The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. in Ridgefield, CT, was founded in 1964 by Larry Aldrich, a retiring fashion designer. He invested in contemporary art of the 60s including now famous artist such as Richard Serra and Frank Stella. He had a focus on living with contemporary art; so the newer building, completed in 2004, maintains the sense of being in a minimalistic home.
The theme the current exhibition centers on is Undisclosed Facts, and our tour was given by Richard Wenzel. Undisclosed facts is composed of four artists working in a variety of mediums, and each has a different way of expressing the theme.
The first artist is Kay Rosen, her exhibition is named with H is for House. She plays with words through her images. Each piece has several interpretations, and makes you work to figure them out. Her two large pieces take up their own walls opposite each other. Look at her work before looking at the medium she uses. It will only impress you more after you see.
The next exhibition is Just Left Feel Right by Suzanne McClellan. Her pieces make you work hard to see what she says, integrating text that takes time to decipher. McClellan works in several mediums, each expressing the sound of words through the texture of the piece. Several of her pieces focus on American culture, particularly performers and their names.
Third is Beth Campbell with My Potential Future Past. The exhibition contains drawing, sculpture, and installations. Campbell begins by exploring the everyday decisions that she makes, drawing attention to the small things that may lead to desirable, or undesirable, outcomes. She moves on to do this to larger parts of history, picking small details of grand histories and connecting them in what initially appears to be family trees.The mobiles seem to give a more abstract presence to these ideas.
The last exhibition is After the Contemporary by William Powhida. Powhida creates a “retrospective from the future,” as if we are in the year 2050, looking back on current times leading up to that present. In his exhibition there is no final draft, there are notes written in the margins of the introductions. Powhida predicts a future that does not look too bright, either for the art world, or the world in general. There is a focus on the increasing corporatization of art and humanity, and what that means for the future of both.
Each of the exhibits requires a lot of time to go through, so make sure you give yourself that time to absorb and process. The current exhibit runs until September 4th. The next opens October 1st, and includes Anissa Mack, Alex Schweder and Ward Shelley, and a collection of photography entitled Shared Space: A New Era. The Aldrich Museum is located at 258 Main St in Ridgefield Ct, and is open Sunday from 12 noon - 5pm, and Monday and Wednesday-Saturday from 10am-5pm. More information, including admission fees, can be found on their website www.aldrichart.org.