantastical elements in a way that harkens back to independent films from the 1980s and 90s such as “Bagdad Cafe” (1987) and “My Own Private Idaho” (1991).
In his work, Gibson (b. 1972; based in Claverack, New York) often joins exuberant colors, patterns, and materials with text borrowed from such authors as James Baldwin and Simone de Beauvoir or song lyrics by Grace Jones, Boy George, and other musicians. These combinations highlight the unexpected connections between ceremonies and performances found in Native American powwow rituals, dance clubs, and drag shows, underscoring the complex vitality of Gibson’s eclectic sources.
This exhibition will be on view in our Butler Gallery, located on the ground floor of the museum.
Share your experience on social media using #ThisIsTheDayATX
Jeffrey Gibson: This Is the Day is organized by the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, Clinton, New York.
Generous funding for this exhibition at the Blanton is provided by Jeanne and Michael Klein, with additional support from Suzanne Deal Booth, Nicole and George Jeffords, and Bridget and Patrick Wade.
This exhibition was curated by Tracy L. Adler, Johnson-Pote Director of the Wellin Museum.
The Blanton’s presentation is organized by Veronica Roberts, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Blanton Museum of Art.
Installation Photography
Past Programs
7.12.19 – Artist Conversation with Jeffrey Gibson
7.26.19 – B scene: A Love Supreme
8.3.19 – Gallery Talk: This Is the Day
8.6.19 – Curator-Led Gallery Talk: This Is the Day
9.10.19 – Curator-Led Gallery Talk: This Is the Day
9.14.19 – Curator-Led Gallery Talk: This Is the Day
Exhibition Video
Press
Arts and Culture Texas, ‘The Hearts I Have Touched Will Be the Proof’ Jeffrey Gibson at the Blanton
The Austin Chronicle, “Jeffrey Gibson: This Is the Day” at the Blanton
Glasstire, Top Five: July 24, 2019
FOX 7 Austin, Jeffrey Gibson exhibit at the Blanton
Sightlines, Call and Response: A Conversation with Jeffrey Gibson
Spotify Playlist
Credits
Jeffrey Gibson: This Is the Day is organized by the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College, Clinton, New York.
Generous funding for this exhibition at the Blanton is provided by Jeanne and Michael Klein, with additional support from Suzanne Deal Booth and Bridget and Patrick Wade.
Image Credit
Jeffrey Gibson. PEOPLE LIKE US, 2018. Custom-printed polyester satin and neoprene, cotton, silk Ikat velvet, wool, repurposed quilt, tapestry, and vestment, with glass, plastic, and stone beads, nickel and brass studs, brass grommets, cultured pearls, nylon ribbon, and artificial sinew on canvas, suspended from tipi poles with rawhide ties, 85 x 74 x 5 in. (215.9 x 188 x 12.7 cm). Courtesy of the artist; Roberts Projects, Los Angeles; Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; and Kavi Gupta, Chicago. Photograph by Caitlin Mitchell. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College.