Description

The Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art (SLEMA) presents the first exhibition to investigate and illuminate the influence of the Holocaust on midcentury American art. Remembrance and Renewal presents a new perspective on the art historical narrative, centering Jewish experience. Employing strategies of “decanonization,” the exhibition argues for a reevaluation of midcentury American art. It offers new insights into the oeuvres of popular artists such as Barnett Newman and Helen Frankenthaler, while bringing renewed attention to artists who have been marginalized because of their gender, their more overtly Jewish identification and subject matter, or because they worked outside the aesthetic mainstream. Working in collaboration with Indiana University’s Borns Jewish Studies Program and Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, IU’s campus Hillel, and the local Jewish community, SLEMA will develop programming geared at deepening knowledge, understanding, and empathy as it prepares to present the exhibition locally and to several tour venues nationwide. 
This grant aligns with the AAP strategic goal 1a: To advance innovative museum projects that prioritize representation and equity through the preservation, study, and presentation of work by under-represented artists of color, collaborations with diverse external partners, and outreach to underserved communities.