EMERGE SELECTIONS 2021
Featured Images
Andrea Carlson, Ink Babel, 2014. Ink and oil on paper; 60 panels, approximately 115 x 183 in., overall.
© Andrea Carlson, courtesy of the artist and Bockley Gallery
Caroline Kent, The Shorthand Typist, 2015. Acrylic on unstretched canvas; 108 x 72 in. Courtesy of the Artist and PATRON Gallery, Chicago
Photo: Evan Jenkins
Ebony G. Patterson, Shrubz, 2014. Jacquard woven photo tapestry with fabric flowers, tassels and hand-embellished plastic guns; 6 x 82 x 106 in. (15.2 x 208.28 x 269.2 cm)
Courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, ChicagoAbout
The MCA's Emerge group consists of donors who support the museum's acquisition and education programs. Every year, this group selects and collectively funds the purchase of one major work by an artist not currently represented in the MCA Collection. This year, in collaboration with the MCA curatorial team, Emerge members proposed works by Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Ojibwe, b. 1979), Caroline Kent (American, b. 1975), and Ebony G. Patterson (Jamaican, b. 1981) for consideration.
Andrea Carlson highlights Native American histories and considers the legacy of the erasure of Indigenous cultures. Ebony G. Patterson uses gardens as a metaphor for death and rebirth, alongside figures inspired by crime scene photos she sourced online. Caroline Kent composes her paintings using a visual vocabulary of abstract shapes and forms she’s developed over years of practice.
Emerge members cast their final votes in May 2021 to determine which of these artworks is added to the MCA Collection.
Installation Views
Installation view, Emerge Selections 2021, MCA Chicago, Apr 24–May 13, 2021. Work shown: Ebony G. Patterson, Shrubz, 2014. Jacquard woven photo tapestry with fabric flowers, tassels, and hand-embellished plastic guns; 6 x 82 x 106 in. (15.2 x 208.28 x 269.2 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago.
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Emerge Selections 2021, MCA Chicago, Apr 24–May 13, 2021. Work shown: Andrea Carlson, Ink Babel, 2014. Ink and oil on paper; 60 panels, approximately 115 x 183 in., overall. © Andrea Carlson, courtesy of the artist and Bockley Gallery.
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago
Installation view, Emerge Selections 2021, MCA Chicago, Apr 24–May 13, 2021. Work shown: Caroline Kent, The Shorthand Typist, 2015. Acrylic on unstretched canvas; 108 x 72 in. Courtesy of the Artist and PATRON Gallery, Chicago.
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA ChicagoEmerge
Marjorie Susman Curatorial Fellow Faye Gleisser discusses one of the works in consideration for acquisition during the final vote, Apr 27, 2016
Photo: Jeremy Lawson © MCA ChicagoEmerge is an MCA Circle Donor affinity group of art enthusiasts, collectors, and art patrons interested in furthering the mission of the MCA.