**“Natural Selections”**
Delicate, painted petals against a stormy gray sky. Two men lying by a glisteningriver.
With depictions of landscapes and scenes ranging from realistic to abstract, the Addison Gallery of American Art’s exhibition “Natural Selections” was designed to complement “James Prosek: The Spaces in Between.” The two exhibitions attempt to capture the artist’s deep-rooted connection with nature.
Curated from the gallery’s permanent collection, pieces in the exhibit were divided into rooms based on specific natural subjects like sky, light, flora, fauna, land and cosmos.
“Natural Selection” was made possible by the support of the Mollie Bennett Lupe and Garland M. Lasater Exhibitions Fund.
**“Flashback-November 22, 1963”**
Analyzing the role of media in the wake of public tragedy, “Flash Back- November 22, 1963” displayed mixed-media works that immortalize the lasting effects of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
The show was divided into four main parts. The first gallery focused on Kennedy’s last days and the media’s extensive coverage of his assassination.
The second gallery examined the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, from multiple perspectives using both contemporary and historical sources.
Focusing more on the public’s perspective, the third gallery explored artistic representations of conspiracy theories and myths surrounding Kennedy’s assassination. The principal piece in this gallery was “Jackie Kennedy, The King of Hearts,” a portrait of the stoic First Lady holding a king-of-hearts playing card, featuring Kennedy as the king. A bullet pierces the middle of the card, and pieces of the card fly upward.
The final gallery was dedicated to Kennedy’s funeral procession and the aftermath of his death. The focal point of the sculpture was a larger-than-life wooden figure of three-year-old John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting a minute representation of his father’s casket.
**“The kids are allright”**
Upon entering the exhibition, visitors immediately confronted artist Julie Mack’s “TV: Academy Awards Night, NYC,” a piece that immortalizes the idea of family in the face of the technological revolution. The photograph depicts a family of four sitting on a living room couch with focused facial expressions, more enraptured by the television than each other’s company.
Capturing the different meanings of family through vivid photographs and video, “the kids are all right” was a lens-based media exhibition. The exhibition explored the variety of 21st-century family beyond the traditional constraints. Alison Ferris, the curator of the exhibit, displayed the work of 38 up-and-coming photographers and videographers, such as Lisa Lindvay, in the exhibition.
