Making Sense of Contemporary Art at the ICA at VCU: The Everyday

Learning Opportunity: Making Sense of Contemporary Art: Religion, Revolution, and the Everyday
with Chase Westfall, Interim Executive Director, Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University

Join us for the last class in the spring iteration of Making Sense of Contemporary Art – The Everyday. This class will feature guest speaker Pablo José Ramírez in conversation with ICA Interim Executive Director Chase Westfall. Pablo Jose Ramirez, curator at the Hammer Museum, will be discussing his recent exhibition “Acts of Living” (the 2023 Made in L.A. Biennial, Hammer Museum). Through this exhibition, we will explore the topic of The Everyday. See below to learn more about the speaker and about your visit to the ICA.

About the Speaker:
Pablo Jose Ramirez is a curator at the Hammer Museum From 2019 to 2023 he was the inaugural adjunct curator of First Nations and Indigenous art at Tate Modern, where he played a key role in shaping the acquisitions strategy and advancement of indigenous and non-western practices. Ramírez was part of the curatorial council of the 58th Carnegie International with Sohrab Mohebbi. In 2015, he co-curated the 19th Paiz Biennale: Transvisible with Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, and recently, he co-curated with Diana Nawi the critically acclaimed biennale, Made in LA 2023: Acts of Living. His work explores non-Western ontologies, brown and indigenous histories, and the politics of noncolonial aesthetics. He holds an MA in contemporary art theory from Goldsmiths, University of London. Ramírez has lectured internationally for the Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, The National Museum of Oslo, MUAC, Gasworks, ParaSite, Kunstintituut Melly, University of Cape Town, Essex University, Cambridge University, University of Chicago, Simon Fraser University and The New School, among others. He has published extensively, including pieces for Artforum, e-flux, Mousse, Arts of the Working Class, Artishock, and several catalogues and books.

Series Overview:
As we try to make sense of contemporary art, it can be helpful to understand that art is, itself, a way of making sense of the world. The sculptor Tony Cragg said, “As an artist, one is taking the material of the world, imposing a set of forms on it in a very concentrated way, to actually reinvest our existence with meaning.” Throughout human history, art has been used to organize, understand, and find agency amidst the chaos and confusion of existence. Within this effort, three general categories of activity and interest can be observed: the spiritual, the political, and the personal. Examining these categories can help us see how art has functioned as one of—and in support of—the systems that give purpose and structure to our lives. Taken chronologically, these categories also help us understand how art’s social role has changed over time, reflecting broader developments and trends in culture. Echoing these three categories, this season’s lecture series is titled Religion, Revolution, and the Everyday. Each lecture focuses on one of these meaning-making arenas, situating it historically and offering a deeper dive into how it is operative in the art of our moment.

Class Details:
On May 29, 2024, we will explore the topic of The Everyday. How does art speak to daily needs, routines, and rituals? What is the role of art and creativity in everyday life? Art is important; can it also be intimate? How can art help me experience my life differently?
Click here to learn more about the class on Religion, which will take place on March 27, 2024.
Click here to learn more about the class on Revolution, which will take place on April 17, 2024.

The lectures in the series work together and inform each other, but each is also designed to make sense by itself. Please join us for one, two, or all three! Tickets are $10 each, or $25 for the entire series. Free tickets are available for artists, educators, and students. Please join us!

Schedule:
5:00 pm – Doors Open, Galleries and Abby Moore Cafe Open
6:00 pm – Class Begins
7:30 pm – Class Ends (1-hour lecture, 30-minute discussion)

About Your Visit:
Our galleries will have extended hours on class days, from 5 to the 6 pm class start time, in case participants would like to arrive early to explore the exhibitions. Our Abby Moore Cafe will also be open before class. Participants may park in VCU’s QQ lot, which is adjacent to the ICA. Please be sure to pay for parking at the kiosk or using the Passport app. There is also nearby paid street parking along Broad, Pine and Grace streets.