Contact Us
Tues - Sun, 11 a.m - 4 p.m.
Closed Monday
Free admission
Media Inquiries:
AU Communications
aumedia@american.edu
202-885-5950
Behind the Scenes: Preparators and their Art
Presented by the Alper Initiative for Washington Art
Originally scheduled April 4-May 24, 2020
This exhibition was cancelled to contain the spread of COVID-19 in 2020. Visit our Museum@Home for digital resources and more information.
Artist Studio Series: Sara Dittrich
Baltimore artist Sara Dittrich presents the next installment of our Artist Studio Series with a look at her studio and a discussion of the inspiration behind her work. Dittrich's practice integrates technology and the human body in immersive, meditative installations.
Artist Studio Series: Erick Benitez
Baltimore-based artist Erick Antonio Benitez launches our Artist Studio Series with a tour of his studio and a discussion of the inspiration behind his work.
Paul Blakeslee, I Get Petrified (still), 2020. Color and black and white video, 3 min. 33 sec. Courtesy of the artist. Watch the full "I Get Petrified" video online.
Caroline Hatfield, Terraform 001-003 (detail), 2018. Laser cut layered tar paper, charcoal, on panel, 15 x 15 x 2.5 in. each. Collection of the artist.
Terence Nicholson, Our Lady of Perpetual Servitude, 2019. Latex, vinyl, wood, and blanket, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Jack Coyle, Surveillance Gate, 2019. Mixed media, 18 x 12 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Erick Antonio Benitez, Things I Imagined, 2019. Acrylic, airbrush, charcoal and ink in wooden panel, 60 x 48 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Nieko McDaniel, Untitled Landscape #6, 2019. Archival pen, cardboard, graphite, Sharpie, white oil pencil, 12 x 7.5 x 2 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Corynne Ostermann, The Lovers, 2020. Latex and oil on canvas, 60 x 78 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Sam Rietenbach, In, 2019. Marker on Rives BFK, 10 x 8 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Hillary Rochon, Into Forever, 2019. Digital collage, 30 x 16 in. Courtesy of the artist.
MichaelAngelo Rodriguez, I woke up in the chicken coop yesterday, 2017. Archival pigment print, 13 x 19 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Kevin Michael Runyon, Dry Wedding (Virgil, What Ring Is This?), 2017. Acrylic, enamel, glitter, spray paint, and gloss varnish on canvas, 48 x 42 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Bonner Sale, Troubled Magic: No Need for Conscience, 2018. Gouache on paper, 22 x 15 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Juansebastián Serrano, Lluvia Boba, 2019. Acrylic, pen, and Wite-Out on canvas, 12 x 12 in. each. Courtesy of the artist.
Chris Zickefoose, Atropos, 2017. Reclaimed laminate flooring on cut plywood, 22 x 22 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Sara Dittrich, Variations on Listening #1 (detail), 2017. Polymer clay, embroidery hoop, fabric, thread, 25 x 23 x 1.5 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Listen to the playlist on Spotify! Each song was selected by an exhibiting artist.
Preparators play crucial roles in creating the conditions under which art is experienced. They pack, transport, and unpack it as it moves to and from the artist’s studio, gallery, museum, or private collection. They help design exhibition spaces, install and light the artworks therein, and place labels and text panels to help contextualize art to enable its productive interpretation by an audience. It is no secret the best preparators are artists themselves, and the American University Museum and its Alper Initiative for Washington Art have been fortunate to work with the gifted artists whose work is exhibited in Behind the Scenes: Preparators and their Art.
Featuring artists
Erick Antonio Benitez, Paul Blakeslee, Jack Coyle, Sara Dittrich, Caroline Hatfield, Nieko McDaniel, Terence Nicholson, Corynne Ostermann, Sam Rietenbach, Hillary Rochon, MichaelAngelo Rodriguez, Kevin Michael Runyon, Bonner Sale, Juansebastián Serrano, and Chris Zickefoose.
Press
Washington City Paper: City Lights: See Preparators’ Paintings or Make Bike Anywhere Week Every Week