The Kennedy Museum of Art’s annual fall exhibition includes a multitude of works that aim to inspire viewers and explore past the surface level of art. This year’s exhibition, titled “Self Adjacent" opens Sept. 20 and goes through March 2025.
Curated by Sarah Irvin and Tracey Stonestreet, “Self Adjacent” is a “traveling group exhibition” that “examines the transforming experience of parenthood by artists as they navigate their many identities alongside and within the field of caregiving.”
The exhibition — appearing at Massey Klein Gallery in New York City, the Visual Arts Center in Richmond, Virginia and now the Kennedy Museum — includes pieces from 20 artists from across the United States, all of whom showcase their unique outlooks on parenthood. Irvin said the exhibition shares an important central message.
“The show is meant to really encourage people to think about the experiences of caregiving and parenthood and raising a child in a way that is very nuanced,” Irvin said.
Irvin said the show’s theme hopes to shine light on topics such as sexuality, race and gender, and how these topics intersect with mental health.
“I think that it is not a very popular topic in cultural discourse, especially in fine arts,” Irvin said. “We are trying to bring some of the really important work that artists are doing about their experiences to the forefront by giving it a platform.”
In addition to emphasizing the themes of parenthood and caregiving, the exhibition’s goal is to inform on the curriculum of each Ohio University student. Lisa Quinn, the Kennedy Museum registrar, said the museum is strictly centered on the academics of the university.
“This is a multimedia exhibition,” Quinn said. “It hits a lot of different areas in the School of Art. There is photography, video, printmaking … it goes beyond the art and goes into other themes of topics that are studied here at the university.”
Quinn said because of her involvement with the exhibition’s installation, she is especially excited to welcome curators, students and Athens locals into the show.
“Exhibitions are an opportunity for people to come back multiple times (and) focus on different works,” Quinn said. “There are 20-plus works in the (exhibition), so you can’t always focus on just one thing.”
Curators and artists are not the only ones involved in the creation of the exhibition. The Kennedy Museum relies heavily on student workers to help install the exhibit, allowing them to get hands-on experience and learn the ropes.
Di Galbraith, a senior studying history, said her contribution to the exhibit helped prepare her for a program she is joining in the spring.
“I would say this is the first exhibit I really worked on,” Galbraith said. “It is just something that I am proud to be a part of.”
Galbraith said she has developed a deeper understanding of the show’s theme and feels connected to the pieces themselves.
Both the curators and artists encourage students and Athens locals to explore “Self Adjacent” and all it has to offer. Irvin said “Self Adjacent” has been a valuable resource in helping her acknowledge the various perspectives on parenthood and she hopes viewers will do the same.
“I hope they feel a lot of curiosity,” Irvin said. “I hope they feel that new questions are raised that they don’t normally think about … (and) it gives people an opportunity to … think about all the possibilities out there.”
