(Art)work: Systems of Making
CU Art Museum, Boulder, CO

The artworks displayed in this gallery address issues of labor and the workplace across time periods and geographies. Although the objects on view are created by makers from diverse backgrounds with different lived experiences, together, they call attention to social expectations and values associated with different types of work. Highlighted themes include artist collaborations; systems and processes of artmaking; the coding of labor according to class, gender and race; labor movements; and the connections between labor and nationalism.

This exhibition was curated by CU graduate students Brittany Ashley, Brianna Autin, Kat Bertram, J. Benjamin Burney, Rachel DeNagy, Sierra Cosmidis-Grove, Juniper Guthrie, Sam Hensley, Elena Lompe, Aunna Moriarty, Taite Shomo, and Dani Wasserman. This curatorial collective engaged with questions informed by social justice practice, such as: What does collaboration look like? How can we make visible the work of artists and creative networks? And how can we amplify and honor the contributions of all workers? Core curatorial values for this project include humility, responsibility, and transparency.

The exhibition and programming are generously supported by CU Boulder Student Arts and Cultural Enrichment fees and CU Art Museum members.

Images courtesy The Journal Gallery.