The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, will present For the Record: Celebrating Art by Women, a new exhibition drawn largely from the Norton’s collection that explores issues of representation and inclusion in the art world. On view June 11 through October 3, For the Record features work by Emma Amos, Teresita Fernández, Helen Frankenthaler, Gertrude Käsebier, Käthe Kollwitz, Maria Martinez, Mariko Mori, Alison Saar, Mary Sibande, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. With its interrogations of themes of labor, activism, race, identity, gender, and perceptions of “masculine” and “feminine” media and scale, the exhibition illustrates the diversity of art by women – from technique to subject matter – and the need for equity in representation. For the Record is curated by Assistant Curator J. Rachel Gustafson.  

“As the world opens up and a new normal comes into place, we’re excited to present new programs throughout our campus that celebrate the diversity of our communities here in South Florida, excite visitors of all ages, and inspire a sense of optimism for the months to come,” said Ghislain d’Humières, Director and CEO of the Norton Museum of Art. “In addition to a place to enjoy our unrivaled collection, which will be featured in For the Record with incredible works from international artists, our Museum is a space for the community to connect, learn, and recharge.”

A full listing of the Norton Museum’s programs, many of which build on themes explored in For the Record, will be available at Norton.org.

For the Record: Celebrating Art by Women
For the Record explores issues of representation in the Norton’s collection and the art world at large. Highlighting work by artists from across generations and around the globe, the exhibition establishes dialogues between works through visual and thematic connections. In conversation with works by women on view in the collection galleries, the exhibition spotlights the Norton’s commitment to collecting art by women and dedication to activating its expanded space to showcase various artistic perspectives in new contexts, offering visitors greater opportunity to engage with a wide range of collection works. Two featured works by artists Svenja Deininger and Klara Kristalova were acquired by the Museum from their respective Recognition of Art by Women (RAW) exhibitions at the Norton. RAW, launched by the Norton in 2011, is a biennial exhibition series that launches and bolsters careers of women artists from across the world.  

“For the Record offers a spectrum of approaches and subject matter as artists respond to the environments and time in which they create their work. From Suzanne Valadon and Käthe Kollwitz’s early 20th century portraits, and Agnes Martin’s nascent exploration of the geometric grid, to Emma Amos’s expressive mixed media compositions and Viola Frey, Alison Saar, and Mary Sibande’s imposing sculptures that employ the female form, there are so many works on view for our audiences to enjoy and study,” said J. Rachel Gustafson, Assistant Curator. “Together, the exhibition and its supporting programs highlight the diverse contributions of female artists while offering opportunities to highlight the strength of our collections. For the Record reminds us of the importance of taking stock of where we are as an institution, and as an industry, and strengthening representation and equity in the art world and beyond.”

Highlights from the exhibition include:

• Teresita Fernández, Nocturnal (Rise and Fall), 2010 – Across scales, Fernández explores natural phenomena and how light impacts perception. The graphite in Nocturnal (Rise and Fall) appears to become animated as viewers move around the work, facilitating unexpected views of the world through the lens of a mineral.   
• Viola Frey, Weeping Woman, 1990-1991 – Installed near 2014 RAW artist Klara Kristalova’s Daphne, 2010, a glazed porcelain work, the pairing inverts the association of ceramics with femininity, as they assert their space at large scale.
• Ellen Gallagher, Ishmael, 2011 – Gallagher’s works appear to be abstractions, but on closer look reveal her examinations of themes of race and the development of racial stereotypes. For the Record marks Ishmael’s debut at the Norton.
• Nikki S. Lee, Part (14), 2002 – Lee’s work depicts her attempts to assimilate into different social and subcultural groups, as she poses and mimics the other subjects of the photo. Raising questions about the nature of heterosexual relationships, the Parts series is a dynamic examination of sense of self.
• Mariko Mori, Butterfly, 2013 – Mori uses technology to create her sculptures; Butterfly was originally modeled as a 3D form and printed. The work, on view for the first time at the Norton, alludes to the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, and marriage between the East and West in its round form.
• Alison Saar, Rio Dulce, 1993 – One of five sculptures evoking resources for the South and first exhibited in the High Museum of Art’s celebrated Fertile Ground exhibition, Rio Dulce, recalls the collective memory and trauma of slave culture in the South. 
• Mary Sibande …of Prosperity, 2011 – Drawn from generations of women in her family working as domestic servants, this sculptural work of a voluminous Victorian dress invites viewers to consider race, gender, and class in post-colonial South Africa.  
• Kate Shepherd, Stones, Red Ache, 2010 – Stones, Red Ache is composed of thin lines of oil paint on enamel, connoting architecture in its linear nature.
• Jennifer Steinkamp, Daisy Chain 2004 – This video installation, debuting at the Norton in For the Record, appears as an animated mural, with a pixelated projection of pulsating daisy chains. A leader in digital animation, Steinkamp’s large scale work invites a close viewing, with its intricate natural forms.

In accordance with recommendations by the CDC, the Museum is maintaining limited capacity and requiring visitors to wear masks, have their temperatures taken upon arrival, and reserve advanced, timed tickets. For full details on the Museum’s health and safety protocols, please visit Norton.org/visit