Opening Reception: Friday, November 7, 2014

The Moment. The Backdrop. The Persona. is an examination of the uses of narrative in contemporary art by women. The exhibition of works in drawing, painting, video and new media reveal the continued power of storytelling in art today, and the myriad forms it takes.

The desire on the part of the artist to tell a story, and on the part of the viewer to glean one – in painting, photography, video, performance and more – is irresistible to the human spirit. To recognize the prevalence of narrative in art of the moment, Girls’ Club presents The Moment. The Backdrop. The Persona., an exhibition of works by more than thirty artists from the collection of Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz that invite the viewer to experience a singular isolated moment, an evocative backdrop or a deeply imagined character, sometimes a combination of two or more. Mostly the work of female contemporary artists, many of the stories channel archetypal narratives from mythology and fairy tales. Others examine contemporary relationships across a vast range from sober examinations of self and environment to high melodramas.

Artworks by Nicole Eisenman, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Kate Gilmore, Chantal Joffe, Rosemary Laing, Natalya Laskis, Lori Nix, Lisa Sanditz, Dasha Shishkin, Mickalene Thomas and Su-en Wong are included.

Public programming throughout the year include artists talks, workshops, experimental theatre, readings and other events involving the public in the dynamic occupation of storytelling.

A catalog will document the exhibition with an introduction by the curators Michelle Weinberg and Sarah Michelle Rupert, essays by prominent national and local writers and a creative writing by Laura McDermott, Girls’ Club writer in residence.