The Terra Foundation for American Art has granted The University of New Mexico Art Museum (UNMAM) $75,000 to fund the installation of Hindsight/Insight 2.0: Portraits, Landscapes, and Abstraction from the UNM Art Museum Collection. UNMAM’s ongoing exhibition series draws on the museum’s extensive collection of photographs, prints, drawings, sculptures, and paintings.
In Spring 2023, UNMAM will revive this initiative by presenting the permanent collection throughout the museum. Hindsight/Insight 2.0 will offer a fresh look at over 50 artworks, with revolving installations of portraits, landscapes, and abstraction. This exhibition will also showcase recent acquisitions, including those made possible by UNMAM’s Acquisitions Fund for Diversity and Equity.
Though the art historical importance of the objects in Hindsight/Insight 2.0 is noteworthy, this exhibition encourages critical thought and conversation on the role of university museums and the practice of art collecting. This exhibition asks where art objects come from, why they look the way they do, and how they earned their place within the museum walls.
UNMAM will work with the university community to decenter curatorial authority and institutional voice, using bilingual wall text and labels while honoring student perspectives. Curator Mary Statzer will work in collaboration with guest curators throughout the exhibition, starting with current Art History Ph.D. student Eleanor Kane and assistant professor of Art and Art History Marcella Ernest. Students and faculty will be invited to respond to the exhibition in the galleries and in Here to Inspire: The UNM Art Museum Journal.
The UNM Art Museum’s teaching collection includes over 30,000 art objects, making it the largest collection of artworks in New Mexico. Hindsight/Insight 2.0 will connect the past, the present, and the potential of the collection by reflecting on the history of the museum while providing a path of relevancy to 21st century learners. Through this innovative initiative, UNMAM invites the university community to actively contribute to the development, presentation, and interpretation of the exhibition.
Hindsight/Insight 2.0 is made possible by a generous grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art. The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogues and encouraging transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant program, collection, and initiatives.
Photo: UNMAM curator Mary Statzer (right) will work in collaboration with guest curators throughout the exhibition, starting with current Art History Ph.D. student Eleanor Kane.