American Playlist: Selections From The University At Albany Art Collections
February 4 – April 5 2014
University Art Museum
Group Exhibition
Taking cues from history, popular culture, and the social landscape, this exhibition cuts a wide swath across American art from the early 1900s through 2013 as it considers varied representations and meanings that have defined the American experience and shaped its legacy. Selected from the University at Albany Art Collections, which include over 3,000 works (primarily on paper) that reflect over forty years of acquisitions and donations, the work presented here is a varied and spirited mix that parallels the collections’ eclectic nature.
The gallery is organized into loosely connected zones that feature diverse artistic positions linked by theme, form, or content. There is no fixed starting point for viewing. Contested histories; chance encounters and momentary connections; portraits of men and women, some celebrated, others unsung; city and farm, work and leisure, having and wanting—these are the main threads, though others may appear and overlap in multifarious ways to create a sampler or a playlist. Open to an array of possibilities, American Playlist aims for an atmosphere in which contradictory impulses and unexpected relationships emerge at every turn.
