Springfield Art Museum

Happy Friday Pride-Day from the Springfield Art Museum!

This week we're celebrating Missouri LGBTQ+ artist Nick Cave and how he uses drag, club culture and costume in his work.

"His early creative expression took form in the drag outfits he concocted for jaunts to nightclubs, where he danced, he says, mostly alone late into the night. Knowing these things about Cave gives you a way into his work. His sound suits are an outrageous sort of drag — of course they are, mysterious, anonymous, hard-to categorize. 'I am not putting the fact that I am a black, gay artist in your face but this is who I am,' said Cave. He’s not sure how much of that actually comes through. His work is about identity, but audiences rarely bring up sexuality or gender politics when he gives public lectures. 'I think people are afraid to talk about that,' he said." - The Denver Post

The "legs" section of Cave's "Exquisite Co**se" has been on view in our "Creating an American Identity" exhibition and part of an 18-piece set of lithographs, in 2022. This suite of work was purchased with funds from Art In Bloom, and in recognition of Kate Baird’s tenure as Museum Educator.



Image credit: Nick Cave, "Untitled [Legs]," 2015, Lithograph on paper. Museum Acquisition Fund, with funds provided by Art In Bloom, and in recognition of Museum Educator Kate Baird's tenure, 2013-2021. Collection of the Springfield Art Museum. Photo credits: "Exquisite Co**se" installation view.

In observance of Juneteenth, the Springfield Art Museum reflects on the long and ongoing journey toward freedom and justice in the United States, and celebrates work that honors that.

We invite you to visit "Ernest and Ruth" (2015) by conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas, located on the Museum's Hatch Lawn. This sculpture, shaped like a speech bubble and named after the artist’s grandparents, offers more than a place to rest; as Thomas notes, “When viewers occupy the piece, they are encouraged to contemplate what it means to inhabit their own speech and beliefs.”

The Museum offices are closed today in observance of the holiday.



Image credit: Hank Willis Thomas, "Ernest and Ruth," 2015. Cor-ten steel. Permanent collection of the Springfield Art Museum.

Erin from Guaranty Bank and Kate from Friends of the Springfield Art Museum give you all the info about Guaranty Bank's Pops in the Park on Unscripted AM! Watch below if you missed it live!

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Everything you need to know about Guaranty Bank's Pops in the Park on June 20th! Other questions? Drop them below and we'll do our best to answer them! Our big question for you: Are you ready for an amazing night!?

Bank presents: Pops in the Park, benefiting the Springfield Art Museum Guaranty Bank

Springfield Symphony Orchestra MO of Springfield, MO