A group of 27 artists reimagines past objects, ideas, and practices in Second Time Around, opening March 22 at the Jamestown Arts Center (JAC). The exhibition was born out of a course at the University of Rhode Island in the Fall of 2023 and is curated by Professor Erin L. McCutcheon, PhD, and the Advanced Art History students in her class.
Professor McCutcheon explains, “The course aims to both introduce students to the critical histories of museums and galleries while also guiding them through the process of launching an exhibition for the public.” says Professor McCutcheon. This led one student, Taylor Moss, to an internship at the Jamestown Arts Center, where she is currently assisting with the final preparations for Second Time Around. “This collaboratively curated exhibition has offered students such as myself invaluable experiences regarding professional development,” says Taylor Moss, a student at URI and JAC intern. “Being able to see this project to fruition, a project started in September 2023, is nothing short of exciting.”
The theme for Second Time Around evolved out of this group of students’ collective interests in the way art might visualize the complex layering of histories in ways that speak to the urgent need for sustainable practices in the face of climate change. Works were selected and then juried by Ella S. Mills, PhD of the University of Plymouth, UK, and talking on corners.
Erin McCutcheon explains, “The show offers a fluid narrative of the ways contemporary artists are using past stories, memories, objects, materials, images, and artistic processes to respond to the present and imagine new possibilities for the future.”
For example, in her woven sculptures, Amy Usdin recycles torn fishing nets. In the exhibition text, URI student Luke Abbenante writes: “Her practice of rescuing discarded and aging materials is connected to her experience caring for her elderly parents… In suggesting the ongoing vitality of these materials of trade, so ubiquitous in our own waterways, Usdin encourages us to think more consciously about the notion of usefulness in our world.”
Another artist, Kay Johnson de Mesquita, uses the fabric from eighty-nine of her fathers neckties to make a quilt, weaving memory into something new.
The artworks in Second Time Around weave together stories of resilience, revitalization, and repair through new approaches to materials.
Second Time Around is on view during regular gallery hours from March 22 through June 15, 2024 (Wednesday – Saturday, 11 am–3 pm). A Free Opening Reception will be held on Friday, March 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. A JAC Talk with juror Dr. Ella Mills will be held on Thursday, April 11, at 6 pm.
Exhibitions at the JAC are free and open to all. Many of the works are available for purchase on the Jamestown Arts Center’s online store, with proceeds benefiting the individual artists and the JAC.