State of the Art 2020
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
February 22 - May 24, 2020
Crystal Bridges begins the new decade with the opening of the Momentary, a new space for contemporary visual and performing arts, and the debut of State of the Art 2020 at both locations with free admissions. Lauren Haynes, curator of visual arts at the Momentary and curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges, is leading State of the Art 2020, along with Alejo Benedetti, assistant curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges and Allison Glenn, associate curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges. The team visited studios across the country, resulting in the selection of a diverse group of 61 artists, from varied backgrounds and at different points in their careers.
Crystal Bridges begins the new decade with the opening of the Momentary, a new space for contemporary visual and performing arts, and the debut of State of the Art 2020 at both locations with free admissions. Lauren Haynes, curator of visual arts at the Momentary and curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges, is leading State of the Art 2020, along with Alejo Benedetti, assistant curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges and Allison Glenn, associate curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges. The team visited studios across the country, resulting in the selection of a diverse group of 61 artists, from varied backgrounds and at different points in their careers.
The 61 individuals in State of the Art 2020 represent a cross-section of artists working today and their artwork will be organized into thematic sections including world-building: creating real and fictional spaces; sense of place: investigating ideas of home, family, immigration, and more; mapping: connections to and relationships with landscapes and power, and temporality: the concept of time and how we perceive it.
Artists Featured in State of the Art 2020:
Sama Alshaibi | Tucson, AZ
Eddie Aparicio | Los Angeles, CA
Marcela Pardo Ariza | San Francisco, CA
Mae Aur | Memphis, TN
Frances Bagley | Dallas, TX
Paul Stephen Benjamin | Atlanta, GA
Frank Blazquez | Albuquerque, NM
Kate Budd | Akron, OH
Amy Casey | Cleveland, OH
Domingo Castillo | Miami, FL
Alex Chitty | Chicago, IL
JooYoung Choi | Houston, TX
Alex Bradley Cohen | Chicago, IL
Jill Downen | Kansas City, MO
Carla Edwards | Brooklyn, NY
Jenelle Esparza | San Antonio, TX
Peter Everett | Salt Lake City, UT
Joey Fauerso | San Antonio, TX
Elisa Harkins | Tulsa, OK
David R. Harper | Philadelphia, PA
L. Kasimu Harris | New Orleans, LA
Mari Hernandez | San Antonio, TX
Scott Hocking | Detroit, MI
Hong Hong | New Haven, CT
Letitia Huckaby | Benbrook, TX
Cory Imig | Kansas City, MO
Chele Issac | Madison, WI
Ronald Jackson | Spotsylvania, VA
Matthew Joynt | Chicago, IL
Lori Kella | Cleveland, OH
Jody Kuehner (Cherdonna) | Seattle, WA
Nicolas Lobo | Miami, FL
Joanna Keane Lopez | Albuquerque, NM
Jova Lynne | Detroit, MI
Suchitra Mattai | Denver, CO
Hannah McBroom | Kansas City, MO
Art Miller | Kansas City, MO
Cristina Molina | New Orleans, LA
Jiha Moon | Atlanta, GA
Tabitha Nikolai | Portland, OR
Kris Pierce | Dallas, TX
Timothy Portlock | St. Louis, MO
Enrico Riley | Lebanon, NH
Josh Rios | Chicago, IL
Kellie Romany | Chicago, IL
Anthony Romero | Boston, MA
George Sanchez-Calderon | Miami, FL
Jordan Seaberry | Providence, RI
Karen Seapker | Nashville, TN
Rick Silva | Eugene, OR
Anthony Sonnenberg | Fayetteville, AR
Edra Soto | Chicago, IL
Francisco Souto | Lincoln, NE
Damian Stamer | Hillsborough, NC
Su Su | Pittsburgh, PA
Jena Thomas | Spartanburg, SC
Stacy Lynn Waddell | Durham, NC
Larry Walker | Atlanta, GA
Diego Rodriguez Warner | Denver, CO
Didier William | Philadelphia, PA
Alice Pixley Young | Cincinnati, OH
More than 100 artworks will be featured in State of the Art 2020 — most created in the last three years. A number of artists are making site specific works in response to the interior architecture of both spaces as well as the histories of this region. At both the Momentary and Crystal Bridges, artwork will include paintings, sculpture, photography, video, performance, and mixed media.
State of the Art 2020 is the continuation of an exploration into contemporary art that began in 2014, when Crystal Bridges presented State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now. The exhibition sought to showcase art being created across the US and develop the understanding that contemporary art is approachable and relevant to topics of the day. More than 175,000 visitors experienced the exhibition and engaged in meaningful discussions and events surrounding the show. PBS created a documentary released in April 2019 called State of the Art, which follows the journeys of seven artists featured in that exhibition. After its opening at Crystal Bridges, State of the Art then traveled to the Minneapolis Institute of Art; Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA; Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN; The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; and the Frist Art Museum, formerly known as the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN.