submitted
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rochester Art Center, 30 Civic Center Drive SE, Suite 120, Rochester, MN 55904 rochesterartcenter.org, 507-722-2552
Exhibition on view August 26, 2023 – April 3, 2024
Curated by Zoe Cinel
From the top left to the bottom right: Lauryn Youden. Lockdown 2020, 2023. 41.4” x 27.5”. Photo: Timo Ohler. Courtesy of Lauryn Youden. Weng San Sit. Routine as Repertoire – Susan Trachman, 2021- Ongoing. Digital image. Variable Dimension. Anna Cowley Ford. Fatigue, 2020. Cotton bedsheets used by the artist. 72” x 72” x 72”
Opening reception | September 10, 2023
1:00 – 4:00 PM Art activities in the gallery and light refreshments
2:00 PM Tour of the exhibition led by Curator Zoe Cinel, with the participation of featured artists Drew Maude-Griffin and May Ling Kopecky, and Juror Victor Montori M.D.
Event Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opening-reception-for-chronicles-of-the-chronic-tickets-681785818737
More info: https://www.rochesterartcenter.org/exhibition/chronicles-of-the-chronic
About the exhibition
Chronicles of the Chronic is a group exhibition that celebrates the creativity and resilience of the chronically ill community. It features thirteen regional, national and international artists whose artistic practice reflects holistically upon the experience of living with a chronic condition.
What does it mean to navigate capitalism, the healthcare system and the artworld as an artist living with chronic, often invisible, conditions that require ongoing medical attention and impose limitations? This exhibition considers illness as an individual yet public experience and it promotes an intersectional approach to care and healing. It presents the narratives of disabled, queer, immigrant, and other historically underrepresented communities through twelve artworks created in a variety of media (including soft sculpture, photography, participatory installations, and storytelling).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculates that six out of ten adults in the United States suffer from a chronic disease. But illness is still culturally regarded as an isolating topic to be discussed within closed walls in a scientific or private context. In Rochester (MN), the birthplace of the top-ranked U.S. hospital, Mayo Clinic, health and care are central to the daily life of many residents and visitors. In this unique context, Chronicles of the Chronic invites all audiences to embark on a transformative journey that normalizes conversations around these topics. The artists’ perspectives on illness, wellness and disability move past binary constructs and they encourage us to find healing as individuals, communities and as a society.As artist Emma MacLean writes on her featured artwork Pain Journal N.2, “I used to believe that sickness and wellness were diametrically opposed, but I understand now that they flow back and forth and within each other.”
In addition to the artworks, visitors have access in the gallery to a multimedia library with books, podcasts and additional resources about care and healing. In-person and virtual programming related to the exhibition will connect artists and healthcare professionals in order to build a stronger community and mend relationships.
Featured artists
Anna Cowley Ford (TX)
Anna Hite (MS)
Benjamin Merritt (MN)
Brothers Sick – Ezra and Noah Benus, (NYC)
Drew Maude Griffin (MN)
Geography of Illness – Emma Jones, (WA)
Emma MacLean (MN)
Jennifer Bastian (WI)
Kym McDaniel (UT)
Lauryn Youden (Berlin, Germany)
May Ling Kopecky (MN)
Weng San Sit (CA)
Eight artists were invited by Art Center’s Curator Zoe Cinel. Five artists were selected through a juried process from a pool of eighty one applicants, by a diverse jury of artists, curators and healthcare professionals. Jurors: Alison Berglom Johnson (independent artist and disability advocate), Keisha Williams (MCAD Gallery Director and Curator), Victor Montori M.D. (founder of Patient Revolution and author of Why We Revolt) and Zoe Cinel.
Center for Humanities in Medicine, Patient Revolution, Disability MERG at Mayo Clinic
Sponsorship Opportunities
Individual and corporate sponsors play a very important role in making exhibitions happen at the Rochester Art Center. As a sponsor, you will receive opportunities and benefits tailored to meet your individual or business goals. The Rochester Art Center welcomed over 38,000 visitors through the galleries in 2022. Allow us to elevate your brand through recognition in the galleries and online, reaching a diverse audience that includes art enthusiasts, lifelong learners, families, national and international visitors.
About Rochester Art Center
Rochester Art Center is a museum of contemporary art located along the Zumbro River in the heart of historic downtown Rochester, MN. Founded in 1946, the Art Center hosts an ongoing schedule of exhibitions of work by local, regional, national, and international artists; dynamic educational programs for all ages; and an array of community partnerships and visitor engagement initiatives. Through world-class exhibitions and programs, the Art Center presents a welcoming, integrated, and diverse experience that encourages questioning, creativity, and critical thinking.
CONTACT Kalianne Morrison, Advancement Coordinator | kmorrison@rochesterartcenter.org