Bill Owen’s “Suburbia” (1972) on display at the Addison Gallery.
Tooker’s “Study for ‘Landscape With Figures’” (1965-66)
Stanley Whitney’s “See see Love” (2021)
The Addison Gallery of American Art (Addison) debuted its new exhibition, “Little Boxes,” on February 7. Spanning works from 1940 to 2024, the exhibit examines the role of simple geometric forms, particularly the square and the rectangle, in modern and contemporary art.
Works featured a wide range of mediums, from print and works on paper to three-dimensional assemblages. Jamie Gibbons, Head of Education at the Addison, emphasized the breath of these approaches.
“I think there are a lot of different ways to come at an idea. So the exhibition is looking at an exploration of the square and the rectangle in two-dimensional work, in three-dimensional work, in abstract work, in realistic work, in photography, in printmaking, in painting, in sculpture. I think that there’s this way in which that introduces how there’s a lot of different ways to come at an idea,” said Gibbons.
Christine Jee, Manager of School and Community Collaboration [at the Addison], plans to incorporate “Little Boxes” in her classes throughout the next few months. Jee described how students have already engaged creatively with the exhibition’s themes.
“People seem to be delighted by the color and shapes in the gallery but quickly recognize the deeper meaning of this exhibition. Just last week, we hosted an art workshop and our activities were very much inspired by ‘Little Boxes.’ High school participants who are a part of our Addison Community Ambassador program from Andover High, Phillips Academy, Lawrence High, and the Greater Lawrence Technical School came up with ideas like creating dice with artistic prompts on them and using materials in the form of squares and rectangles,” wrote Jee in an email to The Phillipian.
Jee shared what she hopes audiences will take away from the exhibit.
“I hope this show will invite people to think outside the box, to consider the potential and associations related to a simple square or rectangle in thinking about a broad range of ideas and topics,” said Jee.
Among the featured works is See See Love by Stanley Whitney, a vibrant grid painting displayed near the exhibition’s entrance. Gibbons highlighted the piece as a personal favorite.
“[See See Love is] the big piece that’s right in the middle when you first walk in. And he does a lot of his work using the grid, but not sticking to it strictly. So there’s this way in which he’s starting from a particular idea and then taking it in a looser direction. He’s inspired by a lot of different things. Some of the Addison community ambassadors are researching that piece and are going to be writing a talk about it,” said Gibbons.
