Modernism Redux

I hope to see those of you that are local to the Triangle tonight at the opening of an exhibit that is my most recent curatorial effort. I am pleased beyond words that the Diamante Arts and Cultural Center invited me to program “Modernism Redux” a group exhibition of NC artists (my curatorial statement is farther down*) which is the inaugural exhibition of their newest program, “Community Highlight,” a curatorial and exhibition project featuring curators and artists from the local arts community who are not Latino. Diamante’s mission is to support the professional development of artists, and they endeavor to ensure opportunities are available to curate and exhibit to anyone in the local arts community, because supporting the arts community benefits us all. This exhibition is made possible with support from Raleigh Arts and the NC Arts Council.

I love all of the artists in this exhibit! Please look below the curatorial statement for more information on them. I am also excited to pull together many mediums and modalities which, like my own practice, mirror or reflect strategies created during the Modern era in one place. For the context I’m creating, read on…

*Curatorial Statement

Modernism, born from the seismic shifts of the early 20th century, was more than an artistic movement—it was a radical reimagining of how humans understood and expressed their place in a rapidly changing world. Against the backdrop of groundbreaking advances in psychology, science, and technology, Modernist artists rejected tradition, embracing experimentation, abstraction, and the subjective. This spirit of transformation sought to challenge established norms and rethink society, connection, and identity in light of new knowledge.

Today, we find ourselves in a similarly transformative era. Advances in artificial intelligence (which was used to assist with this statement), instantaneous global communication, and digital connectivity have reshaped human interaction and access to knowledge, while ongoing social upheavals challenge outdated institutions and norms. The struggle for equity, inclusion, and adaptation to a diverse, interconnected world is testing societal frameworks in unprecedented ways, as communities strive to reconcile tradition with the complexities of 21st-century existence.

This exhibition, Modernism Redux, invites reflection on how contemporary art practices echo the ethos of Modernism, questioning tradition and exploring individual sensibility. It asks: What does it mean to create art in the spirit of Modernists today? How can this legacy of innovation help us navigate a world defined by rapid technological and social transformation?

In the spirit of addressing part of the context I’ve identified above (our current, rapid technological change) I made part of this project a direct interaction with an artificial intelligence tool, Chat GPT (which I’ve done before), something that would not have been available to, let alone conceivable by, the early twentieth century Modernists. I hope you’ll take a look at some of the analysis that I asked this tool to generate, they are eye opening.

Anna Payne Chat GPT analysis (Instagram @annapayneart)

Derrick Beasley Chat GPT analysis (IG @brobeas)

Jane Cheek Chat GPT analysis (IG @jane.the.artist)

Adam D. Cohen Chat GPT analysis (IG @yourpaladam)

Erin Fee Chat GPT analysis (IG @erin.fei)

Tina Marcus Chat GPT analysis (IG @primitivegraffiti)

Marriott Sheldon Chat GPT analysis (IG @marriot.sheldon)

Michelle Wilkie Chat GPT analysis (IG @ml_wilkie)

Be Boggs and Slater Mapp Chat GPT analysis (IG @illustratedbe and @smapp)