Strange Weather

From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

Bellevue Arts Museum - BAM presents Strange Weather: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, an exhibition featuring contemporary artworks which explore the relationships and boundaries between bodies and the environment.

Co-organized by UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences Director Dr. Rachel Nelson and Professor Jennifer González, Visual Studies, Strange Weather will be on view in our 3rd floor galleries from March 25 through August 20, 2023.

The artworks in Strange Weather span five decades, from 1970-2020, and include works by some of the most influential artists in the United States today, including Lorna Simpson, Edgar Heap of Birds, Kehinde Wiley, Carlos Amorales, Kiki Smith, Hung Liu, Julie Mehretu, Leonardo Drew, Joe Feddersen, Wendy Red Star, and Alison Saar.

For Strange Weather, we selected artworks from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation with climate change weighing heavily on our minds.

Dr. Nelson explains. While this is certainly not a didactic exhibition, living through wildfires and drought motivated us to explore the impressive collections of over 16,000 objects for the different aesthetic approaches artists use to illuminate the histories, experiences, and socio-political contexts that lead to this moment.

It has been such a pleasure to work with my colleague Rachel Nelson in selecting works by some extraordinary contemporary artists, Prof. González adds.

The exhibition provides a glimpse of the richness of contemporary art, and its capacity to enliven both our understanding of human history and the critical questions facing us today.

Featured Art: Kehinde Wiley American b. 1977 The World Stage: Brazil: Marechal Floriano Peixoto II, 2012, Collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation

Image: Aaron Wessling Photography