State of Mind: New California Art Circa 1970
October 3, 2013 – January 12, 2014
Robert Kinmont, 8 Natural Handstands (detail), 1969/2009, Nine silver gelatin prints, each: 8 x 8 in/ 21.5 x 21.5 cm. Photo: Joerg Lohse. Image courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the Imagists exhibited in Chicago and abstract painting held sway in New York, a distinct strain of avant-garde and conceptual art emerged in California.
The state was an incubator of social change and counter-culture that attracted artists seeking alternatives to traditional modes of art making. California's distance from commercial galleries and the art-world press also gave artists greater freedom to experiment as they challenged the definition of art, the role of the artist, and the academic and institutional structures of the art world.
Organized as part of the landmark Pacific Standard Time initiative by the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) and the Orange County Museum of Art,State of Mind: New California Art Circa 1970 is the first in-depth survey of conceptual art in California. It examines this formative period and the enduring legacy it has left for succeeding generations of artists. It includes the work of sixty artists and collectives, including Ant Farm, John Baldessari, Chris Burden, Lynn Hershman, Bruce Nauman, Martha Rosler, and Ed Ruscha. Organized thematically, the exhibition showcases more than 150 works of art—installations, photographs, videos and films, artists' books, and extensive performance documentation—that demonstrate the critical role of California artists in the development of conceptual art and other new genres.
Artists
Bas Jan Ader, Terry Allen, Ant Farm, Eleanor Antin, Asco, Michael Asher, John Baldessari, Gary Beydler, Nancy Buchanan, Chris Burden, Paul Cotton, Robert Cumming, Peter d'Agostino, Lowell Darling, Guy de Cointet, Robert Cumming, Morgan Fisher, Terry Fox, Howard Fried, Charles Gaines, David Hammons, Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison, Mel Henderson, Joe Hawley, Lynn Hershman, Douglas Huebler, Stephen Kaltenbach, Allan Kaprow, Robert Kinmont, John Knight, Paul Kos, Suzanne Lacy, Stephen Laub, William Leavitt, Fred Lonidier, Mike Mandel, Tom Marioni, Paul McCarthy, Jim Melchert, Susan Mogul, Linda Mary Montano, Bruce Nauman, Martha Rosler, Allen Ruppersberg, Ed Ruscha, Sam's Café, Darryl Sapien, Ilene Segalove, Allan Sekula, Bonnie Sherk, Alexis Smith, Barbara Smith, Larry Sultan, T.R. Uthco, Ger van Elk, William Wegman, John Woodall, and Alfred Young.
Related presentation
In a gallery adjoining State of Mind, the Smart presents a selection of the Museum’s rich holdings of Chicago Imagist, self-taught, and California funk artists from this same time period.
Free public programs
October 3
At the Threshold
with a talk by curators Constance Lewallen and Karen Moss
October 5
Family Day: Makin' Waves
Presented in collaboration with The Big Draw Chicago
October 17
Third Thursday: Extra-Ordinary
November 7 and 12
Bookmakers
Presented in collaboration with the Center for Book and Paper Arts
November 21
Third Thursday: Inflatable U
December 7
Family Day: Lights Up!
December 13
Object/Subjective
with Sarah Mendelsohn and Faye R. Gleisser
December 19
Third Thursday: Darkness and Light
January 11
Performance: Anthony Pateras
Presented in collaboration with Lampo
January 12
Curator Tour
with co-curator Constance Lewallen
SmartPartner+ Program
October 2
Preview: State of Mind
Become a SmartPartner+ today to receive an invitation to this exclusive event.
UChicago student programs
October 24
Party at the Smart: Get Your Smart MFA
January 9
Party at the Smart: Chroma Nation
Open exclusively to UChicago students.
Supported by the UChicago Arts Pass and the University of Chicago Arts Council.
