SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College presents the election-year exhibition Never Done: 100 Years of Women in Politics and Beyond, with an online opening Sept. 17.
The exhibition takes the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment as the occasion for reflection and exploration of the issues and challenges women in the United States have faced, and continue to face, in politics and society. What has been accomplished in the last 100 years, and what has yet to be accomplished? The fight for the 19th amendment was achieved through marches, demonstrations, and protest tactics that are still used today. And in the current moment of protest and activism around racism in the United States, Never Done speaks to the role of race and class in shaping women’s participation in politics and the public sphere.
The exhibition features new work by Gina Adams, Firelei Baez, Chioma Ebinama, Jane Fine, Daesha Devon Harris, Gina Occchiogrosso, Erin Riley, Joyce J. Scott, Tschabalala Self, Kathia St. Hilaire, Tiny Pricks Project, and Marie Watt. The exhibition also features work from the Tang collection from notable artists such as Renee Cox, Nan Goldin, Carrie Moyer, Laurel Nakadate, Catherine Opie, Deborah Roberts, Wendy Red Star, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Cindy Sherman, Sarah Sze, Barbara Takenaga, Mickalene Thomas, Kara Walker, and Carrie Mae Weems.
Starting Sept. 17, online visitors will be able to see images of 100 artworks by women and non-binary artists along with statements by each artist that reflect on their work in relation to women’s rights, representation, justice, and the legacy of the suffrage movement. These images will be presented alongside new curatorial writing, student reflections, a list of feminist readings and online resources, and more.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Tang will present a series of online programs: Constitution Day Lecture: Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. and Never Done Artist Talk with Stephanie Syjuco: Friday, Sept. 18 at noon. Additional lectures will be held in October.
Note, the Museum is open only to the college community for now, Skidmore students, faculty, and curators are using the gallery as a laboratory, working to discuss and envision the exhibition design for Never Done. Visitors will experience the results of this experimental approach when the Museum reopens to the public. Visit the Tang website for details on each program at tang.skidmore.edu.
