Jillian McDonald:Alone Together in the Dark

Social Studies Project 5
Artist in residence in the gallery: October 5-November 14, 2009
Exhibition: October 5, 2009-January 9, 2010

Social Studies challenges the traditional exhibition format by opening with an empty gallery and an artist in residence who considers social interaction a crucial part of their art-making. Visitors are invited into the gallery to participate with the artist to create objects and installations, or to observe and question the process. Working through public/private partnerships with multiple ASU departments, schools and community organizations, the project brings museum visitors into the art-making process, invites extensive collaboration with community and university students, and greatly enhances the museum’s role as a vital gathering place.

In this, our fifth Social Studies project, Canadian artist Jillian McDonald will explore sustainability in the museum while including grassroots, community conversations. “At this point, my thoughts for the Tempe project circulate around haunted sites, ghosts and abandoned houses, focusing on ideas around sustainable living, ghost towns and The Day of the Dead,” says McDonald. “I will be visiting Arizona in June to get acquainted with the landscape and local customs, and to further develop site-specific ideas.”

Usually, a work of art is created in the solitude of an artist’s studio, shipped to an exhibition space and installed by museum staff; this project will allow museum visitors direct access to a contemporary artist and her creative process. Research, discussion and art-making are the subject matter of Social Studies rather than a behind-the-scenes activity.

The project will culminate in an installation, led by the artist, which will remain at the museum beyond the six-week residency. There are few artists in Phoenix who work in this method and, as the city continues to mature, projects like Social Studies will play an important role in presenting new ways to make, think about and participate in art.

Inquires

Donations to the ASU Foundation