Sympoiesis: Co-Creating Sense of Place

November 23, 2024 - May 23, 2026

"Sympoiesis is a simple word; it means 'making-with'" - Donna Haraway, Philosopher, Professor Emerita in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California Santa Cruz

It is a word of action, a way of describing “worlding-with” or existing in and creating dynamic, complex systems together. When we add the notion of “sense of place” it speaks to the emotional connection, the bond experienced by people with specific locales or environments. These connections shape our identities, visual culture, and the stories we tell about ourselves and each other. Therefore, rather than isolated acts of creation, Sympoiesis: Co-Creating Sense of Place invites us to see art as a process of collaboration across time, space, and ideas. The artwork in this exhibition emerges from a web of relationships: some are between artists creating together, others are between artists and their environments, and others are between artists and the legacy of those who came before them.

The idea that the creation of art is not a solitary endeavor but a dynamic exchange where influences flow and evolve inspired this expansive museum-wide exhibition. Each gallery installation conveys a unique expression of sympoiesis, inviting us to see art as an ongoing act of “making-with,” where we are all participants in the creation of something larger, shared, and ever-growing.

 

Featuring installatons and artwork by:

Curated by Nicole M. Crawford, Director & Chief Curator and Michelle Sunset, Director of Curatorial Affairs.

Funded through the generosity of the Susan Moldenhauer FUNd for Contemporary Art, the Patricia R. Guthrie Special Exhibitions Gallery Endowment, WE Soda, and By Western Hands.

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